Having just been through 3 days with no power after Hurricane Matthew I have been thinking more about these alternative forms of power. I grew up with many people using wind for their water supply and know that it is still common in some areas. As a source of electricity it has problems, but the availability of more efficient lighting, refrigeration, and power storage have made it more usable. Solar power also has limitations. I know that remote sites often use these systems, and I have seen many boats with such power sources. Any experience? I know that these sources can actually save money in the long run.
We have three sources of power in our house. One would be through the mains, the second would be through the Solar panels, and the third would be with a back up generator. In our country, Solar power is a great investment to have because it cuts down the expensive cost of commercial electricity, and the best thing is, if you're not using the power of solar panels your own, you can sell the generated power back to the power grid providers to earn extra--we call this Net Metering. And if ever we've got power outages, we mainly use the solar energy with small appliances for the battery power to last long, and if the power isn't enough then we'll start the diesel powered generator. Generators these days doesn't cost much because most Generators sold in our country are manufactured from within or imported from China. If you've set up your own solar or wind power already, just minimize the use of high powered appliances in case you'll be in a state of emergency. One more recommendation is to buy appliances that use inverters as this helps you minimize the consumption of battery power most specially if you're in need of refrigeration.
What I know for a fact is that solar power has an expensive initial outlay worth several years of electric power. This coupled with the fact that you have to replace spent batteries makes it a bit expensive. Its dividends are mainly psychological and environmental in the short run. Financial dividends accrue in the long run. The same case more or less applies to wind power.
I haven't used solar or wind power to generate electricity. I think I am lucky to have had my steady power supply from the mains. One thing which should be noted concerning Solar Power is that it's expensive to set up and not quite cheap to keep the maintenance.
The only solar power experience I had was the solar garden lamp which looked promising at first until the battery gave up after a week or 2. In my research of solar power systems, the crux of the matter is the battery. I am awaiting for the new technology of battery for storing collected energy and for now I don't recommend solar power. The grid is still cheaper.
I have not yet used solar power. The initial set up cost for home solar systems has proved to be an obstacle for many to people acquiring the system. In the long run the cost of setting up the system would transition from s negative to a positive cost but it's somewhat difficult to for many to find the installation cost. Wind power for home use can be a bit dicey. First of all, there is the question zoning standards allowing the installation of the wind turbine in the neighborhood and there is also the consideration of the volume of available wind to effectively drive the turbine.
I live where you get plenty of sunshine and so I would like to go with more solar power over the next few years-even if its having a outdoor shower that uses solar power and then scaling things up a little here and there each year. The only experience I have with solar is with the outdoor lighting, that adds a lot of light around your home or garden. I like to light up my driveway and garden pathways,also it keeps a check on intruders as a kind of security lighting as well.
I have never had an experience using any of those but there have been to very useful even though they are not cheap they are worth it.
My uncle uses solar and he have financial freedom after 2 years. He don't pay bills anymore. He uses electric car so he saves money on gas too. He cooks using an electric oven and electric stove so using solar saved him 50 dollars a month because he doesn't have electric bills anymore. He uses the extra money for his health and dental care.
I do believe that solar power is going to be the power of the future, both for vehicles and for heating and cooling our houses. I am totally impressed with the electric cars that Tesla makes, and Elon Musk has a network of charging stations which are run by solar power , and they are all across the United States. A person could drive from one side of the country to the other coast and never use a drop of fuel. The batteries take about an hour to recharge and then are good for another 200 miles; so it is easy to be able to stop and charge them when they are getting low. For people who drive one of the Tesla cars, it is always totally free to charge up the battery; and if you have a different brand of electic car, then you pay a minimal fee to recharge your battery. Since all of the charging stations are located in conjunction with the large fueling areas, and have restaurants and maybe even motels, it makes it convenient to spend an hour or some relaxing while the battery is recharging. All of the charging stations are ran by solar power, so it really does not cost anything, or use any electricity to recharge the batteries.
