While Indiana may never be called the “Sunshine State,” many Bloomington residents have harnessed the power of the sun to reduce their carbon footprint.
“It’s not just the south of the United States that benefits from solar,” said Arvind Gopu, a software project manager in research technologies for University Information Technology Services at Indiana University. “Even Indiana can be a good candidate.”
Gopu spoke Thursday at an information session on home solar power called “Plug Into the Sun,” which was hosted by IU’s Cyberinfrastructure Building Living Green Team.
The typical home solar setup is a power grid system called a solar electric photoVoltaics, or a PV, system. In a PV system, solar panels absorb the sun’s rays, which a device called an inverter turns into usable electricity. The ideal location for panels is on a roof facing south, though southwest or west-facing panels are also effective.
Though the solar panels can provide all the electricity used in a month, the home is still connected to the power grid of a utility company. Most utility companies charge a small monthly fee for the service, and the unused electricity generated can be banked for use during months when more electricity is used than the panels generate. State and federal governments also offer tax deductions for solar power installation.
PV systems have an average guarantee of 30 years of electricity at the same price, Gopu said, unlike the increasing costs of utilities over time.
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