Thanks to technological and manufacturing advances, costs for solar panels have tumbled in the last decade, making solar energy more popular for homeowners. But figuring out how to add a solar energy system to your roof can be daunting...totally worth it in the end though!
One of the biggest thrills this homeowner experienced after she installed solar panels was watching the power meter run backward as her utility credited her for excess power she sold back to the grid. However, the utility companies buy roof-generated solar power at a small fraction of the retail rate they charge to deliver that power back to customers’ homes.
In 2021, solar energy accounted for 46% of all new electricity-generating capacity added in the US. Additionally, residential solar installations set an annual record of 30% year-over-year growth. Currently, solar power only accounts for 3.9% of total US electricity generation, but that number is rapidly growing.
Everyone’s looking for a way to keep the lights on when the power goes out. With increasingly intense weather knocking the power grid offline for days at a time in some regions, traditional fossil-fuel–based backup systems seem increasingly unreliable. That’s why residential solar power combined with battery storage is rapidly becoming a mainstream disaster-preparedness choice.
YES! If homeowners started to make their own electricity, it is very likely they wouldn't stop there – and fossil fuels would become obsolete much quicker.
Interest in residential solar energy in the Delaware Valley continues to grow, spurred on by a generous federal tax credit, state and utility rebates in Delaware and New Jersey, more efficient panels and systems, and eco-conscious homeowners.
Solar panels can be a wonderful addition to a home: You're saving money on your electricity bill by generating your own energy, you're helping the environment with renewable resources and you may even have the option to sell electricity back to the energy company in exchange for credits.
Solar panels not only have a low impact on the environment but also on your everyday life. In many circumstances, you can install them and not worry about further maintenance, such as cleanings.
The top tips for homeowners considering solar panels include: (1) ensure you have the right kind of roof for panels, (2) look into financing options, and (3) find a reliable installer. Lucky for you, SRE specializes in all 3!
If you install a solar PV system before December 31, 2022, you can earn a 26% tax credit. But the credit falls to 22% for systems installed in 2023 and, unless Congress renews the program, will expire altogether in 2024.
One NFL stadium is the clear leader when it comes to generating solar electricity. Does your favorite team play there?
Solar panels can be a big investment when you renewably power your whole home. Of course, since you’re generating your own power, you stand to cut or eliminate your electrical bill.
A widespread misconception is that solar panels are hardly effective during winter. Although solar panels' energy results are at their pinnacle when presented to direct sunlight and UV beams, the impact of hot weather should not be confused with reducing energy generation from solar panels during colder seasons.
Consumer attitudes towards domestic solar energy systems often pose barriers to widespread solar adoption.
The US is reprioritizing where it sources its energy. Over the last 13 years, the country has shuttered more coal mines than it has opened. What remains after coal extraction makes site conditions difficult for redevelopment, but contractors are finding luck replacing the fossil fuel operations with solar arrays.
Across most of the country, solar is simply less expensive than dirty fossil fuels. And costs for solar and battery technologies continue to fall.
Various industries are searching for emission reduction tactics as eco-consumer rates in the United States rise. Environmentalists are exploring the cross benefits of using solar power to support farming.
Solar panels can use both direct and indirect sunlight to generate electrical power. This means they can still be productive even when there is cloud coverage.
Even if the orientation of your roof isn't quite right, that doesn't mean solar power is off the table.
If you have a large enough piece of land that is not covered by shadows, ground-mounted solar panels may be a great option for your property.
Solar power is among the most affordable renewable energy options, but to take advantage of the benefits of solar energy, homeowners are faced with a major decision: solar leasing vs. buying panels outright.
YES! One study confirmed solar installations increase a home's resale value by up to $5,911 for each kilowatt of solar panels installed, and another estimated an increase of 4.1% of the home's value.
Batteries aren't for everyone but here are the basics on how batteries store solar energy if you'd like to learn more.
As the technology evolves, the affordability makes these new technologies enticing. There is an abundance of wind, solar and hydro renewable energy sources in America, and all that is needed is enhanced technology to harness it.
Experts debunk 9 utility-fueled myths so you can make an informed decision about solar energy for your home.
They designed it with computers, using different tools and aluminum for the frame, and most importantly - solar panels.
Solar panels for electrifying homes are becoming increasingly affordable and is crossing the threshold as the go-to energy solution for many residential homeowners.
The electric two-seater’s tiny size is one reason that it doesn’t use much energy—and in a typical day of city driving, it can run entirely on power from a solar panel on its own roof.
Over the past few years, solar farm developers have increasingly been encouraged to transform the space underneath their solar panels into a safe haven for bees, butterflies and other endangered pollinators.
Solar panels provide benefits in more ways than one, and when you make the switch to solar, the advantages go both ways—to the environment and the consumer.
More Americans are tapping into the power of the sun to provide electricity for their homes, as the cost to go solar continues to drop.
Walt Disney World is harnessing the power of the sun to 'power the magic' at its theme parks developing two new 75MW solar facilities, which are expected to come online in about 2 years!
How many solar panels you would need to install on your roof depends on your energy needs, how much sunshine you get, the nature of your roof, and the sizes and capabilities of the panels to be installed. The math is simple, but the number of variables makes it complicated.
The sun is one of the most reliable sources of renewable energy. Thanks to recent technological advancements, today’s solar panels are more efficient, durable, and quite affordable.
Solar panels are devices that collect energy from the sun and convert it into electricity using photovoltaic cells. Through the photovoltaic effect, semiconductors create interactions between photons from the sun and electrons to produce electricity.
As electric vehicles go mainstream, the auto industry has largely reached the consensus that the next big thing is no longer about eliminating gas engines, but finding the most efficient method to generate electricity to power cars. A few have pursued an alternative energy source that dominates elsewhere: solar power.
Scientists working for the Pentagon have successfully tested a solar panel the size of a pizza box in space, designed as a prototype for a future system to send electricity from space back to any point on Earth.
Beyond the environmental benefits and lower electric bills, it turns out installing solar panels on your house actually benefits your whole community. Value estimations for grid-tied photovoltaic systems prove solar panels are beneficial for utility companies and consumers alike.
Sustainability and climate consciousness have been important goals for the university and students alike and this new high rating will encourage even more sustainability growth across campus and the State College area.
There’s a persistent MYTH that says houses with solar panels could raise energy costs for their neighbors. But a new analysis puts that notion to bed, showing solar panels actually drop the cost of power, even for nearby houses.
Two winners of the National Environment Agency’s Ecofriend Awards this year are Laura turning a childhood habit of collecting toilet paper rolls into a nationwide recycling initiative and Hemal is fundraising to install 1,130 solar panels on his school campus.
NASCAR raceways have become one of the sporting world’s most fervent adopters of solar energy, with one project under development that’s set to become the largest solar installation at any sporting venue across the globe.
Beyond the environmental benefits and lower electric bills, it turns out installing solar panels on your house actually benefits your whole community. Value estimations for grid-tied photovoltaic systems prove solar panels are beneficial for utility companies and consumers alike.
Eighteen to thirty percent of the species on the planet are at risk from the climate change that will occur if all countries do not rapidly shift to a net zero climate footprint.
Take a look at this cool, 1-MW solar array that was also a unique hands on STEAM learning experience for elementary school children in Illinois.
Solar companies and farmers can work together to harvest sunlight for both energy and food.
Two school districts have found a unique way to maintain the fields for their shared solar array.
They devised the cheapest and most environmentally friendly answer to the widespread stray animal problem by patenting a solar-heated animal kennel.
It works using a combination of plants and mosses that naturally remove dust, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone gases from the surrounding air. It also features solar panels that satisfy all of its electricity demands for capturing data.
Agrivoltaics could also provide jobs and boost rural livelihoods, while cutting carbon emissions.
Although it is true that the energy output of solar panels is at its peak when exposed to direct sunlight and UV rays, the temperature does not play a large role in the solar panel’s overall performance.
Solar power from space could be a consequence of solar power used in space for other purposes.
Aquaculture is boosting Maryland's oyster population benefiting watermen, who have more oysters to harvest, and the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.
Improving the efficiency of solar cells can make a huge difference to the amount of energy produced from the same surface area and the same amount of sunshine, and another world record has been beaten in the push for better yields.
All should consider switching from natural gas, coal power, and other unsustainable sources of energy for both home and business to other, cleaner energy sources, including solar, wind, and geothermal. In fact, the world depends on it.
It started as a vision: a solar powered, secluded mountain retreat designed for sustainable living that would unite technology and ecology, resilience, and beauty.
The "Interceptor" is a floating, solar-powered device designed to scoop plastic out of rivers.
Solar energy evangelist and “Property Brother” Jonathan Scott all across the U.S. to uncover why clean, renewable energy isn’t available to all.
Solar panel mounts were installed to the roofing of the attraction’s exterior with the panels installed shortly after. This is great news because it comes as a means of conserving energy by using solar panels.
Within the construction industry, advances continue to happen as people look in closer detail at how buildings are created.
The interest in environmentally responsible waterfront homes is on the rise.
Report finds an 81% increase in K-12 schools using solar power over the last 5 years.
Environmental policies and green investment schemes have largely reduced the cost of renewables worldwide.
The technology choice has been growing and growing, with both larger and larger plants and broader application, including geographically.
A cutting-edge street light at Science Park High School in Newark, NJ will provide power and a unique STEM learning opportunity.
80% to 85% of our energy demand can be supplied from wind, water, and solar by as early as 2030. The remaining 15% to 20% would take another 20 years.
A “first-in-the-nation” policy called the Clean Peak Standard has been launched in Massachusetts whereby a proportion of electricity used on the grid at times of highest demand must be considered ‘clean’.
Wind and solar power accounted for 10% of global electricity generation in the first six months of 2020. This is a impressive improvement on the situation five years ago when it accounted for just 5%.
Researchers hope this model will work to design better solar panels and other solar devices.
As the U.S. solar industry expands, arrays are spreading across more land — and the cost of keeping the sun on those panels through vegetation management is rising.
Tinted, semi-transparent solar panels can be used to generate electricity and produce nutritionally superior crops simultaneously, bringing the prospect of higher incomes for farmers and maximizing use of agricultural land.
Rhode Island has embarked on its goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030. Getting there is a work in progress, but the target will likely be reached without doing much outside of existing renewable-energy initiatives.
The options for renewable energy are growing every day. Eventually, society won’t need to rely on fossil fuels or other destructive resources that damage the ecosystem.
As the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders brought much of the world to a standstill, people everywhere started noticing clearer skies which had a measurable impact on the output from solar photovoltaic panels.
The potential of solar power is massive – Earth receives as much solar energy in an hour as all of humanity uses in a year. The energy hitting Earth is only a fraction of the sun’s overall output. Most of the solar energy is lost to deep space.
Since 2010, the cost of new solar photovoltaic projects has fallen by 82%!!
Just 6% of U.S. homeowners have already installed solar panels at home, but another 46% say they have given serious thought to adding solar panels at their home in the past year.
With summer temperatures upon us, you might be excited for the sunshine and warmer weather -- but dreading the jump in your energy bills.
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