Archive for the ‘solar energy systems’ Category
How many solar panels would you need to equal the energy output of 1kg of U-235?
if 1kg of U-235 can produce 80 trillion joules (8×10^13 J) of energy how many solar panels would you need to equal this amount of energy?
Any info would be very much appreciated!
Unless the student is supposed to be able to calculate how long it takes the U-235 to produce that amount of energy, there is not enough information. If that is within the scope of the course, the question is way out of my league.
But assuming you just left out the time when stating the problem, divide that into 80 trillion to get joules/sec.
Let’s say the time is 40 billion seconds* for the U-235 to generate 80 trillion J. Divide 80 trillion by 40 billion, that’s 2,000 J/sec. You would need 10 panels. (A typical panel produces 200 Joules/sec.)
*That’s a LOT of seconds, even a lot of centuries. By then the solar panels would have worn out and crumbled into dust, so it’s a silly question in that sense. Is the teacher trying to make a point about the futility of solar power?
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 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 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 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
I am interested to know the materials composition to produce solar panels.
I know its made of silicon. I want to know what are the raw materials used to make solar panels.
most terrestrial solar panels are made from silicon
I am doing research on solar panels and I am having trouble figuring out how much energy each one can produce in a given span of time. Knowing this would help me to approximate how many I would need to offset certain consumers in my home.
Lucky you! The National Renewable Energy Lab has already created an application to do pretty much what you’re looking for. It’s called pvwatts, and is linked below.
What you do is click on the map for the city nearest you, then enter the size of your proposed array, it’s tilt, and orientation. You’ll get a month-by-month printout of the expected energy output. This is based on historical measurements over almost 40 years, so takes into account local climate, such as fog, rain, and altitude.
If there is no reference city near you, you can still use another version of the program to do predictions for an arbitrary location.
And what are good resources to learn about solar energy from, and where can i buy solar panels.
You should call a company that installs solar panel systems. They will do the evaluation, best location, return on investment, and apply for any rebates that are available from the state.
Should I use the solar panels to heat water or to store electricity, or both? How much will it cost for a 2 bedroom flat? Can I get a grant – if so how much?
Solar panels for electricity are a bit of a waste of time in this part of the country, allowing for the initial expense of the installation, the cost of maintenance and replacment of the batteries between three to five years will cost more than paying a standard supplier.
As for water, some useful gains can be had, i.e. it will take the chill off the incoming water and so reduce your base energy supply costs, but not to any great extent.
Roll on global warming when these systems will become far more viable at these lattitudes.
My mother would like to install solar panels on her roof but I and my two sisters would like to equally share the purchase with my mother. We would like to share the income produced from the solar panels. How do we correctly write up a legally binding contract to make this happen?
This might be more complicated than you want to handle. Depending on state and incentive structure, you might need to set up a business or partnership between you so that you can share the money flow and the tax credits.
To find out the incentives and tax credits, check out the DSIRE homepage: http://www.dsireusa.org/