Power Switch News

Ran across this new video on the ol' Youtube machine and thought it was really freaking cool and wanted to make sure you got to see it in action. This is an idea for how to rack up some solar panels out on the ranch.  Youtuber engineer775 came up with this amazing idea for racking a solar array on his ranch by mounting cattle panels onto 4 sunken wooden posts in such a way as to be able to articulate the array as needed, depending on the season.  This video shows the mostly-comp …

Something DifferentIf your home already isn’t using solar energy, you really should consider it. Why? What about the time, the worry, and of course, the money? Well, all of this will pay off in the end – the money literally will. Likely what you really fear anyway is the change. Fear of change is often at the bottom of various other fears we have – it masquerades as something else, but really the idea of doing what we have never done before is what scares us most. And this is probably com …

This is a great video set of a DIY solar recharging system that anyone can put together in just a couple hours.  I've followed this video to build my own mobile solar charger system and have found it very useful.  It has proven especially useful as a way to power things while camping including a can opener, lights, radio, and a laptop the kids watch movies on in the evening.   I have also used this system to demonstrate how solar energy and solar panels wor …

Investing in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system can seem daunting. Let’s face it – solar PV isn’t a small ticket item. Most residential systems will end up costing you around ten thousand dollars or even more, depending on your electricity needs. Figure 1 shows that in 2011, the average cost of a residential solar PV system was approximately $17,000, but that costs ranged widely across the United States. At first glance, these costs can seem off-putting and many consu …

We all know that one of the main benefits of “going solar” is that it gives home and business owners more independence from their utility company by enabling them to tap into free, green energy from the sun – in this way, solar panels can significantly lower monthly energy bills saving hundreds of dollars each year. But not everyone is aware that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can actually generate income.The concept is called “net metering.” Net metering essentially allows you to sell …