For all our advances in science and technology, most of the power from the sun still eludes us. NASA reports that we use only one ten-thousandth of the sun’s energy.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar electrical systems offer new and ever-changing ways to harness that energy. The term “photovoltaic” literally means light-electricity.

In 1839, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered that sunlight could produce an electric current. Another century would pass before scientists fully understood that this process happens at the atomic level. Albert Einstein’s only Nobel Prize was awarded for his work on the photoelectric effect. By 1958, the space program was using solar cells.

The most basic elements of PV systems are solar cells consisting of semiconductor materials. These materials absorb sunlight, and the solar energy in the sunlight zaps electrons loose from their atoms. Circuits built into the cells convert the electrons into electrical current. Solar cells are interconnected to form modules and panels. Place enough panels on your roof, or on a ground-mounted system, and your home can be freed from a reliance on conventional electrical energy.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average monthly electricity consumption for residential use is about 908 kilowatt hours per month. Since residential solar energy systems are modular, the size of your system is up to you. A small system will offset the costs of running your most power-hungry appliances. A larger system can power your entire home.

Energy derived from fossil fuel is unsustainable. In 2000, conventional power stations accounted for 21.3 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research. While solar power’s potential for solving global energy needs is profound, reducing the effects of climate change is just one of the advantages of solar energy.

How Efficient are Home Solar Panels?

Costs for traditional electricity have doubled in most areas since 1999. According to the EIA, global energy consumption is expected to double by 2035, and costs for that energy are expected to double as well. Electrical energy produced from PV systems is virtually immune to cost variations.

Continuous technological innovations are making solar panels more efficient and less expensive to produce. Solar innovators are increasing efficiency by altering the materials and technologies used in the components, such as using lining materials that help panels to absorb more light. Only a few years ago, a 12% efficiency rate was considered optimum.

Today, an 18% efficiency rate is not uncommon. The cost of manufacturing PV system components is plummeting, with module prices falling 12% over the last year.

Solar Costs, Rebates and Incentives

A wide array of solar rebate, tax credit and other incentive programs are available that can reduce installation costs up to 75 percent. The federal incentive program alone offers up to 30 percent off the cost of installation. Depending on where you live, programs offered at the state and local level can be nearly as generous.

Most utility companies meet mandates that require them to invest in renewable energy by offering their own incentive programs, including rebates and financing options, and by buying back any excess energy produced by residential systems.

A variety of financing options are now available, too, from home loans offered through solar companies, utilities and financial organizations, to leases. Leasing lets homeowners install PV systems with no money down, and the payments are typically less than was being paid on monthly electrical bills.

Get a Home Solar Quote

The solar industry is becoming increasingly competitive, making it easy to comparison shop solar contractors. While costs may vary according to where you live, it is now an easy matter to get an on-site estimate or an online quote.

To allow solar energy to reach its potential and ease the world’s reliance on fossil fuel, it is vital to spread the word about renewable, affordable solar. To that end, Green Home Improvement partners with CalFinder Solar, an independent solar contractor referral service.

Click here to get pricing on a solar system in your area.

Photos via Flickr CC

Unfortunately, older homes often contain materials we might not even be aware of. Because homes constructed decades ago were not subject to modern regulations, dangerous chemicals might sit dormant in these homes, waiting to get exposed. However, allowing these chemicals to exist in homes is an irresponsible response many homeowners are willing to take.  Unfortunately, permitting the presence of toxic materials does not just threaten the home owner, but anyone who might ever become exposed to these concentrated materials in the future as well.

When one purchases a home, they assume responsibility for all the materials in that residence, including toxic ones. It then falls upon these homeowners to ensure the safe removal of household hazardous wastes like thermometers, electronics and paints. Household wastes that qualify as hazardous do so on the basis of their reactivity, ignitability, corrosiveness, toxicity, and persistence to environmental degradation. These materials pose a high threat when discarded inappropriately, without proper consideration for who must handle them, the effects they might have on their location of discard and who could encounter the materials in the future.

Further, personal safety is compromised when home owners fail to investigate the hazards that might be hiding just through a wall or in a basement. While these dangerous materials might remain dormant for almost the entire life of a home, renovation is an opportunity for these chemicals to escape and threaten homeowners. Some of the more common dangerous chemicals are radon, mercury, lead and asbestos. Lead and asbestos, especially, represent a huge risk to homeowners because of their pervasiveness in past construction and difficulty to spot.

Lead was once a major component in numerous household products including furniture, gasoline and plumbing pipeline.  Although recognized as a threat in older paints, it remains dangerous because so few homeowners are aware of its use in other common home goods. Furthermore, this chemical is an even greater threat to children because it is so easily absorbed into growing skin. Side effects of lead exposure can be extremely damaging, especially to children, with physical growth delays, stunts in mental development and behavioral problems all resulting from exposure to this chemical.

A naturally occurring mineral, asbestos is another insidious material commonly used in home construction. Valued as an insulator against heat, fire, chemical exposure and electricity, this material can be found in several forms. Although it too recently received attention for its dangerous side effects, its commonness and varied use make it difficult for untrained professionals to spot. While relatively benign if undamaged, this material becomes a threat when its composition becomes compromised through splintering. When it becomes small enough to become dust in the air, it can then be breathed into the lungs of homeowners, leading to asbestosis or cancer.

Mesothelioma symptoms, which are the indicators of the cancer caused by asbestos, typically do not occur until 20 to 50 years after one’s initial exposure to this household danger. Although sufferers of this chemical face prolonged side effects that can take decades to appear, many of these other toxic chemicals pose serious risks to those exposed far quicker. That is why newer homes need to be constructed using safe materials. Indeed, homes should be designed using only materials that can easily be recycled, either biologically or industrially, without the dangerous side effects we continue to see. By making this concept the main concern for all new homes, Americans might begin to find redemption for past foolishness and start leading safer, cleaner lives.

About Eric: Eric is currently a student preparing to practice environmental law.  He is very passionate about the green revolution, and has dreams of building a fully sustainable green village.

Exciting Highlights

Simple, fast and effective: in Cape Town, South Africa, 2300 low-income homes are being retrofitted for energy efficiency.  Three simple changes—solar water heaters, insulated ceilings and energy-efficient light bulbs—are being done to each home, and it is expected to save the city a great deal in energy, and each resident a great deal in money for basic utilities.

Ciudad Verde: in Bogotá, Colombia, a new Green City is in planning, which will combine green open spaces with 36,000 (!!) green low-income homes.  “Green City demonstrates that it is possible to develop scaled solutions for lower income families in ways that are socially responsible and in harmony with the environment.” Amazing.

Silver Lining: After the devastating brushfires that burned schools and over 2,000 homes to the ground last year, Australia is implementing programs to ‘Build it Back Green’, enabling homeowners who are starting over to easily find green solutions for rebuilding.

Pay As You Save: In the UK, to offset the costs of energy-efficient remodeling for homes, a plan is now in place to enable homeowners to “pay off” the costs of refurbishment with the money they save in reduced heating costs. “PAYS could have a major impact on making mainstream low carbon refurbishment a reality, by bringing the upfront cost of refurbishment down to zero, while providing month on month savings…”

These and many other exciting steps are being taken ‘round the world to make it easy to make green homes a possibility.  The U.S. and Canada have no shortage of incentives as well.  Check out the state and local incentives for your area, and join the green movement by making your home a part of it.

To read the full World GBC report, click here.  Click to see contractors who do green work, or green materials you can consider for your home.