 |
||
 |
 |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
|
 |
||
SOLAR POWER
Solar Power
There is a really neat house in my hometown. It isn’t very large, but it is quite unique, and has beautiful sprawling lawns. They story is that this home is owned by one of the men responsible for solar power. I don’t know if I believe that, but it’s a neat story. The town is so small that I can’t imagine why they would choose to settle there. In any event, this story promoted an early interest in what solar power can do, and why it came about. Some say a power crisis in the seventies promoted the need to find new sources of power, but I honestly have no idea if that’s true either.
What I do know is that solar power uses the power of the sun to power things we normally use electric power for. Most of the electric we use is from nuclear power or produce by moving water; otherwise known as hydroelectric power. The sun is yet another source to produce this power, and it is very simple to use and harness. The solar power you get enters a solar panel and can be converted to stored power. The sun can run things in real time, and the solar power can be saved, almost like a battery, for use during the night.
If you have solar power, you have to save solar panels. You can get these installed by professionals, and if you have enough, you may be able to power your entire house with it. You will want to have open space around where your panels are located. Thick trees can lower the amount of solar power you can collect on a daily basis. Some homes are entirely powered by solar power and others are partially fit with panels.
There are also cars and planes that draw power from the sun, as well as units used just for cooking. These collect the power and save it up for burst of energy, much like you would charge a battery to put into your portable CD player or golf cart. They cost more money to buy, but in the long run you save money because you don’t have to buy any fuel, or at least you won’t have to buy nearly as much. If you want to use solar power for any purpose, you should find a contractor or company in your area that can help you understand what it might cost you to have it installed, and what benefits you can expect to get from your new system.