Should You Consider Alternative Energy Systems?

Katelyn Thomas — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:49:17 +0000

One of the things I hope to do in the near future is to invest in solar energy or wind energy to take care of all or part of my current electricity usage. You’re thinking I’m hoping to save money on utilities, right? Nope! Unless the price of solar or wind energy equipment goes way down and the price of electricity in my area goes way up, it would take the rest of my life and then some to pay for an alternative energy system big enough to power the whole house!

So why on earth do I want to use an alternative energy system then? Some good reasons for considering solar or wind energy are:
1. Having your own energy source is great in an emergency. I do have a generator and a battery pack, but having something that can power my refrigerator for a few days after a big storm would be nice.
2. You’re doing something green. Being able to help the environment we live in is always a good idea.
3. You’re learning something new and useful. Simply hooking up a single solar panel, an inverter and a battery is something a lot of people struggle with. If you learn how to install a system that powers an entire house, you have a very valuable skill set. I am still fearfully trying to figure out the whole inverter thing, but some day…
4. It makes a great hands-on science lesson. Making your own solar panel or wind turbine with your kids is a great way to show them that electricity comes from somewhere and is something they should work to conserve. I plan to start with a lemon powered light experiment and work our way up. (You need a lot of lemons to power one led bulb, by the way.)