Solar Power: Is it for you?

There are many choices when it comes to alternative energy these days.  From burning garbage to produce electric, to windmills and wind turbines to the ever popular solar power.  With all of these options to choose from which is the best bang for your buck?

In a nutshell none are really cost affective right now on a large scale but all will help reduce costs.  Today I want to focus in on solar and how you can actually make it a more viable option then ever before.

Unless you have lived in cave you have heard of solar power.  The process of solar power takes the suns rays and through the use photovoltaic cells converts those suns rays into electricity.  Sounds simple right?  Well out of all of the options it is the easiest to implement, however if you were to load up your rooftops with solar panels, it could cost anywhere from twenty thousand dollars up to one hundred thousands dollars.  I can tell you right now you would never recoup your cost in your lifetime.  But here is what I suggest if you want to take advantage of solar power to help reduce costs.

Believe it or not you can build your own solar panel for more than half of what it costs to buy a solar panel.  So if you are a handy do it yourself type of person build your own solar panel.  Of course you will need an electrician to hook it into your electrical supply that feeds your house.  Solar cells can be purchased online or at Radio Shack and you can even obtain step by step plans to build a simple panel.  The cost will vary from the cells you choose and other material, but I built a solar panel that generates 18 volts of power for less than $100.

So what if you are not a handy person what then?  Well instead of investing in various panels you can invest in solar specific devices, such as roof top vent fans powered by solar, solar landscape lighting and other outdoor lights to name a few.  I haven’t seen any solar powered kitchen appliances yet, but I am sure they are on their way.

If you still want to invest in a solar panel, instead of purchasing all of the solar panels for your entire roof, buy one now, and then add on additional solar panels as you can afford them.  This last option has become the most popular.  It is popular because the amount of money needed up front is less than two thousand dollars in most cases, and then additional panels added on later are cheaper since the initial work has already been done.

We all want to utilize cleaner energy for our homes but do not want to break the bank in doing so.  Just keep in mind that there are various options you available to you and you are only limited by your own creativity.

About the Author:
Mr. Tucker is a regular contributor on Bukisa, an online community for writers that pays them for their articles.  You can also follow Bruce on Twitter.

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