11 Bright Benefits of a Solar Panel Installation
There’s already enough solar power installed in the U.S. to power 18 million homes, and we still need more.
Renewable energy plays a vital role in ensuring that America meets its obligations regarding the Paris Agreement. That is, we need to reduce our nation’s carbon emissions to pre-industrial levels by 2030.
Are you ready to heed to call to install solar power and get the country on track toward this goal? You’ll get to benefit, too.
Keep reading to find out what you stand to gain by opting for a solar panel installation.
1. Environmental Benefits of Solar Power
Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity emits thousands of gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. This is a major contributor to global warming.
The Earth’s atmosphere isn’t designed to filter these huge volumes of carbon out into space. They’re becoming trapped too close to the planet, resulting in increased temperatures and climatic disruptions.
If we don’t do something about this now, we’ll face permanent weather changes that threaten all life on Earth.
Solar power is an excellent alternative to using fossil-fuel-derived electricity and saving us all from certain destruction.
Solar panels emit no pollution and don’t impact our water resources at all.
Even the manufacturing process, is a low-carbon activity. They’re made mostly from silicon, which is one of the most abundant resources on Earth, and use little water during production.
2. Savings on Your Solar Panel Installation
Apart from the obvious environmental urgency surrounding installing solar panels from CMI Solar, you can also take advantage of lucrative incentives when you go solar sooner.
The Federal ITC allows you to deduct up to 26% of the costs to install solar power from your taxes. This benefit will go down to 22% in 2023, and it disappears in 2024.
Right now, many states also offer savings when you opt for solar power. These include property tax exemptions, no sales tax on solar equipment, and various other incentives.
Many power companies are on board, too, offering attractive savings for homeowners who opt to share their solar electricity.
3. Lower Utility Bills
An off-grid solar system means you generate all your electricity from solar panels. You use the power directly from the solar panels by day, and store any excess in batteries.
You can use the battery power to keep the lights on at night.
Another way to save on your energy bills is by staying connected to the grid. There are two ways to benefit from this:
Net-Metering
In a sense, net metering works almost the same way as saving your extra solar power in the battery. Except, you send the extra electricity back into the grid.
In return, you can use electricity from the power grid when needed, and they’ll give you a credit on your bill that’s equivalent to the electricity you gave back.
Power Purchase Agreements
Finally, a power purchase agreement gives you access to cheaper electricity thanks to solar panels. When you go this route, the power company you’re working with installs solar panels on your roof.
They get to take advantage of the incentives offered for solar power installation, and they take all the energy your solar panels produce. In return, you use electricity from their grid at much cheaper rates than normal.
A Solar Lease
When you choose a solar lease, you hire the use of the solar panels from the power company, and you get to own the panels after a set time frame.
You’ll still pay lower rates for electricity this way.
The best way to enjoy maximum solar savings is by working with an experienced solar installer. They know how to install solar panels to suit any situation and will advise you on what’s best for your home.
4. Reliable Power
The aging national grid isn’t the most reliable source of electricity available nowadays. Extreme weather and maintenance issues can sometimes cause disruptive power failures.
Solar panels don’t break down. Even in overcast weather, rain, and snowy conditions, they keep producing power. When you have access to solar power, you need never worry about a power failure again.
5. Sustainable Energy
Fossil fuels are a finite resource, and they will run out eventually. It takes millions of years for the Earth to create oil and coal, so it won’t be making more any time soon.
The sun’s power isn’t infinite, but it should last at least another seven to eight billion years. We’ll be long gone by then, especially if Elon Musk has anything to do with it.
6. Solar Power is Versatile
Advancements in solar technology mean more solar products appear on the market all the time. Manufacturers are coming up with more efficient solar panels all the time.
These appliances are also becoming smaller and lighter. Nowadays, you can power a backpack with solar, charge a nightlight, or light up your garden path at night.
In Europe, designers have come up with solar roads, used as thoroughfares while they generate power and in Australia, they’ve found a way to generate electricity at night.
There’s no end to the ways that solar power can make our lives more environmentally friendly and convenient.
7. Low Maintenance Solar Panels
It’s quick and easy for technicians to install solar panels on your roof. Once the initial permitting and site inspections are over, it only takes a day to get your system up and running.
Once they’re in place, they’ll keep on pumping out power for twenty years or more. Apart from the occasional cleaning, they don’t need any maintenance at all.
Solar panels have no moving parts, so there’s nothing that can malfunction or wear down and need repairs, either.
8. You Can Sell Your Solar Power
When you generate solar power, you receive Solar Renewable Energy Credits. These represent the ‘green value’ of the electricity you generate.
They’re a type of reward for how solar power helps the Earth. You get one SREC for every 1000 kWh of electricity that your solar panels produce, whether you use that electricity or not.
The value of SRECs lies in that they can help other companies offset their renewable energy requirements. In most states, power companies must earn a specified number of SRECs every year to retain their licenses.
If they can’t earn these thanks to their efforts, they can buy SRECs from other parties to make up the shortfall.
You can sell SRECs on the open market and receive payment for them in line with their current value.
9. Solar Energy Is Here to Stay
Thanks to the versatility of solar energy and its far-reaching environmental benefits, it’s safe to say that it’s going to become the new normal in years to come.
That means we’ll see more solar-powered devices, vehicles, and appliances coming to the fore. In the same way that online streaming is challenging conventional television programming, solar power will soon become the main power source across the globe.
So, if you want to stay up to date with changing times, solar panels are the way to go.
10. Increase Your Home’s Value
Thanks to these benefits and more, prospective home buyers view a solar installation as a plus when shopping for a new home.
Nowadays, everyone’s aware of the savings associated with solar panels and the cost of installing them, so homebuyers don’t mind paying extra for a home with ready-installed solar panels.
At the very least, installing solar panels will increase the value of your home by the same amount it cost to install them. However, the perceived value of solar among potential buyers is worth a lot more than that.
In this way, it adds enormous appeal to your home, and you can most likely look forward to a quick and profitable sale when you decide to part with your home.
11. The Solar Industry Creates Jobs
As the solar industry continues to grow and progress, it’s creating huge numbers of jobs. Thousands of people already work in the solar industry.
More jobs mean more money for local economies, lower crime rates, and thriving, healthy communities.
In this way, solar is accomplishing far more than lowering carbon emissions. It’s also raising living standards.
Explore Your Lifestyle Options
A solar panel installation is one of life’s rare win-win situations. It benefits the environment, our future, and our current circumstances.
With the huge variety of ways to harness solar energy, there’s no excuse not to start making changes now, even if you’re not quite ready for the commitment that goes along with a solar installation.
Are you keen to explore more ways to enhance your life? Browse our website for more lifestyle tips and interesting information.
