One of the answers to the energy crisis is to apply solar power. Solar power is the energy source of the most powerful and freely available to us now. That is why production of solar energy kits more abundant.
Solar energy kits is slowly taking place in most of the different houses in the world. Householders feel easy, convenient and effective to obtain energy from the sunlight.
Executive Summary about Sun Power by Richard Chapo
Generating electricity from the sun is all about converting sunlight into power. The technology behind solar systems is known as photovoltaic technology. Essentially, this technology involves using sunlight to create a chemical reaction. This process creates a direct current of electricity. The electricity is then converted to usable alternating current electricity and stored in a battery or fed into a utility grid system.
Executive Summary about Solar Home by Anne Clarke
By now many people know it is possible to generate energy without the use of dwindling traditional resources. This stimulated atmospheric cycle is the product of a solar biosphere that remains in constant, gradual motion. You can draw energy directly from the sunlight, you can save money on energy costs, and you can be a big part of the effort to protect our planet. Remember, though, solar panels are not the only type of solar technology available that can harvest a decent alternative to electricity from the sun. There are wind turbines, solar panels, biospheres, and many other innovative solar power mechanisms that have made headway in an extreme scientific objective to help protect the earth. Despite what many people might believe, there are solar solutions available as alternative energy sources that virtually anyone can choose over electrical energy. Soon construction companies for homes, office buildings, apartment complexes, and more will adopt new methods of design that will dovetail more easily with solar technology.
Researchers at Wake Forest University developed a device that capable of capturing two forms of energy from the sun, photons and heat, simultaneously. According to their claims, this technology is the first in the world.
David Carroll, Ph.D., director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University, said, “It’s a systems approach to making your home ultra-efficient because the device collects both solar energy and heat,”
MIT Researchers in the opening of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center (SFC) that was built to promote research in advanced solar technologies has showcased a lightweight and flexible solar cell technology. This new solar cell made by using a process similar to inkjet printers. The paper used is coated paper with organic semiconductor materials.
Adventures in microsolar supported by microelectronics and MEMS techniques
Representative thin crystalline-silicon photovoltaic cells – these are from 14 to 20 micrometers thick and 0.25 to 1 millimeter across.
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used.
The tiny cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they were fastened to flexible substrates molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing.
The solar particles, fabricated of crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications. They are expected eventually to be less expensive and have greater efficiencies than current photovoltaic collectors that are pieced together with 6-inch- square solar wafers.
The cells are fabricated using microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques common to today’s electronic foundries.
Sandia lead investigator Greg Nielson said the research team has identified more than 20 benefits of scale for its microphotovoltaic cells. These include new applications, improved performance, potential for reduced costs and higher efficiencies.
“Eventually units could be mass-produced and wrapped around unusual shapes for building-integrated solar, tents and maybe even clothing,” he said. This would make it possible for hunters, hikers or military personnel in the field to recharge batteries for phones, cameras and other electronic devices as they walk or rest.
Sandia project lead Greg Nielson holds a solar cell test prototype with a microscale lens array fastened above it. Together, the cell and lens help create a concentrated photovoltaic unit.
Even better, such microengineered panels could have circuits imprinted that would help perform other functions customarily left to large-scale construction with its attendant need for field construction design and permits.
Said Sandia field engineer Vipin Gupta, “Photovoltaic modules made from these microsized cells for the rooftops of homes and warehouses could have intelligent controls, inverters and even storage built in at the chip level. Such an integrated module could greatly simplify the cumbersome design, bid, permit and grid integration process that our solar technical assistance teams see in the field all the time.”
For large-scale power generation, said Sandia researcher Murat Okandan, “One of the biggest scale benefits is a significant reduction in manufacturing and installation costs compared with current PV techniques.”
Part of the potential cost reduction comes about because microcells require relatively little material to form well-controlled and highly efficient devices.
From 14 to 20 micrometers thick (a human hair is approximately 70 micrometers thick), they are 10 times thinner than conventional 6-inch-by-6-inch brick-sized cells, yet perform at about the same efficiency.
100 times less silicon generates same amount of electricity
“So they use 100 times less silicon to generate the same amount of electricity,” said Okandan. “Since they are much smaller and have fewer mechanical deformations for a given environment than the conventional cells, they may also be more reliable over the long term.”
Another manufacturing convenience is that the cells, because they are only hundreds of micrometers in diameter, can be fabricated from commercial wafers of any size, including today’s 300-millimeter (12-inch) diameter wafers and future 450-millimeter (18-inch) wafers. Further, if one cell proves defective in manufacture, the rest still can be harvested, while if a brick-sized unit goes bad, the entire wafer may be unusable. Also, brick-sized units fabricated larger than the conventional 6-inch-by-6-inch cross section to take advantage of larger wafer size would require thicker power lines to harvest the increased power, creating more cost and possibly shading the wafer. That problem does not exist with the small-cell approach and its individualized wiring.
From left to right, Sandia researchers Murat OKandan, Greg Nielson, and Jose Luis Cruz-Campa, hold samples containing arrays of microsolar cells.
Other unique features are available because the cells are so small. “The shade tolerance of our units to overhead obstructions is better than conventional PV panels,” said Nielson, “because portions of our units not in shade will keep sending out electricity where a partially shaded conventional panel may turn off entirely.”
Because flexible substrates can be easily fabricated, high-efficiency PV for ubiquitous solar power becomes more feasible, said Okandan.
A commercial move to microscale PV cells would be a dramatic change from conventional silicon PV modules composed of arrays of 6-inch-by-6-inch wafers. However, by bringing in techniques normally used in MEMS, electronics and the light-emitting diode (LED) industries (for additional work involving gallium arsenide instead of silicon), the change to small cells should be relatively straightforward, Gupta said.
Each cell is formed on silicon wafers, etched and then released inexpensively in hexagonal shapes, with electrical contacts prefabricated on each piece, by borrowing techniques from integrated circuits and MEMS.
Offering a run for their money to conventional large wafers of crystalline silicon, electricity presently can be harvested from the Sandia-created cells with 14.9 percent efficiency. Off-the-shelf commercial modules range from 13 to 20 percent efficient.
A widely used commercial tool called a pick-and-place machine — the current standard for the mass assembly of electronics — can place up to 130,000 pieces of glitter per hour at electrical contact points preestablished on the substrate; the placement takes place at cooler temperatures. The cost is approximately one-tenth of a cent per piece with the number of cells per module determined by the level of optical concentration and the size of the die, likely to be in the 10,000 to 50,000 cell per square meter range. An alternate technology, still at the lab-bench stage, involves self-assembly of the parts at even lower costs.
Solar concentrators — low-cost, prefabricated, optically efficient microlens arrays — can be placed directly over each glitter-sized cell to increase the number of photons arriving to be converted via the photovoltaic effect into electrons. The small cell size means that cheaper and more efficient short focal length microlens arrays can be fabricated for this purpose.
High-voltage output is possible directly from the modules because of the large number of cells in the array. This should reduce costs associated with wiring, due to reduced resistive losses at higher voltages.
Other possible applications for the technology include satellites and remote sensing.
The project combines expertise from Sandia’s Microsystems Center; Photovoltaics and Grid Integration Group; the Materials, Devices, and Energy Technologies Group; and the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Concentrating Photovoltaics Group.
Involved in the process, in addition to Nielson, Okandan and Gupta, are Jose Luis Cruz-Campa, Paul Resnick, Tammy Pluym, Peggy Clews, Carlos Sanchez, Bill Sweatt, Tony Lentine, Anton Filatov, Mike Sinclair, Mark Overberg, Jeff Nelson, Jennifer Granata, Craig Carmignani, Rick Kemp, Connie Stewart, Jonathan Wierer,
George Wang, Jerry Simmons, Jason Strauch, Judith Lavin and Mark Wanlass (NREL).
The work is supported by DOE’s Solar Energy Technology Program and Sandia’s Laboratory Directed Research & Development program, and has been presented at four technical conferences this year.
The ability of light to produce electrons, and thus electricity, has been known for more than a hundred years.
Solar technologies is now highly developed, with some progress is being developed to be used every day.
Below 10 Solar Technologies to note:
Many people, especially those who are beginners in solar technology may wonder how solar panels work. But first, what is the home solar panels? This is a solar-powered gadget that collect and use the energy from the sun through its rays and convert it into power.
Some people use solar panels home gadgets to act as an alternative source of energy for their small household, effectively complements the consumption of electricity from local utilities.
There are still homeowners who invest in residential solar panels are fully able to provide power to the house, run all appliances, water heaters and swimming pool. However, the cost is very expensive if you intend to own and install your own home solar panels that will work as the only source of daily strength. A solar panel unit actually has a very high price from a few thousand dollars.
How solar panels work can be answered simply. He has a photovoltaic cell in a panel that primarily works by collecting energy from sunlight that falls on them, then solar energy is converted into electrical energy for use at home.
You may very well consider this gadget as an investment, because you need to shell out large enough amount of money to buy and install them as your resource. It is a serious investment even if you only need to spend the money early, the amount needed is really great. After purchase you do not have to worry about this as the sun runs his own gadgets, making endless supply of electricity to your residence with the help, of course, the sun.
Many supporters of a clean environment and recommended the use of green house solar panels, if only because the energy that collects and converts power from the sun. Therefore, the power generated is clean and not harmful to the environment of the world. Likewise, you do not have to worry about running out of the sun’s energy for endless supply. Solar energy is a clean renewable energy, and is considered the best alternative energy is there.
Executive Summary about Solar Technology by Philip Richards
In the business of solar energy, the U.S. has not been the biggest buyer of solar power. While the U.S. does quite well exporting solar panels and solar technology, there are many Americans who still find the cost of panels very prohibitive. As the price of solar energy decreases, Europe has had a much higher demand for solar power than anywhere else in the world. Many European universities and campuses have rebuilt their dorms to run off solar energy. Most water heaters in Europe are solar-powered, even if the home doesn’t have a full solar panel system.
In Europe, it’s not just small residential power systems that are leading the way in solar energy dependence. Specifically, Italy, Greece and the Czech Republic are the newest customers of solar power systems. These countries have begun to purchase so much solar energy that their borders have seen changes in tariffs for solar panels. Japan, who’s also been at the forefront of solar panel imports, has picked up solar panel buying as the cost of gas and electricity rises. There are entire neighborhoods in Japan outfitted with residential solar power panels. For example, the neighborhood of Iwaki New Town has about 46 homes outfitted with full private solar power panels. Japan also uses solar energy in surprising places. Japan is the only country to power most of its vending machines with solar energy. Sharp, one of the largest solar panel producing companies in Japan estimates that by 2010, Japan will produce 4.8 million kWh of solar energy.
The Race For New Solar Technology Is On
Executive Summary about Solar Technology by Winifred Churchill
Companies around the world are beginning to seriously consider the POWER of solar power.
One criticism of solar energy is that it cannot be relied upon for a steady supply of energy, but there are projects underway which are addressing that issue. In short, solar technology is going the way of the computer industry or cell phones. Now you get the same functionality available in personal computers on tiny cell phones. The new silicon cells for solar panels may bring a similar revolution to solar power making it a reliable, clean source of energy.
Article You May Be Interested In Reading: Wind Generators
Executive Summary about Solar Roof By Dan A Swanson
The advancements in solar technology has helped in creating more efficient and light weight solar cells that make solar roof panels a more practical choice for the ordinary households. Solar cells of the solar roof panels are able to convert sunlight into solar energy which can be used for providing electrical energy to your home.
These solar shingles or solar roof panels are meant to replace the regular shingles of your home, thus providing a waterproof coverage to your home and also generating electrical power as an added advantage. As far as their installation is concerned, a solar roof panel is easiest to install.
Advanced solar technology is able to produce solar cells that can produce 20% efficiency, as compared to 7-10% produced by older cells.
The different kinds of solar roof panels are the traditional types, advanced types and compact types while the best ones are light weight panels which are less expensive, smaller in size and still capture sufficient amount of energy every day.
Benefits of a Solar Roof Panel
Executive Summary about Solar Roof By Eben Jaimes
With the high cost of living, more and more people are turning to renewable energy generation for their homes. One of the main sources of renewable energy, that seems to be the most popular, is having a solar roof panel installed on your home.
Having a solar roof panel is an extremely efficient supplier of energy. This means that the utility companies have to pay you. You will be happy to know that by generating electricity from a solar roof panel, you will help reduce greenhouse gas emission. A simple 3kW solar system reduces carbon dioxide emissions very close to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions given off by a passenger car traveling 8,000 miles per year.
Also, with a solar roof panel, you can think long term. Almost all of the satellites that orbit the earth are powered by solar energy. As a special benefit, a solar roof panel system is eligible for a $2,000 federal tax credit. If you happen to live in California, the California Solar Initiative (CSI), offers an up-front rebate.
Check out my other guide on Solar Battery
Executive Summary about Solar House by Ernest Jarquio
Environmentalists rejoice! What is this new technology that will help save the earth? Why, solar house plans of course.
What Are Solar House Plans?
Well, the new phase in home planning is the plan for a sun-powered home.
Environmentally-Friendly Materials
The designer begins by drawing out the floor plan, planing to use recycled materials, eco-friendly building supplies and Energy-Star electrical outlets. For instance, the concrete slab flooring stores solar heat during the sunny days, then releases it at night, keeping the house warm.
Insulation
The designer uses only eco-friendly items for these tasks, such as recycled wood and green material for the insulation. After all this is planned, they continue onward to Energy-Star appliances and other electronic devices.
Solar Panels
The other panels installed are the thermal water heaters, which provide hot water constantly for the entire home. This hot water is often more reliable than a traditional hot water heater, supplying plenty of heat for the laundry, kitchen and bath.
How to Plan Your House for the Sun
Executive Summary about Solar House by Naomi Kendell
Every house will gain heat throughout the day as the sun shines through its windows.
And during the night as the temperature drops, this same house will lose heat to the outside through its walls, windows and roof.
1. Orientation.
By facing your house to the south (in the northern hemisphere) you will gain the rays of the winter sun. Afternoon sun comes from the west, so rooms like the dining room and living room can be placed on this orientation. The southwest corner of the house will be the sunniest – winter and afternoon sun.
On the northern side of your house, place service rooms.
2. Window Sizing
Out of all the materials your house is made of, windows lose the most heat. There is a balance here, because windows allow sunlight into your house. However even triple glazed glass allows more heat to escape than a well insulated wall.
The first is where your windows face. If you have most of your windows on the northern side, these windows will not get much sun during winter. They will be losing heat, but not gaining solar energy.
There is an optimal ratio of windows:wall for every climate. For instance in temperate climates, a window to wall ration could be: 30% window area to 70% wall area. The other ratio is in windows and orientation.
3. Materials
For instance, highly insulated walls will keep the heat inside your house. When analyzing your heat loss through your windows, you can gain some leeway through insulation. This air forms and insulating layer, slowing down heat loss.
Another way to use materials in your solar house plan is to take advantage of heat storage. It is radiating heat. The floor is insulated underneath to prevent heat loss. A well designed thermal heat sink will stay warm all night long.
4. Shading
Shading is an important part of the solar house plan. This is important not only for heat gains, but for preventing heat gains. In temperate climates as well, shading can be used to keep summer sun out and let winter sun in.
Using our orientation principle: your house is facing south. During the winter the sun angles low and reaches far into the house. This same shading will allow winter sun into your house.
Your latitude effects the angle of the winter sun. In conclusion – solar house plans are a great way to design houses that are warm and comfortable to live in, and save you money off your heating and air conditioning bill.
Using Orientation, Window Placement, Materials and Shading, you can design a house that responds to its environment and creates its own micro-climate of comfort.
Article You May Be Interested In Reading: Charger Solar
