Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Will My Alternative Energy System Save Money and Be Profitable?
Even though some people see solar powered energy as well as the utilization of wind generators for power primarily as a way to help saving the environment, others decided to check into these sustainable energy sources for their profitability. Unfortunately, the profitability of these renewable power sources isn't common knowledge, therefore it may be challenging to get a straight answer. Here we are going to check out exactly how solar power and wind turbines could be profitable as powers and why.
Normally there's two different ways generating power could be profitable. The very first is that it will reduce your energy bills. It becomes an option for almost anyone anywhere. The second is when you make more than enough power than you will need, then you can certainly often sell it to your local utility company or government at a nice rate. This often is determined by your region. For example, in Washington state, USA, government entities has decided that they'll buy solar-generated power for a price of $0.15 per kWh up to the year 2014. When the money you make is more than your expenses, then you are making a real profit on your own investment.
Solar leasing is profitable at this time in a very clear way through companies like SolarCity. SolarCity's website, for instance, suggests that a three-bedroom home with a $200/month power bill can knock it down to about $60/month with one of their 4 kW solar power setups. This setup costs $110/month to lease, so the property owner would immediately be saving $30/month. Many organizations that lease this equipment have free installation, and definitely will come uninstall the equipment at no cost when the lease is over too.
Wind turbines are more hard to use to turn a return than solar panels. However, wind turbines can be extremely profitable if you live in an area where the government is giving grants for wind power. In both America and Europe, a lot of the local and national governments will give huge grants and tax credits for people and businesses that have wind generators installed for power.
Because wind generators need strong winds to generate a large amount of energy, it isn't really a viable alternative in as many places as solar panels. Conversely, some areas have strong winds but not a lot of sunlight, so which option you ultimately choose is completely influenced by the surroundings around you. A lot of people could have both possibilities open, even though some people may have neither option available. If you have both options available, solar leasing has the benefit of being a more straight-forward method of obtaining a profit, but wind generators have the advantage that you simply still own the equipment for lifetime.
Author Byline:
Shannon M. Combs contributes articles for the http://www.residentialsolarpanels.org blog, her personal hobby blog centered on ideas to aid home owners find solar installers and learn how to to conserve energy with solar power.