In 1921 Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his theories explaining the photoelectric effect. It took a few years, but in 1954, Bell Labs developed the first solar power cells and produced electricity in the lab to power everyday electrical equipment.
From these humble beginnings we finally have the technology to generate electricity from the power of the Sun. The Sun has always been there, and we have been trying to harness a portion of it’s energy since the dawn of man. Now YOU can generate all of the electricity you and your family will ever need using the power from the Sun.
All over the world everyday there are Solar Energy systems being installed to provide power for homes, businesses and small utilities. Even Google is getting in the act with a massive solar energy farm in the desert to supply power to their business.
In 2008, 38 homes in Portland Oregon, installed solar panels to provide the electricity to run all of their appliances and electrical devices. In 2009 that number grew to 120. Portland is not known to have the most sunny days in the country and yet this program has been more than successful.
This trend of installing solar panels on homes is being repeated in every region around the world, and is growing every year. This trend is being driven by the continuing reduction in the price of solar energy systems.
In the Province of Alberta Canada, in the city of Okotoks there is a large scale solar hot water system that looks after the heating needs of the community. Note that the temperatures in this community vary from minus 35C in the Winter to +35C in the summer. This is an example of a large scale water heating solar energy system.
Even in the far North in the Northwest Territories of Canada the Government is offering net metering to customers that produce excess power from Solar and other forms of Alternative Energy.
Even in Alaska Solar Energy systems are being installed and their owners are getting paid for the excess electricity they produce.
In Summary Solar Energy works Great. Depending on the size of your home, the average investment in solar energy for your home gets paid back in between 5 and 15 years and creates a profit for you throughout the average 25 year life span of the average Solar Energy system.
Now is the time to invest in a Solar Energy system for your home and start saving money on all of your Electricity costs.