Posts Tagged ‘solar panels’
Can I Really Heat My Pool From Solar Panels?
November 13th, 2009 | 
Author: Are you considering solar panels for warming your pool? You’re in luck! Solar panels that heat water are reasonably cheap to purchase. For around 0 and about a weekends worth of time, you could even build them yourself. Another advantage is that, once you’ve made the initial installation cost, you won’t have to pay an ongoing fuel bill.
More Advice on Building Solar Panel Energy Here
Before you decide to use solar panels for your pool, there are some key things to consider. First, will your solar panel system be exposed to enough sunlight throughout the day? These types of solar panels are passive systems. They normally consist of plastic, water-filled coils encased in shatter-resistant glass. As water fills the coils, it becomes heated by the sun, then pumped into the pool.
If your property contains a lot of shade trees, there might not be enough sunlight for a passive solar pool heater. But an elevated rooftop that looks to south or west is an ideal location for solar panels to get full access to the sun throughout the day.
Building Solar Energy is Much More Simple
Next, how much difference would there be between the outside air and the temperature you want the pool to be? For example, if you’re wanting to heat your outdoor pool in Michigan to 78 degrees in freezing weather, you’ll want to stick with a pool cover and a serious gas heater. But if you want to heat your outdoor pool in Texas to 80 degrees in 50-degree weather, then a solar heating system would be ideal.
If you do install a solar heater, you’ll still need to cover your pool for such times when the air is cooler than your pool’s water temperature. Any time you see steam rising from the pool’s surface, it’s best to use the pool cover to keep that heat in.
An Informative Demonstration on How To Join Solar Cells Cheaply
If you’re unfamiliar with solar heating systems, here’s a word of caution. Some people mistakenly think that they might save even more money if they used their pool’s solar heater to heat water for their home. However, the two systems should not be mixed or used together. The pool water is going to contain chlorine and muriatic acid. It’s okay to swim in it and even swallow some, but it would be unwise to combine it with your home’s water system. Installing a solar water heating system for your home is an entirely separate project.
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Posted in Renewable Energy | 
Tags: build solar panels, build solar power, build solar water heater, building solar panel, homemade solar cell, how solar power works, how to make solar cells, how to solar cell, how to solar panel, make a solar panel, make solar power, off grid solar, pool, solar panels | 
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Portable Solar Power Review Articles
Many articles have been written about solar power, its benefits and its advantages. Contained in this article is just a summary of most of the information discussed about in most of them.
The following topics will be highlighted below: How Exactly Does Wind Power Work, Using Wind and Solar Power and how to install solar power system
Quite a substantial number of articles have been written on solar energy. I will attempt to summarize the information contained in most portable solar power review articles. Yes it is possible to produce solar power on a small scale. As you probably know you can now build your own solar panels from home and produce power for your house.
If you are searching for a system that is portable then it would be best to deal with one that you have built yourself. This way you will not run into any problems every time you have to take it down and put it up again; since you already know how. What you need to be aware of is when you choose portability you sacrificing the output power you can generate.
The small portable panels do not create as much power as the large ones do. The only alternative would be to set up a number of small portable panels that you will be able to connect and run at the same time.
Most portable solar power review articles are flooded with the same information that’s why I have decided to put it all this brief article.
The benefit of small solar panels is the apparent ease of being able to travel around with them. You can also add on them. That is connect other panels and increase the outputpower that you generate. But the size will depend on how much power you want and the term portable really also depends on an individuals perspective.
One can view the panels that are being being used to provide energy for big houses as small when compared to the industrial level. Most portable solar power review articles do not differentiate between small scale production panels. basically the idea is the same. What you should know is whichever panel you have in mind you can build one for yourself and its very easy.
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RENEWABLE ENERGY – QUALITY COUNTS
Recently, two US astronauts on the International Space Station took six hours to install a new solar panel on the outside of the station.The panel cost a massive $300 million US dollars, and increased the energy capacity of the station to such a degree that it could handle six resident astronauts as opposed to three. Thankfully, solar power for more down-to-earth projects doesn’t cost that much !
From space exploration to domestic electricity, solar power is a growing industry. But whether a solar system costs millions of dollars or a few thousand, the issues of quality and installation don’t change.Compromising quality for price is a real risk as inferior products will not perform well and could even be a danger.
Cheap solar panels may seem like an attractive proposition, but they are really not ideal.To get the most of your investment – regardless of what it is – you should always make sure you get expert advice from people with a proven track record.
There are many lower-cost solar panels flooding the market, the bulk of which come from the East.Some of the cheap, imported panels are self-certified which gives them a sense of authenticity (unfounded of course), and this is cause for concern in some countries, including Australia.A ‘CE’ mark from Europe is worthless in Australia, as it is not independent and therefore is meaningless.
Some of the problems with faulty panels are inferior or unreliable performance, leaving consumers with no recourse. The potential for a fire hazard is also a concern, as it is with any electrical system.The fire risk doesn’t come from the solar panels themselves, but rather from faulty wiring or damage to the electrical components.
In order to minimise risk, it’s always best to select a supplier based on reputation, certification and experience in solar power installations.A list of all the solar panel models that meet the standards set by the Australian regulators can be obtained from the Business Council on Sustainable Energy.
A word of advice comes from Perth solar energy company, Solar My World, who suggest that anyone wanting to install a solar system should do their homework thoroughly before making any investment.”There has been significant growth in the solar industry, which has meant a growth in the number of installers plus inferior products in the market. Choosing a certified, experienced contractor is vital for the sustained long-term performance, durability and safety of any solar system.”
Solar my World has been appointed as an official supplier of solar systems from one of the biggest renewable energy companies in the world, Conergy.Solar my World supplies and installs solar hot water and solar power systems from Conergy, which are manufactured in Germany at a factory which is the most advanced of its kind in theh world.Conergy solar systems are well-priced and comprehensively tested to ensure they meet superior quailty and performance standards, and offer these advantages :
• Made in Germany
*Advanced cell design
• Low performance tolerance +/- 3%
* Up to twenty-five year warranty
• 4mm thick low reflection solar glass (other panels are generally 3mm)
* IEC salt mist test certified
* Specially developed frame
* Superior corrosion protection
• Superior quality finish
From the space mission controllers to ordinary folk who are concerned about the environment and renewable energy, solar power can light everyone’s world.
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Wind And Solar DIY Guides
Most people are now constantly looking for alternative sources of cheaper energy. Amongst the ones that are now being prefered are wind and solar. In the article that follows the reasons they are becoming popular are talked about in detail.
I will highlight the following details: solar panels for creating electricity, Solar Wind Power and Efficiency and DIY Solar Electricity systems
DIY wind and power systems are taking the frustration out of life. Gone are the days when you had to follow the kids around and make sure the lights are switched off. With solar and wind power after you put it in place then you won’t be paying any energy costs. The reduction on the money for electricity bills will amaze you. The extra money give you a chance to direct your money to other important things.
The electrical power generated using wind and solar will never run out. The extra energy that you produce can be kept in batteries and can be used at your convenience. You can maximise the quantity of power that you produce by installing more panels. Isn’t that a big task you ask?
No; building your own DIY wind and solar power systems is very simple. The back up and support manuals available allow you to be able to build and fit your own system within at least two days. So over a time frame of a month you can have your home completely running on green electricity. The manuals will have step by step illustrations to make the task easier.
Most of the energy sources that have been in use are very harmful to the environment. The wind and solar power systems are friendly to the environment and therefore thought of as green ways of producing power. The only thing that could be keeping you from taking up this is not knowing where to find the material.
This should not be a problem as any recommended DIY wind and solar power system will usually provide information on where you can purchase the necessary components. There will also give you a quote on the amount you can expect to pay. But it will not be more than $250.
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Saving your energy and your money
In this tough economy we are in people are looking for ways to save money. One of the often overlooked ways is to conserve energy. Not only can this save you money, but it can also help the environment.In this article we will examine a way for you to save a lot in energy costs.
The best way that you can save on your energy bills is to have a solar energy system for your house.It isn’t as difficult as it may seem to be.All that it will take is for you to go and have solar panels installed onto your house. When people look into this they realize that solar panels can be expensive. So they go looking for cheap solar panels.
Now they might be able to find some but if they really want to save they should look into building a solar energy system themselves. There are plenty of manuals that can teach them how to do a diy solar panels. Most of them are written well enough that all you have to do is follow step by step.If you are able to do it this way you are going to be saving thousands of dollars for yourself. So even if you didn’t want to do it yourself, you could hire someone to do it.it the cost will be less than if they went with a solar contractor or an electrician.
It doesn’t matter if you have someone install it yourself or if you learn how to build a solar panel.As long as you are able to switch your energy into a more efficient solar energy system you are going to be saving money.
But not only can you save yourself money but you can also help the environment.Making use of solar energy gets rid of a lot of more toxic type of energy. You will be using clean natural energy. Who knows you might be able to set a good example and more people will follow your footsteps.
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Posted in Renewable Energy |
Tags: cheap solar panels, diy solar panels, Renewable Energy, solar energy, solar panels |
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Residential Solar Power Panels: Learn to Cut Costs On Your Energy Bills?
As evidence continues to indicate that Earth’s fossil fuels sources are not going to last forever, governments around the world have been looking to renewable resources as an alternative. Sunlight harnessed by residential solar power panels can provide a very energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative.
Residential solar power panel kits are available from both online and “brick and mortar” retailers that are easy to assemble and can be directed to power electrical and heating appliances. There are several advantages to using a residential solar power panels and more and more people are thinking of exploring this alternative energy source for their own personal uses inside the home.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Residential Solar Power Panels
When the sun shines on a residential solar power panel, it’s power is stored and can be used to power a house. Using this renewable energy source to supply power to a home offers enormous benefits to homeowners. Solar power is received for free and is readily available in areas where there is enough sunlight to power these solar panels.
The money you save in powering your home is the most obvious benefits to residential solar power panels. Solar power is free and all you need to consider is the initial cost of the solar panels and installation, after which you can get an endless supply of electrical energy to power a small appliance or gadget. Advances in green technology means that the cost of residential solar power panels has come down, opening the way for the average homeowner to take advantage of this alternative energy source.
Homeowners can now afford to purchase multiple solar panel systems to be installed in their homes to generate enough electrical energy to power everything that requires electrical power. This energy is free and powerful, sometimes powerful enough to send energy back to the electric companies. Some homeowners have gone all the way and run their home entirely on solar power all year round.
The residential solar power panel system must be positioned properly so as to collect the sunlight. People who live in areas where adequate sunlight is not available won’t be able to use the solar panels. Depending on the number of panels required to power a home, the panels may take up a lot of space. Thankfully, advances in green technology means that solar panels are getting smaller, taking up less space and yet producing just as much, if not more power than they used to.
Despite the disadvantages, the advantages of using solar power panels far outweigh them and the use of these solar panels will continue to be more popular as a viable alternative source of energy for the home and eventually the industries.
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How I Imagine the House of My Dreams: Solar Powered
For as long as I can remember, I have had a dream about building my own house. And not just any house. This house should be beautiful; but it should also be eco-friendly.
To be eco-friendly, or gentle on the environment, means a couple of things. The first thing in my view is to create a good environment inside the house by using sound construction materials. What you really want to avoid is getting some hazardous materials into your home. For example: formaldehyde – a very dangerous compound – is found in certain types of particle board. Formaldehyde is a gas which makes you sick, even in minute amounts.
Another important aspect is how you heat the place. Where I live, electricity used to be very cheap some years ago. Guess what – everyone figured they should use electric heating in their dwellings. As far as I understand it, this solution isn’t used much these days, as the electricity cost has increased a lot.
Same thing with oil. Back when I was a kid, I remember how everyone used oil to heat their home because it was cheap. The rising cost of oil is making this an expensive solution.
If you insulate your house better, you can beat the mounting costs of energy. Houses built during the merry days of cheap energy tend to have very flimsy insulation. People didn’t care to put money into better insulation when oil was so cheap anyway.
Things have changed nowadays. There are even cases where better insulation has reduced the energy cost by 50%. Believe it or not, there are super.insulated houses that hardly need any extra heating. So if you spend some cash upfront on insulation material you get it back in the long run.
Ideally, you’d want a solar powered house. Suppose you could turn all the sunlight which falls on your house to useful energy – then you wouldn’t need any other source. Even your car could run on that energy.
In practise, this isn’t possible today. But in laboratories, scientists have reached a more than 40% efficiency with solar cells. In other words: these cells can transform nearly one half of the sun’s light into useful electric power.
Of course, these cutting-edge solar cells are still very expensive. But solar panels with more modest efficiency are mass-produced, and getting fairly inexpensive. Nowadays a number of manufacturers are producing photovoltaic cells with up to 20 per cent efficiency, using streamlined methods like continous printing.
In case you would like to get home solar panels, there is money to be saved if you set them up yourself. Just like with most home improvement projects, doing it yourself cuts costs.
Besides the money saved, there is another nice bonus: self empowerment, ie. doing your own thing.
Once installed, solar panels for homes typically are expected to last for over 20 years. Which means that even though they cost you a chunk of cash, you can save money down the line.
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Posted in Renewable Energy |
Tags: home solar panels, photovoltaic cells, Renewable Energy, solar panels, solar panels for homes, Solar Power |
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Solar Panels Can Save the Earth and Could Save You Money
Since I am very interested in the environment, I am going to discuss it here. The very basis of our economy is energy. Without this great flow of energy, our modern world couldn’t exist. It was coal and oil that fueled the industrial revolution.
While this has been tremendously useful, there is also a back side. Actually, these deposits of oil and coal we now use are preserved “ancient sunlight”. When we burn that ancient material, we also release all that carbon as carbon dioxide (CO2). Which means the atmosphere recieves a higher concentration of that gas.
It is no secret that while CO2 is transparent to visible light, it reflects radiation in the infrared spectrum. This means that when the CO2 level goes up, more infrared radiation is trapped near the Earth’s surface.
Science has found that during a very remote era in the Earth’s history, most life went extinct. It seems that this mass extinction was associated with a sharp increase of carbon dioxide in the air. The effect would have been a marked increase in the Earth’s temperature.
The enormous current use of coal and oil has already caused a marked increase in the content of CO2 in the air. Further, the climate is clearly getting warmer than it used to in a number of areas. Especially, the polar ice caps are melting fast now.
I feel that if we care about future generations we must take action. But what can we ordinary folks do? One thing we can do is try to minimize the use of things like coal and oil. As an alternative: let us use renewable energy.
Ultimately, most energy sources are derived from the sun. If we can collect that energy directly, we have solved a number of problems. For instance, you have heard of those solar panels.
Solar cells have been around for decades, but have been very expensive to make. Because of the cost, they haven’t been a realistic alternative. These days, this is changing and solar panels no longer have that hefty price tag. You can put home solar panels on the roof of your house, and get free energy from the sun. If you can do some installation work yourself, you end up saving money. You may even be able to cut that utility bill to zero.
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Posted in Renewable Energy |
Tags: diy solar panels, home solar panels, Renewable Energy, solar panels, solar panels for home |
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Making Your Own Solar Panels
Every year the sun sends down to the earth 170 Petawatts of energy in the form of light and heat and about 80 Petawatts eventually reach the ground. To get a better idea of what this amount of energy relates to, 40 Petawatts (80,000 trillion watts) or half a year’s worth is equal to all of the fossil fuels that we can ever extract from the earth. It’s free, non-polluting, and contributes 0% to global warming. So if you live where the sun shines a lot you are in an ideal position to build your own solar cell panels and make drastic cuts to your electric charges while simultaneously doing your part to protect the environment for future generations.
Since we are using up fossil fuel sources more rapidly than new ones can be discovered, it is only reasonable to start turning to one of the most abundant energy resources at hand that is free—solar power. It is a renewable resource that has not yet been fully tapped by a lot of countries which gives it almost unlimited potential in the future. You can capture this energy when you construct a solar cell that you locate either on your roof or near your house angled so as to catch as many sunshine as possible and transform it into electricity. You will need 10 or 12 panels to capture at least a kilowatt of power.
The biggest problem in the use of solar power is that it can only create power during daylight hours. The answer to this is to put an auxiliary system in place that will store the energy and then kick-in when the sun is not available. The most common supplementary system is comprised of deep cycle batteries that can supply power after the sun goes down or when a brownout happens to occur.
Quite a few individuals hesitate to implement a solar alternative energy solution for their home fearing that they are too expensive and unwieldy. They do carry a hefty price tag if you opt for professional installation but it may come as a surprise to you as to how cheap and uncomplicated it is to put up an alternative solar panel solution to that high monthly electric bill. If you live where there is a lot of sunshine and there aren’t trees or nearby mountains to block out the light, then you need to look into making your own solar panels and saying goodbye to high electric bills.
In California it is customarily acknowledged that converting your home to “green energy” is equal to eliminating two autos from the highway. Solar cell panels have more advantages than just being eco-friendly. They require very little maintenance which saves you time and money. Also, solar systems give you a return on investment very soon, thus making the systems free after some time. Solar energy is a smart alternative energy option and you can enjoy saving money while getting the satisfaction of building your own solar cell array.
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Posted in Renewable Energy |
Tags: homemade solar cell, how to build a solar cell, how to make a solar panel, mak, make a small solar panel, make a solar cell, solar, solar cells, solar electric, solar energy, solar energy panels, solar panel, solar panels, Solar Power, solar power systems, solar powered |
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A Newbie’s Introduction to Solar Panels
A solar panel is basically a device that enables the collection of and conversion of solar energy into electrical energy or even heat. More and more homeowners are wanting to become indepent of the grid and starting to implement a homemade solar panel. You can as well but proceed with caution. Electricity is dangerous. If you make the decision to support this trend, make sure your read our review about which homemade solar panel do-it-yourself kits are safe and tested.
The Concept of Solar Panels
Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels and the atoms that are present in these panels are excited by the action of the sun’s energy. There are two panels called protector panels. These atoms reside within two layers of protector panels.
A formation of electric current takes place as a result of the action of the electrons from the aforementioned, excited atoms, and these are then used by a myriad of external devices. The history of solar panels dates back by hundreds of years, when their sole purpose was to heat the water for use in homes. A specifically shaped mirror oftentimes is used to concentrate light onto an oil tube. As a result of this activity, the oil heats up as it travels a basin of water and is instantly brought to a boiling state. The steam that is a resultant of this process of boiling is used to turn a turbine for the generation of electricity.
The History of Solar Panels
It was in the year 1839 that the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Antoine – Cesar – Becquerel, a French physicist. His experiment in this regard involved the placement of an electrolyte cell in an electrolyte solution; two metal electrodes made up the electrolyte cell.
Becquerel discovered that when this device was exposed to sunlight there was a noticable increase in the amount of energy generated. The first working solar cell was created by Charles Fritts in 1883 when he applied a thin layer of gold to sheets of selenium. Experiments were conducted on solar cells and over time and discoveries were made as a result. Albert Einstein also published his thesis on the photoelectric effect, during this time and also won the Nobel Prize for his research.
It was space satellites that made large scale use of solar electrical energy for the first time. By 1980, the United States of America, produced a solar cell which provided an efficiency of nearly twenty percent, this efficiency was increased to around twenty four percent in the next two decades and currently there are a few companies that are manufacturing solar cells that offer efficiency levels of nearly twenty eight percent
The Working of Solar Panels
Pure silicon forms the basic element of all solar panels as its makes for an ideal platform that aids transmission of electrons. The plates that make up a solar panel are applied with this material. Solar panels are also created by combining silicon panels with other elements, with negative or positive charges.
The Silicon atoms are exposed to the bombardment of photons when negative plates of solar cells are faced towards the sunlight. Once all free electrons are drawn away from the plates, enough electricity is generated to power various electronic appliances that do not require too much electricity to power them.
Features and Types of Solar Panels
Basically there are three types of solar panels, namely mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and amorphous solar panels. The life expectancy of solar panels depends on the type of solar panels selected by you; generally it’s around twenty years or so.
Solar panels do not require sustained maintenance for their upkeep although; if lead acid batteries are used then they must be checked every six months and topped up with distilled water if required. If you are looking for a solar panel for your needs and do not know what size to go for, then the best way would be to calculate your average consumption of electricity on a daily basis. You should be able to judge fairly accurately what solar panel will be necessary. Over time, solar electricity produced by solar panels will lower your energy bill by a landslide, and therefore the option of implementing solar electricity for your home must be explored.
~Ralph Somers,
Moderator of Ralph’s Green Energy Guide
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