Five Ways to Generate Solar Energy at Home Without Roof Panels
There are many good reasons to consider adding solar power to your home. First, the price of electricity from the grid has been trending upward for some time now. And climate change is creating increasingly powerful weather events , which in turn are leading to possible power outages, which means having an alternative way to power your home is a very, very good idea.
The most obvious way to bring solar energy into your home is to install panels on your roof. But roofing panels have one big drawback: they are attached to your roof. This can make roof repair, maintenance, and replacement more difficult—and not all roofing systems are ideal for hosting solar panels. Solar panels are also not the most attractive objects to attach to the roof of your home. Well, if you want solar power but aren’t sure about huge panels on your roof, you have an alternative.
Flexible panels
If large, rigid panels aren’t an option for your home (or your aesthetic), you may be better off with flexible panels . These products are somewhat similar to solar panels, but differ in one important aspect: they are relatively thin, making them flexible and bendable. This means they have several advantages over traditional rigid solar panels:
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Easy to install. Flexible panels are much easier to install because they are not as heavy or bulky as traditional panels. This is a project that a relatively skilled person can do on their own (although the wiring should be done by a licensed professional). They also have a much lower profile, so even if you decide to place them on your roof, they will be much less noticeable.
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Accommodation options. Because flexible panels bend, they can be placed almost anywhere. They weigh much less than rigid panels, so you can lay them on almost any surface that receives sunlight and start benefiting from solar energy.
However, flexible solar panels have one major drawback: they generate much less energy. Most rigid solar panels achieve an efficiency (the percentage of solar energy converted into electricity) of more than 20%, but flexible panels achieve 15% at best. This lower efficiency results in less electricity; while standard panels can provide up to 300 watts of power, flexible panels can only provide half that power.
Ground panels
Solar panels don’t have to be installed on the roof – if you have property, you can install them on the ground . This is just as difficult a project as installing panels on a roof because you need to build a frame to attach the panels, but in addition to saving a roof line you have many advantages: they are easier to maintain and replace because you don’t have to climb onto the roof to get the job done, and the ground-based system can also use solar tracking technology that rotates the panels to maximize their exposure to the sun.
Solar roof
If your roof is the best place for solar panels, but you hate the idea of those clunky panels, you have a more elegant choice: solar shingles. Tesla , for example, will install a solar roof on your home, and there are several other companies that make similar products. Solar shingles can provide you with all the solar energy you need (many have the same efficiency ratings as conventional panels) with a more traditional appearance, while maintaining the aesthetics of your home. Installing a solar roof can be expensive ( $20 to $30 per square foot), but most come with long warranties that make the price worth it.
Solar blinds
Another option for bringing solar energy into your home is solar window blinds . There aren’t many companies offering these products ( SolarGaps is one of them), and installing them probably won’t provide enough power to take you completely off the grid. But they offer a less intrusive and more attractive option for topping up your energy with solar energy.
Solar siding
You can install solar panels in your home without touching the roof by using the vertical surfaces of your home. Solar siding companies like Mitrex will install vertical panels in your home that can generate a lot of juice (up to 350 watts) while maintaining the appearance of your home. These siding panels can look like wood, brick or natural stone to match an existing façade or to facilitate integration into a new build.
Coming soon: Windows
In the “not quite there yet” department there are sunny windows . While prototypes exist, such as Physee’s PowerWindow , they are not yet available for purchase, and most experts believe these windows are still several years away from becoming a viable alternative to other solar energy products. However, someday, relatively soon, you will be able to replace your windows with new solar-powered models that will power your home’s appliances and devices without any aesthetic compromise.
Solar energy is a key way to get more out of your property, protect yourself from power outages, and save some money—and you have more opportunities to get it in your home than you think.