It seems like global warming and green energy are all that we ever hear about anymore, as politicians, our friends, and even the bagger at the grocery store espouse the benefits of “going green.” Although many of us may not see exactly how reusing our grocery bags will change our lives, research has made it evident that it will significantly change the lives that our children will lead and that it is necessary to protect the planet in the interest of future generations, if not our own.
Despite the fact that we are now able to power just about everything through windpower, geothermal processes, hydropower, and solar power, providing sources of clean, renewable energy, this processes still have not been implemented across the board. Nature has given us its warning through climate change, yet many of us are still not listening, protecting short-term financial interests over long-term quality of life interests.
Although we may not be able to personally persuade a power plant to change its ways, we are capable of creating a power plant in our own home. By installing solar panels, we are able to turn our homes into miniature power plants of clean, renewable energy, powered by the rays of the sun. It is frequently the case that families who have solar panels produce more energy than their home consumes, having even more widespread effects, injecting their power grid to power the homes of their neighbors with the same clean, renewable energy that they enjoy and resulting in a credit on their power bill.
If you are still uncertain about installing solar panels, it is possible to install a small system that powers only your hot water heater to experiment before installing a “whole home” system. Once you do decide to make the leap, you will discover that with a wide variety of government incentives and rebates from the solar panel company themselves, as well as your savings on your energy bill, installing solar panels is not as expensive as you would assume. By installing a solar power system, you are taking power into your own hands to work towards a brighter, cleaner, greener future.