For as long as I can remember, I have looked in awe at houses I passed on long car trips at what appeared to be strange, alien-like “satellites” on the roofs of some of them.
I remember asking my dad what they were, and he would describe in great detail what they do, and how they operate. I continued asking him each time, as I could never fully grasp the concept of how something so thin could take the energy from the sun and turn it into energy that could be used to power anything from appliances to entire office buildings.
Little did I know that these seemingly out-of-this-world like structures would slowly develop into a passion for me.
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This past summer I decided that I wanted to get a camera to be able to check on my chickens while I was away on vacation.
I searched online for the perfect camera and decided on one that suited my needs. I quickly bought it, but when I went to set it up, I realized I had a major problem … there was nowhere to plug it in.
Running electricity to the coop wasn’t an option since it was pretty far from my house, so I did some research online, and came across an alternative option — solar energy.
After reading about what equipment I needed, I found a 100-watt solar panel online for only $100, and with a charge controller and battery I was able to set it up in less than 10 minutes.
Small solar cells provide power to a chicken coop at Joshua Miller’s home.
Although I have some experience with electrical work, it was fascinating how simple it was to set up. Since then, I have bought similar panels and hooked them up to various devices like lights and race cars, and I have also even used it to upgrade my duck pond.
I created a solar powered water fountain to use in their pond to allow the water to circulate so I didn’t have to bring my chickens fresh water every day. It is always so amazing so see a product work off solar energy, especially with the added benefit of not having to go through so many batteries.
With the recent influx of electric cars, many people are excited to be more “environmentally friendly,” but what …….
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/does-solar-energy-bright-future-100027745.html
