How To Encourage Residents And Businesses To Install Solar Panels
Renewable energy is popular for allocating various environmental advantages. Though, the product is a type of hard product to sell for some, especially concerning residential installations.
The demand for renewable energy installations is increasing in the commercial sphere. However, many homeowners visualize solar energy as an expensive product. Even with the prospect of state and federal considerations and significant long-term savings, people feel hesitant while considering renewables.
Most consumers are concerned about the cost of the installation of solar panels compared to fossil-fuel electric sources. Over the globe, there are various homeowners that are unfamiliar with the gains of solar photovoltaic energy. Discussing how residential renewable power benefits both the owner and community can help them build confidence to participate in the same project.
Apart from the cost consideration, another concern is regarding how the solar industry at large affects their community. For instance, the solar industry grows rapidly and has a high potential for job growth. Many individuals are seeking a plan that can help them save money and also support their local and regional economies.
It is a tough part to onboard people with solar power. Here we have listed some of the ways to encourage more residential renewable energy installations.
How to promote renewable energy all across the globe
The role of solar energy is not only to reduce the carbon footprint, but it can also financially benefit your community too (save money on energy costs, attract new businesses, and create more jobs). If an individual is fully aware of the opportunities that come along with installing solar panels, there can be chances when some residents and businesses may not know where to begin or why it’s important. Here are a few ideas to help your residents navigate the path to solar panel installation and help your community become open to solar-based business.
We can take the initiative to educate the community by spreading awareness. Many people may have their own concepts regarding solar energy. The questions may arise in the minds about the safety of the solar panel materials to affordability; residents may not be sure where to begin in their quest for answers. You can ensure they are receiving the right information by hosting a workshop or any community-wide event that will allow residents and business owners to learn detailed information about the system and the rules around solar permitting and installation.
Solar panel installation: A step-by-step guide
Despite being involved in various kits for the generation of electricity from the sun, solar panels are a much more convenient way to set up.
Before making the complete actual installation, you need to visit a professional surveyor so that they make sure and check the integrity of both the roof and the rafters. This is a key part of the process, as they are going to inspect whether it’s safe for you to have solar panels on your roof or not.
Once this part is covered, the team of professionals will be able to start installing solar panels onto your property. There are some simple steps that are required to take to do this.
Step 1: Set up the scaffolding
If you’re planning to make the installation of the solar panel onto the roof of your house, the installers will need to construct scaffolding around the building before they can crack on with the process.
This will take the most time out among all of the next steps. A complete will be required to make the setup. The installers can have safe and secure access to the roof.
Step 2: Attach the roof anchors
Have you ever wondered about the fact that solar panels are attached to the rooftop? It all comes down to the anchor points.
The installer will have to lift some of the roof tiles to fix the anchors to the rafters in the loft. This will give the solar panel mounts a stable foundation and will make sure they don’t get damaged in stormy weather.
Step 3: Secure the solar panel mounts
After the fixing of the roof anchors to the property, the installer will attach the solar panel mounting system to them. The framework will run both vertically and horizontally across the roof and will support the base of the solar panels.
The role of the solar panel mounting system is to make sure that the panels stay in place. The placement of the panels must be at an optimal angle on a roof, which will lead to more sunlight exposure.
Step 4: Install the solar panels
Once the mounting is completed, it’s time to place the solar panels onto the roof.
The installer will begin by placing the solar panels onto the mounting system. In the initial step, the fixing will not be done. Once they’re happy with the angle of the panels, the installer will then tighten up all the bolts and nuts across the system to secure them in place.
Step 5: Wire the solar panels to the inverter
Most panels come pre-wired from the manufacturer; this simply means that they just need to be connected to the inverter only.
The matter of consideration is that smaller solar panel systems connect a single series of wires to the inverter, while larger systems connect several parallel wires.
An inverter is one of the most important pieces of equipment in a solar energy system, as it converts the direct current (DC) electricity, which the solar panel generates, into alternating current (AC) electricity.
Step 6: Connect the inverter to the consumer unit
The inverter should then be connected to the consumer unit. This is a type of distribution board that will help in generating electricity.
At this point, the installer will also connect a generation meter to the system, which will track the amount of electricity the solar panels actually produce. One can also make the usage of a computer or another device to check the solar system’s performance, to make it a bit easier.
Step 7: Test the solar panel system
The last thing to perform is to make sure it’s all working properly.
This is just a case of switching the power back on and monitoring each part of the system to ensure each and everything is working fine or there is a certain issue faced by the system.
Benefits of Using Solar Energy in cities
Solar energy is obtained from the radiation collected from the rays of the sun that can be further converted to electricity or heat energy. The technology made it possible, and the generated energy is freely available; we can now harness even more of the solar energy that is continuously available to us.
Here we have mentioned three benefits that are related to this renewable source of energy.
Impact on the Environment
Solar energy has the least negative impact on the environment, whereas other energy generation plants impact the most on the environment. It does not produce greenhouse gasses and does not pollute the water. It also requires very little water for its maintenance, unlike nuclear power plants that require 20 times more water for their maintenance. Solar energy production does not create any noise since a lot of solar installations are in urban areas.
Reduce Your Energy Bill
Generating your own electricity means that you will be using less power facilitated by the utility supplier. This will immediately promote savings on your energy bill. Additionally, you can also make money by selling the unused electricity which you have generated back to the grid. Through solar panel grants, you can make your green investment even more beneficial.
The more energy you produce, the less you will need from the supplier, which is going to make you self-reliant.
Energy Production during Peak Hours
Energy demand tends to be higher in the time frame of 11:00-16:00, and after this, the other time is early in the evening. Naturally, this is the period when the price of electricity is the highest. The production of solar energy tends to reach its maximum capacity during these hours.
At this time, the electricity produced has a higher value than if it was generated at night. With the additional electricity input of solar energy, prices in those time frames could be driven down to a level close to those of night hours.
Some of the use of solar panels
Water Heating
Solar technology can be utilized to produce electricity. But are you aware of the knowledge factor that you can also use them to heat water? You can do this with the help of a special type of device, which is known as a ‘hot water solar panel’.
Battery Charging
Another vital usage of solar panels is to charge batteries. Engineers can fit home solar electric systems with a battery backup system by which the solar panels can then charge the battery during the day to provide a source of electricity at night time. This is an important process as solar cells are unable to generate electricity at night when it’s dark.
Reducing Electricity Bills
It is obvious that the initial cost of a solar panel system can be quite high, but it can help to reduce your electric bills later. The more energy consumed that is generated by solar, the less electricity you’ll need to buy from your energy provider. As a result, one can see a reduction in the monthly electric bills and be able to save money.
Making Money
Shrewd homeowners can use solar panels to earn money. However, the location of the area is the factor in determining the capacity of their system. Some countries allow homeowners to sell any excess electricity they generate back to the grid. A ‘feed-in tariff’ scheme can sometimes provide a steady stream of income. This process can help to increase the return on investment and eventually turn into a profit.
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
We can also use solar panels to help reduce our carbon footprint. By using more solar energy, we can make less use of fossil fuels. At the time of burning fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is produced– a harmful greenhouse gas. Due to this bad effect, we use solar panels.
Reducing Fossil Fuel Dependency
The vast majority of the energy we consume is non-renewable. This comes from fossil fuels that include coal, oil, and gas. Thus, we must use more renewable energy technologies – such as solar photovoltaic cells. We must considerably reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Future prospects of solar energy in India
India is a rapidly growing economy with more than 1 billion people who are facing a huge energy demand. India is the fifth country in the world in the production and consumption of electricity. Electricity production has expanded over the years as the population of the country is also expanding. The power produced in the country is mostly from coal (53%), and it is estimated that the country's coal reserves will stay till the year 2040-50. More than 72% of the population lives in villages, and half of the villages live without electricity. It’s high time that our country should concentrate more on energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy. To meet this struggling demand, solar energy is the best form of energy to fulfil the energy requirement and bridge the energy demand-supply gap.
Solar Energy in India
India has a vast scope for generating solar energy. The geographical location of the country stands to its benefit for generating solar energy. India is a tropical country, and it receives solar radiation almost throughout the year, which amounts to 3,000 hours of sunshine which is equal to more than 5,000 trillion kWh. It is estimated that all parts of India receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per sq. meters. This is equivalent to 2,300–3,200 sunshine hours per year. States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have great potential for tapping solar energy. Since the majority of the population lives in rural areas, there is much scope for solar energy to be promoted in these areas. The use of solar energy can reduce the usage of firewood and dung cakes by rural households.
Some of the government initiatives for renewable energy in india
India’s renewable energy opportunities include solar, wind, small hydropower, and biopower. The Indian government recognizes harnessing these resources is vital for economic growth and improving the climate. Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) analyzed that renewable energy potential of around 1700 GW from commercially exploitable sources, including about 695 GW from wind at 120 m (394 ft.), 211 GW from small hydropower, 45 GW from bioenergy and 750 GW from solar energy. The solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies can produce around 35 MW/sq. Km (13.5 MW/sq. miles).
As per the latest trends, India’s clean energy potential is mostly untapped. To maximize renewable energy efficiency, the government set an aggressive capacity target of 175 GW by 2022, including 100 GW of solar energy. The country also set up targets to be achieved 265 GW by 2024-2025 and 500 GW by 2030, whereby 50% of the country’s electricity generation capacity would come from renewable energy sources.
In order to achieve the predetermined targets, India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline task force facilitates world-class renewable energy facilities in the country, with the government implementing supporting policies and regulations. This infrastructure is expected to improve the quality of life for all citizens and attract critical infrastructure investments to enable India to become a US$5 trillion economy by 2025.