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Solar power has become increasingly more popular as research and development in renewable energy advances. In fact, some manufacturers make it so easy to make the switch by providing easy and fast installation. In some cases, solar energy has become more desired than the use of fossil fuels in residential and commercial buildings. Some great advantages to solar power include:
Improves carbon footprint.
Cost savings on energy bills
You can redirect condo fees to other areas that may need more attention.
Don’t need to be tied to energy contracts with big companies.
Positively adds to property re-sale value.
Only a few panels are really needed per unit to make a difference.
If your condo building does not support solar usage, you may still be able to have it installed so long as you own the roof above your unit, or the panels can be supported from your balcony. However, more and more condo unit owners are advocating for solar energy and using it in their units to promote clean energy.
The greatest disadvantage to solar energy is the climate. If you live in an area where you do not get much sun or an excessive amount of snow, then solar may not be the right change for your unit. Another disadvantage is storage costs for solar energy can be quite expensive if you don’t use a lot of energy to begin with.
There are some companies that are exploring technologies that make it easy to absorb the power of the sun, even if it is just for an hour or so a day.
Plug in Solar Panels: You can plug these into any standard wall outlet and use the energy in real time on appliances.
Portable solar stations: You can put these literally anywhere, the power is converted and stored in a battery which can then be used on appliances or even on the road.
Solar powered blinds
Power windows: uses small solar panels installed along the edges of glass panes to generate electricity from the sun.
Transparent solar panels: This does sound too good to be true, but these panels do exist and could replace glass windows and project cities into clean energy.
Transparent solar is a technology that uses light energy through windows, or any glass surface regardless of the angle, ranging from something as small as your iPhone to the windows in your condo building. Currently, researchers have created several technologies that use transparent glass that can absorb UV and infrared wavelengths naked to the human eye, making it useful even on rainy days. These high-tech windows could bring the planet one step closer to making a real environmental impact. This technology has not hit the market just yet and may take a couple years to be massed produced, but it steers us in the right direction for reusable technology and sustainability.
