Solar - Off Grid or On Grid?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo]Richard Chapo
If you are considering solar as a renewable energy system for your home, one of the decisions you will have to make is whether to be on grid or off grid.
Let’s start with the basics. What is a grid? The grid as referred to in solar is the power grid maintained by utility companies. If you pay a utility bill each month, you are pulling power off the utility grid.
Going off grid with solar power is in many ways a statement of independence. You don’t need to be a slave to the stinking utility corporations. You can handle your own electrical production. Ah, but do you want to?
Going off grid with solar is often more expensive in both the short and long term. The immediate expense has to do with batteries. Solar power is not just applied to your home energy needs. If you are off grid, you must store the power in batteries. The batteries are expensive and have to be replaced from time to time.
Going on grid is generally a cheaper initial choice. Simply put, you don’t need batteries. You can just plug into the utility grid. It is often done at your power meter, but check with the utility to find out for sure.
Once hooked to the grid, you have the benefit of feeding power into the system. In a majority of states, you can actually sell your excess power to the utility. This is known as net metering. While you are at work during the day, your panel system will feed electricity into the grid. Your meter will actually spin backwards and your bill will be reduced if not eliminated.
Finances are another advantage to going on grid. The federal government will give you tax credits for doing so. Many states will do so also or at least give you rebates. These incentives, however, are usually not allowed for off grid systems.
So, is there any situation where off grid makes sense. Yes, there are two. One, you simply want to be independent regardless of the finances involved. Second, you are in a remote area where you cannot reach the grid without spending significant money to do so. Barring these two situations, on grid is probably your best choice.
Rick Chapo is with [http://www.solarcompanies.com]SolarCompanies.com - a directory of [http://www.solarcompanies.com]solar companies nationwide and solar information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo http://EzineArticles.com/?Solar---Off-Grid-or-On-Grid?&id=483689
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Green living off grid information
"Green" is a huge word everbody knows. They also know some basics about what "Green" is and even about how to be "Green". We are starting a few blogs to focus on certain topics or locations to help go through some information you may not want. We will provide links to other sites that have more info on those topics. Of course some information is universal and the word needs to be shared with everyone so it will be posted in a few blogs. Here we will try to focus on life off the Grid. Pros and cons. Problems you may incounter and benefits you may not expect. we will offer different products However we do not endorse every product since we can not effectively test them all. We will try to give the information and you make the choice from there. Links to the other blogs will be posted as soon as soon as they are up and running. We are not experts at being "Green" we are normal people like you that see we need to change and know this is the way. Starting is often the hardest thing given all the information out there. So please if any of you are already living off grid or has information on the topic share with us. One by one we will make a difference.
Off Grid Green Living
Any Green Blog
The Investment Into Green Energy
By James Copper
In the United States, Canada and Australia both commercial and
residential consumers can buy green energy from their standard
local utility provider of from a provider that specializes in
green energy. Many third party suppliers of energy provide green
energy electricity that is produced from renewable resources.
This energy is delivered to consumers by way of their local
electric utility company. The consumer who opts for this green
energy course pays a small premium each month on her or his
utility bill as the additional cost of the green energy they are
getting. The other option is to buy directly from the green
energy supplier.
Of course, when a consumer buys the green energy via the local
utility company he or she can not know its really green energy
in other words, they do not know that they truly got what they
paid extra for. It is a matter of trust. The local electric
company buys the electricity from the various producers. These
can be nuclear, coal, hydroelectric power on a large scale or
green energy providers such as solar and wind energy producers.
Must electricity from the local utility company in any country
comes from fossil fuels or nuclear power that is not renewable
and or pollutes the environment to a high and dangerous level.
Green energy is the current provider of a minimal percentage of
our worlds electricity. In fact, when utility companies buy
green energy for the consumers that request it they generally
only buy 25 percent of what they ultimately provide to all.
Consumers who sign up with their local utility provider to pay
a premium each month for green energy are not only helping to
save their environment but they are also sending a message to
the utility companies and the legislature that they are willing
to pay extra for healthy air for us all.
There are environmentally conscious, forward thinking countries
such as the Netherlands that have committed themselves to
matching their consumers purchase of green energy with an equal
amount of green energy buy for governmental use. The government
of Holland exempts green energy producers and users from its
pollution tax. This exemption brings the cost of green energy
consumption down considerably.
Several organizations in Europe promote the consumption of
green energy, and there are a number of green energy providers,
although the high cost of electricity in those countries has
kept the use of the less expensive gas and oil the majority
provider.
At work now are efforts to distribute cheap renewable
electricity in these countries so the average electrical
consumer can afford to support the environment and clean air
efforts with the use of green energy products. Consumers can
install their very own renewable green energy system, based
locally.
This may be solar, wind or even water power. Geothermal heat
pumps also provide green energy by tapping a few feet into the
earths temperature.
Many U.S. states now offer monetary incentives for those who
want to use the more costly green energy electricity sources.
About the Author: James Copper is a writer for
http://www.plumbingcareer.co.uk
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:http://www.isnare.com/?aid=218246&ca=World+Affairs
The Investment Into Green Energy
By James Copper
In the United States, Canada and Australia both commercial and
residential consumers can buy green energy from their standard
local utility provider of from a provider that specializes in
green energy. Many third party suppliers of energy provide green
energy electricity that is produced from renewable resources.
This energy is delivered to consumers by way of their local
electric utility company. The consumer who opts for this green
energy course pays a small premium each month on her or his
utility bill as the additional cost of the green energy they are
getting. The other option is to buy directly from the green
energy supplier.
Of course, when a consumer buys the green energy via the local
utility company he or she can not know its really green energy
in other words, they do not know that they truly got what they
paid extra for. It is a matter of trust. The local electric
company buys the electricity from the various producers. These
can be nuclear, coal, hydroelectric power on a large scale or
green energy providers such as solar and wind energy producers.
Must electricity from the local utility company in any country
comes from fossil fuels or nuclear power that is not renewable
and or pollutes the environment to a high and dangerous level.
Green energy is the current provider of a minimal percentage of
our worlds electricity. In fact, when utility companies buy
green energy for the consumers that request it they generally
only buy 25 percent of what they ultimately provide to all.
Consumers who sign up with their local utility provider to pay
a premium each month for green energy are not only helping to
save their environment but they are also sending a message to
the utility companies and the legislature that they are willing
to pay extra for healthy air for us all.
There are environmentally conscious, forward thinking countries
such as the Netherlands that have committed themselves to
matching their consumers purchase of green energy with an equal
amount of green energy buy for governmental use. The government
of Holland exempts green energy producers and users from its
pollution tax. This exemption brings the cost of green energy
consumption down considerably.
Several organizations in Europe promote the consumption of
green energy, and there are a number of green energy providers,
although the high cost of electricity in those countries has
kept the use of the less expensive gas and oil the majority
provider.
At work now are efforts to distribute cheap renewable
electricity in these countries so the average electrical
consumer can afford to support the environment and clean air
efforts with the use of green energy products. Consumers can
install their very own renewable green energy system, based
locally.
This may be solar, wind or even water power. Geothermal heat
pumps also provide green energy by tapping a few feet into the
earths temperature.
Many U.S. states now offer monetary incentives for those who
want to use the more costly green energy electricity sources.
About the Author: James Copper is a writer for
http://www.plumbingcareer.co.uk
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:http://www.isnare.com/?aid=218246&ca=World+Affairs
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
