Want To Buy Solar Energy and Reduce Energy Costs?

“Buy solar energy and reduce energy costs!” That’s the biggest promise of solar power providers, and easily the biggest incentive for you to jump on the solar energy bandwagon. But considering that solar energy systems – even mass market ones – have five-figure price tags, is the reduction really worth buying that much new technology?

Who Buys Solar?

Solar power isn’t as new to the block as you might think. It’s been in use for decades now by specialized groups like NASA, which has been sending solar panels to space for much of the life of its space program. What’s recent is the jump from high-budget fields to the mainstream consumer market, thanks largely to advances in the technology made in the last few years.

But the concept of powering homes and cities with the sun and reduce energy costs isn’t a new idea, and neither is it a limited one. As early as the 1970’s, energy agencies around the world – particularly ones in then already developed nations – were already exploring solar power. The Solar Energy Generating Systems project in the Mojave Desert, for example, began operating in 1984 and is the largest facility of its kind on the planet.

Nowadays, everyone can purchase solar generated power in countries like the US, Japan and Germany. But it’s not just homeowners who buy solar energy; the governments take advantage of the lower generation costs, like in the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Nellis gets its power for less than 25% of the grid cost.

Cost vs. Benefit

The next question on your mind is probably about the cost of the technology compared to the energy cost reduction it’ll give you. After all, it only makes sense to get a solar power system if it’ll provide a big significant reduction in power expenses.

It’s a question with a multifaceted answer, but the long and short of it is that the system could pay for itself with savings within about a decade. Going solar does make a huge difference in terms of how much you pay for power. Nellis Air Force Base, for example, pays just 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour with solar, as opposed to 9 cents per kilowatt hour when they get power from the grid.

On the cost side of the equation, it’s true that solar power systems are still a considerable investment today. However, the trend is one of declining prices and increasingly available technology. With prices on the downturn and government subsidies within reach, it makes more and more sense for you to reduce energy costs and buy solar energy technology – soon, if not now.