Did you know that the Greeks and Romans were the first to harness solar energy for their use? They actually constructed their buildings with their windows facing the south, which gave them maximum sun exposure, heating and lighting the insides of the buildings for the longest. Since then, people have been trying to use the sun to their benefits ever since. Whether it was heating water, lighting fires or drying goods, the sun has been one of the most valuable tools to our growth as a species. And today we can see both the environmental benefits of solar energy and the financial benefits of solar energy for your home.
Solar panels are everywhere nowadays, even where you least expect them. With the latest generation of the technology, solar cells are film thin and yet still produce high efficiency conversion at a low cost. You can find them in handheld calculators, rooftops, watches, and even on satellites and spacecrafts. In fact, space programs have been using photovoltaic, or sun powered, technology since 1958.
One of the advantages of solar energy for your home is that it is a completely renewable resource. Why is solar energy renewable? Renewable refers to the fact that we will always have the sun in our lifetimes. Unlike oil, which there is a finite amount of, we will never see an end to sunlight, never run out. In fact, every day about 120,000 terawatts of solar energy reach the surface of the earth. Think of all the appliances you could be running if you harness that energy that is just being wasted right now.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need direct sunlight to be hitting your solar panels in order to enjoy the benefits of solar energy. Even on an overcast day the panels can be powered. And, should it be dark enough to not give you enough juice, most panels charge up a battery on extremely sunny days, giving you back up power for night time. Depending upon the battery size and type, and on energy usage, those back up batteries could last up to three days without a single bit of light to recharge them.
So why be stuck relying on an energy source that grows more expensive every day? And that very well may run out within our lifetime? Switch to solar now and stop paying out the nose for your energy, when you can get it for free.