Let Your Metal Home or Business Building Generate Your Electricity!

There is a tremendous amount of new technology that is making for a better environment in which to live. A few years ago, we had our first “Energy Star” appliances. There are electric cars with low or zero emissions. We are tapping the power of the sun, wind and the earth itself with solar power, wind generation and geo-thermal energy.

Recently, Dow announced that they are working on technology that will allow them to produce photovoltaic cells built right into the roofing and siding products used in construction today. This technology imbeds solar cells into metal roofing, siding, shingles and other building materials.

Think of the benefits of this technology! You could produce electricity from your roof on sunny days. Your garden shed could not only store and protect your garden tools but could produce power you may require for use in the garden!


The Individual’s Benefits

Now I don’t know about you but this potential really excites me. I know… I’m just an old time construction man in the metal buildings industry but this announcement should excite those not only in this industry, but people everywhere.

For example if you have a garage or a steel workshop building that requires modest amounts of electricity, your building itself could provide that – at no additional cost to you!

Environmentalists should be embracing the news of clean energy producing materials.

People who are looking to reduce their operating and living costs should be salivating.

If you are looking for more expendable income each month you should be wide-eyed and rubbing your hands together.

In some cases, the power authority is actually paying customers for their excess electrical power that goes back on the grid!

The potential individual benefits for each of us are evident. But the benefits to communities, countries and indeed the whole planet are much greater.


The Bigger Picture

What are some of the cumulative benefits?

Many of us remember quite vividly what happened when the electric grid went down in North-Eastern United States and Canada a few years ago. Darkness reigned over the entire area. No way of cooking for many people. Freezer loads of food destroyed as the products thawed.

What if much of the extra electrical load was more than covered by solar energy generated by the roofs on all of the structures? There would not have been an overload on the grid.

Think of all of those huge mega warehouses and metal storage buildings that cover acres of land everywhere. What a fantastic opportunity to produce green energy. Many of these facilities use very little energy but have the potential to produce so much energy.

What about industries that are under equally large roofs but devour huge amounts of energy? What if they were producing some of their own electricity without polluting the planet?


Some Peripheral Benefits

I think that we can all see the direct benefits of technology like this. But what could be some of the side benefits?

If industry generates some of its own energy at no operating cost, production costs would be reduced. Products could therefore be reduced making them more affordable to everyone.

More affordable products with increased volumes created by demand can make for a more stable business and workplace. Job Security could be another “fall-out” benefit as a result.

Now if you had a metal home roof and perhaps even siding that was producing energy, your electrical bill would be reduced. That means more expendable income in your pocket. More income with more spending equals a better and more vibrant economy.


Let’s Get Back to Earth

I know. A lot of what I have said here is pure conjecture – even perhaps a pipe dream. But the potential of having every home and business producing even a small part of their energy consumption has to get you excited.

You don’t have to be in the construction industry or a “tree-hugger” (and I’m not being derogatory) to see some of the potential benefits of constructing buildings of self- energy-generating materials.

And each year more and more companies are investigating and developing new greener energy producing products. Perhaps our pipe dream is not so much a dream?

What to Do Next

· Check out the other articles relating to metal building kits and residential building packages on our Metal Building Kits Articles Map