|
|
Renewable energy can be installed that will more than meet the energy needs of a typical American household. However, renewable energy systems are not cheap, and the greater your energy demand the higher the cost for the system. With that in mind, we will always encourage owners to rethink the way they use energy and help them find ways to greatly reduce their use.
Photovoltaic panels convert energy from the sun into electrical DC current. An inverter changes this power into AC current for use in your home. The electricity that is not used immediately is literally "saved for a rainy day" when the sun can not meet your energy needs. This storage occurs either in large battery systems or by feeding it back to the local power grid (see below).
Photovoltaic panels are a considerable up-front expense. They are becoming more cost effective as the price of non-renewable energy continues to climb. Let's not forget that conscious consumers (such as yourself) have the power to drive the market. If we all bought 1KW of photovoltaic (about $5000), production of PV panels would increase and the cost would drop considerably. We would also be able to create a "renewable grid" among users that would allow us to reallocate our excess solar energy more efficiently.
Wind energy has been used for thousands of years in many different ways, such as water pumping, grain mills, and transportation. Today most wind energy is used to produce electricity in the form of a "wild" AC current that must be converted into household AC power. Wind power can be harnessed almost everywhere, although placement and output is very site-specific.
Generators have moving parts that are subjected to great stress, so eventually they will incur maintenance and replacement costs. Wind power is less expensive than PV up front, although the difference can shrink over the long run.
Renewable energy can be used with older homes, but the lack of energy efficiency in such homes means you may need a larger (more expensive) system to meet your needs. For information on ways to save energy and how to make your older home more efficient, please visit our page on lifestyle choices.
We recommend being connected to the local power grid even if you produce more than enough energy for your needs. The grid is used to essentially "store" your energy (you may be actually using non-renewable energy from the grid, but you have been feeding more renewable energy into the grid bank). There is a small fee each month just to be hooked up to the grid, but this is often offset by refunds for the excess energy you provide. The advantage to using the grid is not having to deal with extensive battery systems, which need maintaining and replacing. You are still independently powered whenever the sun shines or the wind blows!
Does renewable energy pay off financially? The answer depends on the price of standard energy sources (nuclear, coal, and gas), which, by all indications, will continue to rise rapidly.
One option many of our customers have taken to make renewable energy more affordable is to form a small "energy collective". This just means a handful of friends decide to live on neighboring properties and share the power provided by a wind generator or a set of photovoltaic panels. Wind especially makes sense to share this way, as the cost per watt drops the larger the wind generator.
It's like forming your own mini power company, but using only renewable energy! And you all get to be CEOs!
