Five Smart Reasons to Go Solar

By Nicole DiGiose

With growing concerns about our impact on the environment, many people are opting for a “green” lifestyle by helping to clean up our beautiful planet. Simple activities such as recycling, saving water, and donating old or used electronics instead of throwing them out are all ways to pitch in. For some, this way of living includes replacing traditional energy sources (generated from coal, oil, and natural gas) with solar energy.

Solar energy technologies work by using the sun's energy to provide light, heat, hot water, electricity, and even cooling for our homes and businesses. This abundant kind of energy has several advantages over other forms of electricity:

It's renewable

Because our sun is still young, it has plenty of energy to offer. That being said, solar energy will be around for a very long time, unlike fossil fuels, which are finite.

It's clean

Most traditional power plants create pollution in the forms of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury. Solar energy systems don't create pollution while converting solar energy into usable electricity.

It's free

Power from the sun doesn't cost you a penny. Even during cloudy and rainy weather conditions, some sunlight is able to make its way to the ground. It's free and it's always available.

When you go green, you save green

Solar energy systems capture sunlight and create energy for everyday use. The more energy you use from your solar energy system, the less you'll use from your electricity company, saving you money.

You'll have power during emergencies

Solar energy systems usually include a battery to store extra energy, in case you ever encounter a problematic power outage. If the power in your neighborhood goes out, your solar energy system will continue to supply your house with the electricity stored in its battery.

Over the years, improvements in home solar power have made solar energy systems less expensive, more efficient and easier to install than older systems. To learn about solar technology products, such as solar micro inverters, cables and connectors, and feed-in breaker circuits, or to view featured solar technology parts, head on over to Mouser’s Solar Power Technology website.