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Many homes will have a fan installed in the attic to help push hot air outside, many connected to thermostats to run the fans only when the internal temperature reaches a certain point. The idea of the thermostat is to save electricity as well as cooling costs on hot summer days. A solar power attic fan can provide the same service without increasing the cost of electricity and will operate on its own whenever the sun is shining, typically when the fan is the most needed.

Controlled by a thermostat, the solar power attic fan will only come on when needed, usually on hot summer days, drawing its power either directly from the solar panel or from a storage battery connected to a converter. While most attic fans are designed to run on 120-volts of alternating current, some newer ones are made for 12-volt direct current operation, the current produced by solar cells.

Roof vents are also designed to run on electricity and new designs enable the solar power attic fan to operate from solar cells or batteries, only operating when needed. The idea is to move the hot air out of the attic, to allow better circulation of the cooler air in the house.

Size Of Panel Determined By Size Of Fan

Since the size and power requirements of a solar power attic fan will vary based on the size of the fan, the size of the solar panel installed on the roof will also vary. The larger the fan’s motor, the larger the solar panel that will be needed. During the early morning hours the heat may not be high enough to require the fan’s operation and the power from the solar panel can be stored in a battery located in the attic.

As the day heats up and the attic gets hotter, the solar power attic fan will kick on pulling power from the battery, which is recharged as it is drained by the solar panel. Keeping the power flowing to charge the battery or operate the fan is the job of a regulator, much like those in automobiles that operate the accessories while keeping the vehicle’s battery charged.

One of the main attractions of a solar power attic fan is being able to keep the hot air out of the attic, resulting in lower cooling costs for air conditioning. It is just one way homeowners are finding to use solar power to reduce electric bills.

Tags: solar power attic fan, attic fan

Residential solar power, as the name suggests, refers to solar power that is used in homes and it is different to commercial solar power that powers up businesses, or even when it is electricity generated through use of solar power and which is then sold to customers. When you think about residential solar power, there are two possible types that are solar power that is ‘off grid’ and that which is known as ‘grid tied,’ or which is also known as net metering.

Off Grid

The first type of residential solar power or off grid is something that is not in any way connected to the grid, and is actually separate from the electric utility system. In this type of residential solar power, you won’t find any power lines that run to the home and the needs are also different, such as needing to have a battery system which will provide back-up power and which can even provide electricity during the times when the sun has gone down. In the daytime however, the photovoltaic array can store the excess energy in the batteries which is then turned into electricity and given off into the system through the batteries.

In the off grid type of residential solar power systems, there is also need to have a generator which is useful when there is no sunshine as it helps in charging up the batteries rather than use the power from the sun.

The other type of residential solar power is grid tied or net metering system in which there is need to have power lines that are connected to the electricity utility system which takes the place of the batteries and acts as a huge battery array. When the sun is out, the electric meter actually spins in a backward direction, while when the sun has gone down, or when there is a pressing need for solar power, the meter spins in the forward direction. This form of residential solar power is administered in a manner quite different from one electric utility company to another with each using its own set of rules and regulations.

There is a lot to recommend using residential solar power in either form since it is a means to get energy that is not only long term, but which is also renewable, and with it, you don’t have to depend any longer on your utility company, and you are also not dependent on foreign governments, and best of all, you don’t need to pay for it. There no doubts that residential solar power is the way to go.

Tags: residential solar power, solar power