Now more than 20% of Australian homes are powered by solar energy, and this number is increasing every day. 

This is not surprising, due to our high solar irradiance Australia has the most sunlight in the world. This means that renewable energy options like solar provide a real alternative to buying electricity from the grid. With the introduction of affordable solar cells, it is almost completely possible to obtain energy independence from the grid. 

Major Benefits of Solar Energy

Solar energy brings many benefits to homes and businesses: 

• You can use alternatives to fossil fuel power generation to power your home or business. 
• Get rid of rising electricity prices. 
• Can generate electricity on site on its own. 
• A financial investment that can provide a very short return on investment and a high tax-free return.

Strategic Advantages for Australian Businesses 

The threat of rising electricity prices has posed significant challenges for Australian businesses. Installing a commercial solar power generation system is a solution that can immediately lower electricity costs and significantly reduces future business risks. Solar energy is an important aspect of any business sustainability plan. 

• High return on investment 
• Decrease costs immediately 
• Decrease business risks 
• Reduce carbon emissions and make visual statements 
• Roof shading and related cooling effects 
• No capital expenditures / positive cash flow option available

While the details of this technology can become highly complex and confusing, the overall concepts of residential solar energy solutions are actually rather simple. Solar panels use the energy sores of the sun to create power for your household. 

The solar cells captured by the panels convert the sunlight into usable energy, and the batteries hold the energy until it’s needed. 

All you need to do is install your own solar energy solutions in your home. Of course, once you do that, you’ll be free of your monthly electrical bill.

There are two basic types of residential solar energy solutions available.

One is completely on-grid, which means you don’t have to worry about connecting to the electric grid at all. 

The other type is off-grid, which allows you to partially connect to the electric grid so that you can supplement your solar power needs. Depending on where you live, you may be required to get both types of installations if you want to get off the grid altogether.

The advantages of completely on-grid residential solar energy solutions are fairly obvious. 

You won’t have to rely on the electrical companies for any sort of power. That means no up-front costs for either installation or purchase. In fact, you can build the system yourself and start saving money almost immediately!

With off-grid residential solar energy solutions, you do have a dependency on the electrical grid. 

Both types of solar panels have their disadvantages as well. With completely on-grid systems, you have to deal with peak power times, which are essentially the most active times of day when the sun is out. 

This can cause problems for those who live in an area where the sun doesn’t shine for several hours a day. Off-grid energy solutions eliminate the problem, but they don’t have a backup source in case the solar panels or the power plant, or both fail during the peak period of demand. This is why some people choose to buy their own backup generators as well.

In addition, the amount of electricity produced by residential solar energy solutions will depend largely on how well your system is designed and installed. 

As mentioned above, peak power times are more frequent during the day, so if your solar panels aren’t receiving full exposure to the sun’s rays, you won’t be generating enough energy. Likewise, your storage system may not be strong enough to meet the demand if your solar panels and storage units are over-loaded.

Both types of solar energy systems are attractive to homeowners because of the incentives they receive from the utility company. However, many individuals don’t realize how big of an impact their actions can make on the environment. 

Every time you produce electricity by using solar, you’re actually contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that worsen the climate’s condition. In addition, the sun’s rays are particularly harmful to wildlife and the natural habitat. 

Therefore, even though there are several incentives provided by utility companies for switching to green living, it might not be worth it for some homeowners.

Pricing

Residential solar energy solutions are available at several affordable prices, depending on your preferences and needs. 

If you live in an area that doesn’t get enough sunlight during daylight hours, you can use solar-powered lights or window film to brighten up your home at night. On a hot summer day, solar-powered fans can help circulate cool air and reduce the temperature inside your home. 

For those who want to be environmentally friendly but don’t want to compromise on solar efficiency, there are plenty of options. You can choose a DIY kit that contains all you need to begin installing solar panels and other energy-efficient. appliances and electronics. 

Or contact your local utility and see if you can qualify for federal government rebates and grants for installing solar panels and other green technology energy-saving devices in your home.

Conclusion

You can rely on power plants that must constantly be running, but you don’t have to hook anything directly to the grid. This has its advantages, of course. For one thing, there are fewer outages due to inclement weather. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about outages due to weather conditions affecting the electrical grid. 

For more information on commercial and household solar solutions, we request you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.