Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Solar Power REC's: An Investment Into Yourself

There are numerous reasons for investing in and utilizing a solar powered energy system for your home. There are of course those individuals who purchase a system in order to become more eco-friendly and reduce their carbon footprint and then there are those homeowners who simply want to save money and drastically reduce their monthly electric bill. There is also the camp that adopts solar energy in order to help reduce energy consumption and strain on utility companies.

There is one group however that often flies under the radar when it comes to groups that utilize solar power in their homes. This group is concerned with "REC's" or Renewable Energy Credits. It's a little-known fact that homeowners utilizing solar power are eligible for REC's which are essentially credits homeowners can use to reduce their electric bill even further. Technically speaking REC's are property rights of the environmental and nonpower qualities of solar electricity generation. What it means is that homeowners who produce an excess of energy via their solar power system can sell it to their local utility company. Electric companies by excess solar energy and pay homeowners with REC's which often results in no electric bill for the homeowner.

Even better news for those who love the benefits of REC's and for those who might want to have a solar power system installed in their home is that utility companies are now beginning to pay cash for REC's. A single REC is created when 1000 kw's of renewable energy is produced by a solar energy system. Whenever this happens electric companies will seek to purchase these REC's in order to meet clean energy requirements that have been set forth by the California Energy Commission.

Again, solar power offers numerous advantages and no drawbacks. With the addition of the REC program solar power specialists and firms are expecting the technology to grow in popularity even faster in the coming years which will drive costs down even further allowing even more homeowners to introduce the technology to their homes. Investing in solar power used to be an investment solely into cleaner, greener, and more eco-friendly technology. Now it can also be called an investment to the self as well.

If you're homeowner who's interested in a solar energy system for any reason you can begin searching for a vendor online. While searching for a vendor it would also be appropriate to begin researching any existing local REC programs as well. Regulations regarding these programs may vary from county to county and even from state to state so it is highly advisable to have facts in hand before making any decisions, especially if REC's are your motivating factor for wanting to purchase a solar powered system for your home.

SolarGem specializes in Orange County solar power, Riverside solar power, San Bernardino solar power, and Los Angeles solar power.

orange county solar power, riverside solar power, san bernardino solar power, los angeles solar power, orange county solar, riverside solar, san bernardino solar, los angeles solar, orange county solar panels, riverside solar panels, solar panels san bernardino, los angeles solar panels, los angeles solar energy, orange county solar energy, orange county solar companies, los angeles solar companies

Monday, January 9, 2012

Solar Power Advantages

Advocates of living "green" and those that support/utilize solar power can offer plenty of reasons why this type of renewable energy should and will one day replace those energies that utilize fossil fuels. Solar energy along with hydropower, biomass, and even geothermal energy are all considered green energies meaning they produce no byproducts and carry no side effects in their usage.

These environmentally friendly energy sources do not emit any harmful carbon dioxide like fossil fuels do. For the next 5 billion years or so our sun will continue to stand as an unlimited energy source, the same of which can not be said for fossil fuels. As the technology surrounding solar power continues to advance rapidly, more homeowners and even owners of commercial and industrial buildings are adopting solar power and moving away from traditional power supplies. Not only is solar power far more efficient than traditional fossil fuel-based power but it saves people a ton of money and saves the Earth and its population from excessive pollution/dependency on fossil fuels.

For those people concerned more with the environment and saving money, solar power is an excellent alternative energy because it does not contribute to climate change, acid rains, and it emits no pollution of any kind. Energy is simply captured from our star and converted into usable electricity. Currently solar technology allows for the sun's energy to be converted in two different ways. The first being by converting the sun's energy into thermal energy and the second by utilizing photovoltaic cells. Expect even greater technologies as the years roll on.

Perhaps best of all with regards to solar energy is those that utilize it have an almost unlimited supply of power. No longer do people need to be as energy conscious as they once were nor need they worry about their elected bill being run up because of lights, television sets, and computers left on for extended periods of time. Solar power best serves large families, especially those with children, and large commercial structures. Utilizing solar power allows parents to stop worrying about their children leaving lights on or things running and allows business owners to stop worrying about excessively large electric bills due to a great number of computers and lights being used all the time.

Anyone interested in solar power these days has a distinct advantage over individuals who invested in the technology in years and decades past. This advantage comes by way of cost as the technology has advanced to the point where it is relatively affordable to just about anyone. While it's true the initial setup cost can equal several thousand dollars, a solar powered system for both homes and businesses pays for itself in a relatively short amount of time.

SolarGem specializes in Orange County solar power, Riverside solar power, San Bernardino solar power, Los Angeles solar power, Orange County solar panels, Riverside solar panels, San Bernardino solar panels, and Los Angeles solar panels.