Hi Milton, thanks so much for your question.

If you need energy, chances are you can get that energy from the sun. It will take a bit of research to find a qualified technician in your area, but the benefits of utilizing solar energy can really add up. You may even decide that after powering your garage with clean solar energy, you may want to move on to other parts of the house or include a solar hot water system.

As for powering certain aspects of your garage, there are products on the market designed specifically to be powered by solar energy such as solar powered motion sensors, solar powered lights and garage door openers. What you'll need to tell your technician is how much power you typically use in the garage now so they'll be able to determine how many cells and what sized battery you'll need to cover all your bases. The good news is that once you've spent the money on any panels you will need, afterwards the cost is quite minimal. And you'll feel better knowing that you're harnessing a renewable energy source that has no plans of running out anytime soon.

Check products with the Energy Star label, which are not only great products that are used in most green buildings, they are also eligible to redeem your purchase with local and federal tax credits. This will certainly help because the upfront cost to install solar is significantly higher than standard gas or electric systems. The market for solar has really been hitting some high marks in the past several decades, which has resulted in significantly lower costs.

Another benefit to adding solar panels on your roof is the added reflectance it can provide. Solar reflectance is one of the best ways to actually cool down the surface of a dark-colored roof, because all of that energy is being stored and redistributed in the panels. So imagine how much you’ll be saving on your energy bill just by covering a portion of your roof. You’re not only using it to create energy but at the same time you can reduce the amount of energy that’s required to balance out the temperature inside.

Hope this helps!
Jill