Tag Archives: Solar

Solar Power Practicality For Camping

Anna Hart asked: Solar power systems for camping are increasing in availability, but what about practicality? Can solar power systems for camping be put to use readily? Are they portable enough? Are they durable enough? Solar power practicality for camping must address those questions and more. Are solar power systems for camping cost effective? Do they produce enough energy for …

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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 …

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History of Solar Energy

solar energy' alt='solar energy' /> nathan asked: Solar Power History “I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun’s energy… If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago.” These are words of Sir George Porter (December 1920 – August 2002), Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, which today is a reality. The …

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Six Easy Steps to Estimate Cost of a Solar Power System

Cooler Planet asked: Solar power energy systems are not inexpensive. That said it’s important to compare them within context of other types of home improvement projects. Home buyers and realtors view a solar photovoltaic or solar hot water heating system as a significant value-added improvement – similar to adding a deck or remodeling your kitchen. Plus unlike a deck or …

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Intel Funds New Solar Initiative

Intel Spins off Solar Energy Technology; Intel Capital Invests in SpectraWatt Cogentrix Energy, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund, Solon AG also Invest in SpectraWatt to Deliver Solar Cells SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 16, 2008 – To spur new development and demand for renewable energy sources, Intel Corporation is spinning off key assets of a start-up business effort inside Intel’s …

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Solar, Biofuels and Manure – Talk about a well rounded energy resource!

Well in taking advantage of abundant local resources San Joaquin Solar has gotten themselves a contract with PG&E of California to provide 106.8 megawatts (MW) of solar thermal-biofuel hybrid power to the PG&E power grid. The combo energy project is to be built near Coalinga CA, a location only known for a powerful earthquake centered there many years ago. Coalinga …

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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 …

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Solar Power The Switch Is On- SF to Install Lots of Panels

The city of San Francisco put the pedal to the metal on its commitment to using and buying solar power this week, choosing Recurrent Energy to build what will be the country’s third-largest solar photovoltaic system. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission selected Recurrent Energy to install 30,000 solar panels on the roof of the Sunset Reservoir, and on top …

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Hydrogen fuel – some updates to check out

Would you like to listen to the keynote speech by General Motors’ Larry Burns in which he makes a call for a vast expansion of hydrogen stations to fuel the current and future generations of fuel cell vehicles? As a result of recent studies completed with Shell Hydrogen, he stated with confidence that a hydrogen fueling infrastructure is less challenging …

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Solar House – making passive solar work – a real example

There is lots of talk about making our homes more energy efficient and adding solar to existing structures. Well John Kosmer discovered that this was not the way to go and to prove it he built his own house using passive solar to prove it. Nice work john. We need good examples to look up to in this day and …

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How Solar Powered Battery Chargers Can Ease Your Everyday’s Life

Solar battery charger is one of these devices that became a necessity once we have all these electric devices that we use on a daily basis. iPod, laptop, mobile phone, PDA, GPS etc’ just name it. The more we use these battery based gadgets, the more our lives in the 21st century depend on. These battery based portable electric devices …

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Use the Power of Sun and Wind with a Wind Turbine

Solar energy is energy derived from the sun. Solar energy, as well as well as other natural resources such as wind and wave power, is a readily available and renewable form of energy. This natural energy has been harvested in various ways for centuries, though only recently has technology allowed modern conveniences such as heating, lighting, electricity and flight to …

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Solar Attic Fan Protects Your House from Moisture and Mold

Solar attic fan is the ultimate simple and cost effective solution for a well known problem that many home owners are facing every day. Moisture and mold destroys slowly but effectively the house infrastructure. Solar attic fan can fight this irritating problem. You are well familiar with the fact that hot air is lighter then cold air and therefore goes …

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Solar Lighting – Bringing The Light Into Your Life Via The Sun

The global demand for more environmentally friendly options for fuel, energy and food continues to grow and this growth is only expected to continue as concern about climate change increases. With this growth, more and better options for solar lighting are coming to the marketplace. Whether you need lighting for inside or outside your home, there are excellent, practical solar …

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Issues of Solar Power Viability

As the demand for energy continues to grow, the world is looking to diversify energy platforms. Solar power is mentioned continually, but is it really viable? If you step back form the debate on energy sources, you’ll realize something quickly. Solar energy is already the vastly dominant source of energy we use. It just comes in a form we don’t …

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The Benefits of Solar Energy

The benefits of solar energy are great, before you understand of solar energy; you need to know about solar energy and the process of harnessing this energy. There have two different categories of solar energy: thermal and light. Thermal energy is more commonly used and is the energy that is used to passively heat buildings through the use of certain …

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Alternative Energy Video Channels

Alternative Energy HQ has video channels where you can view the most popular videos on each of our energy topics. Solar Video Channel Biodiesel Video Channel Wind Power Video Channel Alternative Energy Video Channel Hybrid Cars Video Channel Electric Cars Video Channel Hydrogen Fuel Video Channel Bio Fuel Video Channel Water Fuel Video Channel Wave Power Video Channel

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The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy

So you like the idea of solar energy, but you’re not sure that you know enough about the negative aspects? It’s true that many sellers of the technology would like to gloss over the less palatable aspects, but our comprehensive list below will keep you well informed. We think that the positive aspects of solar power and energy use greatly …

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Why Doesn’t the Housing Industry Use Solar Panels When Building Homes?

A prominent Southern California Realtor has asked that her congress person tell her why the Housing Industry during the last run-up did not put in more solar? So, the Online Think Tank decided to answer her direct question: Why doesn't the housing industry use solar panels when building a home? This was a huge topic in "Building Industry News" magazine for a good nine months at the top of the bubble.

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Solar Thermal Towers And How They Work

A Solar Thermal Tower runs on the thermal law that hot air rises. Basically the way a thermal tower works is very similar to what would happen if you combined a convection oven with a chimney. A solar thermal tower has three main parts. The tower, the collector, and the turbine. The more prominent is the tower itself. The tower …

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