How much money does solar panels save?
I can tell you for a fact you can save money with solar panels. I have a system. I have a 3.74 kw dc system which cost $26K, I got a $10K rebate from my utility and a $2K fed tax credit. I will break even or get ROI in 6-7 years. My system generates about $2K of energy per year. The benefit of a school is most of the energy will be produced during the time that the students are using the facility so you may see a better return. I still use much of my energy when the sun goes down. All businesses get a 30% fed tax credit when they install a system, and many states offer larger rebates to businesses. There are many factors that will determine the efficiency of the panels, my orientation isn't ideal so that drops my production a little. Shade can reduce the number of hours a panel can produce. The number of hours of sunlight and the number of days it is cloudy can affect production as well. Your utility policies can have an economic impact, not all utilities allow the meter to run backwards or buy back the excess energy you produce, most schools are out of session during the longest most productive days. The biggest problem for solar is the large initial payment, without grants or loans it is unlikely a school would have the money to put up a large system. There is no need to zero out the bill, even a partial system can save money.
If you live in an existing or newly built 3-bedroom house in the Midwest, can you install solar panels on the ?
To supply your appliances, almost certainly. To heat and cool your house would probably take more energy than solar panels could effectively provide, unless your your house is freakishly insulated, like buried underground one story, no windows, and with foot-thick insulation all around. How much it costs, and therefore, how cost-effective solar electricity will be depends on the site of your house. If you're in Texas, that's very different from Michigan. You can look up your area on this map: http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsr... to find average hours of sun for your area. Also, you would ideally have a south-facing roof, tilted at the angle of your latitude, and no trees, buildings, or other obstructions to cast shadows on your roof for most of the day. A typical net cost would be $10,000 - $25,000, for a house that is already conservative on energy. The best way to find out how much it really costs, and whether your house is well suited for solar electric, is to contact a professional solar installer in your area. They all give free quotes, and you can always say no. The worst that happens is you get an education on solar panels from it. We put panels on our house. I can send you more info if you email me.
What are the benefits of installing house solar panels?
Solar Power is the energy generated by sunlight. Solar energy is being increasingly adopted throughout the globe because of its environmental benefits. This use of energy produces no waste and does not give out any harmful emissions. Also, it does not put strain on the Earth’s ecosystem by using up too much land space, as it requires minimal machinery to operate. Sunlight is actually the Earth's primary source of energy. For instance, it makes possible the photosynthesis process of plants, algae and bacterias that maintains the atmosphere's level of oxygen thus making life possible as we know it. The amount of energy generated only by photosynthesis on Earth's organisms is about six times larger than the whole human power consumption. Currently mankind's energy production is mostly derived from fossil fuels, such as coil, oil and gas. An interesting fact is that most of that energy is really Sun's energy stored. So one way or another it is the Sun's energy that we are using, why not do it in the most efficient, clean and direct way?. There are two ways of converting sunlight energy into electricity: directly on indirectly. Direct conversion is achieved by using Solar Panels, also called PhotoVoltaic Arrays. Most solar panels are constructed with silicon PV cells, which are somewhat analogous to the chlorophyll used by living organisms. Solar Panels can be installed either on the ground - on country-side houses or massive power plants- or on rooftops for individual use. You can check the following sections for further information: How does solar power work? - How are solar panels installed? - U.S. Solar power plants Indirect conversion is achieved by concentrating sunlight using lenses or mirrors to generate heat. The heat is then transferred to a transfer fluid for a conventional power plant or it can even be combined with PV arrays to improve their efficiency. It is the same basic process as using a magnifying glass to burn something. You can check the following sections for further information: Concentrating Solar Power