Invest in Solar Energy Wisely

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Solar energy is a popular and rapidly growing industry, and it's well worth the investment as long as you ensure that solar energy is appropriate for your site.
Solar energy is a popular and rapidly growing industry, and it's well worth the investment as long as you ensure that solar energy is appropriate for your site.
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Your location's access to the sun, referred to as its solar window, changes throughout the course of the year, making a solar analysis of your site the first step in determining the possibility of using solar energy.
Your location's access to the sun, referred to as its solar window, changes throughout the course of the year, making a solar analysis of your site the first step in determining the possibility of using solar energy.
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A solar site analysis for the entire year can be done with a variety of tools, perhaps the niftiest of which is the Solar Pathfinder. A clear dome reflects any potential obstructions and projects them onto the path of the sun for each individual month.
A solar site analysis for the entire year can be done with a variety of tools, perhaps the niftiest of which is the Solar Pathfinder. A clear dome reflects any potential obstructions and projects them onto the path of the sun for each individual month.
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In
In "A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office," Stephen and Rebekah Hren explain the options of solar electric and solar thermal systems so property owners can make the right choices both for their energy needs and their financial security.
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Tilt angle, azimuth, and insolation all factor into the potential power production of your solar array.
Tilt angle, azimuth, and insolation all factor into the potential power production of your solar array.

Solar power is rapidly becoming mainstream, and the options for investing in solar energy are staggering. A Solar Buyer’s Guide for the Home and Office(Chelsea Green Publishing, 2010), by Stephen and Rebekah Hren, is the perfect resource for navigating solar power system options successfully, from understanding how solar systems work to knowing the right questions to ask a professional installer before choosing a system. The following excerpt from chapter 2, “What’s Appropriate for Your Site,” deals with finding the solar window of your site.

Free energy from the sun streams down upon us, and we need to take advantage of it! But to make an investment in solar worthwhile, you must have sufficient access to that free energy. Neighboring buildings, trees, and terrain can all be an impediment to sufficient sun. After all, you can’t live a life powered by the sun in the shade! Even if your home and yard are completely shaded, there are still opportunities to invest in solar energy (and especially solar electricity) through things like green-power programs.

To analyze a particular location such as your south-facing roof space or a sunny spot out in the yard, you’ll need to take stock of the six primary factors that affect any site’s unique solar availabil­ity—its solar window (See diagram in the slideshow). Doing so before bringing in installers to get project bids ensures that you understand what the potential limits and complications are for any solar installation at your site. These six factors are:

1. Existing vegetation and its potential growth
2. Average seasonal insolation and climate extremes

  • Published on Mar 25, 2015
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