Why is it that when ever our government leaders talk about solar home power they seem to always be referring to a new national grid system powered by huge public works projects, like wind farms? Are they that far behind the times, or is it that they just don’t want to let the public know the real truth about solar power homes?

The truth, is that for the vast majority of buildings across the planet there is more than enough sunlight hitting their roofs to supply them with all the solar home power they need. All it takes, is for people just like yourself to take the money that you’ve been spending on utility bills, and use it instead to install solar panels for home use to harness it.

Your Initial Steps Towards Solar Home Power

• The very first thing you need to do is to research all the government solar home financial incentives that are available in your area. Now there is a fairly hefty federal tax rebate deal in the U.S., but for the most part, most local solar home incentives tend to be rather tight fisted. (Permit fee waivers, etc.) Just the same, solar home power incentives can add up collectively to real savings that has the potential to quickly add up to thousands of dollars. Also if you live in a county like Sonoma County County, California where the politicians aren’t in the pockets of utility providers, the solar panels for home use incentives can make conversion to a solar home incredibly easy. Now get ready though because while you won’t have to slash your way through a mountain of red tape, they’re terms none the less can be a little on the complicated side. Even so, once you start reading up on what’s available, and start doing the math it will most likely have a direct impact on your solar home power plans.

More Options in Solar Panels for Home Conversion Projects

• Keep an open mind and definitely think out of the box. If you’re like most people for instance, the first item you’re going to gravitate to is standard solar panels for home use. Now this is good because the odds are that you will end up with at least one on your building. But what about solar roof tiles for instance? The fact is that they’ve gone through several advancements that have made them the new shining star of the solar panels for home use products industry. For instance there are now even curved “Spanish style” solar tiles. They’re also more cost effective now as well. Then what about a solar water heating system? For sure if you have a swimming pool, and are currently heating it with a conventional system, something like this should be way up towards the top of your list.

Used Solar Panels for Home Conversion

• What about “used” solar panels for home power conversion? You see, as more people convert to a solar home, increasingly more used panels are created. Some folks just don’t have a lot of room, so they require maximum solar home power from their panels. As soon as they pass their peak performance level, they replace them. What this means is that right now there are used solar panels for home use out there that still have 5 to 8 good years left in them that you can pick up at a discount, and in some cases even for free. After all, after a few years of service your solar home system really is made up of a bunch of used parts anyway.

Solar Power Homes on a Limited Budget

• Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you need a big budget to get started on a solar home. There are loads of “quick fit” solar power home products that you can buy, and install on smaller projects as the money comes available, and it can start with something as basic as a solar outdoor lighting kit. Or, what about a solar power attic fan and while you’re at it, what about blowing some extra insulation up there as well? Then there solar home products like sun powered ceiling fan kits with fan assemblies that cost no more than standard fans. Remember that every dollar invested in solar panels for home use, is just one more dollar you don’t hand over to a utility company.

• Go online and network with other people who have already made the solar home power conversion. You see, there’s no doubt that there will be lessons to be learned along the way. The question is though, do you want to learn them the easy way or the hard way? There are some real clever people out there who have a lot to share, and don’t forget that people have been improvising systems together for their solar power homes for decades now. Join an online solar home forum, or better, yet join a few of them. Another thing you can do while your at it, is to become more more politically active for the the “solar home power” cause. It really is pathetic how our elected officials on both the national, and local level do so little to promote real incentives for their constituents to convert to a solar home.

• Where are the most common mistakes made?

• How can you avoid roof leaks?
  

There is just no getting around the fact that solar panel installation is tricky business, and the first place that people tend to look is their roof. At the same time though, it’s important to keep in mind that damaging your roof is no way to save money.

Solar Panel Installation Tip #1

Do your best to avoid installing your panels on a tile roof. Yes there is tile roof solar panel installation equipment available, but the odds of you completing the task without breaking tiles is slim to none. Consider going with solar tiles that are designed to be integrated into a tile roof system.

Your Second Hot Tip

Another thing to consider timing your solar panel installation project with a roof replacement job. Even if this means that you may have to bump up your scheduled roof replacement a few years, it gives you the option of using a flush mount system. Flush mount systems are far less likely to leak, and do away with the need for exterior brackets.

Hot Tip #3

Think twice before doing the solar panel installation work yourself. There is someone in your area who who does this type of work, and by going with a professional, you’re assured that the final outcome will be professional results. Keep in mind that ceiling damage caused by leaks can quickly negate any cost savings from doing the job yourself.

Here’s One More Hot Tip

Definitely talk to people who have already had solar panel installation work done on their home or business. You can rest assured that they’ll have at least some useful information to share with you, and always keep in mind that there are two ways to learn lessons. #1 is the easy way, and #2 is the hard way.

Big Tip Number 5!

Theft of solar panels has ticked up in recent years, so don’t think that you are somehow immune to it. A nice solar system can easily cost several thousand dollars, and can be disconnected and hauled away in as little time as an hour. When selecting a place on your home or property to do your solar panel installation job, look for an area that’s out of view of the general public, and also consider using a security mounting and attachment system.

When most people think of ways to store unused electricity that’s produced by solar panels, almost without exception the first thing that pops into their mind is batteries and the last thing they think of is hydrogen storage. The big downside with batteries though, is they tend to render the energy stored in them less cost effective.

Their problem is that batteries are expensive, and good batteries are even more costly. They also eventually wear out, and in the end they really do store a limited amount of power when it comes down to it. It just takes a heck of a lot of money to install a battery bank that will sustain a home.

Converting Electricity From Solar Panels to Hydrogen Storage


So then what about storing electricity in the form of hydrogen to power a hydrogen fuel cell? You see, making hydrogen gas from water using electricity is simple. In fact you can see the process in action yourself by simply inserting two wires into a glass of salt water then connecting the other ends of the wires to a 9 volt battery

Hydrogen gas can be burnt or ran though a fuel cell and it creates no pollution because it simply oxidizes right back to H2O. (Water)
Now if you think that hydrogen can only be stored as a gas, you are wrong. Hydrogen storage in gas form just presents too many problems, with the biggest one being that it’s highly explosive.

The second problem with hydrogen storage is that converting it to a liquid form is infeasible due to the extremely low temperature it must be chilled to. Also to store non liquified hydrogen gas it must be compressed upwards to 5,000 psi, and stored in heavily fortified containment vessels. 5,000 psi is a heck of a lot of pressure.

So now perhaps you already know the very latest developments in hydrogen fuel cell technology has the compressed gas contained in cylinders in vehicles. Small tanks that are about the size of a scuba diving tank, and even then a lot has gone into developing ways to protect them in the event of an accident.

So as simple, and easy as it is to convert electricity from solar panels to hydrogen gas, it really is only the problems of containing it in sufficient quantities that are holding people back from making use of this amazing crystal clean power source. However; there is a solution.

Storing Hydrogen in Chemical Form?

This solutions revolve around chemical storage technologies. That is reacting hydrogen to bond with other atoms to from solid, or liquid substances. Substances that can safely stored, and later be reversed reacted to release the hydrogen in gas form.

These options completely eliminate the need for high pressure storage vessels, and along with it so much of the risk that’s connected to converting and storing electricity from solar panels to hydrogen. Even so, producing, storing, and then reconverting virtually all of these substances does present yet another list of technological problems.

Metal hydrides are considered to be among the most sensible of these hydrogen storage solutions. Not only are they the most stable, but they contain a high amount of hydrogen by weight. However; along with high stability comes issues that revolve around getting metal hydrides to release the gas contained in them.

In short, they’re highly endothermic, and have to be cooked at temperatures up to 390º F in order for them break down into their separate components. A process that consumes some 3% of the stored energy in basically what amounts to high temperature pellet stoves.

Then there is are the problems that revolve around producing the actual pellets in a home electricity to hydrogen conversion system. You see, the only real option for the incremental introduction of metal hydrides into a sealed, high temperature furnace system is pellets.

So then there is the option of liquids such as ammonia. Ammonia is one nitrogen atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms, and is in fact relatively simple to produce. Another positive aspect of this liquid is that the only byproduct after a reversal reaction to release hydrogen, is nitrogen that can be 100% converted back to ammonia.

The process for making ammonia using hydrogen is quite simple. In short, they are both introduced into a pressurized heated reaction vessel in the presence of an iron catalyst. There’s no byproducts either, so basically hydrogen and nitrogen are introduced at one end of the system, and pure ammonia comes out at the other.

The bottom line is that batteries really are the heavy lead “ball and chain” around the neck of alternative energy systems for the home. The good news however; is that more advanced chemically based hydrogen storage systems are being developed, but practical application of them really is decades down the road.

Storing Energy From Solar Panels in the Future Future

In the not too distant future people who have solar panels on their homes will look back on battery energy storage systems as a dated, and inefficient technology of the past. Their homes will most likely have conversion systems that react, store then reverse react chemicals, using hydrogen to power fuel cells.

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