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SOLAR POWER

January 27, 2025

Solar Power: Sustainable Energy and Smart Savings

Solar Power is generated by converting energy from the Sun into either electricity or heat. Both are generated through solar panels whose size may vary depending on the area and the use. Solar power is a renewable and infinite energy source that does not cause any harm to the environment and the materials used in the panels are recycled which will reduce the carbon footprint

Solar panels are made of photovoltaic cells that converts sun’s energy into electricity. A PV cell is made up of a semiconductor material and when photons strike a PV cell, they will either reflect, pass through the cell or be absorbed by the semiconductor. These absorbed photons are the ones that provide energy to generate electricity. To create unidirectional flow of current, we need a driving force that is done by using a p-n junction. The top n-layer is light and heavily doped whereas the p-layer is thick and lightly doped. By implementing this more light can reach the depletion region. One PV cell can generate around 0.5V which is less by connecting these cells in series and then connecting them in parallel to another cell series we get the Solar panel that produces current and voltage to a usable range.

Benefits of Solar Power

1.Renewable and Sustainable-It is infinite and replenishes daily making it a reliable energy source.

2.Enviroment Friendly-It does not produce greenhouse gases.

3.Energy Independence-It reduces the reliance on fossil fuels.

4.Scalability-Can be deployed on small scale or large scale.

Potential in harvesting energy from the sun is greater in Texas than in other northern states.

In terms of Solar power, we in the USA use the free sun light for less than 2% of our electricity generation.

We, in Texas, are also fortunate to have much larger homes than in expensive states like California. Larger homes have expansive roof tops. These roof tops can be converted into income producing surfaces if solar panels cover them up. Solar Panels protected rooftops also extend the life of shingles and thereby the life of the roof.

Homeowners with roof top solar panels can write-off 30% of cost of this asset through federal tax credits. In addition, solar assets also enjoy accelerated depreciation that save more tax dollars. In Texas, Solar Access Laws, passed in 2012, enable homeowners to enjoy property tax exemptions. Some counties in Texas are unaware of this law. Homeowner who owns solar asset, must contact local taxing authorities and claim this exemption.

In the past several years, solar panel and other component prices have come down substantially. With a properly sized battery backup addition, homeowners don’t have to worry about power company blackouts any longer.

All these benefits and cost savings in our electricity bills, make owning a solar asset a lot of good sense.