ProduceYour Own Green Electricity at Home

In the last century, generating electricity at home with your own solar power system used to be the domain of the rugged individualists living off the electricity grid. In the last 10 years, sophisticated electronics and net metering laws have made residential solar electricity a practical reality in almost every state.

The majority of the grid electricity that we consume is produce by burning coal, most of the rest is from nuclear and natural gas. It can be hard to make the connection, but our refrigerators, air conditioners and furnaces are  contributing to environmental degradation and global warming.

Depending on where you live, only a small fraction of your electricity is coming from renewable sources, and most of that fraction is from hydroelectric. Clean, reliable, solar electricity is only a fraction of 1% of electricity produced in the U.S.

Wouldn't it be great to stop paying the utility company to produce all that air pollution from from burning coal and radioactive waste from splitting atoms?

You bet it would. And almost anywhere in the country you can find an industry certified professional to design and install solar power system for your home. One of the best places to look is at:

www.FindSolar.com

Findsolar.com provides a solar system estimator that will give you a good idea of what it will cost to go solar for all your electrical use on an annual basis. Then you can find installers in your area and contact them for quotes.

For Example: In the midwest where I live, findsolar estimates that I my typical home can generate all its electricity from sunlight. The cost: $56,500 after a $2000 Federal  tax credit.

Hmm. If you are like me, financing that is going to take more than writing a check. The most common method of homeowner financing for solar is to do a refinance of their house and take out equity. For many this can be a very viable option, and indeed, makes alot of sense, because the solar system will increase the value of your property. In addition, your higher mortgage payments will be offset by an electric bill that is next to nothing.

Solar systems are extremely durable. The warranty on most solar panels is 20-25 years! We don't even know how long modern, multicrystaline solar panels will last. 30 years seems conservative and likely much longer.  I have a small solar panel that is at least 25 years old, and it is still reliably producing power every day.