While the cost of electricity has done nothing but go up, the cost of solar power has dropped dramatically. The efficiency of the current wave of photo voltaic cells, coupled with a drop in the cost of manufacturing them, is causing more and more individuals to start looking at solar power to run their homes and businesses. And why not take advantage of Solar Energy in Hawaii? After all, unlike other energy sources, it’s clean, affordable, and comes to us in unlimited quantities.
Tapping into this limitless supply of free energy is a relatively simple process; it calls for mounting an array of solar panels, usually on your roof, since it requires quite a few square feet in order to be practical. These panels are comprised of photo voltaic cells which generate electricity by means of the photoelectric effect. These cells generate electricity in the DC or direct current form, and their output will fluctuate, depending on the amount of sunlight that is available. To account for the fluctuations and to change the DC power to AC or alternating current, which is what our homes run on, a system of inverters and transformers is used and storage batteries are used to supply power when the sun goes down, or is blocked by heavy cloud cover. Many systems are tied into the local electrical system; this can allow you to draw power when needed, or to feed excess power from your solar array back to the utility in order to build up a credit with them.
Some solar power systems are stand-alone systems and provide electrical power to areas that may be too rugged or too remote for a utility company to run electricity to. This very often includes remote scientific research stations, forestry facilities or just individuals who want to be as far off “the grid” as possible.
Taking advantage of Solar Energy in Hawaii can not only reduce your dependence on electric utility companies; solar energy can also be used, quite effectively, for heating water. An experienced group like The Sonshine Solar Company can show you how your home or business can benefit from either or both of these uses of solar energy. They have the knowledge accumulated over the years to help reduce or even eliminate your electric bill.
