Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Right Size for Solar Power Systems

By David Sullivan

People's awareness of environmental issues has been becoming greater and greater with news of global warming and other environmental stresses. At the same time awareness of renewable energy like solar power has been increasing. They can now provide even residential homes with cost-effective means to power their homes and help to reduce pollution due to energy production.

Of course if you are going to install solar power systems into your home, you'll want to make sure that you choose the best solar panels available. So, how to you go about choosing the solar panels you need? Here's a closer look at the factors you need to keep in mind when you choose residential solar panels for your home system.

The size of the solar panels is the first thing to think about. The size will affect the amount of electricity that can be produced by the panels, expressed in watts. The wattage rating tells you how many watts are produced by a solar panel within an hour.

The larger the panel, the higher the wattage rating of course. You can estimate the amount of power you've been using from your monthly power bills or by adding up the wattage rating of your appliances and lights. The higher the wattage rating of the panels the more expensive they will be.

Efficiency is another thing to be taken into account. This is a measure of how much energy the panel can produce from sunlight. Of course, regardless of the efficiency of the panel, it will never provide more energy than is suggested by the wattage rating.

You should also take a look at the warranty and the longevity of a solar panel when you are making your choice for a home system. It's important that you choose panels that are going to be durable, especially since they'll spend their time outside. You don't want panels that are going to take a lot of maintenance or that will quickly break down.

Take a look at the warranty. Many come with 10 year warranties. If this is the only warranty it comes with, make sure it will pay for itself in that time. However, in many cases the solar panels that come with a 25 year warranty are the better option for you.

Cost is also likely to be an important factor when choosing residential solar panels. The cost of solar panels will generally have to do with the size of the panels, their durability and other factors. While cost is (and should be) a factor, cost should not be the only thing you think about when looking for solar panels to power your home.

There is more to think about than the cost of the panels per se. There are also the savings to be had by using these solar panels to power your home. Keep the long view in mind - if it makes sense over the life of the solar panels, then you are looking at a good deal. - 16463

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