Growing Popularity of Using Solar Power for Home Energy Use

In an era where there is finally more and more effort being put into generating our energy needs via renewable resources, solar power for individual use is also growing by leaps and bounds.  In a report put out by the US Department of Energy clearly shows the astonishing leap from just 1998 to 2007.

The report discloses the number of residential shipments of photovoltaic devices.  Where solar power is concerned, a photovoltaic device uses semiconducting materials to convert sunlight directly into electricity.  Thus, it’s one of the important components to generating your own energy from the sun.

1998, as disclosed in the report, showed just over 15,000 shipments of these cells and modules to residential addresses.  2007, the year the latest report includes showed that there were over 280,000 units shipped.  In just ten years the number of shipments per year leaped by around 265,000.

From 1998 until 2003, the yearly growth hadn’t been leaping all the much each year.  In fact, from year of 1999 to the year of 2000 there was a slight drop in solar power interest (if using this report as a small indicator).  After the year of 2003, the interest in solar power for home energy use began to climb drastically.

After the year 2003 rolled around people started taking notice of the benefits of solar energy, how it can be useful to lower one’s energy bills and also how useful it is to reduce the strain on the environment.  Proof of this can been seen that in 2003 there were just over 48,000 photovoltaic cells and modules shipped to residential addresses followed by just over 78,000 in 2004, an increase of 30,000.

That’s when the boom really began.  From 2004 to 2005 the increase was even greater with over 134,000 home owners receiving shipment of solar power cells and modules, an increase of 56,000.  It gets even better than that.  2006 showed a total of 206,000 homes receiving shipments (an increase of 72,000) and in 2007 there were 280,000 shipments made (an increase of 74,000).

What do all these numbers tell us?  Our nation, as a people, are become much more aware of the power of using solar energy in their homes.  For many, the sole reason is to help them save money on their energy bills.  For others, using solar power in their homes is a way for them to do their part in helping to save our environment.  Others still, it’s a combination of both.

Either way, proof that solar power as a viable source of home energy Is clearly in the numbers.