Now that solar energy projects are springing up across the world in large numbers, a lot of people are starting to consider whether to have their own panels installed at their home.
A lot of the benefits are obvious, yet others are ones you only tend to appreciate once you’ve become part of the solar revolution. For instance, it’s widely accepted that you’ll save money on your energy bills – both through the energy you gather for free from the sun and the money you make from the feed-in tariff – and many consider this as the odd bit of extra savings. What many forget is the fact that this energy supply is also incredibly reliable, as the sun will always rise and the panels are very durable in most weathers, meaning you can plan ahead with how much money you’ll save.
Alongside being cheap and reliable, having this secure source of energy gives you a greater sense of energy independence. Although the extent of this will depend on the climate you live in and how many panels you’ve purchased, any improvement is a positive as it provides you with more security if ever the National Grid goes down.
Another under-appreciated benefit is the surprisingly low maintenance costs involved. Even with relatively harsh weather conditions, all you need is some minor monitoring and tinkering once or twice a year and your panels will continue to work at full capacity. Not only do they have this perk as a long-term investment, but as time goes on and technology advances they are becoming ever more cost-effective. The price of solar panels in 1977 was around 100 times more than it is today; even as recently as 2008 they were 80 percent higher. For people who live in areas where it’s too expensive to extend the electricity grid, they’ve become a very viable alternative.
And finally, even though it may seem like too grand a scale to be worthwhile, you’ll still get to pat yourself on the back for taking a positive action against climate change. Global warming will affect everyone and we all have to do our bit – solar panels are the most beneficial way of doing yours.
