Archive for January, 2010
How expensive is solar energy to produce?
What does a solar energy power plant look like and how do they work?
What are the hidden costs to society and the world? ( pollution, etc)
You do not produce solar energy; it is free from the sun. However it can be converted to electricity using solar panels. If you check a picture of a satellite or the space station in orbit, you will see large solar panels to produce electricity to run the machines.
One environmental problem could be the disposal of old and derelict panels.
I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:
http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/
Say solar panels converted 100% of energy from the sun. How much energy would a solar panel get that was, say, 1 square foot? What I mean is how much of the sun’s energy actually gets to the solar panel?
That depends on the solar insolation which varies around the surface of the Earth. At the top of the atmosphere, the insolation is around 1300 Watts per square metre. The atmosphere attenuates a lot of that, though, but that is the absolute maximum. (no atmosphere).
A rough rule of thumb is that on a clear day at the equator, the maximum is about 1000W per square metre, and this will reduce as latitude increases and as cloud cover increases.
I go through the maths here: http://www.howtopowertheworld.com/what-is-solar-energy.html
Also, you can measure the insolation around the world,: there are maps which show this, for example http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/natural-resource-solar-power-potential
You’ll have to convert the units though.
Hope this helps.
How solar energy can be produced at competitive cost for the welfare of people at large?Presently what is the status of its use in india?
Use materials from space (moon or asteroids) to build solar generating plants in Geostationary orbit and beam the power down to a rectena using microwaves.
We lack the space infrastructure needed to do that so it’s decades away but it is probably the only way solar will be cost competitive (and if we didn’t have nuclear power which could provide the zero emissions power we need it’d be our best bet for solving global warming).
There aren’t really any countries that actually have significant amounts of solar generation (and certainly none that get the majority of power from solar, unless you count hydro-electricity or fossil fuels as solar power (but if you do that then you’d also have to call photovoltaics nuclear)).
I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:
http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/
Does the solar energy hit the solar panels and creates electricity.. or what ?
Where can you put solar panels ?
There are now thousands of happy Earth4Energy members worldwide who are saving money every time the sun rises and every time the wind blows! Check out this site:
http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/
How does the amount of chemical energy stored in plants compare to the electrical energy stored by solar panel/batteries?
Most plants are around 1% efficient at turning sunlight into a useful form of energy it can use. Bamboo is probably somewhat higher. Solar panels are somewhere around 20% efficient now I think. Trees are much cheaper to use for collecting solar energy if you have the land area though.
I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:
http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/
How much, roughly, does solar panels cost to install for hot water for a house? Just looking for a rough idea without having to go through rigmarole of signing up to loads of different contractors before getting a quote.
i asked about 4 years ago and they said £7000! then i found out they don’t work very well anyway. save yr money.
Ok so here’s the thing, I want to make my own solar energy. I’m not saying huge amounts that can power my house, I just want enough that I could, I don’t know charge a battery. I also would like to learn how to make solar energy for things like flashlights I make myself. I need to know how to hook the solar power up as a power source. Thank you for all your help and website links would also be appreciated.
Well, it’s true that PV cells are by far the most efficient, portable, and easiest way to capture solar energy, there is at least one more. Before the 20th century began, Nikola Tesla invented a machine that would use sunlight to heat water into steam. It was basically an array of finely tuned mirrors aimed at a tube filled with water. This method is still used today for solar power stations, except oil is used instead of water, and steam is created through the use of an oil to water heat exchanger (intercooler). This is the best way for large-scale stationary facilities, but since the mirrors have to follow the sun exactly, it requites constant attention.
Just something you may want to think about incase the hight price of solar panels turns you away, and you don’t want to steal them from weather stations.
It would be nice to go green but it needs to make sense money wise. We have a 1,300 square foot home on the beach home with plenty of sun. Our electric bill is 100 bucks a month give or take. How much will solar panels cost and how many solar panels will we need to effectively power our home.
You could easily knock 40 percent or more from your power bill by using a manual on off switch on your electric hot water heater and check efficiency of any electric refrigerator and or freezers.
Like you say, your place is on the water, wind power would be the best way to go because of onshore winds which would get you up and running for much less than solar and likely be good 24 / 7 rather than daylight only.
Remember when you were a kid you had a little fan Mounted on your bicycle. It was fun isn’t it. Well that’s wind energy, in a simple way. Most of the Countries Have been using wind energy to Create Electricity, You could do this At your Home. Imagine Lighting up your home and not having to worry about paying any one for that. Now a day’s you could create your own wind generator its simple and cost efficient,
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
<a href=”http://www.handyman-source.com/1994/how-to-build-diy-homemade-wind-generator/”>how to build – DIY Homemade Wind Generator</a><p>The solar panels, wind generators DIY home-made, full of energy renewable solar electric systems for controlling electrical power to use electricity at home. Bret Parker offers this information for renewable energy and includes “how …</p>
<a href=”http://www.handyman-source.com/2135/suddenly-the-prospect-of-building-a-wind-generator-seems-like-a-good-idea-again/”>Suddenly the Prospect of Building a Wind Generator Seems Like a …</a><p>In the past few years much has been made of building wind generators at home. Their was a time when the only wind turbine kits on the market were grossly overpriced which led the average home owner with the decision pay the high price …</p>
<a href=”http://residential—solar-power.com/typical-house-hold-power-savings-from-magnetic-generators/”>Typical House Hold Power Savings From Magnetic Generators …</a><p>How abundant money will a magnetic generator extremely prevent? In contrast to solar and wind power, you stand to actually save cash in each the short term and long term on your power bill. Once you’ve got installed and setup your …</p>
<a href=”http://diyhome.ndesignsblog.com/2010/01/16/your-home-wind-generator-project-diy-wind-turbine-or-prefabricated/”>Your Home Wind Generator Project – DIY Wind Turbine Or Prefabricated?</a><p>Many people are reaching this conclusion but a home wind generator and particularly a DIY wind turbine isn’t usually the first solution they think about. Solar home power is probably their first thought but there are alternatives to …</p>
This is another design of a wind mill that will generate electricity for your home.
Image via Wikipedia
I would love to use some solar energy in my home. What can you tell me about how much it costs to begin? Is there some sort of federal tax credit? What all do I need to buy (panels, batteries, etc)? Can a homeowner do the installation or must it be done by a professional? Would also appreciate any websites for retailers of solar energy items. Thank you very much for any information.
When I was gainfully employed, prior to experiencing the bliss of retirement, I worked for a hardware store that marketed a solar energy system for single family residences.
The cost profile (this stuff is expensive) suggested that, if you planned to live in your home for 19 years post-installation, you would amortize the cost.
There were federal and California state tax credits available at the time, as well as a rebate from Pacific Gas and Electric (primary utility provider in No. Calif.) which produced a net cost near $20K.
You need to determine if your local power company is obligated to buy back surplus power from your solar system first. If they are not legally required to do so, that will make amortization more difficult.