After such a devastating blow to the country of Japan with a massive earthquake, the need for alternative energy that is sustainable and safe is even more apparent.  For a long time there has been all kinds of speculation about and comparisons between solar energy from solar panels compared to nuclear energy power plants.  It is clear that nuclear energy is very efficient and can produce very large amount so electricity, but what is starting to become known is how dangerous these power generators can also be when things go wrong.

Nobody is searching for an energy source which provides very cheap electricity but has a potential cost of thousands or maybe even millions of lives when things go bad.  But this is potentially what may be happening right now on our planet.  It is way to early to understand how the entire energy disaster will play out in Japan right now, but we can be certain that the demand for safe alternatives will increase with the unfolding nuclear program in this country.

Besides the safety elements of home solar energy and the amazing track record it has as being one of the safest alternatives to nuclear and fossil fuels for powering our modern society, solar energy is much more accessible to the common home.  Unlike nuclear reactors which are off limits to virtually everyone, solar panels can rest right on top of your roof.  There are several advantages to this.  The first main advantage is that the solar energy system is right in your face all the time, which usually increases the awareness to be energy efficient.  When you come home from a day at work and see your solar panels shinning in the summer sunlight, that puts a smile on your face that any homeowner could appreciate.  This is simply not ever going to be the case with a nuclear power plant that rests on the outskirts of towns or far away and is never going to be within close proximity to anybody.

Solar Apartment Ideas

Much of the population of the United States lives in houses, but there is also a very large percentage of the population who live in apartments as well.  Millions of people actually live in apartments or apartment buildings all over the US.  Usually, the electricity needs and consumption for people who live in apartments is typically less than people who live in houses.  There are several reasons for this, and this is actually a positive feature of apartment living.  When it comes down to living a sustainable future in an apartment, there is sometimes few options for solar panels and producing your own electricity.

Some of the newest apartments to be built in cities like New Orleans and Los Angeles and San Francisco are focusing on solar power to help keep utility company generated electricity consumption low.  This is one of the most progressive ways of thinking, and it looks to be very successful so far.  The common apartment building which is located in an urban area or big city, is often open to direct sunlight all day long.  This is not always the case, but often it is.  Also, newly built apartments are not going to be in need of roof repairs for a very long time.  This is also a very positive thing for solar power.  And most importantly, newly constructed apartments are going to be around for many years.  That is exactly what solar panels like.  They have a very long lifespan, and need to be sitting on a roof that will exist for a long time too.

Benefits of Solar Power for Apartments

1. Apartment owners can sell the electricity to their tenants
2. Tenants can make use of clean energy
3. Property value of the apartments increases with solar power
4. Apartment owners can make use of solar tax credits
5. Electricity costs can be hedged with solar panels

Negative Aspects of Solar Power for Apartments

1. Difficult to figure out how to divide construction costs
2. Certain solar incentives and rebates might not be available to apartment owners
3. A direct feed of the solar electricity to the electric panel is sometimes difficult
4. Cleaning of the solar panels is sometimes not accessible

Solar Power for Public Housing Aparment Buildings

One of the most impressive new initiatives is the growth in solar power for public housing apartment buildings all over the United States.  This is an excellent program for several reasons.  One of those reasons has to do with educating the lower class about the importance of renewable energy sources.  Without educating people about how solar power and renewable energy works, it would be an even harder uphill battle to make real changes around the world.  The second big benefit for placing solar panel systems on public housing is all about the investment.  Sometimes local and state and federal governments just don’t know where to spend their money.  With a solar system, the benefits of clean energy production will last for over 25 years in most cases.  And, there are very little maintenance costs associated with solar energy.  So, by installing solar panels on these apartment buildings, and offering low income people solar, it should be looked at as money well spent.

Below are two pictures of solar panels on apartment buildings:

solar panel apartment building

PV solar panels on an apartment

How Would You Define Green Power?

The term green power is used in a number of different ways. In the broadest sense, green power refers to environmentally preferable energy and energy tech-nologies, both electric and thermal. This definition of green power includes many types of power, from solar photovoltaic systems to wind turbines to fuel cells for auto-mobiles.  In this guide, green power refers specifically to electricity generated from a subset of renewable resources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydroelectric sources. These electricity sources are derived from natural resources that replenish themselves over short periods of time, including the sun, wind, moving water,organic plant and waste material (biomass), and the Earth’s
heat (geothermal). Note that the terms green power, environmentally preferable,clean power, and renewable energy may be used in slightly different ways, which differ primarily according to the varying assessments of the environmental impacts of harnessing specific resources and of the relative significance of each impact. The exact definitions of these terms, while always
important, take on added significance when dealing with state and federal government requirements or determining
eligibility for government and utility incentives.
Helping Consumers Identify Green Power
To help consumers more easily identify green power products, the “Green-e Energy” certification program has coordinated
the development of market-based, consensus definitions for environmentally preferable renewable electricity and renew-
able energy certificates (RECs). The Green-e Energy program, administered by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions,
certifies and verifies renewable energy products offered in competitive electricity markets, sold in utility green pricing
programs, and sold in national markets for RECs.