Solar power is one of the newest and most promising technologies for powering your home. With a solar panel and some basic planning, you can easily generate electricity from the sun without any expensive equipment or installation. This blog post will explore ten lesser-known ways to use solar power.
1. Generate Extra Electricity
Solar energy is available whenever there is sunlight, which means it can be used all year long with no concern about seasonal variations in availability. Suppose you have a good roof-top area that receives plenty of sunshine throughout the day. In that case, you may want to consider investing in an array of solar panels so that you can produce enough electricity to meet your daily needs. Even if you live in a colder part of the country where snow and ice might interfere with solar production, you should still be able to rely on sunny spring days or summer afternoons when your household will need more electricity than usual.
2. Warm Your House During Cold Months
You can also install solar panels on your house and use them as heaters. This is especially helpful during the winter months since they provide extra warmth for your home while at the same time generating additional electricity to help reduce your monthly electric bill. You can even add a small water heater to your system to further enhance the heating capabilities (though keep in mind that these systems are very costly). It’s always better to plan rather than find yourself stuck in freezing temperatures due to a lack of adequate heating.
3. Charge Your Cell Phones Or Tablet Devices
This is another great way to save money by reducing your cell phone or tablet usage throughout the day. By using these devices during daylight hours instead of relying on electricity generated through other methods, you could greatly increase their battery life. Many smartphone users find themselves leaving their phones plugged into an outlet overnight or charging them daily just because they don’t have access to other methods of charging.
4. Purify Water On A Large Scale
If you own a large property like a farm or ranch, you could install solar panels on your land to help purify local water supplies. The process would require an additional pump system that circulates fresh, clean water to each section of the farmland. Still, once again, it could prove extremely beneficial to reducing pollution around the environment.
5. Generate Electricity When The Sun Isn’t Shining
Several different types of solar batteries enable you to create electricity when the sky is overcast. Some of these systems could include a special filter on top of the panel that reduces the amount of light reaching the solar cells and creates less electricity as a result. Other models could have photocells placed underneath glass panes within buildings and homes. These photocells send signals to the circuitry below when light beams fall across them and cause increased electricity generation. That Pool Heating Company offers numerous options for homeowners interested in installing solar panels and saving money every month.
6. Generate Electricity For Farm Equipment
Many types of farms out there utilize solar panels to help generate electricity for important farm equipment such as tractors, combines, irrigation pumps, and others. Instead of purchasing an external generator to power these machines, you could use an array of solar panels to supply power directly from the sun.
7. Turn Light Bulbs Into Energy
One of the ways you can make the most out of any renewable resource is to change how you consume it. Turning ordinary light bulbs into solar panels that charge batteries can help you gain valuable free electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. You could connect this setup to an alarm clock radio to allow you to receive morning news briefings without turning on any electrical appliances.
8. Create And Store Clean Drinking Water
You might want to consider installing solar panels on your roof if you live in an area where water scarcity is common. By collecting rainwater runoff, you will be able to produce clean drinking water for your home, whether you have wells or not. Alternatively, you can collect and store surface water sources for future consumption via underground reservoirs.
9. Heat A Car With Solar Panels
Many people tend to neglect to invest in solar panels for their cars, but doing so could become a lifesaver. After all, what good is having a fuel-efficient vehicle if you get stranded anywhere with no gas? However, some car owners spend more on gas than they should have because they rely heavily on gasoline for their engines.
10. Provide Light Throughout Your Home During Darkness
Even though we now have lamps and other lighting devices at our fingertips, solar energy still provides one of the best options for light during nighttime hours. You could place solar trackers on your house or building to help direct sunlight into specific rooms inside while blocking unnecessary light. This helps reduce energy usage by creating indoor environments that mimic sunlight.
About the Author:
Jim Pulman has extensive knowledge and experience in Home Building, Construction, and Design. He writes articles in his free time and partners with content creators to share his expertise with the online community.