Be Cool, Be Solar

Last fall, I blogged about my younger brother who bought a mountain in Colorado. Here's a photo he sent last week of the house he's building, powered by solar energy.

Solar Rules

You can see one of the solar panels he's installed. He's using the solar power not just for heat or hot water but to power his entire home. I bet you didn't know you could even have a Solar Cooling System.

Now, you might think that cooling a building using the energy from the sun sounds crazy, but it's really not. In most solar power systems, the sun's energy is stored in a battery array which then is released as electricity when you need it. That means that the brightest, hottest days of the year produces the greatest solar power of course.

Solar AC

Solar air conditioning systems work with a water-assisted air conditioning system to transfer the energy into a water or ventilation system. There's no long-term storage of the energy. What you get in sunlight is what you use each day. So the sun provides a substantial amount of the energy needed for your air conditioning. That means you use less AC from traditional coolant systems that emit environmentally damaging gases and other pollutants.

You do something good for the environment and for your budget. Instead of cringing when thinking about the electric bill during July and August, you can keep your cool when using this alternative energy method and actually lower your energy bills while remaining cool and comfortable.

Untapped & Underused

My husband and I have always been interested in solar power. It's an untapped energy source just waiting to be embraced. Sure, solar energy has been used since ancient times, but only in the last few decades has technology evolved that makes it not just an expensive option but a viable alternative. Only a tiny fraction of the solar energy available is being used.

My brother chose solar energy because it's a lot cheaper to install a solar panel array and batteries than to pay through the nose to the local utilities for electricity. For remote locations, solar power can actually cost less than traditional utilities. For existing locations, solar is a green alternative with a payday at the end.

Takeaway Truth

The world is changing, and we can help it change for the better.