If you have envisioned a future with free electricity, you can make that a reality. Elon Musk said that solar power could meet the electricity demands of the whole country, by merely allocating some parts of Utah or Nevada as solar farms. Of course, he said nothing about the cost. Frankly speaking, you can’t rely on government or corporations to deliver free electricity from the sun. If it were up to them, you’d probably get charged sky-high fees.
Going Solar on Your Own
If your goal is getting your state to go green, you can petition and lobby for green energy options. Getting your state to go green is a great idea, but this will cause your electricity bills to go up, not down. When power corporations are forced to adopt new technologies, it will cost them money, and ordinary consumers get the bill. If you want clean and free electricity, you need to do it on your own. Residential solar panels are quite popular in Sandy City and other parts of Utah, and solar panels have become more readily available. Get a few solar panels for house, 6kW of capacity should do the job. Of course, you’ll still be connected to the power grid, so you can still have electricity when the sun’s out.
Free Electricity?
While solar panels are not free, the investment you put into them pays for itself and eventually gives you free electricity. A 6-kW solar energy system that initially costs around $15,000 – $20,000 will only cost you $10,000 – $12,000 after you calculate all the federal and state incentives you’ll get. With proper financing over 10 years, the monthly cost of your solar panels shouldn’t exceed $80, which is the around the same amount you would pay for your electricity bill. Instead of paying for your electricity bills, the money goes towards your panels. In 10 years, your panels will be paid for, and you get to have free electricity.
Energy Efficiency in Your Home
If you can reduce your house’s energy consumption; you might even get a little money off your solar panels. During the daytime, your panels continually produce electricity even if you’re not using it. This electricity goes into the grid, and the power company pays you a generation charge. Of course, electricity companies will pay you at much lower rates compared to what they charge you, but the dollars accumulate over time. If you raise your house’s energy efficiency, you can probably get more money. You can do this by switching to more energy-efficient appliances and insulating your home. Air conditioning and refrigerators that use inverter technology can cut your electricity bills by up to 30 percent, and proper insulation can reduce it by another 30 percent.
In the end, relying on the government or greedy corporations for free electricity is a pipe dream. They can switch to solar energy, but it will cost you. The only way to get free power is by going solar on your own.
