The Use of Residential Solar Panels

You may think of people living "off the grid", perhaps in the deep woods when you think of residential solar panels. This was something which was more or less true at one time, but the use of residential solar panels is rapidly entering the mainstream.

Residential solar panels are increasingly being seen in suburbs; this is a clean source of energy, causing no pollutions and is very cost effective. Given the rising cost of fuel, residential solar panels have proliferated in the last few years and the systems are cheaper than they have ever been.

The demand for alternative sources of energy is being answered with solar power. There are options for homeowners other than fossil fuels - residential solar panels can be linked into the local utility company's power grid or used as a standalone system powering a single home. When tied into the power grid, residential solar panels can provide backup power and profit for the homeowner, who can sell excess electricity to the local utility.

Residential solar panel systems generally have four parts - the solar array (the panels themselves), the mounting structure, the DC disconnects and an inverter. The panel need to be mounted and connected to the inverter; after this, the only further requirement is an AC disconnect and the consumer can sell power back to their utility company.

The system is simple, yet until recently the cost of these systems prevented many who would otherwise be interested in their use from purchasing and using residential solar panels. The federal government now provides a tax credit for up to 30% of the cost of residential solar panels - up to a cap of $2,000 in an effort to get the public to adopt them. There are also incentives offered by individual states for consumers who use residential solar panels.

In the last ten years, there have been many developments in the solar power field, such as solar shingles, which allow your roof to be used as a solar panel.

Any consumer who is interested in solar energy should investigate the options available to them on terms of residential solar panels, as well as the federal and state tax incentives which are offered for their use. After installing such a system, the homeowner will benefit from energy which is essentially free- something well worth investigating.