Many middle-class citizens are suffering from rising energy costs. They are looking for answers to escape dependence on expensive electricity sources. Increasingly, these people are turning to residential solar electricity production systems. These only save them money on electricity, but they make long-term expenses more predictable and reduce reliance on power companies. And, they leave you with a clean conscience because they do not burn valuable fossil fuel resources and leave pollutants behind.
Most people install residential solar electricity production systems that are based on photovoltaic cells that are placed on a rooftop. They are in the form of large, flat panels that convert solar energy into direct current electricity. This electricity is then run through a power inverter that outputs the alternating current electricity that your residential electrical appliances use. In some cases the direct current electricity may also go to a series of large batteries for storage to be used when sunlight is not available. For those without batteries, adequate power is only produced on sunny days. On cloudy days only some supplemental power is produced. At night, power form an electric company is used.
Advantages of Using Residential Solar Electricity Systems
As discussed earlier, when you use a residential solar electricity system, you can have a clean conscience knowing you're having a much less negative impact on the environment than otherwise possible. A fully implemented residential solar electricity system can make a home completely self-sufficient. Most people who install one of these systems save more on electricity than the cost of the system, albeit it takes as long as 5-15 years to do so.
Disadvantages of Using Residential Solar Electricity Systems
If you don't invest in an expensive battery system as well as the paneling system, you will only have power when you have good sunlight. Also, the initial investment required for one of these residential solar electricity systems requires more cash flow than the average middle income family has available. Often it requires taking out a loan or adding it to your mortgage, meaning you also have to factor in the cost of interest as part of the total cost of your electricity.
If you don't have a large enough roof, you may not be able to install enough panels to fully power your home. When roof size requirements are combined with the initial cost of one of these systems it generally means that the poorer people who would benefit the most from solar power cannot purchase it. So only the upper middle class and the wealthy end up being the ones who have the opportunity to save on their long-term energy costs.
