There are many solar roofing products coming out on the market all the time. These products come with many different attachment methods to be incorporated into your roofing system. They are becoming more stylish and offer a sense of in vogue ambiance to the outward appearance of your home. Their purpose is to save you on some energy costs and in that way save the planet.
A standalone product for example is the solar powered ventilators. Look closely at these because of their cheaper design structure that questions their durability. The solar cells (photovoltaic cells), power a small fan inside to generate air flow so that you have no additional electricity costs. The truth is that it takes about four to six of these to generate the same cubic feet of air ventilation as a single powered attic ventilator. This of course means that optimum performance relies on continual direct sunlight. Clouds stop performance.
The majority of solar products are the photovoltaic cell panels that are being produced from asphalt shingle designs to concrete tile like profile panels. These are meant to eliminate the need for the raised racks that are used to attach the larger rectangle series of solar panels to the roof. These panels, tiles and shingles are meant to provide you with electricity for use in your home. They do generate some electricity as long as they are exposed to continual sunlight.
Photovoltaic cells generate 12 volt DC electricity. Your home is wired for 120 volt and 240 volt AC electric current. The cells will need to go through a powered inverter to change the DC current to AC current. Then it will be fed to your electric source at the breaker panel. As mentioned before, these systems work but what has to be determined is their power generation expectations in comparison to the material and installation costs. These systems are quite expensive to purchase and to repair when damaged by storms. Their true durability is yet to be determined but along with that is what are the weather tight attachment measures that will be used for their installation.
Florida is the "Sunshine State" but we have over 100 days a year without sunshine throughout Florida. Yuma, AZ has sunshine rating of 90% to compare with Key West, the sunniest city in Florida, having a rating of only 70%. Photovoltaic cells work but they need a lot of sunshine to do it. To generate large useable amounts of electricity requires a large amount of cells and cell panels to be displayed over your roof. So with all the costs in mind, will you live in your home long enough to realize the true savings’ benefits that are advertised for this type of conservation?
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