More Affordable Solar for Your Homestead

Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

http://PoorManSurvivor.net

ISSN 2161-5543
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

“Laissez-nous faire, laissez-nous passer. Le monde va de lui meme.”
“(Let us do, leave us alone. The world runs by itself.)”– French Saying

More Affordable Solar Power
by Dan Chiras

If you’ve ever considered installing a home solar electric system and generating your electricity with free, renewable energy, now’s a great time to look at your options. In recent years, prices for solar systems have plummeted thanks to increased demand, mass production and intense competition among manufacturers. Generous government financial incentives for solar power have reduced the cost for homeowners even further, making a home solar electric system more affordable than it’s ever been.

Because the source of energy — sunlight — is free, the cost of solar power equates to the cost of your solar electric system spread over the lifetime of the system you buy — easily 30 years or more. As a rule, solar incentives for homeowners reduce the system cost by 30 to 50 percent. Incentives for businesses can lower the cost by 50 to 75 percent!

However, even without incentives, the lifetime cost of solar electricity is now frequently cost-competitive with the cost of electricity from your local utility. In some places with relatively high costs for utility electricity unsubsidized solar is already cheaper than utility rates.

When purchasing a solar electric system, most people choose to contact a solar installer, who can help them decide which type of system they need. To find a solar installer, check local listings or use http://www.findsolar.com to search for local options within a national directory.

There are three basic types of solar electric systems. Here are pros and cons of each.

More [plus additional resources] here:

http://poormansurvivorblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/affordable-solar-power-for-your.html