Social distancing means many have to work from home
Emergency lockdown is now in force in many countries. Families are isolated in their homes while the world battles the Covid-19 virus pandemic. We all have to adapt to the changes by adopting the correct safety measures. Social distancing is now definitely seen as the most effective way to slow the infection rate for the virus. As a result many businesses in the U.S, have shut their doors, and more and more people work from home.
So, how secure is your power supply?
No one has a clear picture of when the pandemic will end, With people forced to work from home, there is a massively increased demand on the utility companies. There is a real possibility that the enormous drain on power resources will see supplies failing. In the meantime we need to prepare for whatever the future may bring. So what are the steps we should take to remain safe and productive? How can we ensure that we have a sufficient power supply to work from home?
Traditional versus renewable power supplies
With traditional fuels there is a long chain from source to supply. Extracting the fossil fuels and transporting them vast distances to the power plants is difficult and costly. Producing usable electricity by burning these fuels causes unwanted carbon emissions. These cause damage to the environment and pollute the atmosphere. In addition, any link along this chain could fail at any time. The outcome would be widespread power outages. Our homes would be dark, and productivity would be impossible.
With the clean, renewable energy sourced from our sun, the picture turns out completely differently. Once you have solar panels up on your roof converting sunlight directly into electricity, your home is secure. The panels produce electricity as the sunlight hits them. There is no long chain of supply. Power feeds instantly to your home grid and you are virtually independent of the commercial suppliers.
What happens at night or when the weather turns cloudy?
Modern solar power technology is amazing. Even on a cloudy day your system will still be generating current but on a reduced level. On sunny days, conversely, the system will in fact be producing much more energy than you need. So how can you balance this to provide energy at all time and in all conditions? You may also ask where the power will come from at night when the panels are not producing at all!
The usual solution is to draw your additional power requirements from the commercial grid that supplies your home. You will naturally have to pay your grid suppliers at the going rate for this current. And as we all know, the electricity companies keep hiking their charges!
There are two great solutions to these questions:
1) Solar battery backup
A Solar battery backup works by storing excess energy produced by your solar panels. This power is then available for later use when the sun isn’t shining. In the event of a power outage you will have all the current you need by day or by night.
While your neighbors are in darkness, all your essential services will be still be up and running! This means that as you work from home, you will have wi-fi and internet connectivity uninterrupted. In addition your family will be able to continue as normal with all your home appliances up and running. But there is more!
2) Net Metering
During normal daylight hours, when the sun is shining, the solar panels on your roof will be generating plenty of power. In fact, your panels will be producing considerably more electricity than you will use that day. So what happens with that unused electricity? That extra current certainly does not go to waste.
If you have battery backups installed for your solar supply, the excess current will first charge the batteries. Once they are fully charged, Net Metering will kick in.
So what is Net Metering and how does it work? It’s a process whereby your extra unused current is fed back into the commercial grid for your later use. Your home solar installation will automatically handle that, sending excess current back to your utility company. This current is then automatically credited to your utility account and at night or on cloudy days when you need current, you simply draw freely on the ‘banked’ credit with your utility supplier. This is called Net Metering, and your installation company will explain how it is done.
In these uncertain times, preparation for the unforeseen is essential.
With your home office now your main source of income, it is vital that you keep it running. In addition the safety and security of your family depend on your home power systems operating.
Here is where you start!
For the finest and most experienced solar installations contact Renewable Energy Corporation. We are proud to offer the highest quality solar products and installations in Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Since 2009, our experienced solar panel installers have built many hundreds of commercial and residential solar energy systems. All manufacturing of our products is done domestically and production is sustainable.
For a comprehensive, easy to understand, free, no-obligations on site assessment simply click here.
We ll answer all your energy questions with solutions for these challenging times. Keep your family safe and secure and continue to work from home with Solar power.
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