Sunday, March 6, 2011

Want To Know How Solar Power Works?

We have been harnessing our energy from the sun in order to  do our environment a favor. More and more homes are switching to solar power  and enjoying the benefits of their good deed. There is no doubt that solar power  is a wonderful thing, supplying electricity to our lights and appliances. After  your solar system is paid for, you will be gaining your free energy from the  sun. But what a lot of people don't know is how solar power works. If you are  interested in finding out how we gain energy from the sun, then read on. 

The methods used. -

The most common way solar power is created is by using  photovoltaic technology. Sunlight is transformed directly into electricity with  the help of PV cells. These solar cells are used to make modules that create a  solar panel. When sunlight shines upon this solar panel, electrons in the solar  cells are loosened by the photons found in sunlight. From here an electrical  current is created from the loose electrons and can be utilized for electricity.  Thermal collectors can also be used to create solar power; this is done by  drawing heat from the sun. The solar thermal collectors have 3 group temperature  classifications; low, medium and high. Hot water that is used for commercial or  residential use would use a medium temperature collector, these are flat plates.  Electric power creation that collects sunlight with the use of lenses or mirrors  is done by high temperature collectors.

Photovoltaic technology; how it works.  -

We will discuss in more detail how the process of this  works because it is the most common form used. Once the electrical current is  created from loose electrons it just begin its work to create the electricity we  use. The solar energy is converted into direct current electricity by the solar  panels and then travels into an inverter. This inverter then transforms the  direct current electricity in 120 volt AC, this is the electricity required to  work appliances. This AC power goes through the utility panel in your home and  this is then circulated to lighting and appliances in your home. Excess solar  energy is stored in the battery as DC electricity enabling you to have  electricity during blackouts or at night. 

Solar power is a fantastic process in using a natural  resource to gain electricity for our homes. In understanding the process it is  easier to appreciate this renewable energy and hopefully encourage more people  to switch to solar power for a cleaner future.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Will Connecting to the Grid Reduce Your Solar Power Cost

Solar power systems are gaining a lot of popularity in the past few years. Technological advancement that leads to reduced solar power cost is the main reason why these systems became so popular.

Installing a solar system at your premises entails a somewhat high upfront cost. It is this cost that scares a lot of people and make them change their minds.

This upfront cost can be covered relatively in a short period of time taking into consideration that the running costs of such systems is very low.

The purpose of solar systems is to transform the sun's rays into usable electricity. Thus no raw material is needed. If installed properly, the only running cost for these systems comes in the form of minor maintenance and parts replacement.

What contributes further to lowering the solar power cost is the idea of getting connected to the electric utility grid. When you connect to the traditional electric utility grid after constructing your solar power system you will have the chance to sell the utility the excess electricity that you have thus reducing your electricity bills.

How does this grid connection work and how can it reduce solar power cost? To connect to the grid you will have to add a smart device called a net meter to your system. When you are generating electricity more than you are consuming, as in a shiny summer afternoon, the net meter will transform the unused electricity back to the utility resulting in a credit balance for you. When you need electricity more than what you are producing, for example at night or during cloudy climate, then the net meter will provide you with the excess electricity that you need form the utility.

The electric utility will charge you the net amount that you have consumed, that is the amount that you have taken from the utility minus the amount that you have provided it.

In addition to the reduction in solar power cost, using a net meter will reduce the pressure on the network as a whole and span the consumption along the whole day.

Electric utilities usually apply what is known as time-of-use pricing. Through the time-of-use pricing the utility will charge more during the peak times, which are the daytime, and less during the low consumption time, or the night time. This fits neatly when using solar energy with grid connection because you will be using electricity from the utility at night thus consuming energy when the prices are low.


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http://www.mysolarpowerinformation.com

Monday, February 15, 2010

Solar Panel Products: Providing Renewable Sources of Energy

We are getting greener.  These days there are products that are powered using renewable energy. Some of the more popular products are solar panel products.  Some of these products are great outdoor pieces like birdbaths, water fountains, and the like, all being powered by solar energy.  If you think about it, these items are suited for solar power as they would only be turned on during summer days and instead of using electricity, they use solar panels instead. Other solar panel products are outdoor lamps and just recently, some indoor lamps are getting their juice from the sun as well.

Just recently in the United States, there have been tax incentives in certain states for people transforming part of their homes to solar energy. As much as 30% in federal tax credits can be given to you for going solar. In fact, California, as one of the most promising and suitable places for solar energy set its goal of 33% of its energy by 2020 comes from renewable resources.  In the area of Berkeley, there is a move by the city to waive initial set up fees of solar cell converter.  Looking at how aggressive this city is, it is more probable that in the near future, this city will become the model city for the number of homes utilizing solar power as well.

In Australia, the uses of solar ovens have been in place for years. Relatively easy to set up, this makeshift cooking utensil was actually started by the aborigines and then was caught on by the rest of the aussies. Solar heaters in homes are probably more prevalent in this country than any other in the world. The use of solar panels is nothing new to them and they continue to grow in the number of solar users as this article is being written.

The advantage of having more people use solar panel products is that it drives the price down. Through the economies of scale, mass production of such items means that their prices becoming lower to be competitive against other companies that offer a similar product. The ending result is that we the consumers win. As china has entered the foray through its manufacturing advantage against other countries, their products become more affordable so that newly industrialized countries and its citizens become aware of it and hopefully purchase some products.  And if this trend continues, there will be less dependency on petroleum and oil. Solar energy, as a renewable resource, is now mainstream.


Finally!  You can learn the secrets to finding solar panel products! Don't spend tens of thousands of dollars on a new system until you read this information.  Check out http://www.solarpanelsforbeginners.net to learn more about this alternative energy source and what it can mean for your home!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Green Mobile Classrooms Help Teach Environmental Issues

Mobile classrooms and portable buildings can be the perfect solution for schools that need to accommodate a growing number of students. They can be built quicker and offer a fast solution for schools which need to expand their facilities in a short time.

As classrooms have become overcrowded and provide outdated facilities, the need for an improved educational space has become greater. Mobile classrooms and portable buildings are now truly modular. A mobile classroom manufactured with modern technology can be a permanent part of the school. If your school system needs additional space, you can find a solution for an effective learning environment quickly and at an affordable price. A portable building or a mobile classroom is a solution to the problem of rapid growth and shifting school population.

Traditional temporary classrooms have a record of problems such as condensation, dust collection in HVAC systems, and mold. Modern mobile buildings are designed with the aim of avoiding such problems.

Mobile classrooms can be less expensive than traditional site built classrooms and can become available sooner than built classrooms. The cost for such a classroom can be as low as 45% cheaper than a typical permanent classroom or addition. Although traditional temporary classrooms can use more energy for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation, such costs can be lowered by manufacturers of portable buildings that use green sources of energy.

Green portable building options use environmentally friendly building products, and energy saving technologies. Students studying in a green mobile classroom will be directly exposed to technology designed to protect the environment.

If your school is situated in a beautiful natural setting, the closer a classroom is to wildlife and nature, the more benefits your students can reap from studying science in such a location. Mobile classrooms can be oriented in any direction and can be installed in a wide variety of site conditions.

Understanding and conveying spoken messages is an important part of the learning process. Students are sensitive to background noise, their comprehension is greatly reduced due to background noise. Sources of noise may include outdoor sounds, loud air-conditioning and ventilation systems. Turning off the ventilation system can lead to increased carbon dioxide concentration and other indoor air quality problems. A mobile classroom or portable building is a better solution; it can even accommodate a music room where you can benefit from the noise insulation.

In a green mobile classroom, you can work with natural lighting, which is better for the ability of students to concentrate and for the overall learning. Students with the most classroom daylight can progress faster than those who learn in an environment which receives less amount of natural light. Sun pipes used in a green mobile classroom can diffuse the light and not be a source of glare. Daylight can provide for energy savings.

Portable buildings can be designed to have lower environmental impact. They are energy and water efficient. They use durable, non-toxic materials, high in recycled content and timber from sustainable forests. Portable buildings and mobile classrooms preserve pristine natural areas on their sites. They can use non-polluting and renewable energy to a greater extent.

One green solution for portable buildings and mobile classrooms are cool roofs. Cool roofs that reflect solar radiation and radiate energy away before it is absorbed can reduce the cooling load during peak hours when energy is more expensive. In addition, cool roofs are more weather and climate tolerant.

Another improvement offered by portable buildings and mobile classrooms manufacturers are sedum green roofs. Sedum roofs are living carpets of low growing succulent plants. They have shallow roots that absorb morning dew and can rehydrate during sunny and windy periods of drought. A sedum green roof can reduce heat loss in winter, and the internal temperature in summer, it helps reduce energy costs. It can improve sound insulation of the building, while plants will remove carbon dioxide and absorb pollutants from the air. It can also protect the roof from UV light while evaporation from the vegetation will cool the air around the roof.

Classrooms using PV solar power reduce energy costs and are a tool to make children better understand why saving energy and designing green solutions to building spaces will improve the quality of life on our planet.  PV panels reduce the carbon footprint and save energy costs.

Modular portable buildings have significant advantages including shorter constructions time, reduced site disruption, consistent quality, financial savings and flexibility of use. While manufacturers can produce specialty units such as science labs, or a technology enabled mobile classroom with computers and Internet access, the single classroom is the most common application. A mobile classroom can be a comfortable classroom, efficient in its use of materials and environmentally responsible.


School Escape are experts in designing and building innovative and eco friendly mobile classrooms
http://www.theschoolescape.co.uk/

Monday, February 1, 2010

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Wind Generator?

Is it genuinely possible to assemble a homemade wind generator for less than $200? Yes it actually is! Additionally , the good thing is that the cash you will save on your electricity expenses should pay for it's construction in as little as 2 months! You can actually make a wind generator in as little time as a weekend, and make use of it to power your own property more or less straight away!

The concept of wind power is simply no longer far fetched as long as you have got a wind source. If the winds in your area average more than 5 miles per hour you have the possibility for making use of the wind as a serious and practical source of energy. There are many comprehensive instruction manuals available on line that will supply you with all the instructions you will need on how to make a wind turbine.

If perhaps you really don't want to construct your own, you may always go out and acquire ready manufactured kits however these tend to be much more expensive. These products are going to range around $3000 in cost. Why would you when you can construct your own for a couple of hundred or so dollars or less?

The other key to a project like this is you need to have expert assistance to install the power source to your home. If you do not know anything about installation of power, it is an absolute must that you find an expert to assist you with your hook-up.

To put together do-it-yourself windmills you'll want to have the correct materials and equipment. These should be simple to locate at a local hardware retail outlet. Most likely you are going to possess the tools you need for this challenge. It does not require more than popular household tools to build your wind turbine.

There are a lot of advantages to constructing do-it-yourself wind generators aside from saving cash on your energy bills. Realistically by law in the USA, you can actually sell back the energy you do not consume to the energy provider and make cash. You might also find tax deductions for making use of "green" energy resources.

On top of these superb financial incentives to turn environmentally friendly, you will also be assisting to conserve the environment from harmful pollutants when you utilize wind power. Lastly, one more benefit of having your own do-it-yourself wind mill is that you are likely to add value to your property. With an extra source of personal electricity your home is going to increase in market worth.

Hence what are you waiting for? Go and get started constructing your very own planet friendly windmill right now!


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Take a look at the reviews I have written on the leading DIY Windmil kits at http://www.howtomakeawindmill.net now.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Make a Green Home

By: Michael Duggan

Making a green home can have a number of advantages for you,
your family and the environment. It can save you money on your
energy and water bills, as well as the general up keep and
maintenance of your home. A green home can also reduce your
ecological footprint by reducing your reliance on fossil fuels
and minimising the production of waste. Another reason to
building green is the improvement on your quality of life and
the health of your family. There are a huge amount of options
now available to make a green home and this article will
concentrate on five main areas for you to improve the
sustainability of your home.

The goal of making a green home is to reduce energy and water
use, save money, minimise waste, and improve the health of its
occupants. This can be achieved in many different ways, on a
range of budgets and in new and existing dwellings. One of the
best ways to achieve a green home is to start at the design
stage, before construction begins. However it is also possible
to green a home that has already been built.

Reducing your energy consumption can be achieved in a variety of
ways. The most cost effective way is also the simplest. When you
leave a room, turn the light off and when you're not using an
appliance switch it off. You can also purchase products that
have a high energy efficiency rating to further reduce your
energy use when you are using a particular appliance.
Air-conditioning and heating accounts for more than half of the
average household's energy consumption. The design and materials
used in the construction of your home can significantly reduce
the need to use mechanical heating and cooling. This will save
you money on energy bills and make your home more comfortable to
live in.

In many parts of Australia, water is a precious resource.
Minimising our use of water is very important and there are many
options available for your household to do this. Fitting water
saving devices is the easiest way to achieve water use
reductions. The purchasing of water efficient washing machines
and dish washers can further reduce your water consumption. The
installation of rainwater tanks can supply additional water
resources for flushing toilets and watering the garden. It is
also possible to reuse grey water by running it through a
treatment system. This water can then be used in the laundry and
toilet.

Reductions in waste can be made at different stages of a homes
life cycle. During the construction phase, you should ask your
builder how he disposes of site waste. Encourage the reuse of
materials and the recycling of products that don't get used.

About the author:
FWR Group Pty Ltd
provide clients with
sustainability consulting
services for all facets of the
emerging sustainable development sector, including technology,
strategic planning, sustainable business and education/training
industries.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Building Solar Panels - Escape From Energy Bills For Good

By: John Greenspan

Many folks escaped from exorbitant energy bills, by building
solar panels for their home. Solar energy is available in
abundance, so this is a reliable option. Having sufficient
photovoltaic panels installed, you can generate enough
electricity for the entire day and night.

The electricity meant for use at night is stored in a battery
bank. When the sun sets, the accumulators discharge their power
so your home can continue to be supplied with electricity. In
this way, you can even live independent of the power grid
(off-grid).

Harnessing solar energy (by the use of photovoltaic panels) can
certainly help lower or eliminate your electricity bills
altogether. But a complete set of solar energy panels that can
supply all of your household needs would probably set you back
by at least twenty thousand dollars. And if you're taking a
loan, you'll end up paying even more because of the interest
accrued. The sad fact is few people in the working class can
afford these readily. Therefore many continue to be fully
dependant on the power grid, paying up whatever is demanded of
them.

Thankfully we're in an age when using renewable energy is in
vogue. Many homeowners are buying resources to help them build
their own solar energy panels. Thus affordable, environmentally
friendly energy is available to you so long as you're willing to
put your hands to the plough for some days. This effort that you
put in continues to bring forth returns year after year.

What Is Required To Build DIY Solar Panels?

There are two ways to build your own solar energy panels. The
first way is to get all the raw components and fit them together
from scratch. The other way is to get a solar energy kit. This
is a package that contains everything you need to set up your
own solar power generator.

Photovoltaic kits are very educational and instructions are
usually quite thorough and simple to understand. The manual is
replete with diagrams and instructions on how to make your own
solar energy panels. Compared to constructing a solar generator
from scratch, this method helps you get what you need in the
shortest time. However it is more costly.

If you want to construct a solar power generator without a kit,
you'll need a good solar energy panel blueprint to guide you
along. This will help you avoid 99% of the mistakes a
first-timer makes. Although it will cost a little, the price of
a good instructional material pays for itself many times over.
This is because good instruction guides have blueprints and tips
on where to find good-quality materials for your project. This
information alone is worth its weight in gold. It'll save you
thousands of dollars that will otherwise be wasted on silly
mistakes.

About the author:
John Greenspan is an expert in DIY solar panels
and has build several solar power generators in his spare time.
Are you interested in building DIY Solar panels? Pick up your
FREE "How To Build Solar Panels" eBook at =>
http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com