lately i have been interested in solar power. i own my own home and in Texas it's HOT, so my A/C is always on and that light bill is like $300.00 a month. i was looking at other light companies but then i remembered that there are the so called solar power but i dont knowknow to start or how it would work to power the a/c machine...pls help
We are in the UK, but we now have two systems, one which heats the water and the other generates electricity via PV panels. You need to have a roof area facing in the correct direction and at a suitable pitch. If the sun is hitting the roof at an oblique angle the loss of benefit is high. The system that heats the water has the fastest pay back time. Our water has been hot since we had the system installed despite a poor summer here. Over here we can export surplus electricity created by the PV panels back to the national grid, and they buy that surplus. We often have surpluses during the day, but obviously when it is dark and we use electricity, we sort of buy it back. In the 6 months since it was installed, we have generated about 85% of our needs. Our best day was when we generated 46% of our needs. As you may know, we have had rain and floods over here, but to-day we still generated 22% of our needs and we put on several loads of washing. we have kept a spreadsheet of all teh figures. We are very pleased with ours, and we got a grant, but it was very expensive for the PV system. i'd recommend it, though. i have grandchildren and I feel we have to do something to preserve resources for them and to help combat climate problems. Make sure you have done other things - such as made sure your insulation etc is as good as it can be.
I live near a community in Mexico where hey have no power. It is in the desert and is perfect for solar because they only have 3-4 in. rain a year. It is on the beach so many wealthy have homes there that are on solar systems. I have helped my friends set up and work on many of them. Solar systems WILL NOT normally support air conditioning unless you install a gas powered ammonia or lithium Bromide system. In these systems the refrigeration cycle heat is supplied by the gas instead of a compressor, so the only electrical power is a small circulation pump which will not drain batteries fast. These are a problem in some areas because not many people know how to maintain and repair this type of system. Some of my friends claim they can run a very small one room AC on their solar systems just to at least have a place to sleep that is cool. Others say it is questionable. Please understand these systems are not cheap. Most of them paid $20,000 - $35,000 and even more if you use the ammonia cycle AC. The systems usually have 0-2 panels, a 0-5 KW gas generator, and large bank of large batteries like ones you use in a golf cart or bigger. I also must apologize to all the environmentalists for the inconvenient truth.
Then search the internet for the best prices on a GTS grid tie system.
Solar panels are a great way to cut back on your energy bill. Once you are hooked up to solar energy, the home owner does absolutly nothing different than if you buy electricity from the power-company. Sinse you live in texas, it is more than likely you will not be able to use purely solar power to meet your energy needs unless you purchase a large system ($30,000+). However with enough of an investment, you can 'Sell' your energy back to the power company and greatly reduce your electric bill. I would call a licensed Solar Power company for more information if you do not know much about solar. While the system is relativally simple, it should only be designed and installed by trained licensed professionals.
