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.
Solar powered lights will provide all you need to light the yard, deck, or garden with a very easy and efficient. Many people now use solar lighting to decorate and lighting outside the home. Solar lighting is easy to install and can truly add elegance and style of your house outside. Outdoor solar lights are easy to install and will also help conserve household energy use and very safe to use because you do not need to use cable and cord.
What’s the real truth behind all those ads?
Just searching around online for information about solar power, solar energy, and installing solar panels on your own home, you’ve probably run across many claims which say you can earn money from solar power. So is it true? Yes… sort of.
Executive Summary about BP Solar by Richard Chapo
British Petroleum was once known for their petroleum products. How times have changed. BP is now one of the biggest producers of solar products.
A product design is not just an isolated object, but also the complex network of relationships that constitute it for what it will be understood in context. This work wants to build a network of environmental sustainability and putting the individual at the center of this network.
Hopefully, we humans have learned our lesson, limited fossil fuel and electricity, and the time has come to change our lifestyles and the way we think, how we take things for granted. The time has come to bring radical changes in our daily lives, and realize that doing the little things make a difference. Every person in the world can contribute in their own way towards the environment.
(in Olmedilla de Alarcón, Spain, 60 MW) Finished in September 2008. This power plant uses 162,000 average photovoltaic solar panel to deliver 60 MW of electricity on a sunny day. The whole factory was completed in 15 months at a cost of about 530 million U.S. dollars current exchange rate. Olmedilla built with conventional solar panels, which are made with silicon and tend to heavy and expensive.
(Spain, 50 MW) in 2008 Renovalia develop the power station in Puertollano, Ciudad Real, residential energy parks with an installed capacity of 50 megawatts (MW). The power generated here is equivalent to the annual domestic consumption of electricity of about 39,000 households. The energy produced here will replace the theoretical disposal 84,000 tons CO2/year or 2.1 million tons of CO2 over 25 years during the production.
(Portugal, 46 MW) Completed December 2008. This solar power plant is placed in the municipality of Moura, Alentejo, Portugal, one of the sunniest areas in Europe and besides one of the most economically depressed. The construction involves two stages, first with a built in 13 months and completed in 2008, and the rest will be completed in 2010, with a total cost of € 250 million for the project. The power plant will have an installed capacity of 46 mwp, by more than 376,000 solar panels. Nearly 190,000 panels (32 MW) installed in permanent structures, 52,000 (10 MW) in a single-axis trackers, which follow the sun in the sky, and further 20 MW of power capacity will be added during phase 2 project. This will occupy an area of 320 hectares (130 acres), producing 88 GWh of electricity per year.
(Germany, 40 MW) 550,000 First Solar thin-film CdTe modules. Completed in December 2008 Waldpolenz Solar Park, which is the world’s largest thin-film photovoltaic (PV) power system, built at a military air base east of Leipzig in Germany. The power plant 40-megawatt solar power system using state-of-the-art thin film technology. 550,000 First Solar thin film modules are used, which supplies 40,000 MWh of electricity per year. The investment costs for solar parks Waldpolenz Euro 130 million.
(Spain, 36 MW). Completed in October 2008, power plant that produces 34 GWh per year, which would own 12,000 households and prevent 375,000 tons of CO2. Facilities in seven acres and 172,000 panels houses. Project budget of about € 180,000,000. La Rioja, a region of Spain known for its wine, already covers 62% of electricity with enhanced resources.
You may have seen a calculator that has a solar cell? calculator that does not need batteries, and in some cases do not even have the off button. As long as you have enough light, so the calculator can be on at any time and forever. You may have seen larger solar panels, such as in housing or traffic lights, haven’t you? In this article I will review how solar cell work so it can deliver the energy and drive an electronic device.
Today the demand for electricity has become a major requirement in all corners. The presence of power plants sometimes do not solve the need for electricity especially in remote areas where the terrain is always an excuse. Here an alternative energy that can be easily found in nature and can be used as an alternative free energy replacing conventional electricity, because it can turn on household electronics such as televisions, radios and lights.
Solar cells made from pieces of a very small silicon coated with special chemicals to form the basis of solar cells. Solar cells generally have a minimum thickness of 0.3 mm is made from semiconductor materials incision with positive and negative poles. Each solar cell produces usually voltage 0.5 volts. Solar cells is an active element (semiconductor) that utilizes photovoltaic effect to transform solar energy into electrical energy.
Solar cells contain a connection (junction) between two thin layers made of semiconductor materials, each of which is known as a semiconductor type “P” (positive) and semiconductor type “N” (negative).
N-type semiconductor made of silicon crystals and there are also some other materials (typically phosphorus) within the limits that these materials can provide an excess of free electrons.
Electrons are sub atomic particles are negatively charged, so that the silicon alloy in this case known as N-type semiconductor (Negative). P-type semiconductor made of silicon crystal in which there is a small amount of other material (typically boron) which caused the shortage of material free electrons. Lack or loss of electrons is called a hole. Because there is no or lack of electrons electrically negative charged then the silicon alloys in this case as a semiconductor type-P (Positive).
Composition of a solar cell, the same as a diode, consisting of two layers, called PN junction. PN junction obtained by staining a pure semiconductor silicon (valence 4) with the impurity valence 3 on the left side, and one on the right impurity stained with valence 5.
The effect of the electric field in a PV cell
Operation of a PV cell
Basic structure of a generic silicon PV cell
Thus formed on the left side that is not pure silicon again and called P type silicon, while the right side is called silicon type N. In the pure silicon there are two kinds of electrical charge carriers are balanced. Positive electric charge carriers called holes, while the negative are called electrons. After a desecration process, in the P type silicon formed holes (positive charge carriers) in a very large number compared with the electron. Therefore, in the P type silicon holes are majority charge carriers, while the electrons are minority carriers. Conversely, in the N type silicon is formed of electrons in a very large number so-called majority carriers, and holes called minority carriers.
In the silicon rod there was interaction between the P and the N. Therefore called the PN junction. When present, the P associated with the positive pole of a battery, while the negative polar associated with the N, then there is a relationship called “forward bias”.
Under forward bias, electrical currents arise in a series due to both types of charge carriers. So the electric current flowing in the PN junction is caused by the movement of electron and the movement of holes. An electric current is flowing in the direction of holes movement, but opposite direction with the movement of electrons. Just to further explain, electrons moving in the conductor material can lead to electrical energy. And electrical energy is called as an electric current that flows in the opposite direction to the movement of electrons.
But, if the P associated with negative pole of batteries and the N associated with positive pole, then now formed a relationship called “reverse bias”. In these circumstances, the hole (positive charge carriers) can be connected directly to the positive pole, while the electrons are also directly to the positive pole. So, clearly in the PN junction there is no movement of majority charge carriers either the holes or electrons. Meanwhile, the minority charge carriers (electrons) in the part P moves trying to reach the positive pole of the batteries. Similarly, the minority charge carriers (holes) in the N also moved to reach the negative pole. Therefore, in a state of reverse bias, in the PN junction there is also output current even in very small amounts (micro amperes). This current is often called the reverse saturation current or leakage current.
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Anything interesting in reverse bias. When the temperature of PN junction raised they will be able to enlarge leakage current. Means that if given the energy (heat), the minority charge carriers in the PN junction grows. Because the light is one form of energy, so if there is light that hit a PN junction may also produce enough energy to generate charge carriers. This symptoms are called photoconductive. Based on the photoconductive symptoms made of photodiode electronic components from PN junction.
In reverse bias, with increasing intensity of light that hit photodiode can increase the level of leakage current. Leakage currents can also be enlarged by increasing the battery voltage (reverse voltage), but the addition of leakage currents were not significant. When the batteries in the reverse bias circuit is removed and replaced with a load of resistance, the provision of light that can cause charge carriers both holes and electrons. If the illumination light is increased, current output was greater. Such symptoms are called photovoltaic. Light can provide enough energy to enlarge the number of holes in the P and the number of electrons on the N. Based on the symptoms of this photovoltaic electronic components can be created photovoltaic cell. Because usually the sun as a source of light, the photovoltaic cell is also called the solar cell (solar cells) or a solar energy converter.
So the solar cell is essentially a large photo diode and designed by referring to the photovoltaic symptoms so that could produce the greatest possible power. P type silicon is the very thin surface layer so that light can penetrate directly reach the junction. Part P is given ring-shaped nickel layer, as a positive output terminal. Under the P is the N type that is coated with nickel as well as the negative output terminal.
To obtain a large enough power required much of solar cells. Usually, solar cells arranged form the shape of the panel, and is called the photovoltaic panels (PV). PV as a source of electric power was first used in satellites. Then PV as an energy source for cars, so there are solar electric car. Now, in foreign countries, PV has started to be used as a roof or wall of the house. Sanyo has made even a semi-transparent PV that can be used as a substitute for glass.
After getting the output of the solar cell is a direct electrical current can be used to load utilized. But also the electric current can be used as a charge stored by the battery to be used when needed, especially at night because there was no sun.
If the solar cell is used for storage into the battery, then the resulting voltage magnitude must be above the battery specification. For example the battery used is 12 volts, the voltage produced by solar cell must be above 12 volts in order to perform charging.
We recommend that before carrying out the charging battery should be empty because the incoming flow will be filled with the maximum. The unit capacity of a battery is the Ampere-hour (Ah) and these characteristics are usually found on the label of a battery. For example a battery with 10 Ah capacity will fill up for 10 hours with the solar cell output currents of 1 Ampere.
Grid-connected system was applied to many urban areas housing, existing electricity network. The purpose of using solar panels, to save the cost of excessive electricity consumption and help reduce the greenhouse effect caused by the use of fossil fuels which cause excessive air pollution. Electrical energy which is in turn, channeled into the electricity networks that already exist and can be stored in the electricity network. This term is called the Hybrid System, which combine solar power plants with electricity network. Solar systems can also be combined with other power plants such as PV-Generator Hybrid, Hybrid PV-Microhydro, Hybrid PV-Wind and can even be combined into 3 systems of different power to Hybrid PV-Wind-Generator.
The following illustration application of grid connected systems in housing
Caption:
1. Solar panels installed at suitable locations to generate optimal power.
2. Inverter (Controller) function to change direct current (DC) produced by PV into alternating current (AC) that can be applied to household electronic equipment.
3. Box distribution function to distribute the AC current through the PV generated electricity network.
4. Discharging the burden of household air-conditioning system.
5. Electric meter show the current of electricity network will b
Various household needs to be more practical because the presence of technology. One technology that is now beginning to be the belle of the houses is the water heater technology.
At least there are three types of water heaters available on the market. The third type is the water heater with electric power, gas, and solar. If you want to purchase one of the three types of water heater, do not forget to consider safety factors, thrift, and comfort, You can see these factors from the various features on it. Solar Water Heater more practical and energy efficient because it uses solar power.
Choosing a water heater with superior features make your water heater work maximum and durable. In addition, there are two ways to keep the water heater remains preserved.
First, consider whether the magnesium anode in the tank is still working to keep water pH neutral in the number 7. Usually, the areas of clean water, magnesium anode can hold up to 5 years. However, in areas that lack clean water, the magnesium anode should be replaced once every year.
If not replaced, the water in the tank will become acidic (if pH above 7) and becomes alkaline (if pH below 7) is harmful to health. In addition, the tank will gradually run into corrosion that can lead to leakage.
Second, check the safety valve periodically. Safety valve is a kind of excess pressure safety device on the tank. This tool will keep the tank temperature remains stable. To avoid blockage of water, raise the safety valve lever periodically.
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 Electricity by Melanie Crouse
There are even tax rebates available in many states for families that are converting to home solar electricity. If you’ve been thinking of using PV (photovoltaic) panels for your home solar power, but are finding that it is too expensive, there are other options. There are many green energy suppliers that provide power from various renewable resources, such as solar electricity, wind power and hydroelectricity. If you’ve decided that solar power is the way you want to go, you will need to determine your actual power needs first.
The first thing you need to determine is how much electricity you need your home solar electricity system to generate. Do you want a grid-tied system where you are still connected to the grid, using a combination of your own solar power and the power supplied by the utility company? Or you can combine your own home solar electricity system with the grid, selling back any excess power that you don’t use to the power
Designing Solar Electricity Systems For Your Home
Executive Summary about Solar Electricity by Gary Ashby
Are you interested in designing solar electricity systems for your home? Before you build your homemade solar electricity systems, you must first consider the electrical requirements of your household as well as how much energy you wish to generate with the solar panel system.
1. Are You Comfortable Working On The Roof?
2. Is There Enough Space On Your Roof For Solar Panel Installation?
Your roof needs to have enough space for you to build sufficient solar panels on it.
3. What Happens When You Are Able To Generate More Electricity Than The Amount That Your House Requires?
4. How Exactly Do You Put a Solar Electricity System In Your Home?
Thousands of people have already eliminated their own home electricity bills with this free solar energy system that they learned how to build with a step-by-step guide online.
Article You May Be Interested In Reading: Solar Battery
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 Residential Solar by L J Sutherland
Residential solar energy can be incorporated into your home in many ways. The most commonly used system in homes today is the solar powered water heater. This system requires the installation of a solar panel on your roof or garden. The other system that you can use in your home is the use of photovoltaic solar panels. These panels convert sunlight into electricity. Residential Solar Energy Points to Remember:
Residential Solar Power – Solar Power For Homes
Executive Summary about Residential Solar by Jon Elsdon
Residential solar power for homes has become a must if we are to free ourselves of the rising cost of traditional power resources such as fossil fuels. Residential solar power for homes is the simplest alternative energy installation we can preform on our homes. Easy to install and maintain (solar panels have a life span of around 30years) a residential solar power system will have you saving money for years to come.
Regardless of whether you are looking to totally power your home with solar or are looking to supplement traditional power sources to give you a cheaper, more reliable (no more power outages), unrestricted power resource, solar power is the way to go.
Many households are turning to DIY (Do It Yourself) solar power projects.
Check out my other guide on Solar Battery
Executive Summary about Solar Film by Christine Douglas
You feel compelled to use solar energy, but at this time you simply aren’t in the position to install a solar power system in your home for one reason or another. Solar film for windows is a cost-effective, yet efficient way to participate in passive solar heating.
Solar film for windows is a light film that is applied to the windows in your home. It rejects 60% of the sun’s rays coming through your home. The first reason is energy.
Solar film for windows is great for many other reasons. It blocks 99% of UV rays, keeping your furniture and home décor safe from fading. The film also protects against weather damage.
Solar film for windows is widely available. You can purchase frosted solar film, creating the look of frosted glass at a fraction of the cost.
Using Window Film and Shades to Protect Your Home Interior From the Sun
Executive Summary about Solar Film by David Kraft
Home builders are reporting a higher frequency of larger and higher quantities of windows in new homes and home remodels being done. Rays from the sun can cause glare, hot spots, and fading to household items. One way to prevent these things from happening is to add a layer of window film to your windows. Window film can help to improve heating and cooling efficiency and block UV rays that cause fading to furniture, carpet, and other interior possessions. Film is available in tints that are not drastically change the color of the window but will still accomplish the goals of blocking the sun’s harmful rays. The key to window films is to have them properly installed by a specialist to ensure multiple years of functionality.
Solar screen shades are an alternative to window film that can accomplish the same things. They are available in varying levels of opacity and are available in motorized models that completely roll up nearly out of sight to allow homeowners to completely enjoy their large windows when they want to. Solar screen shades are simple, yet attractive ways to protect your homes interior and are available in a variety of colors that will enhance the appeal of any interior, regardless of design preference.
Choosing larger or higher quantities of windows in your home opens you up to more risk for faded interior and decreases in your home’s heating and cooling system efficiency.
Article You May Be Interested In Reading: Solar Lighting
