Monday, December 15, 2008

Solar Powered Charger - What are they and Why are they Useful?

By Dan Ashton

Depending on where you live, extreme weather conditions or just general unreliability of power supplies could mean that having a back up energy source is vital. Particularly when it comes to communication, a solar phone charger for examply could make the difference between calling for help or not.

Whether you are someone who likes to plan in advance, or just prefer to have something on standby, a solar powered charger could be beneficial. You could keep some rechargeable batteries charged and ready to go should you need to, or you could have your charger nearby so that you could start charging immediately.

Once the initial purchase of your solar panel, or solar charger is made, there should be no further cost. The electricity you recieve is then "free". It may take some time to recoup your initial investment, several months perhaps, but at least you know that your standard electricity charges should start to drop.

You can talk to the installation contractor about just setting up a power grid large enough for emergency use only. This will save you some money now, and later when you can afford it better, you can then finish installing the rest of the solar panels, because you will already have some of the installation already.

The scale that you decide to utilise solar power for your energy needs is entirely up to you. The incorporation of a wind turbine can assist your electricity generating, for example. Whether you can do this will depend on your locality and budget, but you can always start small and work your way up. However you do it, if you are looking at a large scale investment, then please remember to take the advice of a professional.

You should check the installation company to find out what mounting hardware, wiring, junction boxes, grounding equipment, and other equipment you will need in order to build your own solar charger. Often the company will have a discount available if you acquire them to build your system.

Once the system you want is installed, it has little maintenance other than checking the batteries once a month. And the system will provide emergency electricity for more than 20 years.

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