Who knows, one day the entire world may be solar driven. When that happens the preppers who were there at the beginning will have the benefit of saying they knew it was coming! Their solar driven homes and lifestyle will be the undeniable proof!

Solar Sheds, Barns, and Carports: Use Alternative Roof Space to Host Your Installation

 
The roof is the most common place for a home solar installation, and for good reason. Your roof is elevated, so it’s typically exposed to the sun for most of the day. It’s also an existing structure, which can reduce your installation costs. Many homeowners who can’t install panels on the roof of their home will build a solar energy system on another building on their property. Sheds, garages, greenhouses and barns can all offer suitable locations for solar installations.

 

Solar carports and patio covers are another increasingly popular rooftop solar alternative. If you construct a carport or patio cover, you have an installation that both generates zero-emissions electricity and provides shade. As an added bonus, both options can be installed so that they capture sunlight at the perfect angle to maximize your solar energy production.

 

Ground Mounted Solar Systems: All the Benefits of Rooftop Solar, With Less Maintenance

 
Even if you don’t have any roof space that can host a solar energy system, you still have options for home solar. Ground mount solar panels offer all of the benefits of a rooftop system, plus a few additional advantages. In many cases, a ground mount system will actually produce more electricity than rooftop solar, because it can be adjusted to capture more sunlight throughout the year as the sun’s position changes in the sky.

 

If your homeowner’s association has rules against solar panels for aesthetic reasons, or if you live in a historic neighborhood, ground mount solar panels can offer a good solution. In most cases they don’t violate aesthetic regulations as long as you install them so that they can’t be seen from the street.

Another option is a “solar garden,” also known as “shared solar” – especially good for apartment complexes or off the grid developments! You can learn more about this and the others mentioned above over on Mother Earth News.

You have heard it before: Solar is the future but so many are wisely making solar panels the here and now!