Do You Have Solar Power?

If you're considering solar power and wondering about its benefits, you might want to explore how Smart Energy USA can help you harness the potential of solar energy for your home or business.

Smart Energy USA specializes in providing sustainable energy solutions, including solar power systems tailored to meet your specific needs. Here are some key benefits of choosing solar power with Smart Energy USA:
Cost Savings: By investing in solar power with Smart Energy USA, you can significantly reduce your electricity bills over time. Solar energy systems generate electricity from sunlight, which means you can lower or even eliminate your dependence on traditional utility companies.
Environmental Impact: Solar power is a clean, renewable energy source that produces no harmful emissions. By switching to solar energy with Smart Energy USA, you can reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.
Energy Independence: With solar power from Smart Energy USA, you can gain greater control over your energy supply. Instead of relying solely on the grid, you can generate your own electricity from the sun, providing greater energy independence and resilience, especially during power outages.
Return on Investment: Investing in solar power with Smart Energy USA is not only beneficial for the environment but also for your wallet. With various financial incentives, such as tax credits and rebates, along with potential savings on electricity bills, solar energy can offer a strong return on investment over time.
Customized Solutions: Smart Energy USA offers customized solar power solutions tailored to your unique energy needs, budget, and property characteristics. Whether you're a homeowner, business owner, or property developer, they can design and install a solar energy system that maximizes your energy production and savings.

Mexico could soon be powering California and Arizona with solar energy. 

Mexico is moving to power California and Arizona

A 120-megawatt capacity photovoltaic plant in the Sonoran seaside city of Puerto Peñasco already began feeding the national grid last month, while another 300 megawatts are expected to be online next year.   The third phase of this project hopes to connect with the Western Interconnection that stretches from Western Canada to Baja California in Mexico. 

This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage

The storm obliterated nearby Fort Myers and Naples areas with record-breaking water surge and winds over 100 mph. It knocked out power to more than 2.6 million customers in the state, including 90% of Charlotte County.  But the lights stayed on in Babcock Ranch.

Babcock Ranch calls itself “America’s first solar-powered town.” Its nearby solar array — made up of 700,000 individual panels — generates more electricity than the 2,000-home neighborhood uses, in a state where most electricity is generated by natural gas and fossile fuel.

The streets in this meticulously planned neighborhood were designed to flood so houses don’t. Native landscaping along roads helps control storm water. Power and internet lines are underground to avoid wind damage. This is all in addition to being built to Florida’s robust building codes.

Babcock Ranch is a tested model for planned communities of the future to follow.

California just endured it's worst record-breaking sustained heat wave on record.  The energy strain on our power grid was enourmous.  How did we avoid rolling blackouts and a grid failure?  Batteries!  That's right.  Massive industrial-sized solar storage batteries that generated 3360 megawatts of clean, safe power for the entire state.  That's more than the Diablo nuclear reactor which generates only 2200 megawatts of power.  

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-09-13/california-electric-grid-batteries-heat-wave-september-2022

20 years of planning went into this project. Take note Texas. Deadly power grid failures are avoidable.  Please learn a thing a two from California's example.

It appears our present gasoline-powered car will be the last one we ever own.  As of Jan 2035, sales of gas-powered cars will be banned in California.  Gee, I hope electric car prices come down soon. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/climate/california-gas-cars-emissions.html

Sun Drenched Spain Turns on Europe's Biggest Solar Power Plant.

Locally-produced, sustainable energy for 334,000 families.

https://twitter.com/Iberdrola_En/status/1561612131740504065

Way to go Spain!

@Nancy OShea Among many things, this post inspired me to look more seriously at solar over the past week.  I've been in contact with the company in our area that sells shares in solar farm collectives and I'm on track to be a part of their next project in 2023.

It will actually save us money from our current power bill, and if we move to heat pumps it will cut our heating+cooling+electricity costs in half.

Thanks for the inspiration!

The effectiveness of solar power I think is debatable. It could take 10 years before you get your money back on the investment. 

Your geographical location also has a role to play. Some places are not so sunny throughout the year. In Central/Eastern/Nothern Europe, the winters can be long and dark - so not much sun then! It also depends whether you have your own house, or live in a block of flats.

And then there is the environmental impact as well. What happens to the solar panel when it has past its use-by date? Currently, it is not recycled. (Probably buried in land-fill!)

The Dark Side of Solar Power (hbr.org)

Our energy needs will exceed what so-called Green Energy can produce.

What's more, despite the EU trying to be 'green', due to Russia, Germany wants to restart old coal-fired power stations in order to save natural gas.

All the European countries returning to ‘dirty’ coal as Russia threatens to turn off the gas tap | Euronews

Germany Says It Will Restart Coal Power Plants to Save Natural Gas - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

As time goes on, our energy needs will continue to increase.

Where will all this come from to quench our thirst for energy?

I received 3 quotes from local solar companies so far.  Where we live in California, a roof mounted array of 15 panels (400 watts/panel) can be purchased for about $2.64/watt. Includes a 25 year warranty on roof, service, inverters, racks & labor.  The Tesla Power Wall 2 is an extra $10K.

In year 1, the panels would generate almost 8,400 kWh and save 6 tons of C02.  It looks feasible but we have a lot more research to do.

Solar is at the top of home improvement upgrades for me.  A neighbor of ours has a spot in a solar farm collective and really likes it.  She's been mostly shielded from both increased electricity costs in our area and increases in heating costs as well with the use of heat pumps. 

We mostly heat with oil here in the northeast that follows the cost of diesel fuel.  It has basically tripled over the past year.  A cold year will now cost $6000 or more for me unless the price of oil comes down.

Perhaps the upcoming incentives will push us over the fence on solar panels.