Solar Power

January 13, 2010

Build a Solar Panel - The 9 Essential Items You Must Have Before You Start!

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 12:17 pm and tagged , , ,

Locating Solar Cells

How many cells you need to build a solar panel will depend on the size of solar panel you are going to build. The cheapest way to get solar cells is either from eBay or find a local firm who uses solar cells in their equipment. Like road signs, these get damaged and chipped and get thrown away. These companies don’t repair the actual cells, they just replace them. So you can salvage them and use them in your panel.

Strong Plywood

The plywood forms the backing board which the cells sit on and is an integral piece of the panel. Get a good sheet of flat plywood and cut it to size. We will be treating the plywood later to make sure it doesn’t rot when left outside to the elements.

Wood

You want to get a piece of 1″x1″ or 1.5″x1.5″ preferably hardwood to make a frame to hold the glass in place. Again we will be protecting it with a UV coating to give it added protection against the elements.

Flexi-Glass

Flexi- glass is used to protect the solar cells and all the electrical wiring. Some people like to use special glass that has the ability to collect infrared light. This is expensive but it will make your solar panel more efficient as the infrared feature will allow you to convert the suns energy in cloudy conditions.

Solder Tabbing Wire

The soldering or tabbing wire, connects the solar cells together either in series or parallel and caries the current to the copper wire. The wire is made from tin and is known as tabbing wire.

Silicone Gun

Silicon is used to make the solar panel water tight by filling the gap between the flexi glass and the wooden frame. The great thing about the silicone sealant is that you can also use to fix the solar cells to the plywood backing.

Solder

The solder is used to join the cells to the copper wire. When the current leaves the solar panel, it does so by connecting to copper wiring. You connect to the copper wiring by soldering the tabbing wire to the copper wire. Should the tin tabbing wire not stay in place, the solder can be applied to stick it back down again.

Flux

Flux is needed to ensure the tabbing wire sticks to the cells. A flux pen is very good for this as it is just the right width. The flux is essential for the tabbing wire to stick to the boards. If you do not use flux then the tabbing wire will not stick to the solar cells and no current will be able to run along it.

UV Plywood Protector

Paint the UV protector on to the plywood and the wooden frame to increase the life of the solar panel while it is left out in the sun.

Volt Meter

You want to know what the output of your solar panel is, so you connect the volt meter to the output and then angle your solar panel so that it is direct sunlight. As you add more cells, so the output should increase.

Learn more about how to build a solar panel or visit here to understand how to Build a Solar Panel if money is in short supply.


August 24, 2009

How to Manufacture a Quick and Simple Solar Oven

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 2:31 am and tagged , , ,

Numerous different solar oven designs have been developed and are cheap and easy to make in contrast to learning how to build a solar powered panel. Construct a box for your cooker out of MDF. I discovered small veneer pins to be exceptionally useful because they may be pounded neatly into the end grain of thin MDF and not split the wood.

They are sufficiently sturdy to be put to this use.

Now measure the size of the cube within the lined polystyrene box. You need to cut the mirror plastic to this size, and further line the box with it. Duck Tape is more than perfect for making good all the joints and securing things into place. Next, reflective surfaces need to be prepared. Use a bandsaw to cut a 2 foot wide strip of mirror plastic.

Draw a line extending along the edge of the mirror to the corner at a 67 degree angle, making a right triangle with the scrap plastic section. Now you have to mark up a string of trapeziums down the side of the mirror, where the shortest part is the same length as the inside of the cooker box. Use duck tape to join the mirrored reflectors on the non-reflective side so that the reflector side is on the top. Using Duck Tape permits you to make flexible hinges, which permit the reflector to be folded and stored out of the way. Take the stove to a sunny area to use. Positioning the rods supporting the reflectors will be far easier if you have somebody to hold the reflector at the right angle while you position and glue the support rod.

For practical, efficient cooking, heat needs to be captured and retained in the cooker to build up adequately to appropriate levels. If you don’t cover it up, all the hot air will escape. Oven heating bags are both cheap and simple to cook with. A pane of glass, ideally double-pane glass is an alternative solution. The glass should be slightly wider and higher than the lesser sized box, yet sufficiently small to let you easily take it out of the inner box. Using specular film instead of tin foil for the outside reflectors is an alternative way to make the stove better. This may not be used inside your oven since it is unable to withstand the high temperature. If you are pressed, you can heat up foods that have already been cooked (like canned goods) with the double zip lock bag trick. The food should be placed within a smaller zip-lock sack nestled inside of a bigger plastic zip-lock.

Whenever possible, place them on a reflective surface such as the reverse side of a bag of chips or a car sunshade. Of course solar ovens will not generate electricity, to do this you will need to learn how to build homemade solar panels.

Would you like to be able to soak in a warm bath when you are camping or your electricity goes out? Fill up some large soft drink containers with water, and set them on your car’s dash in direct sunlight. Close up the automobile to catch in the heat. Take a bath when the sun is at its highest. If you’d like to take a bath at night put the warm bottles in a thermo box. Alternatively you can learn how to build solar panels to power your appliances


August 5, 2009

Varied R.V. Solar Panel Options For You To Ponder

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 9:51 am and tagged , , , , , , ,

You can go where ever you want to, and not have to stay in a hotel room, with a recreational vehicle. In principle you can go anywhere you please, but the reality is that your need for electricity limits you to certain camp sites.

Even if you use your batteries to power on-board appliances they are going to need recharging from time to time sometimes more frequently than you had planned. Just a word to the wise: the battery’s lifespan will be negatively impacted if the battery is constantly being drained. Most RV’s have on-board generators, but these tend to be very noisy and polluting. But there is an option available that will allow you the freedom to go wherever you please.

You can own a RV, and not be conscious of the solar panel solutions that are open to you. One of the advantages of installing an RV solar panel is that it may be able to produce electricity in remote locations. For example, you travel in your automobile to the middle of Yellow Stone National Park, when you get there you will have a way of generating electricity from solar panels without polluting the environment. The price of RV kits can range between around $400 to $1000, depending on the power output you need. RV solar cells come in a selection of packages, which include starter kits or an RV solar panel extension as an addition to an existing RV solar electricity system and you can always learn how to build a solar panel.

Fixing RV panels to the roof is the most common way to connect them. To achieve this, mounts are screwed into the roof of your RV.

The drawback to this strategy is that you have got to drill holes into your automobile, which can turn out to be a tough job unless you are experienced in this field but if you are experienced then it be worth learning how to build a solar panel as well.

A mobile RV solar panel electricity kit is another choice open to you, instead of roof mounted solar panels. This strategy needs space for storing when traveling, and the time to assemble it when you reach your destination.

Mobile solar panels can be simply stored if foldable, and they have an inclination to be quite light so are simply moveable too. Approximately 75 to 100 watts can be generated by just one 4′ x 2′ solar panel; this is comparable to what is produced by two golf cart batteries. This would probably be enough for a normal 24ft RV but it would depend on, of course your personal electrical needs.

Maybe start with two solar panels, and fit some more as required. This is where you can get more information, on how to accomplish this how to build a solar panel.

This method is far superior for many reasons, the main one being that it does not involve drilling holes into the roof of your RV and this is a great advantage when the time comes to sell the RV, since the price you get won’t be affected by the “do it yourself holes” in the roof.


July 28, 2009

Solar Panels - Help Decrease Utility Bills In Addition To Your Home’s Carbon Footprint

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 4:20 am and tagged ,

One glacier, the Trotting Glacier, liquefies more water in 24 hours than NY City consumes in a year and has receded 9 miles in 5 years. The evidence is the ice core records that include CO2 and temperature levels reaching back 650,000 years. Each fume from a smoke stack and combustion engine output contributes to the seventy million tons of CO2 that people release into the air every day. Reducing our CO2 levels is the only option for lowering the effect of releasing CO2 into our atmosphere.

Most family houses spend around a 3rd of their energy budget on heating water for daily uses.

The utility companies supply the gas or electricity to heat the water for baths, showers, washing clothing, and many other things. But the resources utilized in providing electricity and gas are non-renewable, and as more natural resources are consumed they are increasingly more difficult to find. This makes it hard for the typical household client with electric and water bills that keep on increasing at very high figures. This can only continue as carbon-based fuels get harder to find and extract. Using a solar panel is a good way to heat water and has had success for close to a hundred years now.

The easier method of solar energy use available today is water heating through solar electricity. It is just a method of using the thermal rays from the sun and putting them in the water.

The name of a solar panel is the batch collector systems and the flat plate collector. Flat plate collectors are just a chain of pipes that are positioned in an area of the home that receives direct sunlight (often a southern exposure and fitted to the roof). Water comes through the pipes and the sun heats it up without any chemicals. The pipes are constructed to soak up the most heat from the sun. You can find out how to build a solar panel here.

A solar panel batch collector system is a water tank which has been changed to get the maximum out of the sun’s energy. This includes black surfaces that absorb the thermal energy. Surfaces that are black, which absorb the thermal energy, are included. The tank is located in an area that has a lot of sunlight and it is close to the house. It is possible for the water obtained from either of these systems to be utilized in the house’s regular plumbing system, for showers, dishwashing, cooking and watering the garden. Buying and installing each system will cost a lot of money but the upkeep cost is low and the system will last anywhere from ten to twenty-five years.

It could take 5 to 7 years for you to recoup your money on purchase and installation, depending upon the amount of hot water you use and how effective your house is in storing hot water. You would also be doing your part in the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases sent into the atmosphere. Just to mention a few of the advantages and disadvantages of solar power. Take a look at the alternative panels by going here polycrystalline solar panel.


July 22, 2009

How the Government Is Centering On Solar Power To Get A Fast Profit From An Investment

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 5:59 am and tagged , ,

While the debate rages on as to whether a solar panel is a good investment for your money or if solar energy is not a resource worthy of consideration. The Department of Energy has announced that they are devoting money to a two year study on solar power. The intention of this study is to verify the efficiency of solar power as claimed by the solar power industries.

Working out if a solar panel can lower the cost per KW hour to about ten cents is their end goal, this it could happen very quickly if we were to believe the scientists. While this doesn’t seem like a big savings, consider the billions of kilowatt hours expended daily in the United States. You can see how much money and energy could be saved.

The government is looking into the possibility of concentrated solar power - this technology uses an array of mirrors to beam daylight into a central receiver. There are many positives, but the downside is the cost of building the technology for the liquid heating and a turbine generator. George Bush is a proponent of new alternative fuel technology, which reflects the current political climate in America. This is ironic, since George Bush was born during the Texas oil boom.

There’ll be 9 separate private firms working in coordinated efforts, which will need funding of more than $2 million. The Solar Vehicle 8 of Lakewood, Colorado will be researching the development and advances to an advanced system that can harness solar energy. 3M, Alcoa, Brayton Energy, Hamilton Sundstrand, Infinium, Sky Feel, and Solar Millennium are also contributing to this effort.

There is increasing pressure to find alternative energy sources and products due to the current recession and declining dollar. With the chance of the Iraq conflict continuing and oil costs going incredibly high, results from these efforts will be simpler to understand once the U. S.’s solar power initiative is in full swing.

In the long run, a hard-line approach of the use of solutions for alternative energy, and bringing down the dependence on traditional fuels and foreign oil has to be taken by the government. As the general public sees the costs of gas rise while the costs of solar powered technology decreases, the general public will shortly follow this new technology to make a more green friendly planet and fitter environment for its population.

For the general public, the decision to wait for the new solar panel technology to become commercially available before installing it in their home is a tempting one, but this new technology may take another ten years before you see it in the DIY stores.


July 20, 2009

Bio Power Sources Are Shell’s Preferred Alternative Energy Source For The Bigger Future Investments

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 4:45 am and tagged , ,

Technologies such as solar, hydro power, or wind, or any other renewable technologies, will not be invested in by Shell as they are not business, stated the Anglo-Dutch oil company today. This company has a plan to make more investments in biofuels, which carry the blame for the escalation in the cost of food, and the destruction of our forests, as the environmentalists state. The company asserted it would concentrate on developing other cleaner strategies of using normal fuels, eg carbon capture and sequestration ( CCS ) technology. It was hoping to use CCS to reduce emissions from Shell’s questionable and energy-intensive oil sands projects in north Canada.

It was declared by the company that no attractive investment opportunities were offered by alternative technologies, such as the RV solar panel. “If there exist no comparable investment opportunities, we cannot inject cash into it,” declared Linda Cook, Shell’s executive director of power and gas.

Its core business of the provision of logistics, branding, trading, and fuels, are where biofuels fit in, as Shell expounds.

Cook added: It’s now looking like biofuels is one which is nearest to what we do in Shell. Solar and Wind power are fine, however, everyone will continue to investigate other prospects in which to add to their investment portfolios, even though there are other markets with big packages. The company also confirmed that it would increase its dividend payments this year by about five percent to $10bn. Friends of the Earth criticized Shell for freezing investment in renewables like wind for biofuels.

The campaign group clarified: “Shell is supporting the wrong party in terms of renewable energy biofuels, leading to more emissions than the gas and diesel they replace. “Shell is at least being a bit more truthful about the fact they seem to be a fossil fuel company. It looked at limitations that the green wash used some years ago had.”. Shell owns around 550MW of wind farm capacity around the globe, ample energy to supply power to a town the size of Sheffield when the wind is blowing. Last annum, it quit the 1000MW London Array Project, the cooperation that intended to construct what would be the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary. The required 3 billion pound investment is still hanging on the decision of former project partner E.ON.

Exiting CEO Jeroen wagon der Curve confirmed that the corporation had borne some “technology baths” in the past when it supported unprofitable technologies. Energy in the 80% range will be from normal fuels and 20 P.C. by the year 2025, as envisioned by the firm, from other power sources such as the RV solar panel. Yet it is spending just over 1 percent of its budget on alternative technologies.

Over the past five years, only 1.7 billion dollars of the 150 billion it invested has been allotted towards alternative sources of energy such as the RV solar panel. There was a minimum of only 1% of the budget invested by the company at one time, as Cook indicated, on natural gas in a liquefied state, that has now become a large portion of its business.

The company assured that it would elevate debt levels to keep dividend payments steady and to stick to its spending agenda. Wagon der Curve maintained that energy demand in the long run was robust and oil costs would recover.


July 15, 2009

The Surprising Connection with Solar Power and Health Foods

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 9:34 am and tagged , , ,

When a person chooses to incorporate solar energy into his home and the appliances he uses every day, he may assume that he lives a natural way of life. He is not only saving the earth and lessening dependency on foreign oil and the power grid; he is also saving himself some money.

Blueberries are healthy and have tons of holistic health uses. They’ve been known to help a number of health problems. They could even help our energy problems with technology. Greater than fifty fruits have been investigated by Tufts School analysts, for their capacity and antitoxins.

Blueberries were the surprising leader of the list. They suggest that they can make a solar panel which has no silicon whatsoever in it.

This might lead to cheaper and better solar panels. The solar panel will be more flexible because it is constructed of natural sources instead of silicon. As stated by analysts, a solar panel that is very thin, is clear and still has the ability to wrap about any object that is solid, can be made. Solar electricity’s technology has been kept expensive by the cost of silicon and solar panel production. It is assumed that with a replaceable organic compound made of the pigment of blueberries, the price of making a solar panel could decrease as much as 15% or more. This leads to more electric currents for the user to use. This would be a totally natural process. You would not only be using clean energy from a plant grown for the express purpose to supply that energy, but it can also be employed as an antioxidant, as well as a good supplement to any diet. There are unlimited uses for a clear solar panel. Solar powered panels with their frames made from massive amounts metal sitting on rooftops, or unpleasant hardware scattered across backyards will no longer be unsightly views. If you are contemplating converting your house over to solar energy, you may want to truly research the use of blueberry pigment solar panels.

Check frequently in order to note if there is any availability yet for the general public. You might have the ability to fashion your home to be more beautifully pleasing to view, while saving a large amount of money. You can place a flexible solar panel almost anywhere.

Wrap them about your support poles of your clothesline, or fasten them to the doghouse or shed. The possibilities are endless with a bit of imagination and creativity. Get the latest news on the internet about the latest on this new technology, and you even have the option of investing in a company that’s developing it. Visit http://www.solarpowerfast.com/ or visit http://www.solarpowerfast.com/home/rv-solar-panels/ for more info.


July 14, 2009

About Now Might Be the Exact Moment for Investing in Solar Energy Corporations

Filed under: Uncategorized — mlukrio @ 7:04 am and tagged , ,

Your participation in the use of solar electricity, whether it be frequent or not, does not affect your part in making solar electricity the most powerful and widely used energy source in years to come. A lot of people think that the technology of solar energy is growing on a daily basis.

The people of the future will be aware of the necessity of the use of solar energy, and the ones with foresight are aware of it today. Whether you need to convert your place or auto to solar energy now or wait, it’s a fact that nations around the globe are pushing for the solar panel or the RV solar panel to become the number one source of fuel that is renewable. Making an investment in solar panel technology corporations a smart choice for anyone. Sun Tech Power’s cheap structure is fantastic for any grassroots investing.

They possess greater market power than a lot of solar companies, and lowering their ASPs facilitates growth of this sector. Transforming into one of the industry’s leaders, Sun Tech is regarded as the firm which will drive the market with lowering costs. Working with China has proven to be a risky proposition in the past; however Sun Tech believes that the profit potential overshadows any risks involved.

The solar market upstart Evergreen Solar makes a great investment opportunity. They employ a lower amount of silicon than different corporations, which aids in minimizing production expenses. Evergreen Solar is reducing the price of production and the price of products by pursuing standard wafer-manufacturing methods. Evergreen Solar’s estimation for expansion is pragmatic and their risk minimal. Because Sun power typically has a hard time lowering expenses to satisfy demand, right now it is experiencing a stock shortage. This trio of companies represents only a fraction of the solar power field.

In the investment community, solar energy is quickly becoming a slogan, it is becoming a rallying call for the green investor and so a whole new investment market has been created. As the markets for fuel-based products like automobiles, homes, and other energy using products are inspected, the requirement for solar electricity in that product will become supreme in helping us meet the growing recession and the fall of the American greenback.

For broadening your portfolio in the energy sector, solar electricity and the RV solar panel provides the greatest liquidity of any of your investments. The RV solar panel Initiative was signed into law by President Bush giving American industries more than $5.2 million to analyze new technologies that may bring down the price of the KW to less than $0.10. This investment is just getting started, so it’s important to be careful.


July 9, 2009

Solar Panels Produced For the Shrewd Purchaser

Filed under: Uncategorized — mlukrio @ 10:30 am and tagged , , , ,

The biggest problem people have with solar electricity is that they want to use the energy of the sun but they don’t want to have an unattractive solar panel. I am sure you have seen homes with multiple solar energy panels using the sun’s energy; it can make the home look unattractive.

However, this is the way of the future and so this is why new aesthetical designs have come on to the market. These have been designed to accomplish two purposes. The owner is not only given an opportunity to employ his solar energy panels as a cover for other items, but they also mesh well with a home’s appearance. A solar panel can be set up in a selection of ways so long as they are angled at the sun and collect the best quantity of energy that is emitted in that area of the house.

Now the panels can serve as solar energy collectors as well as a part of the house with this new idea of having them look like a part of a house. One such design appears like a carport from the outside. The solar energy panels are arranged to extend above the house from the car parking area. The car can be parked by the driver underneath the solar energy panels, which gives the vehicle weather protection.

The car is protected from the rain and snow, and the solar panel has a solid design which assists in supporting themselves, even under the snow’s weight. These solar panels contain a system for heat running through them. The heat will liquefy any moisture like snow or ice so the sun can get through to the solar energy panels regardless of what the weather. There are also alternative systems that activate at dawn and can be deactivated at dusk. There are greenhouses that run completely off of solar power.

This can allow the heat to circle within the greenhouse, letting the plant flourish. The plants receive the solar electricity that is required for them to exist by the reflection of the sun gathered up above the greenhouse. This solar energy panel can only collect so much energy inside each cell then the residual daylight would go to the plants. The added benefit is the installation of these solar cells will cause the humidity to get collected within the hothouse and make allowance for the house to be hotter when the weather cools down.

Keep in mind, that besides all of the above, the house then receives clean energy for only the cost of the initial setup.


July 8, 2009

Solar Powered Equipment for Use A Way From Home or When Taking a Tour

Filed under: Solar Energy — mlukrio @ 4:57 am and tagged , , ,

You can use a Monocrystalline solar panel to power small appliances outside. When you are camping out, there’s nothing worse than having a device like a radio, thermos, cooler, radio or TV not working because the batteries are dead. With solar powered camping equipment you may have all of the luxuries of home and not need to spend a huge amount on batteries that go dead after a short space of time.

Flashlights and lanterns are your basic camping gear. A solar powered flashlight may gather energy from the sun during daylight hours and be employed for use in the evening. You don’t have to replace batteries when you have a solar powered flashlight.

Standard stoves and griddles used oil, propane, or other fossil fuel based additions that not only cost money but add damaging contaminants and noxious smoke to the natural environment in which you are camping.

Use of solar powered cooking equipment allows you to harness the sun’s energy to power up and operate the heating coils in the evening. There are no contaminants or emissions at all. The heat from the sun is a renewable source of energy that is clean. When you go camping you may wish to bring a tiny entertainment device like a DVD player, a radio, a CD player, and sometimes even a little TV. The Monocrystalline panels battery combo allows all the solar energy collected from the sun to be stored and utilized as solar electricity.

You will not have to employ generators that contaminate the air, or your car engine that must be kept running in order to generate electricity, as you can use the Monocrystalline solar panel and bring all the electronics you want to the camping site. Some folk don’t like camping as it takes them away from the comfort of their home and the things they like to do where they need electricity. Now you can take your lethargic friends, get them out in the woods where they can still enjoy the comforts of home, and at the same time see nature’s wonder.

The basic cost of solar powered camping equipment is a tad expensive but if you consider how much batteries cost, the comfort of having your electronic entertainment devices with you, and the undeniable fact that you can help protect the environment, then the cost seems reasonable. A solar powered camping trip is fun for your family, and it is also good for the Earth.

For small battery charged equipment like calculators or mobile phones, you can use a relatively small charger. However, to run your air conditioning, fridge or water heater you will require a heavy duty panel like a monocrystalline panel.


Next Page »

Powered by WordPress. WPMU Theme pack by WPMU-DEV.