Archive for April, 2010
What are engineering challenges to develop solar energy for comfort/home uses?
Solar is an old technology now and is fairly developed. Cost is a bit of a barrier but that is coming down quickly. Production scale could also be considered a barrier, as the industry can’t yet make enough solar panels to satisfy demand. The panels themselves are limited in how much energy they can take out of the sun’s rays, but they are getting better at this. Materials are a big thing now, mostly in trying out different materials and structures in the cells to bring down the cost and boost the efficiency.
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://buildyourownhomeenergy.blogspot.com/
I was wondering which would save more money in the electricity arena (I know tree’s can damage roofs).
I had heard that the shade provided by trees covering your house can help to greatly reduce summer electric bills.
I had read that Solar panels need to go onto the south side of the house, and that is where the tree’s shade the house. So which is more cost effective?
Also I know many of the benefit’s tree’s can provide, as well as the negatives associated with large tree’s near houses.
Unless your house has a hundred acres of roof, the solar panels will save more electricity. If your electric company provides net metering, you may even find yourself making a bit of money as they buy back power you don’t need.
Unfortunately, solar panels come with a hefty price tag, similar to the cost of a car, whereas trees (of any portable size) tend to cost less than $100.
You can of course have both, but then the solar panels will not be quite as effective, and for the investment you put in to them, you will want them to be effective.
I have a small panel of solar cells, i wish to save this energy for lighting my study lamp, how do i do it?
How much energy will it hold? How do i convert it to light?
Please help friends.
Thanks
You will need a way to store the energy gained my solar panel.
Way 1, 12 volt battery. to store this way, I suggest a regulator to prevent your battery overloading, though this is not always needed. This is the most common way.
Way 2, wire up a capacitor. this is a type of temporary battery, as it stores electrical charge and releases it on its full capacity. This way is good if you want lighting in a cellar during daytime
Way 3, use the electric you gain to pump water to a high point and then use gravity to create hydro electric whenever you need it. This way works, but you lose energy.
If you want to run lights off a battery, you will need some 12 volt bulbs, as these work of different electricity than normal household bulbs. You can cheat and use car head light bulbs, or go for the real things and buy proper 12 volt bulbs to fit a lamp-stand.
Unless you disconnect your household light circuit from the mains, you will need an extra set of wiring.
In short, the most simple way, if you put your panel in the window, lead the two wires to your battery, ensuring you connect each wire to the correct terminal (the panel will instruct which is which). From the battery, take a wire off each terminal and fix to the light bulb holder, and an extra wire from the negative battery terminal to an earth source, such as a copper water pipe. Don’t worry, it wont electrocute you – there isn’t enough power for that.
Simplifying it, wiring a light bulb is just like wiring a car. The same applies to both. The only difference being that you charge your battery via a solar panel instead of an alternator.
How long your light will stay on will depend on a multitude of things, such as the condition of your battery, the power output of your panel, how many lights you run and for how long. The amount of sun that hits your panel will also affect the charge rate of your battery. ?And there are many different types of battery. I personally recommendd the armed forces surplus alkaline type, as they can be depleted of charge without damage, though if you cannot get one of these, get a long life leisure battery.
It all sounds complicated, but it’s not really. Contact me if you need more help…
Who stands to benefit the most if Obama wins and gives tax credits for purchasing solar energy products?
No disrespect, but the capless solar tax credit extension already passed as part of the bailout bill.
To me, the most compelling case for solar (both water heating and electricity) is on individual homes, as when that is done, it displaces retail energy. If one makes a giant solar power plant, the energy must be sold wholesale, and transmitted to another place.
So to have a solar boom, individual homeowners must be swayed. There is a large initial investment, so solar might not do very well in a down economy. People will be more worried about their next meal than energy efficiency. Also, the initial cost of a solar array is like a car. And if you look at the impact that tight credit has had on car sales, there is another potential problem.
But after all this, if you’re looking for long term investments, I think solar will do well. There are few barriers to entry on the installation business – I think it will be hundreds of small businesses that benefit, not one large one, any more than one company dominates roofing or electrical work nationally. AKNS is the one large installation company, but I personally would not invest in them, because of the lack of barriers to entry.
As far as photovoltaic panel makers, the largest ones are in Asia – Sharp, Kyocera, Suntech, Sanyo, Mitsubishi. There are also literally dozens of small fry, who will probably get killed or absorbed in the next year or two. In the USA, there’s First Solar (FSLR) of course, which I think is overvalued, Sunpower (SPWRA), same opinion, and other places like Energy Conversion Devices and Evergreen, that I don’t know much about.
I need some information for my negative debate speech. The subject is "Should the American goverment support solar energy?" If you could help it would greatly appreciated. Thanks!
the cost
I know the life span of solar panels on earth is around 20 year, but to me it seems that the life span of a solar panel in space would be longer due to there being not as environmental effects.
From my pov, it will be forever unless its being dmg by other effects or element in space etc like rocks, heat, flares and etc. Depend the solar panel is able to adapt in the the different region of the solar system.
But you ofc have to modify it for it to be use in space and what kind of possibility it will face
I’m working in IT Helpdesk field and no longer interested in this kind of work. I can’t stand sitting at a desk in an office answering phones, e-mails and helping others with their technical problems.
I am very good with technology/computers and want to start a career in the solar energy field, preferably as a technician working with solar heating and energy.
How can I make this start?
What kind of salary would I be making?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090326171405AAE6JTP
I know the cost of how much solar panels are but what is the price to install them?If I were to install about 10 on a building?
Hello! That is great that you are thinking of installing solar panels. Just to be clear, I believe you are talking about solar panels to produce electricity, aka photovoltaic panels. As mentioned in previous answers, the cost of installation will vary depending upon your location. But a good estimate is $7-$10 per Watt for a grid-tied, battery-less system.
So if you installed 10-200 Watt solar panels, that would be 2000 Watts (2 kW) and cost approximately $14,000-$20,000 before rebates and incentives. Be sure to check for local rebate programs and read about the 30% federal tax credit here:
www.dsireusa.org
Good luck!
Kristen
http://newenglandbreeze.com/
I can’t afford solar panels; but I can, for example, afford to open my blinds during the day.
Do you know of any creative ways of harvesting the sun’s energy?
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/
I have a 3.5kw solar system on my house. I noticed that my panels are dirty. Do anyone know of a service that will clean them for me. Must be insured.
try contacting the installer, they might be able to point you in the right direction