Solar energy is increasing in popularity, especially with the potential for rebates and tax incentives. The federal government is offering a 30 percent tax credit this year for installing solar systems. Each state has its own legislation to encourage the development of solar and other options. Be sure to check any requirements before installing a solar system.

To evaluate whether solar panels will be suitable for your location, there are some critical factors to consider. In the U.S., we have enough direct and scattered sunlight to support photovoltaic, or PV modules, and produce electricity using solar resources. But the amount of electricity that can be created depends upon the amount of energy from the sun that reaches these solar units. Obviously, in the southwestern region of the U.S., where the sun’s rays are strongest, solar energy systems will be most efficient.

When thinking about the purchase of solar panels, the first issue to determine is whether you’ll be able to create enough solar energy to make your system economical and efficient. Perhaps not all of your solar electricity can be generated through photovoltaics, but you’ll want to be able to create enough power to make this system worthwhile. Perform an analysis, or have a qualified contractor do one for you to be certain that your location is appropriate for a solar system.

There are a number of factors to consider, including the angle of the solar arrays and the surrounding landscaping. The most effective positioning for panels in the U.S. and Canada is facing south, but they can be positioned up to 45 degrees east or west of true south and still be effective.

Most people choose to mount the arrays flat on the roof, and that means further considerations, such as the angle and condition of the roof, the position the roof faces, any landscaping (including trees) that might block sunlight, and weather conditions that could have a bearing on electricity production.

If using your roof isn’t feasible, there are still other options, including placing the system on the ground or a platform. Panels can be fixed on a “tracking” mount that follows the sun. The best tilt for your modules is an angle equal to your latitude.

So even if your property isn’t optimal for a roof mount, solar arrays might still prove an attractive option to the local utility.  As long as there is enough sunlight, the possibility of more creative panel placement exists.  And as the technology continues to improve and costs decrease, and the government creates incentives toinstall solar, this will become an attractive alternative.

The mission of the Solar America Initiative is to help lower the cost of solar electricity so that it is cost-competitive across all U.S. market sectors by 2015. The Solar America Initiative ensures domestic production of solar technologies. Decentralized energy supplies such as photovoltaics (PV), diversifies the nation’s electricity portfolio, enhances grid reliability, and reduces the impact of a failure of the U.S. centralized electricity infrastructure. The Solar America Initiative also brings significant environmental gains and reduced water consumption by avoiding fossil fuel, nuclear, and natural gas generation.

By 2015, photovoltaics will:

• Provide 5-10 gigawatts of new electric capacity (enough to power 1-2 million homes) to the U.S. grid

• Avoid 10 million metric tons per year of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions

• Employ 30,000 new workers in the PV industry.

Goals

The primary goal of the Solar America Initiative is to ensure that solar energy technologies will play a growing role in U.S. energy supplies and the U.S. economy by making the technology cost-competitive in the near future.

Secondary goals are to achieve market competitiveness for the following technologies:

• Photovoltaics (PV) by 2015 through government partnerships with industry, universities, national laboratories, states, and other public entities

• Concentrating solar power systems by 2020 through ongoing and new research and development (R&D) activities.

Objectives

Current objectives include the following:

• Fill the industry R&D pipeline for next-generation, low-cost, scaleable products

• Establish a framework for university involvement in the Solar America Initiative

• Calibrate the National Renewable Energy Laboratory research portfolio and role for the future

• Ramp up testing and evaluation for development and qualification

• Catalyze the collaboration on industry-wide issues such as codes and standards

• Expand U.S. policy and regulatory measures.

Approach

The Solar America Initiative is a two-pronged approach emphasizing the following activities:

• (R&D) Research and Development in material sciences and solar manufacturing processes
• Market transformation to remove barriers to the acceptance of new solar technologies in the marketplace.

Solar America Initiative partners include:

• The solar industry

• National laboratories

• Universities

• Federal, state, and city governments

• Non-governmental agencies

• Solar advocacy groups

National laboratories of the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) continue to provide needed R&D.They will serve in key technical roles in areas such as measurements and characterization, reliability R&D, and systems integration.

The Solar America Initiative’s approach represents a fundamental shift in how the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Program does business. Previously, DOE emphasized solar energy R&D, with a goal of expanding impact through improved component performance. The Solar America Initiative emphasizes industry partnerships and alliances to accelerate market-ready photovoltaics using aggressive cost goals, down-selects, and a new focus on eliminating manufacturing, production, and non-technical marketplace barriers.

Buy/More Info

Buy/More Info

Buy/More Info

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Seems good
I am replacing a 250 watt floodlight with 2 of these fixtures. It is great not to be paying for electricity any more. The choice between full power or lesser power is nice for summer vs. winter lighting. A nice investment.

1 Star Disappointed
Purchased & came in timely manner. Had read all reviews and thought to be good for flag illumination. Received and setup and worked for a few days then quit. Tapped on solar panel and light would go off and on. Contacted support which was fast and fair and sent out new solar panel however received differnt model solar panel with 800Mah batteries and original was 1200Mah. Called concerned about brightness as solar panel was smaller and asked why sent wrong model. They said model should work and needed the 1200Mah and would send me some. Received 900mAh batteries. Go figure. Light working but as I said disappointed. Not sure if I were to get the right model whether it would work or be brighter. Answering Service good but questionable knowledge of product, product lousy.

1 Star Malibu Solar flood lite
I have had nothing but problems with this product! After the first 48 hours of charging it worked for 1 night. Then I had to replace the batteries. Its a solar lite?? Why do I have to keep replacing the batteries??? I have had no responce from Malibu and they are very hard to get ahold of so Im stuck with a product that sucks!

5 Stars Nice Lighting
I bought this floodlight about 5 months ago based on the first reviewers comments. I am quite happy with the amount of light this throws on a 30 saguaro cactus near my pool. I have been very disappointed with solar lights in the past, even just for accent lighting along a path. But this does a nice job of illumination - it lights up the lower half of the saguaro nicely, the top not so much. You can see the top half of the cactus, but it’s it a dim light. As other reviewers say, it’s not as bright as regular electric lights, but it does a good job. Also mine does NOT have the blue tint that other solar lights have. This is great for a portion of the yard where it’s impractical to run electricity. I have an acre yard, and I have no desire to run electricity all over it, but I do have seating areas and visually interesting areas around the yard that I want to accent at night. I will be buying more of these for that purpose.

4 Stars Great item if you know how to use it
Very easy to start & use, It’s very bright, but you can’t have any light shining on the solar panel at night. The brightness of a light dims the flood light eminating, so keep the solar panal away from a streetlight or any light at night.

Buy/More Info

Buy/More Info

Buy/More Info

Buy/More Info

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Starry Starry Night
For christmas my grandmother had given my mom a huge gazing ball, which glowed in the dark, and looked much like the one in this suncatcher. I thought that she had one as well, I was mistaken. So, while this was suppose to compliment her gazing ball, it now adorns her porch. She loves it. When glowing at night it reminds me of the milky way or some distant nebula. It came packaged very well so there wasn’t much of a chance of it breaking in the shipping process. I just wish there were more colors to choose from.

3 Stars Beautiful, but not what they claim it is
This is a very beautiful suncatcher, but that’s just what it is. When they say it glows, it does, but not much. I’ve quit using it outside and it now hands in a window that gets lots of sun and it’s awesome looking in my window.

So the claims they make about illuminating things are false, but I recommend it for its own beauty

Buy/More Info