New Technologies: Causing Home Solar Power More Viable

August 3, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Before installing a system with which to get power up your home with solar power it will pay to understand what exactly is solar radiation and how does it work in the generation of solar energy. The truth of the fact is that for long solar power has been dismissed as being too expensive for normal usage. However, technology has made many advances and with each new improvement solar panels that were at one time very expensive have now become more affordable.

No Need to Buy Costly Solar Panels

To make use of solar power for your home today does not require buying costly solar panels and other equipment because it is very simple to make your own system with which to heat up and light your home with solar power. So easy has it become to use solar power for your home that an entire residence can be powered up with solar power – thereby freeing you from dependence on the electricity grid.

Home solar power is easy and the reason for this is that there are numerous things that will gather heat and light from the sun including mirrors, and glass as well as metals that are readily available and at relatively low cost. Once these materials draw the power from the sun and then transfer this stored energy to batteries you will have a basic home powered by solar power.

There are a number of diy-home solar power programs that you can also think about trying out and which does not require more skills than to be literate and able to follow instructions to affect. It is also very possible that you can upgrade your home solar power system which means that you can start off small and as your needs grow to upgrade your system to meet the additional requirements.

The best part about using home solar power is that there is no cost involved in getting the basic ‘raw materials’. The only expenses that will be incurred are the cost of acquiring materials with which to construct the system that will heat up and light your home with solar power; even then, there are many items lying about a home that can be used to create a basic system which will provide your home with heat and light.

At the very least, a home solar power system will require solar cells as well as something with which to do the soldering and some solder as well as flex and finally, tabbing. The right equipment and parts as well as a good guide is all that is required for getting home solar power up and running. The best part about home solar power is that it has already been certified as being worth every ounce of effort that you put into installing solar panels in your home and the costs that are incurred initially too will be paid back when you save considerably on electricity bills.

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Expanding Options For Solar Panel Buyers

August 3, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

For lots of years, the only kinds of solar panels commercially offered have been crystalline solar panels put in a rectangular casing and positioned on a roof. This is why nearly everyone, as soon as they think of solar power for their house, imagine this as their single option. Below are a few new advancements in solar power and mounting options you may have never heard of before.

Thin Film Solar Panels – Man Is This Skinny!

Think of the solar panel you have in a solar calculator. That is a thin film solar panel. Thin film solar panels are used to a great extent in satellites. Thin film technology is now being expanded into residential and commercial use and was named one of the best inventions of 2008 by TIME magazine.

Thin film solar panels are bendable, unlike polysilicon cells found in conventional crystalline solar panels. These thin film solar panels are being hailed as second generation solar power technology.

Thin film solar panels are more resistant to hail, rocks, and so on. If part of a crystalline solar panel is damaged, the entire solar panel will stop functioning while a thin film solar panel will go on functioning.

Thin film panels can also be flexible and modified to a lot of surfaces. They can be applied in places conventional crystalline solar panels cannot be mounted on top of. I have even seen a thin film panel sewed on a coat that powered a MP3 player.

The downside to thin film panels is that they do not take in as much energy because they are so thin. These panels are not nearly as efficient as traditional photovoltaic panels but they cost less. Thin film solar panels are printed onto the rolled backing, eliminating many of the high energy and chemical intensive processes that are normal in conventional PV manufacturing.

Thin film solar panels are low wattage and have need of more space than traditional solar panels and they are more prone to degradation. In order to counteract several of these competitive disadvantages they have versus traditional solar panels, manufacturers offer better warranties for thin film panels.

The largest thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the United States is the Blythe plant located 190 miles east of Los Angeles, California. The 21-megawatt solar power plant uses thin film solar cells made out of cadmium telluride. At full power, the plant will make enough electricity to power an estimated 16,500 homes.

Now let us examine traditional solar panels and some of the mounting options that are offered that you might not know exist.

Mounting Options For Conventional Solar Panels – It’s All About the Mount

Solar panel mounts are available in three main types: pole mounts, roof-ground mounts, and flush mounts. With these mounts, you can fix your solar panel onto an RV, on top of or against the side of a pole, on your roof, or even install them as a free-standing unit.

Pole Mounts – No That Is Not What Santa Claus Uses For His Sleigh

Pole mounts, specially top-of-pole, have been popular for a long time. Top-of-pole mounts are essentially a steel or aluminum rack and rail structure bolted or welded to a large casing that sets on top of a pole with set-bolts to keep it stationary. Side-of-pole mounts are regularly used when you must mount to the side of a telephone pole or communications tower. Tracking mounts are similar to top-of-pole mounts, but they also have a system of automatically aiming the mount to stay on the sun.

Top of pole mounts (including sun trackers) are one of the simplest mounts to install. They really only need a single steel pole set in the ground (usually in concrete), and the mount slips onto the top of the pole. Most ordinary sizes use a 2-inch to 8-inch pole, usually around 11 to 13 feet in length. They can go higher if you want to get the panel up higher to escape shading from nearby vegetation.

Those Roof-Ground Mounts

Roof-ground systems can be mounted onto a roof or ground without a lot of variation in setup. They are usually built from stainless steel in a grid-like system of supports. Roof-mounted panels for smaller systems are the easiest to mount, using little flush-mount brackets that raise the panels to the best angle for solar collection.

Ground mounts, as the name implies, are solar panel mounts that are installed on the ground (as opposed to a pole mount or roof mount). They have supporting, variable legs that allow you to optimize their vertical orientation for solar exposure. Ground mounting systems usually entail plenty of steel supports, concrete foundations, and galvanized footings, that can be challenging, when you are trying to keep your system low cost. Ground mounted systems require structural strength to prevent load bearing failure.

Even though module mounting systems are available for ground and roof installation, roof mount installation is the most popular and cost effective approach. The roof mounted panels are attached to a mounting system typically consisting of an aluminum or steel support structure which attaches the panels to the roof.

Flush Mounts

Flush Mounts are inexpensive and straightforward to install – these are ideal for single panel installations and smaller solar arrays. Flush mounts are put onto a level surface such as a rooftop, the top of a boat, or the top of a recreational vehicle and are not used for ground installations. These mounts function to separate the solar panel from the mounting surface and permit airflow to go under and cool the solar panel for efficient operation. Flush Mounts are usually used with small solar arrays on roof tops and RVs, because the structural design of a flush mount cannot hold up large solar panels.

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“how To: Solar Panels House” System © – it Works. Period!

August 3, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Do you also think that you are paying too much to the Power-Company each month? Well, “How To: Solar Panels House” System seems to be the ultimate answer for that problem. The first impression may not reveal that, but this technique takes no more than just few days to be completed. Read the following article to hear more about how we can all benefit from it.

Short overview

This “How To: Solar Panels House” System isn’t something that you go and buy in a store – you need to have one of these recommended guides that explain how to assemble Solar-Panels without having to be an expert. Before choosing a guide verify that it answers your needs; verify that it is written in simple language and that others already reported that it worked for them. Anyway, here are few key-benefits and & quick advices to help you better understand this topic.

Important advantages

This solution quickly provides clear and immediate benefits:

* Can work for anyone, no matter where he/she lives on the globe.
* Cuts down on the usage of non-renewable enr. resources.
* Provides an unlimited energy-source.
* Uses natural and clean resources.
* Helps on reducing the amounts of carbon dioxide in the air.

Quick advice

Make sure that there aren’t any unnecessary objects/obstacles that may be blocking sunlight to your unit; otherwise it may lose its efficiency.

Conclusions

It isn’t just about saving thousands each year; this powerful “How To: Solar Panels House” System enables us to preserve our planet. There are so many other pluses provided by this unique ‘machine’, simply because it is innovative. It is advised to evaluate it so you could explore the various advantages that it provides.

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Solar Lights – Different Ways to Enhance Your Backyard

August 3, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Let’s say you just invested a substantial amount of money to improve your backyard. It looks beautiful but you think it still needs a little more. You’d like to view it after dark. You may have features you would look great by adding some lighting to it. But, you are thinking in order to have it lit up you will have to hire an electrician to run wires through the yard. In order to not see the wires you would have to dig up some of the yard to put them under ground. Then after all is said and done, what happens if the lighting just doesn’t work out? All would be for naught.

However, there still is a way to accomplish what you want by adding solar lighting. With solar lights, there would be no need to run wires. You can easily move them around to light just the areas you want. They would be so much more convenient than the hard-wired kind and would cost a fraction of the cost. Further, you would not have to dig up your landscaping.

Solar lights come in many different shapes, sizes, material and types. Some are made of plastic, some are copper, and some are stainless steel. They come in styles that would be suited for lighting pathways, highlighting rock gardens, extenuating ponds, and some even come in animal shapes likes frogs, turtles, dogs, birds, and squirrels. There are even ones that are seasonal shapes like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

In selecting which lights would be appropriate, you would need to look at the lay of the land and determine what you would like to light up and what you would like to just have lights around. If you have a walkway, perhaps solar pathway lights would be in order. There are also solar stepping stone lights that you could install as part of your pathway or along side of it. If you have a rock garden, placing some solar rock lightswould add that special something to that area. If you have a special shrub or plant that you want highlighted, a solar spotlight would allow you to light that up. You may have other areas that you want something a little different; adding a solar frog, solar dog or solar squirrel light might really add to the area. You may even want to outline your deck with some solar deck lights.

All in all, there are solar lights for almost any application. You just have to use your imagination and select some. The beauty of solar lights is that you can easily move around till you find that right lighting.

The one caveat you will need to consider in solar lighting is that they should be placed in a sunny area. Rechargeable batteries that are re-charged during the light of day power solar lights. Fully charged batteries will usually allow about 8 hours of lighting.

Solar lights can really add a lot to your landscaping projects. They can make your yard standout from the crowds. They can make your yard useable after dark.

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Unique Untapped Self-Sufficiency Niche

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

If you know how amazing Diy products have been, you should definitely jump on modern self sufficiency. this product brings diy solar panels and wind turbines, gardening and financial security together. highest commission! 75%! Unique Untapped Self-Sufficiency Niche

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Thumbs Up to Solar Power Advantages

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

The sun not only gives us light; it also has the ability to provide us with power that may be converted into electricity. The electricity and the heat that we need in our homes can be within reach when we utilize what the sun is able to give us. There are so many solar power advantages that many people have to be aware of, proof that the sun and the power it sends are truly important, especially in this day of rising electricity bills.

One important benefit of solar power is that it is renewable. It is not like oil that can be gone after a certain number of years. True, we may discover another source once oil is gone, but that source may probably be non-renewable as well. Be reminded that the source of solar power is the sun. We do not even have to worry about the sun disappearing. It may rest during the night, but in the morning, we all know that the sun will be back in the sky. Therefore, if we rely on solar power, we are sure that it will never disappear to nothingness.

Another advantage of solar energy is the fact that it is eco-friendly. It does not give off polluting gases e.g. greenhouse gases. People need to care for the environment and using solar power may be a good way of protecting it.

People also do not have to pay for solar power, which is another advantage. The only expenses that you may have to pay stem from solar panel kits and other materials used to make solar panels. Unlike electricity which is a utility that we have to pay monthly, panels that produce solar power are not things that have to be paid regularly. Because of this, solar energy helps us gain big savings.

When extracting solar energy, people will not be bothered by a single noise. Other sources of energy such as oil and wind may have to be extracted through very noisy methods. When it comes to solar power, extraction is on the silent side, which may be viewed as another advantage.

Solar cells are responsible for producing solar energy. This brings us to another advantage of solar power: just a little amount of maintenance. Solar cells, after all, are not composed of ‘moving’ parts, which means that maintenance is very little, or none at all.

Tools that may produce solar power such as solar panels and solar powered lights are also quite easy to set up. This is, of course, one more advantage of relying on solar power.

Solar energy, just like all forms of energy, is not really ‘spotless.’ There are also some disadvantages like the tendency for solar energy tools e.g. panels to be expensive as well as the fact that solar energy cannot be produced during the night. Solar power advantages, however, are bigger in number as compared to the disadvantages. Besides, the cons of solar power, if you will notice, can eventually be improved by technology.

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Battery Reconditioning – Do you Promote Solar and Wind Energy?

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Are you promoting Build Solar Panels or Wind Generators. Send a promotion to your current customer list, converting at 1:16. Wide open niche for article marketers, Great keywords, For the juicy details Sign up at http://www.AffiliateStart.org Battery Reconditioning – Do you Promote Solar and Wind Energy?

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Colorado Solar Panels Guide

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Solar panels are a great way to reduce fuel and electricity costs. Energy produced with the help of solar panels is one of the best sources of renewable, eco-friendly energy. Besides that it is much easier and more affordable than most people think. If you are one of those who is serious about helping the environment – and reducing your fuel costs, solar panel installation could be just right for you.

If you live in Colorado and are planning to buy Solar Panels, the first thing to do is to check out what’s available in the market. Colorado has many outfits and companies dealing in solar panels. You can also check them out online by typing Colorado Solar Panels the net. 

Those wanting to buy Colorado Solar Panels or the ones who have already bought them before know that the main concern is the cost and placement of these panels. To begin with you should decide on a budget for installing panels before you buy them. You should also look at where and how you are going to attach the panels to your home/office/boat etc.

If your budget is too small or the area you want to install them is too little- then the ideal thing will be to look at alternatives cheaper natural energy system, such as a wind turbine for home instead of Colorado solar panels. It will serve the same purpose and could potentially cost less.

The next thing to keep in mind is to decide the amount of solar electricity you need to generate to meet your energy requirements, which greatly depends on the size of your household.  You should also keep in mind the kind of equipment you use. If you go online you will find that there are many resources available which will help you decide the capacity of electricity you will need to generate and therefore the amount of the panels you will need to buy.

Once you know about your energy requirements and output capacity, it’s time now to start thinking about the type of solar panels that you will be buying. These could be electricity panels or hot water panels. While finalizing Colorado solar panel you have to make sure that pricing is not your only consideration while ordering one. The cheaper panels may not last you long enough and may also create problems while working.

It is therefore crucial that if you wish your panels to last, let quality and technology be your main consideration. When you buy cheaper Colorado solar panels, you will realize that they will end up giving a much lower output, and a lower efficiency, as compared to high quality, powerful panels.

An important thing to remember is that when it is time to install Colorado solar panel, hire professionals to do the job. Don’t make the mistake of taking a risk with electric shock. It has cost many lives. Buying Colorado solar panel could prove to be one of the best moves you make. Especially, when you spend money on appliances to make your home cheaper to live in.

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Solar Powered Panels: How Do I Use And Store Solar Panel Electricity?

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Solar powered panels! How Can I Use and store solar panel electricity? If you are also from those who are asking this question again and again, just read this article and find an easy solution.

Solar Panel Electricity: How To Store?

Here you have 2 options to choose from:

— Buying special batteries for solar power selling on the market.

— Building your own green energy system.

The first option is applied by many people today. But it does not mean that this is the best way to go for. Not at all! Many people prefer this solution just because they think building homemade solar powered panels can be a very complicated process and they should be tech savvy for this. 

But the truth is that even if you are a typical man with minimum basic information about green energy, you can build your own solar cell within a few days with minimum one-time investment thanks to step-by-step DIY guide.

If you still hesitate about homemade solar powered panels read below the following top advantages of homemade alternative energy systems:

— First of all, it will cost very cheaply. And you can benefit of it for a longer time, sometimes even forever. So the only thing you will need is to invest a little amount on installation process.

— Homemade green energy systems are easy to set up and use. No hassles and complications at all! Even if you are not tech savvy, you still can easily build your first DIY solar panel with the necessary guide.

— Once after you set up everything, your home made solar power system will function even more efficiently than those selling on the market at an expensive price.

Conclusion:

Build your own solar powered panels to save a lot of money just today!

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Solar Power Inverters: What You Must Know About Solar Power Inverters

July 31, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

Solar power inverters play a critical role in your home solar installation.

Solar panels for home use typically include a number of photovoltaic modules (PVs).  One module by itself is not enough to produce the power you are likely to need, so a number of cells are they grouped together in what is called an array.

A solar PV array generates a direct current (DC) of electricity.  However, in North America at least, the electrical supply used is an alternating current (AC).  Our appliances and other electrical gadgets are set up to accept AC power. Therefore, your DIY solar panels require a solar power inverter to convert the current from DC to AC.

How the Conversion Works

The electricity that arrives at our homes is typically an AC current of 50/60Hz. (Some variations may occur among locations).  Electricity is usually delivered over long distances as AC rather than DC because this method is the most efficient way to curtail losses.

When we turn on an electrical device, the appliance may utilize the AC energy directly, but most use a small transformer to convert it back into DC.

If you wanted to use your home solar power directly without converting it into AC, you could do so, but you would have to rewire each electrical device that you use.  Some people experiment by building a little solar array that they use to operate only a few appliances, perhaps one or two lamps that they have rewired.

Cleaning Your Home Solar Electricity

Converting your home solar electricity from DC to AC is not the only function of your solar inverter.  It must also clean your electricity.

Since your home solar installation receives fluctuating quantities of the sun’s rays, it will generate differing amounts of power.

Consequently, your solar power inverter cleans this shifting amount of electricity into a more cohesive signal. At this point, the electricity you have generated for home use is very much like the power you purchase from the grid.

If your solar generator does not perform this cleaning, your current is ineffectual – even if you are using only DC wired appliances.  There are other approaches to cleaning your power signal, but the inverter is usually the preferred method.

Two Types of Solar Power Inverters

If you could see the AC current that we receive in our homes, it would appear to be an “up and down” sine wave. This is called sinusoidal.

There are two different kinds of inverters.

The first kind, called a “true sine wave” is both more costly and more dependable.

The second kind, called a “modified sine wave” or sometimes a “quasi-sine wave” comes with a lower price tag, but has a down side that you might want to avoid.

Some DIYers have found that the quasi sine wave inverters have occasionally delivered an overload with corresponding harm to certain electrical devices.  This happens because this type of inverter conveys current in the form of a simulated sine wave instead of a genuine sine wave.

It is unwise to skimp on the solar power inverter that you use in your installation.  These inverters are available with different specifications, including various ranges of input voltages and power outlets. The most costly inverters come with enhanced features including protection from overload, protection from shorts and a heftier design.

DIY guides are available to walk you through the steps of deciding the best inverter choices for our home solar power installation needs.

For additional information, please refer to Understanding Home Solar Panels

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