Home » Energy, Financial, Sgt. Doom » Alternative Uses for Solar Panels

Now that I’ve told you one or two things about solar panels, it’s time to open your eyes regarding all the multiple uses of solar panels. The are many advantages of solar energy: it  increase home value, it has a minimal impact on the environment, provides a free energy source and it’s totally worth the investment (the average cost for a solar panel is about $350 for every 85 watts). The best thing about them is that they can also be used to power equipment, vehicles, boats, and others.

I’m gonna give you 4 alternative uses for solar energy that you may not know yet:

RV and boat solar power

We still have a little bit of waiting to do in order to have mass-produced solar power cars, but we can start to see solar panels attached to vehicles – specifically RVs, trucks, and even boats. Solar panels can be used to provide energy to travelers on the go – even if travelers are not able to connect to gas or electric energy sources. Plus, solar power is safe for the environment and much quieter than gas-powered generators.

Solar power systems for RVs, boats, and trucks can be purchased for less than $1,000 and will help to improve your mobility, as you can easily get free power anywhere you go – be it the middle of the ocean or the middle of a desert. That solar energy can be used to power a GPS system, run a CD player, charge camera batteries, keep your laptop running, and power kitchen tools, helping to improve your comfort, connectivity, and safety while you travel.

Solar swimming pools

A solar swimming pool is designed using solar panels to provide the energy necessary to power the pool pump and filtration system. Solar pools can not only reduce the expense of maintaining and operating a pool, but they can also reduce the hassle of having to connect a pool pump and filtration system with electrical or gas energy sources. In fact, a solar pump is twice as efficient as traditional AC pool filtration pumps!

On top of that, solar panels can also be used to heat pool water, which can extend the pool season by three months each year.  A solar pool features solar collectors, which are glass solar panels that can either be used as pool tiles or can be situated near the pool.

Juice bags

Juice bags are backpacks that have built-in solar panels. As you hike or travel in sunlight throughout the day, the solar panels collect sunlight that they can then store in as energy their batteries. This energy can be enough to power a GPS unit, cell phones, cameras, and other small electronic devices.

Alternative Uses for Solar Panels

Garden lighting and decor

A lot of people are starting to be fond of solar powered garden lighting and décor systems lately. This is because solar powered garden features units are becoming more ubiquitous and less expensive. Solar energy is commonly used to help light garden pathways, keep fountains running, power grills, hanging or tabletop lanterns, lit garden umbrellas, and so much more.

The good thing about it is that you won’t need to worry about buying new batteries or connecting your exterior garden features to an electric or gas power source. Plus, solar powered lights, when fully charged, can often run for up to 8 hours – all night! The creativity and breadth of solar powered products for the garden is increasing daily.

Solar power technology is becoming increasingly pervasive, affordable and smaller, and it is up to you to take advantage of that. Soon, you will be able to have any product you want solar-powered.

Now, I realize that for some of you, wind power may be more appropriate than solar power, which is why in my next article I will tell you exactly how to decide between the two of them. Don’t miss it!

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