2015 was a remarkable year for both climate change and pro-environment advocates after a deal to cut off carbon emissions has been reached during the Paris Climate Agreement. For the advocates, this year will mark the implementation of technological innovations for homes that are eco-friendly, a report from Realty Times said.
According to the report, the demand of using solar panel as an alternative to the power grid has made a significant increase in the first quarter of 2015. In fact, the Solar Energy Industries Association said that such demand has grown to 70 percent year-over-year, and they expect that the increasing trend will continue this year. With this, the company projected that there will be 25 to 50 percent growth in the solar market within this year.
The company claims that 2016 will become a "crucial" year for the solar market. With the advent of smart home energy management technology, such innovation is seen as game changer for integrating five new eco-friendly innovations innovations in homes, which are the following:
- Community Solar Power
- Solar-Charged Batteries
- Smart Heating Controls
- Smart Lighting
- Electric Cars
Experts claim that solar technology is one of the innovations that can be used by American consumers as an alternative source of energy. They said that using solar power, homeowners can save a lot of money. According to a report from Clean Power Research, an average American household can save at least $130 a month which is equivalent to "$31,200 over a 20-year period. Offsetting this is the cost of installing solar power, estimated at $9,856 for New York."
"Solar energy has been around for some years now, but it is only in recent years that energy companies have managed to turn it into a system that is free of kinks. Solar panels were once seen as an expensive luxury that few households could afford. A lot of energy companies will install the panels for you, and then allow you to purchase the energy from them, which makes it cheaper for you than buying solar panels out of pocket," Mother Earth News said.
