July 26, 2011
The Environmental Benefits of Using Solar Panels
We no longer need to burn fossil fuels to produce usable energy. Today there are many alternative forms of usable energy available to us. Choosing to utilize other forms of renewable energy such as solar panels not only reduces our carbon footprint and the impact that we have on the world, but also provides us with a sustainable energy source that will be around for years to come.
The importance of solar power
The surface of the earth receives enough energy in one hour to meet all of the world’s energy needs for one year. By harnessing this energy using solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, we can meet all of our energy requirements. Solar is the perfect example of a form of energy which is truly renewable, as harnessing solar power puts no additional strain on the sun and can be seen as utilizing a vital resource. Scientists believe that the sun will begin to run out of hydrogen (its fuel) in about 5 billion years, thus solar power is a viable option for years to come.
There are many reasons to invest in solar panels. For a domestic installation, the government-introduced Feed-in Tariff ensures a great return on investment of 11% on average. This is significantly higher than savings accounts or ISAs. Another key reason is that by generating your own electricity, you need to buy much less from the national grid, meaning savings on electricity bills, another financial incentive.
The environmental benefits are a key reason for investing in solar panels. These have been overshadowed recently by the financial incentives that were introduced by the government with the Feed-in Tariff (FIT). Yet it is important to remember that the FIT was introduced for environmental reasons, as a way of encouraging individuals and organizations to invest in renewable energy sources as this would help to meet the country’s environmental targets and reduce our nation’s carbon footprint.
Our carbon footprint
Your carbon footprint is a gauge of the impact that your activities have on the environment, measured by CO? emissions. Our carbon footprints are mainly produced from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and heating, production and shipping. These can be reduced by making lifestyle choices reducing the amount of CO? produced. Buying local produce where possible is an easy way to reduce our carbon footprints, as these items will have no carbon emissions associated with them.
Choosing to heat or power your home or organization through renewable energy sources is one of the most significant choices that you can make to reduce your carbon footprint. This is because heat and power are some of the biggest producers of CO? and can therefore result in some of the most significant reductions.
The UK government is responsible for ensuring that the carbon emissions for the country are reduced, but in order to succeed this needs to be tackled by individuals. Crucially the clean green electricity that a solar PV system produces will be used in the home, replacing the electricity that you would have bought from your energy supplier. Thus you are significantly reducing the amount of energy derived from burn fossil fuels that you consume.
Other sources of renewable energy
Once you install solar panels on your home, the environmental benefits are immediate and significant. The source of the energy that is generated is free, as the sunlight hitting the panels is converted into free, clean green electricity. However there are other forms of renewable energy such as ‘clean fuels’, which, because of physical or chemical properties, create less pollution than fossil fuels do. In general, the hydrocarbons emitted from these fuels are much less, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are much less toxic. Clean fuels can be chosen as alternatives to petrol and gasoline which fuel road vehicles. These will allow individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints from the life-cycle of the products that they use.
Filed under Solar Power by newenergy
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Company Extends Solar PV Systems Warranty to 30 Years
Marysville, WA – July 11, 2011 – Silicon Energy, a manufacturer of world-class solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the North American market, announced today that it has extended its Silicon Energy Cascade PV System Power Warranties by five years. Based on over two years of field performance data and extensive third-party testing by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Silicon Energy’s decision to extend its product warranty makes it one of the strongest warranties in the industry.
“We are committed to making solar a mainstream energy source with products that are safe, durable, maximize energy production, increase energy harvest, are aesthetically appealing, and support our local economy and environment with smart manufacturing practices,” said Gary Shaver, president, Silicon Energy. “Customers who choose Silicon Energy for their PV systems are choosing best-in-class products, now backed by one of the industry’s top warranties. Our product lifespan, application flexibility and optimized energy harvesting capability make our product a great investment.”
For Silicon Energy’s growing network of partners and contractors who sell and install the company’s PV systems, the extended warranty provides an added incentive for customers who want a long-term system that boasts a 40+ year usable life and innovative design that provides completely sealed wiring to make it extremely safe, a theft-resistant mounting system, the highest industry fire rating, and frameless design that allows water, dirt, snow and ice to easily flow off for optimal light access and energy creation even in extreme weather conditions. The Silicon Energy glass-on-glass construction also enables installations such as awnings, carports, patio covers, and bus shelters. For those design-conscious customers, the company also provides custom color mounting hardware for visual continuity.
Silicon Energy’s extended warranty is available starting July 1st for its Cascade PV System.
· Limited Product Warranty Materials & Workmanship: 5 years
· Limited Power Warranty:
Power Output Table
1-15 years (up from 10 years)
? 90% PMAX
16-30 years (up from 25 years)
? 80% PMAX
In addition to presenting its extended warranty, Silicon Energy recently has been able to reduce its pricing as a result of manufacturing improvements and strengthened vendor relationships.
“When choosing Silicon Energy PV systems, our customers are making a sound investment in solar, their local economy, their environment, and clean energy creation for many, many years to come,” closed Shaver.
Filed under Press Releases, Solar Power by newenergy
March 26, 2011
Great Facts About Electric Cars
Art K Krause asked:
I have had an interest in alternate sources of energy. I have investigated solar power and wind power but both are very expensive and look ugly on my house. I have asked my neighbors what they would think of my building a virtual wind farm to power my home and the answers were not enthusiastic to say the least. As for the solar panel most people agree that it would be okay but I really don’t like the look. In addition these two alternatives are useless to power a vehicle and you’d need a lot of batteries to store your energy to power a vehicle. The cost of these batteries is prohibitive and they do not get you very far anyway.
My problem with electric powered cars has been the storage of energy using batteries and the technology of batteries while is getting better you still need a lot of them and they are very expensive as well. But being very persistent and doing a lot of research on line I have found a generator that will power any vehicle, can be used in the home, and may be used in any application that will out last any wind powered source or solar panels by far. As a matter of fact this generator was invented in the late 1950s and used in a home for over 30 years without any major break down. What eventually happened a Power Company actually confiscated this generator from the inventor AND filed suit against him for steeling power from them. They actually lost the case but refused to return the confiscated system back to him.
This system is not available to the public right now because this man refuses to sell the rights to it to any large Power Company or Auto manufacturer because he fears it will never be used. He has offered this technology to many Energy companies and Auto manufacturers to use in their cars and to power homes but each has demanded the total rights to it.
The advantages of an all electric vehicle are for one they last longer than internal combustion engines. An electric motor need less maintenance and never needs an oil change. One man had taken an electric motor that was in a 30 year old fork lift that spent several years outside broken down and put into an old car. That motor was still in operating condition and is powering his car locally. Another man put a electric motor in his car and his car went a quarter mile in 11 seconds. His electric car out performed corvettes, BMW and all comers that had internal combustion engines. These can be seen on You Tube. Unfortunately after each race the batteries for this car has to be recharged in order to race again.
So imagine an energy source, a generator that will power an automobile or any vehicle to be able to travel coast to coast without ever having to be recharged. The underlying technology or the power is produced using magnets. Magnets will last for over 400 years. Which means in this case the power for any vehicle or to power your home it will last for your life time easily. This is the biggest reason why major car companies and power companies will do all they can to make sure that this power source never gets to market. It goes without saying that the Oil Cartels would never want this technology to ever see the light of day.
What needs to happen here is that you and I need to get this information out. This inventor has been on many radio talk shows but still he is struggling to get the financing to get this to market.
Filed under Electric Cars by newenergy
January 5, 2011
Solar Panel Installation In The 2011 Era
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Solar power installations are growing worldwide as the cost of the panels and equipment used to build them see their prices fall and their efficiency increase with new technology. Some markets are exploding either through consumer demand or through effective support form governments who hand out incentives to stimulate the solar power market.
Germany is an example of effective government support bringing about a huge explosion of solar panel installation. However in the past year the German market growth has caused a shift worldwide in solar panel availability. I guess you might say this is a nice problem to have in a growing new market. Not if you are in an area where you can’t source enough solar panels but this situation has caused a large number of new solar panel factories to pop up worldwide including a huge growth in Chinese companies entering the solar energy market.
Solar panel rebates have contributed to the growth of this alternative energy source. In the US one could argue that these rebates have done more to stimulate the consumer based market than any other method. I would agree though with critics who make the case that in a nation like the USA it will take some new advocates for the cause in order to make a real difference in market growth. The current solar panel advocates are well know celebrities or political figures who only appeal to a small portion of the population. Until someone from the other side of the equation jumps in and support solar will it really gain the attention of the greater part of the US population.
Filed under Solar Install by newenergy
October 20, 2010
Home Solar Power – Your Own Solar Powered Home?
Anthony Dempster asked:
Home Solar Power is becoming increasingly popular. If you’ve ever sat at your desk and used a solar powered calculator, you’ve probably marveled at the fact that it can operate without the need for batteries. If such a small solar panel can power a calculator, what can a larger solar panel do? A lot – it could even power your home.
What once seemed like a distant daydream consigned to books about the future is becoming an everyday reality for an increasing number of people. Big companies such as BP have installed solar panels at a number of their gas stations as far away as New Zealand in an attempt to reduce their dependence on external electricity supplies. The reason behind these kinds of decisions normally comes down to two main factors: firstly, once initial setup is complete solar generated electricity is completely free ; secondly, there is a reduced impact on the environment as less fossil fuels need to be burned in order to generate the electricity.
What steps are involved in setting up a solar powered home? The main step required is obtaining solar panels and placing them somewhere that gets good sunlight. For most houses the most obvious place is the roof, although bigger properties may also have bits of land that would be well suited to having solar panels established there. The cost of solar panels is becoming increasingly cheaper and they are also becoming less complicated to setup. With the help of a good guidebook it is even possible to setup this kind of system yourself.
The most typical setup involves utilising a bank of batteries to store the electricity which can then be used to power various things within the home. This could be anything from additional lighting and hot water heating through to powering your stereo and tv. (Of course, any wiring to the mains must make use of a proper electrician).
One of the most popular misconceptions about solar power is that it needs to be sunny for it to work. This is simply not the case – even on cloudy days there is enough energy from the sun coming through to power your home.
Filed under Solar Power by newenergy
August 24, 2010
Build solar panels
gmeltis asked:
energy-solarpanels.com – - Here’s my promise, the next few minutes you will discover why you take Part worth the green trend. Most people just make mistakes, they think global warming does not affect them, But here’s the truth that concerns us all, Why the mistake all – so prevalent? Aiming sometimes we do not feel it directly and immediately, It seems far away. The first tip that can help you is the knowledge that Conventional energy reserves dwindling, Damage caused to the environment And harm fauna, Flora, Food, Our health The people closest and dearest to us, Especially that endangers our children, And nothing is more important than our concern for their future and that we can. Here’s the secret you should know That using solar panels is one of the best methods to solve the problem. Solar Panels many advantages, They operate by natural resources, You can assemble them alone, They are cheap, Effective And it gives control over our power And thus saves us expenses. You should click on the link below to watch this video presentation That contains information that will give you tips and Secrets information including explanations and testimony, To which you can implement your own solar panel installed on the roof of your home. Thank you watched our video,we hope and appreciate that you too will take action in this matter as soon as possible. energy-solarpanels.com
March 20, 2010
Solar Power For Homes
Christine Douglas asked:
Are you interested in solar power for homes? Are you wondering what choices you have in selecting solar power? There are so many options and ways to get solar power working for you. Don’t feel limited in acquiring solar energy for your family. This article will review the many ways you can get solar power for your home. You’ll be powering your life with the sun’s rays in no time at all.
There are many options when it comes to solar power for homes. And these options include many different home specifications. Perhaps you are a rural resident? Solar power on farms is becoming popular. Not only can you help the environment, but many farmers find that the energy they receive in the traditional way is not as reliable as they’d like based on their location. With solar power on your barn, shed, or farm house, you’ll always have the power you need, when you need it.
If you are a city resident, you may find it a little harder to use solar power for homes. This is especially true if you are living in a large apartment complex. But there are still solar power options available to you! Many companies these days are manufacturing small, portable, solar power systems. These have a solar panel attached to a box, battery and outlet. They can power anything that can plug in. Place one on your patio or rooftop, and then use it to power your TV! Or take it camping for true convenience while you’re in the great outdoors. There are also manual powered systems available if you do not have a lot of sunlight. These are equipped similarly, but with a manual pump instead of a solar panel.
In addition to the usual solar power for homes, many cities are offering residents the option of purchasing solar generated power through the traditional grid. These projects are still in their infancy and are not yet widely available, but many people believe they are the future of energy. These are usually set up with very large solar panels away from homes and cities to generate power. It can then be piped in to be used just like the traditional power. Some areas also offer residents the option of purchasing power generated through wind sources. Check with your local power company to learn if any of these options are available to people in your area.
Solar power for homes can be quite expensive to install. Of course, over time you will end up saving money, but if you don’t quite have the upfront costs for solar power installation, you should know about government rebates. There are many tax credits available for individuals who have installed solar power in their home. Check with your local and national government’s websites to learn of the rebates available to you.
Filed under Solar Power by newenergy
September 19, 2008
Portable Solar Energy Power Stations
Anna Hart asked:
Portable solar energy power stations may sound, to some, like a dream. They can think of many places where portable solar would be useful, such as the RV they love to take camping, or the boat they use for long fishing trips. They cannot imagine, though, that portable solar energy power stations actually do exist.
Portable solar energy power stations have many practical uses, which we will discuss later, but what is portable solar power?
Description of Portable Solar Power
Portable solar power is energy generated from sunlight, the generator being of a size and form that can be moved readily from place to place.
Most portable solar power units use photovoltaic panels (PV panels) in one way or another. Some are amazingly small, and can be carried in a pocket, while others must be moved on a flat-bed trailer or truck.
Examples of Portable Solar Power
You may already be using portable solar power without realizing it. The following are examples of different sizes and styles of portable solar power.
Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
September 4, 2008
What Is Solar Power – Your Questions Answered
Milton Barnes asked:
Basically, solar power is energy that is actually harnessed from the sun. Although the sun is millions of miles away from earth, if we had the ability to harness all the energy coming from the sun, there is more than enough power there to provide all the energy we need for the entire earth. In fact, there is enough energy to provide plenty of energy for 10,000 earths. While you can use solar power for a variety of appliances and other items, you have to realize that this is different than using this power to produce heat.
There are two different principles that are used with solar power. If you want to produce hot air or hot fluids, then solar thermal principles are used. However, if you want to product electricity, photovoltaic principles are used instead. If you want to produce solar power, there are four components that are needed, including a battery, a charge controller, a solar panel, and an inverter.
It is the solar panels that actually get the radiation from the sun and use it to charge up the battery. Then, the charge regulator actually makes sure that the battery charges as it should. Of course, probably the most important pieces of equipment are going to be the solar panels and usually they output energy in watts. These panels can be wired in a variety of ways, although usually parallel or series wiring is done to either increase the amperage or the voltage.
Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
July 31, 2008
Solar Panels as Solar Energy
Radha Kishan asked:
The Sun, worshiped by Pharos and kings, mentioned in almost all the Religious scriptures, symbolizes the beginning of all known energies that ever existed. Man kind was marveled of its magnificent appearance and power to effect almost all the climate changes in this world and built temples to worship the sun gods.
The Sun, worshiped by Pharos and kings, mentioned in almost all the Religious scriptures, symbolizes the beginning of all known energies that ever existed. Man kind was marveled of its magnificent appearance and power to effect almost all the climate changes in this world and built temples to worship the sun gods.
Though mankind gave away the gods that they believed in the past, they indeed still respect the sun as the source of aboundent energy. Modern day science has calculated that the sun unleashes a staggering one thousand watts of energy to a square meter of the Earth’s surface every second. That is enough energy of keep your iron on for one hour or lighting up a blub for 25 hours. Although the sun releases energy in such quantities mankind is still able harness a fraction of it.
In the modern days mankind has harnessed solar energy through the use of solar panels. Although the technology used to turn sunlight into electricity is still in its infancy stages, scientist are working hard to introduce more new and better technologies to harness the sun. One day we can be hopeful enough to go and buy a solar panel that will be reliable to support large household.
The Solar panel is made up of photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The word photovoltaic is a combination of the two words photo which refers to light and voltaic which refers to electricity. These photovoltaic modules are assembled to make up a photovoltaic cell also known as solar cell. These cells are installed and interconnected in a panel to create a photovoltaic array also known as a solar panel.
The photovoltaic (PV) cells are made out of material used in semiconductors (Crystalline silicon and gallium arsenide are the best substance currently in use). When light strikes these substances a portion of the energy that is with the light is absorbed, as result electrons the basic building blocks of electricity are released allowing them to flow freely. These electrons are directed in to single direction to obtain the necessary current. This current, together with the voltage defines the power that the solar panel can produce.
The main problem associated with the solar panel is its cost; with a PV panel costs ranging from $1 to $2 per watt companies are finding it difficult to produce viable solar panels for the market. Consumers on the other hand opt for budget solar cells, which provide lower output levels resulting in consumer disappointment.
Despite all of this disadvantages if you are interested in installing and using solar panels follow these steps.
First consider and have clear idea on what would you want to power up using a solar panel. There is a verity of smaller spot lights that could lighten your backyard. You can also invest on smaller solar panels that could be used to lighten up your garage lights or any remote place where it is difficult to provide electricity. Remember a solar panel is equal to a mobile power source. Unlike generators solar panels doesn’t pollute the environment when it’s active. With a little maintenance you will be able to sustain a good flow of power.
When purchasing the solar panel make sure that you purchase the “Plug & Play” type. This will reduce the hassle of having to read lengthy user manuals. Most of the solar panels arrive with all necessary connectors and controller and cost around $200 to $ 300, so that you can get on business right away. Be sure that the panel is capable of charging even during overcast days, so you can have power at any time of the year. Having the solar panel it is very important to select a suitable spot to install it. Most of the solar panels take about five to six hours to get fully charged, so it is important to expose much of the surface of the panel to the sun.
Always be prepared to obtain an expert advice if you feel that you are ready to invest on more solar panels. They can help you to get the best solar panels that will suite your requirements.
Such trends towards implementing small solar panels to produce power can make the once "green dream" a reality.
Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
Michael Read asked:
As solar power is continues to gain popularity, manufacturers are now offering solar powered attic fans to consumers to help ventilate attics and keep attics cooler. The solar powered fans that are used for attics generally have a smaller solar panel to help power a DC motor when the sun is shining. By using solar powered attic fans, you will enjoy a plethora of benefits, including the four I will discuss in this article.
As solar power is continues to gain popularity, manufacturers are now offering solar powered attic fans to consumers to help ventilate attics and keep attics cooler. The solar powered fans that are used for attics generally have a smaller solar panel to help power a DC motor when the sun is shining. By using solar powered attic fans, you will enjoy a plethora of benefits, including the four I will discuss in this article.
1. Save money
There is no arguing the fact that electric rates are always on the rise, which makes solar powered fans so popular. By storing more solar energy because the roof is always in direct contact with the sun, you will make use of much more energy without paying a penny. Also, by continuously keeping your attic cool because of the low cost of solar powered fans, you no longer have to worry about dealing with mildew and mold.
2. Maximize exposure of sun to the solar panel
Because of the way that many solar powered attic fans are designed, there is a mounting bracket that houses the solar panel. This helps optimize the angle of the panel to put it to use much more than an electric fan. The mounting bracket will also allow for remote mounting of the solar panel, which allows for optimal panel placement.
3. Minimize the ambient temperature of the solar panel
With a powder coating that rests over the entire assembly in neutral gray color, this helps minimize the power output losses as temperatures increase. In doing so, it will help cool the attic and ensure that the solar powered fan does not act like a heat sink. Also, the mounting bracket allows for an envelope of cooler air to continuously circulate around the entire solar panel. By doing this, it provides the maximum electricity output from the panel to help run the fan motor.
4. Adaptable for all environments
Although solar power is just becoming popular, technology has grown to allow solar powered attic fans to be adaptable for all locations, roof types and environments. Obviously, if you live in an environment that sees more sun you will be able to create more solar energy. However, the powder coat over solar powered fans allows these fans to withstand any environment.
Solar powered attic fans are perfect for every attic to help eliminate the heat while decreasing the electric bill at the same time. Because of the high efficiency, environment friendly capability, and lower electric bills, solar powered fans are suitable for everyone in any environment around the world.
Hydrogen Fuel Video Channel
Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
July 9, 2008
Solar Power On The Go
Bryan Wong asked:
In the early days of solar power there were huge installations necessary to make use of this energy source. The solar panels that were needed were larger than the average full grown man. This made the collection of solar power a bit of a challenge. Therefore making use of solar power was not suitable of everyone. It was expensive and a bit of a chore as well.
These huge solar panels still exist in solar power plants, which produce energy for certain parts of the world. But over the years technological advancements have made solar power affordable and portable enough so common people can use it for their everyday lives. Nowadays solar panels have become so small that pocket calculators use these as an alternative power source to the usual single cell batteries.
But the use of portable solar power did not stop with the use of pocket calculators. Numerous inventions have made use of portable solar power and some of these are available all over the world. Let’s take of look at 5 affordable uses of portable solar power.
1) BRUNTON BATTJACK Batteries and Chargers
The charger comes with the SolarPort 4.4, wall transformer and 12V car cord to charge batteries from AC or in a vehicle. The charger can hold 4 AA or AAA rechargeable batteries. The kit has 4 1500 mAh NiMH AA battery cells. The charger will switch to trickle charge when the batteries are fully charged. It also has a discharge option for maintaining NiCad batteries. This will cost $30.
Batteries are NiMH AA dry cells, have a 1500 mAh capacity, can recharge for hundreds of times, and come in a package of 4 AA batteries. These cost $14.
2) SS-PVSMALL Power System
This portable solar power system from Silicon Solar Inc is easy to use and needs no assembly. Included in each system is an inverter/battery carrying case and 8.5 or 17-watt solar panel/charge.
This system can power a laptop computer, portable audio devices, small coloured TV, and most devices that need less than 140 watts AC 110-120v, and 60Hz input. Power time can range from 30 minutes to 56 hours, depending on the equipment being powered up.
The system is also used for indoor/outdoor lighting, and is lightweight. The system also includes inverters, cables, battery box, and sealed gel cell battery. The system comes with a 1-year warranty. The system costs $149.95.
3) UNI-KIT
The Uni-Kit system is a portable, durable, solar powered lighting system that can provide extended lighting hours to its users. This is powerful enough to let even a 12-volt radio or TV operate, and easy to install. The Uni-Kit system also comes with a basic power controller that maximizes battery life of its 12-Volt Deep Cycle SLA Battery by controlling its charging and load use, and protects the system from overcharging and excessive discharging.
Uni-Kit can be used in the garage, tool sheds, remote homes, isolated buildings, surveying sites, construction sites, camp sites, and even during water pumping operations.
Uni-Kit comes with an 11-watt fluorescent lamp that has a 1-year warranty. The 15-watt solar panel has a 20 year warranty. You can add up to 4 lamps to increase the system’s illumination capacity. The default kit weighs 10 pounds and can be purchased for $249.95 from Silicon Solar Inc. If you have additional 4 lamps, all 4 will cost an extra $235.
4) BRUNTON Portable Solar Panels
Brunton has portable CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) solar array panels that are thin and lightweight to save weight for backpackers. These panels produce standard 12volts outputs, and come with basic 12V vehicle socket, 4 different jack plugs, and battery clips. Solar array panels come in a 6 and 12 foldable, and 14 roll able series. Prices of these panels range from $129 to $399.
5) EN-R-PAK AC/DC Backup Power Supply
The EN-R-PAK backup power supply 200 series are compact solar power backup supplies that have built-in electronics that store, control, and produce energy from the sun, wind, or flowing water. The system can accept additional solar panels, wind turbines, or water turbines. These power supply systems use renewable stored energy to produce 115 volts and 12 volts DC. A 230-volt unit is also available for international use.
The EN-R-PAK can provide emergency power for a home or office, remote areas, a cabin or cottage, for communications, wherever and whenever you need power! This system has no parts that wear out, is environment friendly, quiet, does not emit harmful fumes, easy to operate, requires no assembly, needs almost no maintenance, and is designed to survive rugged weather conditions. These can also power energy efficient lights, a laptop computer, a small TV, rechargeable power tools, and other electrical equipment.
The EN-R-PAK has a 1-year system warranty, 20-year solar panel warranty, 2-year battery warranty, and is built to conform to UL, NEC, and CSA electrical standards.
EN-R-PAK 50-watt solar panels are liquid-proof and shatter proof. These also come with a blocking diode, 30 feet of cable with a connection plug. Wind turbines are also configured to the EN-R-PAK so changes to the power centre are not needed.
The basic system will cost $1500. Additions to the system will make the cost reach a maximum of $2950.
This sums up the possibilities for portable solar power. As time and knowledge progress other devices and possibilities will be available on the market. The prices mentioned here can give you an idea, but are by no means accurate.
Wave Power Video Channel
In the early days of solar power there were huge installations necessary to make use of this energy source. The solar panels that were needed were larger than the average full grown man. This made the collection of solar power a bit of a challenge. Therefore making use of solar power was not suitable of everyone. It was expensive and a bit of a chore as well.
These huge solar panels still exist in solar power plants, which produce energy for certain parts of the world. But over the years technological advancements have made solar power affordable and portable enough so common people can use it for their everyday lives. Nowadays solar panels have become so small that pocket calculators use these as an alternative power source to the usual single cell batteries.
But the use of portable solar power did not stop with the use of pocket calculators. Numerous inventions have made use of portable solar power and some of these are available all over the world. Let’s take of look at 5 affordable uses of portable solar power.
1) BRUNTON BATTJACK Batteries and Chargers
The charger comes with the SolarPort 4.4, wall transformer and 12V car cord to charge batteries from AC or in a vehicle. The charger can hold 4 AA or AAA rechargeable batteries. The kit has 4 1500 mAh NiMH AA battery cells. The charger will switch to trickle charge when the batteries are fully charged. It also has a discharge option for maintaining NiCad batteries. This will cost $30.
Batteries are NiMH AA dry cells, have a 1500 mAh capacity, can recharge for hundreds of times, and come in a package of 4 AA batteries. These cost $14.
2) SS-PVSMALL Power System
This portable solar power system from Silicon Solar Inc is easy to use and needs no assembly. Included in each system is an inverter/battery carrying case and 8.5 or 17-watt solar panel/charge.
This system can power a laptop computer, portable audio devices, small coloured TV, and most devices that need less than 140 watts AC 110-120v, and 60Hz input. Power time can range from 30 minutes to 56 hours, depending on the equipment being powered up.
The system is also used for indoor/outdoor lighting, and is lightweight. The system also includes inverters, cables, battery box, and sealed gel cell battery. The system comes with a 1-year warranty. The system costs $149.95.
3) UNI-KIT
The Uni-Kit system is a portable, durable, solar powered lighting system that can provide extended lighting hours to its users. This is powerful enough to let even a 12-volt radio or TV operate, and easy to install. The Uni-Kit system also comes with a basic power controller that maximizes battery life of its 12-Volt Deep Cycle SLA Battery by controlling its charging and load use, and protects the system from overcharging and excessive discharging.
Uni-Kit can be used in the garage, tool sheds, remote homes, isolated buildings, surveying sites, construction sites, camp sites, and even during water pumping operations.
Uni-Kit comes with an 11-watt fluorescent lamp that has a 1-year warranty. The 15-watt solar panel has a 20 year warranty. You can add up to 4 lamps to increase the system’s illumination capacity. The default kit weighs 10 pounds and can be purchased for $249.95 from Silicon Solar Inc. If you have additional 4 lamps, all 4 will cost an extra $235.
4) BRUNTON Portable Solar Panels
Brunton has portable CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) solar array panels that are thin and lightweight to save weight for backpackers. These panels produce standard 12volts outputs, and come with basic 12V vehicle socket, 4 different jack plugs, and battery clips. Solar array panels come in a 6 and 12 foldable, and 14 roll able series. Prices of these panels range from $129 to $399.
5) EN-R-PAK AC/DC Backup Power Supply
The EN-R-PAK backup power supply 200 series are compact solar power backup supplies that have built-in electronics that store, control, and produce energy from the sun, wind, or flowing water. The system can accept additional solar panels, wind turbines, or water turbines. These power supply systems use renewable stored energy to produce 115 volts and 12 volts DC. A 230-volt unit is also available for international use.
The EN-R-PAK can provide emergency power for a home or office, remote areas, a cabin or cottage, for communications, wherever and whenever you need power! This system has no parts that wear out, is environment friendly, quiet, does not emit harmful fumes, easy to operate, requires no assembly, needs almost no maintenance, and is designed to survive rugged weather conditions. These can also power energy efficient lights, a laptop computer, a small TV, rechargeable power tools, and other electrical equipment.
The EN-R-PAK has a 1-year system warranty, 20-year solar panel warranty, 2-year battery warranty, and is built to conform to UL, NEC, and CSA electrical standards.
EN-R-PAK 50-watt solar panels are liquid-proof and shatter proof. These also come with a blocking diode, 30 feet of cable with a connection plug. Wind turbines are also configured to the EN-R-PAK so changes to the power centre are not needed.
The basic system will cost $1500. Additions to the system will make the cost reach a maximum of $2950.
This sums up the possibilities for portable solar power. As time and knowledge progress other devices and possibilities will be available on the market. The prices mentioned here can give you an idea, but are by no means accurate.
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Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
July 7, 2008
Solar Power How It Works To Power Your Home
Wilhelm Williams asked:
There are two main types of solar power, solar thermal and photovoltaic. Solar thermal uses the sun light’s infrared energy to either heat a liquid or to warm a mass of material that will later on release its stored heat. Harnessing solar thermal energy involves building a house in such a way to collect the sun’s heat during the day and radiate it into the home during the evening. However, in the summer time the house’s construction uses mass to keep the sun’s heat out of the home.
Solar photovoltaic energy converting sun light into electrical energy. The most commonly associated component are the photovoltaic panels or solar panels that you see mounted on roofs.
This article will be focusing on how photovoltaic solar power (solar panels) and systems work.
Why are solar photovoltaic panels always on the south (or north) side of the roof?
In order to get the maximum electrical output from photovoltaic panels they need to be oriented to solar south in the northern hemisphere and solar north in the southern hemisphere. Solar north and solar south are the same as magnetic or compass north or south. There is about a fifteen degree difference between them.
Most solar photovoltaic panels are set at home latitude plus fifteen degrees or home latitude minus fifteen degrees. Depending on if you want a summer or winter bias to the angle of the solar panels. In higher latitudinal areas it makes more sense to have the photovoltaic panels set on a winter bias, so that during the winter the solar panels still get enough sun light to produce electricity.
Filed under Alternative Energy by newenergy
May 29, 2008
Far Niente Winery Goes Solar
Well the Napa Valley wine country is certainly a wonderful place for growing terrific wine grapes, a fantastic travel destination, and now one of its finest wineries has set a standard for going green with solar power. Far Niente is one of the Napa Valley’s premier wineries with a historic tradition that goes back to 1885.
This month they have gone on line with a solar panel array that provides the entire electrical supply for the winery, tasting rooms, cellar, and agribusiness operations. This was a risky financial undertaking for Far Niente but the owners felt it was necessary.
Napa Valley wine producer Far Niente has gone live with its “Floatovoltaic™†solar array, the first-ever system and technology of its kind in the solar industry. The Floatovoltaic installation creatively couples solar power with water, saving valuable vineyard acreage from being sacrificed for land-mounted arrays.
Far Niente’s Floatovoltaic system involves securing nearly 1,000 solar panels on pontoons, then floating the pontoons on the winery’s vineyard irrigation pond. Combined with a section of about 1,300 panels located on land adjacent to the pond, the array will generate 400 kilowatts at peak output, enough to offset the winery’s annual power usage and provide a net-zero energy bill.
The hope is that costs will be recovered, grapes will grow into terrific wines, and more Napa operations will foloow suit and use solar to power their operations. With innovative ideas like this who wouldn’t?
Filed under Solar Power by newenergy
