The Advantages of Solar Power

The major benefit of using solar power is that it is free to use, and for all practical purposes an unlimited resource. I believe that the last estimate of the remaining life of the sun was five billion years. Imagine not having to pay the increasing cost of electricity for years – solar panels are guaranteed for their output for 20 to 25 years, and are expected to last much longer before needing replacement.

Solar power is quiet and non-polluting, and produces no greenhouse gases. You can enjoy your life, at least in your house, knowing that you are not contributing to global warming. The fact is that you are reducing the pollution caused by conventional electricity production by not requiring it for your house.

When you decide to go solar, you also have the advantage that the Federal government and other institutions are willing to provide major help with the costs. This is in the form of tax incentives, grants and rebates. In some States, the financial assistance in the form of grants and rebates can amount to more than half the costs.

Laws have been passed that allow you to store your excess electricity with the utility company, and use it later, when the sun isn’t shining. This is called the “net metering” law, and it’s available in most areas, and being implemented in others.

If you use solar power for your heating, whether by a direct heating system or by generating electricity with solar panels, you have the advantage that you won’t run out of heating oil or propane by forgetting to order it.

An often overlooked benefit of installing a solar system is the increase in the value of your home. A study some years ago suggested that you add more than $20 to your home value for every dollar saved each year. Saving say $100 per month in electricity bills would therefore increase your home’s worth by $24,000, which might even be enough to pay for the installation, after rebates. In fact, the increase in value should probably be more than that, as the original calculation was based on higher mortgage rates than currently enjoyed, and on an assumed stable energy cost.

Finally, solar can do what the utility companies cannot. If you want to live in a remote place where the utility company doesn’t exist, you can do so – as long as the sun shines there during the day!