Solar Energy Benefits

Archive for the ‘Solar Energy’ Category

Solar energy is what is known as a renewable energy source, as long as we have the sun we will have solar energy. Even on cloudy days the sun is shining and will produce energy for solar panels. It would be an obvious statement to make to say that solar energy is most efficient in really hot countries that receive lots of sun, but on the same note many people use solar powered systems in colder countries and still manage to yield decent amounts of energy.

The current energy demand for the world could easily be supplied by solar power alone and many people estimate that in 50 years from now a large amount of the worlds energy will come from the sun. Now is the an especially important time to be using a renewable energy source like this due to the fact that fossil fuels are running out and once there gone, there gone!

So how does solar power work? Well sunlight is converted directly into electricty using photovoltaics. Initially photovoltaics were used to power very small applications such as calculators but nowadays they are formed into arrays to provide lots more power.

The largest power station in the world that uses photovoltaic cells is based in North America with an enormous capacity of around 354 Mega Watts!

Possibly the only flaw of solar energy is that is obviously not available at night therefore all solar powered systems need adequate storage facilities to keep energy produced in the daytime. One of the most commons ways of storing it is by using high temperatures and molten salt, mainly because it is so cheap and have a very high heat capacity.

The cost of solar power can vary from supplier to supplier but for most people it can be a great investment with the majority of people seeing a return within the same year. Once the cost of the equipment and installation is paid off most people will find that they never have to pay another electricity bill again, on top of this any excess energy produced can be sold back to the grid and therefore you can be making money on your solar power system.

Depending where you purchase a solar powered system from prices generally start off at around $15,000 and can increase up to double this and over. The differences are usually in how well the panels convert the energy and also how well they cover areas that are going to be exposed to lots of sunshine. It is important that the contractor has a well laid plan of how your panels will be setup and where they will be situated as this will be the key factor in how much sun you will get and therefore how much energy you will produce.

It is always good to go with a well reputable supplier who have years of experience in the industry, this way you will ensure you are getting the optimal technology available and you will be getting a quality installation done.

Remember that the more energy you use and the bigger your household then the more sense it makes to get a solar powered system, this way you can see a return quicker and nowadays it is easy to produce lots of energy with a good system whatever your location is (within reason!).

The popularity of solar power is forever on the increase and with the technology behind it becoming cheaper many people have decided to use solar energy to power their homes. The initial investment that comes with using a solar power system can be quite large with home owners however many people have proven that it can pay off in the long run.

If installed and used properly a solar power energy system in a home can not only provide enough energy to power everything inside it but also generate excess energy that can be sold as surplus to energy suppliers.
Many people have adopted a solution like this for their homes and have found that the initial investment cost can be paid back within a couple years or maybe even less.

Believe it or not a solar powered system will operate all year round and still yield energy, obviously the periods of the year where the sun is the strongest will give out the most energy however even winter months will receive exposure, not only this but systems nowadays are very efficient and will make optimal use of the sunlight they receive.

Another advantage to powering your home with solar energy is that your house price can increase because of it, most people will see it as a massive benefit because in many cases it means they will never have to pay another electricity bill again!

Depending upon the country you reside in your government may be able to offer you a grant to help with the initial cost of installing a solar powered system. In Germany there is a big government scheme to do just this and many people have benefited from it.

Have you ever wanted to make your own solar panel? Well now you can and believe it or not it isn’t as hard as you might think! Follow this guide and within a couple hours you will have your own solar panel generating power, ok sure its not going to be enough to power your house but you can see the concept of it working and actual power output!
To make your own solar panel you are going to need the following:

1) A sheet of copper flashing, you can get this from most hardware stores, we don’t need a lot and its usually around $5 per square foot, this will be plenty.

2) A micro-ammeter, you will need a sensitive one of these and the power output will not be very big. You can get these from most electronics stores like radio shack.

3) A small electric stove, you need quite a powerful one that will get the ring red hot, somewhere in the region of a kilowatt, you can get these from camping shops and many other places and they are not expensive.

4) Two alligator clips.

5) A plastic bottle, preferably quite a large one, you will need to chop the top off it.

6) Tap water and table salt

7) Some sand paper

Something to cut the copper sheet with (metal shears should do it)

Building your solar panel

Firstly you will need to cut the cooper sheet to size, make it around the same size of the ring on the stove so that it fits on top of it nicely. Once you’ve done this give the sheet a good clean and then use the sandpaper to remove any corrosion from it.

Next we need to heat the copper sheet up, so stick it on the stove and turn it up to full blast. As the copper gets hotter you will notice different coloured patterns forming, this is the oxidization of the copper and is completely normal.

After a while the copper sheet will turn black, this is a coating of cupric oxide. At this stage we need to leave it for around half an hour to ensure that the black coating is thick, otherwise it will be tricky to remove it as a thin layer will stick to the copper.

After hour or so turn the stove off and let the copper sheet cool down, this may take a while but leave the sheet on the stove so it cools down slowly, you will probably start noticing some shrinking and parts of the black oxide will start flying off, this is normal.

Once the copper has completely cooled down most the black coating will be gone, you can run the sheet under cold water and remove any excess bits but do not scrub the sheet as this can damage the red cuprous oxide layer that will make the solar cell operate.

That’s the hard part done! Next you need to cut an identical size piece of copper from the sheet your bought, take both sheets and bend them so they fit inside the plastic bottle that you cut the top off from. Make sure that both sheets do not touch each other, ideally you want the top side of the sheet that we burnt to be facing inwards.

Next, connect up your two alligator clips to both sheets of the copper, the one attached to the burnt copper sheet must go to the negative terminal of the ammeter and the one sheet must go to the positive terminal. OK were almost there! Get your tap water and mix two tablespoons of salt into it, pour this solution into the bottle carefully and try to submerge around an inch of each copper plate under the water.

There are many benefits of using solar energy especially nowadays with cheaper prices on systems and better technology. Solar power is a renewable energy source and as long as we have the sun it will never run out, it is a clean energy, produces no pollution whatsoever and is completely natural.

Many people are turning to solar power for residential and business purposes, the initial investment cost can be pricey for some, but there is almost a guarantee that it will be made back and most people will actually generate extra revenue by selling excess power back to the grid.

Since fossil fuels are slowly running out people are looking at future energy sources that will not run out, solar power is probably the top contender as it is one the easiest to implement and the most cost effective. I.e for what it costs to install it will yield the most energy.

The other great things about solar energy are that:
Its silent, it doesn’t generate any noise. Once its installed it can be left alone and it is rare for any maintenance to be required. The sun will always be there to provide energy for solar panels, even on cloudy days the panels will receive exposure and will produce energy.

As you can see solar energy is the choice for the future and with fossil fuels running it now is the time for people to start using solar energy more and to stop relying upon energy sources that will soon be extinct.