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Every 20 minutes, enough energy bombards the surface of the United States of America to power the entire country for a whole year, yet almost all of this energy goes to waste. We could solve all of our energy problems if we were able to harness this immense energy reserve, but every day of the year, the power slips by us, generally unnoticed.
Facts
The solar energy released by the sun may seem like the best source of energy for the world. It has many benefits: it is free, it does not pollute, is very reliable when the sun is shining, and it is very safe.
What is a solar electric system?
Solar electric technology converts sunlight directly into electricity. It works any time the sun is shining, but more electricity will be produced when the light is more intense (a sunny day) and is striking the solar electric modules directly (when the rays of sunlight are perpendicular to the solar electric modules).
A solar electric system will never run out of fuel, and it won't increase our oil imports from overseas. In fact, it may not even contribute to the trade deficit, because many solar electric system components are manufactured in the United States. Due to these unique characteristics, solar electric technology has been called “the ultimate energy source for the 21st century.” BENEFITS
Net Metering—Through net metering, the customer obtains the full retail electricity rate—rather than the much lower wholesale rate-for kilowatt-hours of-produced electricity sent back to the utility power grid. Net metering allows customers to get more value from the energy they generate. |
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