Solar Panels

For the record, Sesame Place is an AWESOME family trip! All 3 of the kids loved it and we spent a full 12 hours at the park! (Not so super green as website may lead you to believe, but still a GREAT trip!)

On the other hand, 7 hours across Pennsylvania, not so great! However, we did see 6 wind turbines (my daughter pointed them out) and two houses powered by solar panels. As we drove by, my husband said, "I wonder how much THOSE cost?" And so did I. So I decided to do a little research. And I mean a little research. I Googled "solar panels for residential homes" and clicked on the first link that popped up. Interesting! To summarize, I found that there are government incentives to using solar panels and if you generate enough energy, you may even be able to sell your excess back to the power company. It stated that the sunnier parts of the US benefit the most, but those living in Maine or Washington can also benefit. See, Ohio wasn't included in that list so there ARE places that are cloudier! They list their cost as $160 a panel, which sounded pretty good to me, until I looked at the DIY kit, which will work for a small cabin, RV or boat--cost: $982.

I still have unanswered questions, so I checked out the Wikipedia page.

How long will they last? "Many crystalline silicon module manufacturers offer a warranty that guarantees electrical production for 10 years at 90% of rated power output and 25 years at 80%.^[6]"

How many panels will I need to power my house? Will Ohio's weather allow me to actually use solar panels as an exclusive method of power? Can I store the power? Or will I have to use the most power during daylight hours? (I didn't find these on Wikipedia :( ) Inquiring minds want to know!!

Of course I'm not actually thinking about installing solar panels, although I'd like to! For now I guess my solar energy consumption will have to consist of toting my drying rack outside to dry my laundry!