We look at how much a solar generators costa, whether they are a good investment and a few examples of the best solar generators.
The high cost of living, ice storms, hurricanes, and storms have been on the rise over the past few years. And for the most part, that means looking for more affordable and reliable sources of power.
For most of us, these disasters and economic changes have meant a more aggressive search of more reliable options, options that would in the future help you by providing some units of power to the grid, therefore, making some money off the alternative and saving more money off it. For the most part, this option is solar and investment in solar generators.
While portable generators would be a great option for most homeowners, the cost and the need for a constant fuel source is something that most of us are not ready or willing to deal with, hence the need for solar generators.
But are solar generators that efficient, and can you afford the solar generator?
Well, there is no direct answer to this, but we believe that for you to make a decision regarding solar generators and whether they are worth the initial investment or not, you need to first understand how a solar generator works and how its function correlates to the cost of the generator.
Because let’s face it: a solar generator is not a cheap investment. Before you roll the dice, you really need to understand what you are getting into. Knowledge of the operation of solar generators is also important in ensuring that you know why it would be a worthy investment in the long run or not. At the end of the day, investment refers to a monetary asset that’s purchased with the idea and belief that the asset would offer income in the future.
So, how does it work?
How Do Solar Generators Work?
More and more people are now starting to understand and believe in the power and the effectiveness of solar generators and solar technology in general. The unfortunate bit is that there is are more people who do not understand exactly how solar technology works, often because of the complexity of the information they’ve received. But the truth is that the operation of solar generators is not as complicated as it made out to be.
So, what’s the deal with the solar generators?
An understanding of solar generators has everything to do with solar panels, which are the solar generation components that make up the sun-powered generator.
Solar panels are made of small parts referred to as photovoltaic cells. These photovoltaic cells have the power to take and convert the energy from the sun, in the form of photos, and these cells will convert the photons into solar energy, the energy that allows for the use of solar energy to power electric devices. For the conversion to take place, there are more reactions that need to take place.
For starters, an electric field must be created. The electric field, like the magnetic field, is only created where two opposing forces collide. In electric fields, for example, the positive and the negative charges must collide. And in the case of photovoltaic cells’ creation, two pieces of semi-conductive materials with opposite charges are involved.
In most cases, the photovoltaic cell is created with silicone used as the semi-conductive material. Here, two pieces of silicone must have different charges, and they must be placed on top of each other for the creation of an electric field. But how exactly does this take place?
Essentially, the first piece of silicon semiconductor has to be treated with phosphorus, a process that introduced more electrons to the silicone material, hence the negative charge. Once the negative charge is created, the second piece of silicone semiconductor undergoes treatment with Boron.
This treatment with Boron means that electrons are taken away from the silicone, and this gives the silicone a positive charge. With both silicone pieces charged, they will be laid on top of each other, and this results in the creation of the photovoltaic cell, as well as an electric field. The creation of a photovoltaic cell leads to the next step where the cell is combined with more cells and some metal, and wiring, which results in the creation of a solar panel.
When the solar panel is laid out in the sun, it absorbs photons from sunlight – photons are necessary for the creation of a chemical reaction within the electric field plus the free electrons from all the atoms attached. Note that these electrons would be collected by the pieces of metal on either end of the solar panel, and these electrons are then transferred to your electric devices through the wires, and voila! Your electronics are powered up!
So, if you have been struggling to understand how solar generators work, you now know that it’s not that complicated, and it all starts with negatively charged silicon semiconductors, the creation of a photovoltaic cell, absorption of photons, and the creation of an electric field and free electrons! Simple, huh?
Some Solar Generator Examples
Why are solar generators a good long-term investment?
Now that you understand how the solar panels and the solar generators work, let’s look at some of the reasons why it would be a good idea to invest in solar generators.
For starters, there have been numerous technological advancements around solar generators, hence more efficiencies. The process of transferring the captured solar energy has, for example, become efficient. Previously, a large percentage of the photon energy collected was not transferred properly to electric devices, but that isn’t the case any more thanks to ingenuity and problem-solving.
The solar panels are also now more capable of gathering energy with a higher level of effectiveness, and cloud interference is no longer a huge issue when it comes to the ability of the solar panel to charge more effectively. Today, the modern solar panels on the market can harvest solar energy even when the solar conditions are less than ideal.
How much is a solar generator?
Solar generators will collect solar energy from the sun then store power for use when you need it. They work pretty much like the gas-powered generators, with the main difference between the two being that you won’t have to worry about replenishing the fuel, or worse, deal with fumes, smell, noise, or even the risk of fire.
To determine the cost of a solar generator for your home or office, you first need to determine the amount of power you need to run your home appliances.
For the most part, the solar generators have different capabilities, and they come in different sizes, with prices ranging from $100 to a few tens of thousand dollars.
For example, if you need a low-power solar generator, you’d spend an average of $100, and this would give you a $100 generator that generates between 5 watts and 10Amp hours. With such generators, you get to enjoy access to a number of power outlets, a DC socket, and a USB outlet; but the power offered isn’t that much, although there are models of solar generators (low cost) that would give you up to2 days of power. To charge your phones and laptops, you’d need a solar generator that offers more power. Such a generator would cost about $500 or more.
But for larger solar generators designed to power your by generating between 1,800 and 3,000 watts, or as much as 245amp hours, you would need to spend anything between $2000 – $4000 or more.
To determine the solar generator that you need, you need to establish the total amount of power that you need to run your appliances and devices. Check their hourly power requirements by checking out the wattage or the amps used by the device/ appliance.
First, determine how many volts used by the electrical outlets; this should be between 120v and 240v. Use the equation V x A = W. The result of this equation determines the total number of watts used by your appliances each hour at their maximum consumption. Next, determine the total amount of hours that each of your appliances is in use, and then multiply that number by the total number of watts used by the device at the maximum setting. With these details, you will be able to determine what size of solar generator you would need.
Note that the largest solar generators, the ones capable of powering entire homes or buildings fully, are quite pricey, and you’d spend between $10000 and $50,000, and they have at least 3,500Watts.
Is a solar generator a worthy investment?
The initial cost of a solar generator is, without a doubt, discouraging. And it might sound like a not-so-good idea to spend all that money, but the truth is that the solar generator would be able to repay itself in the future. Look at it in terms of the monthly fee that you won’t have to pay for power. All you need to do is to make that large initial investment then harvest energy by setting your panels to absorb and have the maximum possible sun exposure time.
This option also means little upkeep. The panels only need to clean dust every few months and replaced after some decades.
Finally, the solar panels are profitable. Once you get to capture more solar energy that you need for your home, you can store the excess energy in the power grid, either for access in the future, and you could also sell the electricity to your local power company. Just check the state or locale requirements.
Conclusion
Note that before you buy a solar generator, you must pay attention to the options available to you. There is the off-grid solar which has no access to local/ state utility grid, the grid-tie solar which would give you access to the grid; a good option if you need to save on your electricity bill, and the grid-tie solar and Energy storage; gives you access to the utility grid, meaning that you have access a power backup in case of a power outage.
To get the right numbers and the best option for you, the service providers will need you to first specify your zip code then specify your monthly usage, verify the cost of electricity, mention how much of your power bill you wish to offset, and then specify whether you will be claiming the Federal tax credit or not. Note that this credit is about 26% of your total project expenses towards credit to offset taxes owed that year.
Regarding the cost of solar panels, you need to know that the total cost of a solar panel is not as high as it was in the past, and they cost between $2.57 cents to $3.35 cents per watt. But the cost of the premium panels might go up to $1/watt or higher depending on size, quality, and brand. Installation of the solar panel (average size) is between $11,411 to $14,874 (after credits) At the end of the day, investing in the solar generators is an investment that will pay off in the long-run, and this means that you shouldn’t be misguided by the initial costs.