| With the current economic recession and the rising | | | | This technology has actually been around for quite a |
| cost of energy, many people are looking for alternative | | | | long time, however until recently is way far too |
| ways of providing energy for their homes. One | | | | expensive for the average home owner to take |
| alternative energy source that has been receiving a lot | | | | advantage of it. Now it is possible to purchase a |
| of attention recently is solar power. Many people don't | | | | commercially available solar power unit for under |
| realize that it is now possible to power their homes | | | | $1000, or you can make your own for even less |
| using solar power, and that it is actually a lot cheaper | | | | money than that. |
| than being plugged into the public power grid. | | | | The best way to learn how to make your own solar |
| So how does solar power work? Well, first the suns | | | | energy equipment is to look on the internet for an |
| rays are collected by solar panels. A typical solar panel | | | | alternative energy guide. There are several available, |
| will collect between 10 and 13 watts per square foot, | | | | and most will not only show you how to build solar |
| so in order to generate 100 watts of power you might | | | | power equipment, but also how to build equipment for |
| need 9 or 10 square feet of solar paneling. The | | | | harnessing wind power as well. These two forms of |
| placement of the panel also affects how much power | | | | energy can be more than enough to fully power your |
| it can collect, as well as the angle that the sunlight is | | | | home and allow you to gain complete energy |
| hitting the panel. | | | | independence. |