Recently, the green energy boom has inspired many homeowners to investigate their options for alternative energy. With high – and increasing – energy prices for traditional electricity, and increasing public awareness of alternative options such as wind, hydroelectric, or solar power, the availability of materials and resources for designing solar projects has increased substantially. Solar projects you can install on your own range from tiny and inexpensive to enormous. The simplest type of do-it-yourself solar projects include small solar-powered toys and gadgets. Many retailers sell kits that you can assemble to create, for example, robotic bugs that walk under solar power, or solar-powered spinning windmills or devices to recharge batteries. These projects are inexpensive and a good way to teach children about the implementation of alternative energy, as well as a fun hobby for anybody interested in tinkering. On a larger and more practical scale, some homeowners choose to make minor alterations to their homes to improve energy efficiency using solar power without doing a complete remodel. For example, you can install a solar powered water heater to replace traditional water heaters, which often make up a large portion of your heating and electric bills. Such a project is possible to do on your own if you buy a pre-made kit, and will pay for itself quickly. Other homeowners choose to use solar power to heat their swimming pools or hot tubs, or to install small banks of solar panels on a sunny part of their roof to contribute to daily power usage. Often, these solar projects can be undertaken without hiring special help, and for relatively little cost. However, they can make a significant contribution towards reducing electric bills. Finally, it is possible to do a complete overhaul of a home to run entirely or primarily on solar power, or to build a home or other structure with solar power in mind. This involves a number of concerns. First is the expense. Solar power will eventually pay for itself, since it is free and renewable, but the initial cost of remodeling to use solar power exclusively can be very high. Consider carefully whether it can fit into your budget. Also, it is difficult and possibly dangerous to install solar panels that integrate with an existing structure. It is best to undertake a project like this when the home is being re-roofed, because the roof will need to be heavily modified to securely fasten panels to it. All but the most expert DIYers will need to hire trained installers and/or an electrician, to ensure that solar projects will safely integrate with the home’s existing electrical system. Since solar panels are generally installed on the roof of a building, it’s also necessary to consider whether the roof of your home receives enough regular sunlight to make the installation cost worthwhile. In sunnier locales, solar projects are more practical. In winter, especially, consider whether solar panels will produce enough electricity to last through long nights. Batteries that are charged with solar energy during the day are the usual solution to this problem. Although it may seem complicated and difficult to retrofit a home to make use of solar power, many people have seen success in doing so, and in fact, some manage to produce so much electricity that they can sell some of it back to power companies at a profit. These people certainly have less of an impact on the environment than most of us! Finally, the largest-scale solar projects are undertaken by electric companies themselves. A recent trend is to use large areas of land in sunny places to install specially designed banks of solar panels, which are used to produce large amounts of power. Solar technology is evolving so that installations like this can produce more and more power in less and less physical space. To this day, however, solar power only represents a tiny percentage of the world’s power usage. The more people implement their own solar projects, the closer we get to increasing this number.
