Browsing Tag Solar Panels

If anything good came out during the recent increases of the fuel oil prices, it is that once again, there is a merry interest in alternative sources of energy. Even when pump prices has been decreasing like nothing we have seen before, the uproar created and the pain it did to business will have a good chance of sticking. The desire for alternative sources of energy is on the forefront and may it stay there for good – as it should.

Extracting oil from crops is a good idea; the downside is that food supplies could be dramatically reduced. Wind power is another excellent thing except for the many buts that wind power generation have.

If costs is the main objection to solar power generation that should be the least of worries.

The installation of solar panels is until today, considered a specialized job. Like any commodity in the market, when the demand is high but the supply is limited, the cost increase. As more and more homes clamor for alternative sources of energy, better technology and more labor is drawn to the job that market forces could take place and result into much lowered prices. This though is still in the future.

Today the reality is the instability and the unpredictability of pump prices. But even if it does provide stable and predictable price movement, solar energy is free and it is inexhaustible.

While the technology of tapping out this resource is not, homes that are solar powered are getting back dividends in terms of higher appraisal for their homes, confidence in not being surprised by power shortage and outage, not being dependent on the fluctuation in power prices and the definite advantage of having provided a better environment solution.

Today, the typical ways at tapping this resource usually are:

•Through a Heliostat – this are focusing collectors composed of mirrors that are aimed at the sun to collect the energy. The temperature that heliostats could provide reaches more that 4,000 degrees centigrade. This high temperature is sufficient for use even for furnaces.

•Through Flat Plate Collectors – employ a system of pipes. The water inside the pipes becomes heated and is ideal for heating purposes like schools, homes swimming pools, offices etc.

•Through Solar Distillation – instead of heat, this provides water. The mechanics is similar to the processes of plate collectors except that this is generally used to steam salt water. To do this, tanks and ducts are usually installed in surfaces that receive a good sun. Through the heat, the salt water turns into steam and when the steam condenses, the water is collected for regular use.

•Through photovoltaic Cells – These are the most common type of collecting solar energy characterized by solar panels installed in rooftops and other flat surfaces that there is a good sun, converting the power collected into electricity.

Unlike any products, whether refined or manufactured, the processing of solar energy do not need additional costs of energy to power it up. It is energy generating by itself. Except maybe for regular inspection and replacement of parts (when it employs a mechanical device), the tapping of solar energy is virtually maintenance free. Once installed, it could be used for as long as needed for the amount of energy, (depending on the capacity of the unit), which the owner requires.

Let’s face the fact that there are many environmentalist groups out there that are actively advocating the people to revert and minimize the usage of non-renewable energy. But is it really worth the time and effort for the people to go green?

Going green is not an overnight make over session with your favorite stylist. It takes money, sweat, and patience to have a fully converted eco friendly home.  There are seven points to remember before joining mother earth’s campaign.

1. Eco Friendly is not Consumer Friendly

Sure the trend has been set and many companies have joined in the fad but those true blue advocates have money to burn in their pockets. Solar panels or wind mills are not easy on the wallet. A solar panel costs a hefty sum; consider buying four or five of them to cut down your electricity bill by a half. Not to mention that these technology is not widely available elsewhere.

They have to be specially ordered and professionally installed to be fully functional. It may be beneficial in two or three year’s time but at the start it’s just all bills and no gain.

2. High maintenance gadgetry may hurt the wallet’s feelings

It may sound rough but truth hurts. Unlike automobiles which can be maintained by good old dad, these gadgets must be maintained by a professional to be able too meet maximum potential and satisfactory performance.

3. With renewable energy, Mother Nature is in control

Complete dependency to renewable energy may seem bleak at the moment especially with the extreme climate change that the world is experiencing. On the contrary, severe climate changes were caused by pollution and global warming. The people are just reaping what they sow.

4. Sources of Renewable energy depend on geographic location

As the old saying goes, “we can’t win ‘em all” panels and mills need to be situated in a location wherein there is abundance of the resource. It’s a no- brainer to say that hydroelectric mills shouldn’t be installed in the desert.

5. Renewable sometimes means more pollution

Some sources stinks, literally! Biomass is one of the most abundant renewable resources on the planet and it would be a waste not to use it to produce millions of wattage of power. However, large scale harvesting of biomass need a facility far away from towns and villages for security reasons. Another is that biomass contributes to pollution and global warming with the emission of greenhouse gases released by the waste products.

6. More renewable energy needs more time

The fore fathers of modern technology depended on oil and coal thinking that it would be available forever for future consumption not knowing that a huge energy crisis would hit the people straight in the eye. To be able to see dramatic changes in the community it would take at least a century to fully dispose of everything that is non-eco friendly or at least half of it.

Renewable energy cannot emmidiately fully sustain the growing world’s needs. Sure there is nuclear energy but the use of it is still debatable. Unlike wind, solar, hydroelectric, or geothermal, nuclear has more cons to human life as to it being useful. It does cut down electricity and energy consumption. It takes a lot of trouble, and the main question, will renewable energy really save the world?

Due to a number of major factors, including the state of the economy, the climate crises and the general higher visibility of environmental issues, renewable energy has become a significant and high profile subject. Now, more than at any time in history, there is a growing awareness of our impact on the planet and consequently a growing movement toward environmental responsibility through the use of renewable energy.

The fundamental shift toward using renewable energy is not just motivated by those who are environmentally conscious and who want to do their part to stabilize the climate. Renewable energy is also attractive to the countless people out there who are interested in saving money on heating and cooling bills by using alternative energy sources. Regardless of the motivation, the result is the same; unprecedented numbers of average people are looking into all types of renewable energy in order to save money on household energy bills. Many have numerous questions about renewable energy. Here are some renewable energy FAQs:

What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that is unlimited in quantity and which renews or regenerates itself without any input from humans.

What are the different types of renewable energy?

Solar power: one of the most popular and reliable forms of renewable energy available, today, solar power is collected by solar panels that have numerous solar cells that store the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity, just like a traditional battery. Solar panels are usually installed on the roofs of structures and are linked together and then tied into the house’s electrical wiring system. Many people find that having a solar power system saves them dramatic amounts of money in heating and cooling bills and some people are even able to disconnect entirely from the electric company and live off the grid on solar power.

Wind power: wind power comes from wind generators that capture the kinetic energy from the wind and translate it into electricity. This is essentially accomplished with propellers mounted on towers. As the wind turns the propellers, electricity is generated. Many electrical cooperatives have built large farms of massive wind generators, but a scaled down version is available for residential use.

Hydrogen furnace: while somewhat different and much more complex than solar or wind power, hydrogen furnaces are just beginning to become proven and reliable technology to create unlimited sources of energy. Essentially, the hydrogen furnace produces energy from waste material by separating the hydrogen molecules. Hydrogen furnaces have posed massive engineering problems for years, but recently there have been breakthroughs that have allowed this technology to become viable.

Can one save money by using renewable energy?
If done correctly, one could save thousands of dollars per year in electricity costs by using renewable energy technology such as solar or wind power. In many places, solar panels can provide the majority if not all of the electricity necessary to power a household every month. The cost of installing a renewable energy system is often recaptured in savings in the first year.

Solar energy for residential houses is nothing new. It has just been relegated to the background in lieu of rising cost of real estate; newer more advanced building materials, design and the limitation of resources.

Since man started building homes, sunlight played a major influence in the design. In fact, even in the more advanced urban planning method of the Ancient Chinese and Greeks, the orientation of the buildings is as much as possible directed towards where it could capture the most sunlight.

The ancients might not be as intellectually sophisticated then to use catch phrases as passive solar and thermal mass but when they build, they were building in compact proportion, employing overhangs, producing insulations and building in manners that direct the airflow within the structure and producing well lit, well ventilated spaces using the relative position of the sun to the orientation of their structures.

Lately, as the conventional sources of energy became more expensive, homeowners were once again turning to the sun for energy requirements.

Since the 1950′s, harnessing the sun’s rays has been developing and today the solar cell technology has achieved very efficient levels that modern (so-called green house) designs apply the sun’s power to provide energy for the home.

While solar energy is free, the device that will convert it to run our appliances is not. To provide solar energy for the home, solar cells called photovoltaic made from semi-conducting materials, are grouped into modules. These solar panels are mounted on rooftops, yards or open spaces where it can capture the maximum amount of sunlight.

Whenever possible, the panels will be installed facing south to get the most out of the sunlight but tracking systems are also used to follow the direction of the sun. The solar panels collect the energy from the sunlight. The process basically is that when the panels are exposed to sunlight, the electrons are separated form the atoms. This movement of the electrons creates electricity.

To store power, pumps are often used – circulating water in the cells. The water goes into a storage tank where the power is stored, ready for use. Sometimes, the use of gravity is employed if it will just the same store the heated water in to the tank.

In spite of all the development in solar energy though, the use of this technology is not enough to provide power to the whole house. The best method so far can only fulfill about 80% of a households power needs. The employment of solar energy for the home will still require the use of the conventional power distribution method.

Powering the homes by solar means will still, for a while be augmented by a local power distribution agency. To many, this is already a good starting point. Homeowners that feel that the high cost of powering their houses through solar power, is justified when compared to the price that is now being paid for conventional electrification method where horrendous amounts of CO2 are being dumped into the atmosphere just to generate a pitiful amount of electricity.

However, due in part to the rising costs of energy, the technology for solar energy has been undergoing rapid phases of development. Experts are confident that within five years, powering the home through the solar method will be made widely available for those who prefer it as its sole energy source.

Perhaps the greatest argument that could be leveled about having to use fossil and nuclear fuel is our dependence on it. Global warming, though a real serious threat, maybe something that we could only be very worried about. Singly nothing much could be done about it as it will take serious political will if it is to be addressed effectively and for now, other countries are not cooperating. But the choice between traditional and alternative sources of energy, that is something most of us can choose to do.

First the advantages:

Solar energy is abundant and is free. We can count the sun to rise tomorrow and the day after that. Oil and natural gases on the other hand are non renewable, once the source taps out, it is gone forever. Sure there are other areas that could still be tapped but sooner that could run out of oil as well.

Solar energy does not pollute the air. If ever, the heat coming from the sun cleans the environment and maintains the earth’s eco balance. Not so with oil. Oil, its derivatives and its byproducts are great pollutants. In fact, 22,000 pounds of carbon monoxide will need to be produced first for the oil to be processed and supply a home with electrical energy for a year.

Solar energy harnessing panels are silent operators. Except maybe for the mechanical contraptions that are built into the panels so it could track the sun, from the collection of the suns rays to its photovoltaic conversion, they give neither a peep nor a squeak. It is a world of difference from the cacophony of giant drills and pumps that are used to extract oil form the ground.

Maintenance for the solar panels is very minimal. Except for the mechanical parts that are optional, almost no maintenance is needed. Once it is installed nothing much will be the cause for worry. The energy that is derived is free. With oil there is no telling what the next pump price would be and when. Oil, being a commodity, heavily depend its prices on market forces. Often with the right strategies, even market forces could be manipulated that could cause volatility in pricing.

The Disadvantages of Solar Energy

The cost. While solar energy is free, the cost of installation setbacks many household from installing it. Brand new solar energy generating systems are expensive. Although it tends to pay off overtime, initial cash out could range into several thousands of dollars depending on the quality and volume of generated power a household or an establishment would require. While solar energy technology has been around since the 1950′s it is only in recent years that its development was spurred. While costs of installation could also be subjective depending on the purchasing capacity of a customer, the benefits that could be derived out of it is enormous although mostly in unquantifiable terms.

For mass consumption, distribution lines are needed and this remains to be a big issue. Old antiquated distribution lines used to transfer electricity and other modes of fuel into the homes are clogged in many regions that to deliver solar energy power into the houses of consumers will require a different approach.

Be that as it may, the benefits from solar power far outweigh its disadvantages. It is an ideal source of energy that it may soon be the norm in power generation.

Harnessing the power of the sun’s ray to create energy to power our house is very appealing. But the question is, “Is everything about solar energy good?”

Looking at the current price of fossil fuel-based electricity, it is quite impractical to convert into solar energy system. However, with the growing concern on the state of the earth, there is really a need to find other means of energy aside from what power plants are using right now. Where do you place yourself?

Whether you are an advocate of clean energy or simply care about where your finances go, looking at the pros and cons of residential solar energy system will help you decide on whether to convert or not.

Pros

Solar energy is free. Did you know that the earth absorbs 174 pettawatts of solar radiation? This means that we have more than enough source of free energy to power every house in the world. Unfortunately, most of our energy is still drawn from oil, gas and coal. But in recent years, there is a steady increase of demand for alternative and renewable energy like solar power. It is estimated that the demand for alternative sources of energy will increase by 53% between 1999 and 2020.

Solar energy is clean, renewable and sustainable. Because the energy created from the sun’s rays does not produce byproducts like those from fossil fuel power plants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury or carbon dioxide), it does not contribute to pollution. Accordingly, the increase in the use of solar energy and other alternative forms of energy will decrease the demand for greenhouse gases-producing power plants.

The price of photovoltaic cells is steadily decreasing. The demand for solar panels has risen by 57% in the United States in 2007 and is steadily increasing on a monthly basis. The increase in demand results to the improvement of solar technology as a whole. The prices of photovoltaic cells have declined on the average of 4% every year over the past 15 years.

Solar panels can be installed on most rooftops, eliminating the problem of finding a suitable place for installation. Solar panels require little or no maintenance. The original photovoltaic cells technology is used for most satellites orbiting our earth today which are not maintained at all. Many solar panel manufacturers give 25 to 40 years warranty on their products.

Because most areas of the country receive a substantial amount of sunlight throughout the year, solar panels can be installed anywhere.

Many states in the country give tax credits and rebates to households who want to install solar energy system. Check with your state government the cost of these incentives.

Cons

While the prices of PV cells are in constant decline, the cost of installation is substantially high compared to the current electric cost. But the good thing is, after your initial cash out, you don’t have to pay every month on electric bills for the rest of your life.

On areas cities and areas with heavy pollution problem, solar energy may not work as fine. Weather can also affect the efficiency of solar energy. If it is raining, overcast weather or if there is a hurricane, the solar panels’ efficiency is decreased.

You are only producing energy during day time.

These are general pros and cons you might encounter when considering the conversion to solar energy system. It would be best if your decision is based on location, cost, budget, rebates, tax credits and practicality.

Renewable energy sources are a viable alternative to the global dependence on fossil fuels. This article explores the basic nature of some of these sources of renewable energy in existence today.

Most parts of the world make use of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil at the moment for all their energy needs. These sources of fuel are considered nonrenewable because the society tends to use them faster than they can be renewed.

Nonrenewable energy sources make up about 90% of the energy that is currently being used today. These sources of fuel are constantly being depleted and since they are known to have adverse effects on air quality they cause human as well as environmental problems. A greater emphasis is currently being placed on renewable energy sources in order to get energy. Most renewable energy sources that we have consist of solar, hydro, geothermal and the ocean energy sources. These sources of energy never become exhausted and they are friendly to the environment as they do not add to greenhouse effects or cause global warming.

Solar energy is one of the most readily available sources of energy. The energy of the sun has been used as a source of energy for billions of years. Prehistoric men magnified the strength of the sun in order to create fire. Nowadays you have solar panels which absorb energy in order from the sun to produce heat for cooking as well as heating and also for electrical needs. Heat absorption is stored for use later on and is an indirect conversion of such energy. Electric companies are currently trying to use photovoltaic technologies in order to convert solar energy directly into electricity.

Hydro energy tends to draw on energy that is produced by flowing water. Waves are one result of the winds interaction with the sea surface. This interaction ends up producing a transfer of energy which can then be extracted for power generation while using turbine generations. Hydropower may not be polluting but it can cause environmental harm, hydroelectric generating stations can easily change the flow of the seas and do harm to plants as well as animals.

Wind energy which is a form of kinetic energy tends to be drawn from the movement of the air. This energy has been used for centuries in order to aid sailing, grinding of grains and irrigation too. Nowadays you have wind turbines that transform energy from wind into mechanical energy or in order to charge your batteries. Wind machines or wind turbines collect kinetic energy by trapping the wind in their blades; these blades now turn an electric generator in order to produce electricity. Unfortunately on days that there is no wind, wind energy cannot be collected. Though it is a clean form of energy it has negative effects on the wild bird population and a number of people consider these giant wind turbine machines an eyesore.

Biomass energy is derived from wood, garbage, food crops, manure, grasses, plats, agricultural as well as forestry waste and residue. Biomass energy tends to come from refuse. It is not a new source of energy and it was used in wood burning centuries ago which supplied at least 90% of the energy needs at the time. When biomass is burned the result is either heat or electricity. Biomass may also be converted into methane gas which is the primary ingredient of natural gas. Natural gas makes up 3% of the energy currently being used in the United States today. Biomass can pollute the air and releases greenhouse gases but it does not pollute as much as fossil fuels.

Geothermal energy refers to the heat of the Earth. This sort of energy is drawn from hot dry rocks, magma, hot water springs and geysers. These can all be found within the Earth’s underground. Some can be found deep within the earth while others are much closer to the surface. Currently this energy can be used to heat water within swimming pools as well as spas. This energy is also used to warm up greenhouses. It may also be used to produce electricity through the use of a geothermal power plant. In such plants hot water travels through turbines which have been connected by a generator.

Ocean Energy is derived from ocean waves and the differences in temperature of the water. Wave energy is a kinetic energy that is derived from water movement. Tidal energies trap tidal waves in reservoirs located behind the dams. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion makes use of the differences that exist in water temperature from the surface water to water depths that are further below as an energy source. In order for this to work, a temperature difference of at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit must exist.