The present status of the solar power house is very bright and the future is even brighter because of the likelihood that the cost of fossil fuels will continue escalating. Solar power has become a practical, cost-effective alternative for home use in most of the world. Hopefully, reliable and affordable solar energy technologies will soon provide many homes around the world some form of this pure and clean energy resource as a replacement for polluting effects of fossil fuel energy. This is a future that most people will in all likelihood embrace.
This future will arrive as the cost of solar power for the home continues decreasing and becomes reasonably competitive with other options, and as solar power technologies reach a sufficient level of market penetration to form a stable residential solar industry. Some solar power house applications have already converged upon technological and economic viability and others are nearing this critical point. This convergence is being greatly enhanced as emerging technologies are being supported with grants and tax incentives, and as buyers of “green” technologies are given government financial incentives.
A solar power house may have a combination of one or more passive or active applications of solar hot water, heat, cooling, electricity, and lighting technologies. Active solar systems are by far the most prevalent form of solar being used. However, passive systems are typically less costly to install and maintain, and are less complex and more reliable than active systems. The main reason that active systems are more prevalent is that passive systems are often not well suited in retrofit applications.
As more and more houses are converted to solar power they will add significantly to improvement in the quality of life by expanding inexpensive sustainable electricity, and by reducing unhealthy air emissions by displacing fossil-fuel energy systems with cost-effective solar energy systems.
As always, adequate knowledge is the key to success in embarking on any solar power house project. Use caution with websites that tend to provide little useful information and mostly pitch products. The best approach is to learn, plan, test and only then begin a project suitable for the availability of your time, energy and funds.
One thing to consider in making your funds go further is a do-it-yourself (DIY) project. And one of the easiest and most cost-effective DIY projects is solar power hot water which accounts for about 25% of the typical power utility bill. There are a couple of exceptionally good DIY packages on the market that provide step-by-step instructions, instructional videos, and plans.
Its important for us all to become involved in a growing “green energy” movement now because the environment can’t wait and fossil fuel power is not going to get any cheaper.
