Solar Energy Blog
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As energy costs rise the number of people considering to install solar panel as a source of electricity has increased dramatically. If you are able to learn how you can make your own solar panel, you would save a lot of money and you might just spend a few hundred dollars only.
Finding ways to build your own solar panel is not as difficult as some people think. You don't need a degree in engineering or an experience in electronics in order to do this. The truth is that just any person can make a solar panel. If you build your own panel you would save a lot of money unlike purchasing an already made solar panel system.
>> Check out our Solar Panel Guide Reviews Here <<
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It doesn't take time to build a solar panel. In just a day, an ordinary and inexperienced person can create a 100 watt panel following the guides in a manual, as long as they have got all the stuff they need standing by. Though a 100 watt panel isn't much, but it is cool to start with and as time goes on you will be able to create more homemade solar panels at your leisure. The most essential stuff to get prior to beginning this task is to obtain an easy to follow manual which contains an easy to follow steps written down and also in video format. This will provide the full guides you require and it should be one that you can be able to follow and build your own solar panel just by looking at the guides.
Learning the ways to build your homemade solar panel you will be able to use the kind of size you want for your system. This implies that you can make your preferred choice of solar panel to power any of the home appliances of your home. You could even create an adequate solar panel to light up your whole house. This is simply a way to live off the grid. The secret of discovering the ways to create your own solar panel lies in getting the DIY manual. A manual contains all the guides you need to learn to get your own solar panels described using a text and video format. Again, you will be amazed on how easy it is to see the kits for building it. In short, all you need to build your homemade solar panel can be found at your nearest local hardware store. Things like copper wire, sheets of glass, plywood etc. cheap photovoltaic cells are also easy to come by, either you purchase them on the internet or at your retail shop.
The total cost of creating your own panel is not a lot, it shouldn't be more than $300 as long as you know how to outsource the cheap materials.
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STICKY
Elias J.
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The sun's heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways. There are a variety of technologies that have been developed to take advantage of solar energy. These include concentrating solar power systems, passive solar heating and daylighting, photovoltaic systems, solar hot water, and solar process heat and space heating and cooling.
Solar power can be used in both large-scale applications and in smaller systems for the home. Businesses and industry can diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money by choosing solar technologies for heating and cooling, industrial processes, electricity, and water heating. Homeowners can also use solar technologies for heating and cooling and water heating, and may even be able to produce enough electricity to operate "off-grid" or to sell the extra electricity to the utilities, depending on local programs. The use of passive solar heating and daylighting design strategies can help both homes and commercial buildings operate more efficiently and make them more pleasant and comfortable places in which to live and work.
Beyond these localized uses of solar power, utilities and power plants are also taking advantage of the sun's abundant energy resource and offering the benefits to their customers. Concentrating solar power systems allow power plants to produce electricity from the sun on a larger scale, which in turn allows consumers to take advantage of solar power without making the investment in personal solar technology systems.
Solar power technologies, from individual home systems to large-scale concentrating solar power systems, have the potential to help meet growing energy needs and provide diversity and reliability in energy supplies. |
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28 June 09
Elias J.
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To qualify for a Federal Tax Credit
At least half of the energy generated by the “qualifying property” must come from the sun. Homeowners may only claim spending on the solar water heating system property, not the entire water heating system of the household.
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The credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs.
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The water must be used in the dwelling.
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The system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC)
Get more info at Energystar.gov
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21 June 09
Jon P.
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Reasons to go Solar...
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Financial Benefits
- Through advances in technology and local government rebates, solar energy is now a smart financial investment. The current solar energy rebate cuts the cost of system by more than half, making it the best time ever to buy solar. Solar energy not only protects you from rising electricity costs, but also increase the overall value of your home. Solar pays off now and over the long-run.
Environmental Benefits
- The use of solar energy is among the largest impacts an home or business owner can make on protecting and preserving the environment now and for the future. By using solar energy, we reduce air emissions of particulates, carbon dioxide, and other harmful elements resulting in lower greenhouse gases, reduced acid rain, and lower smog levels.
Dependable and Secure Electricity
- All of our systems and the installation are guaranteed and include comprehensive warrantees. Each solar panel is guaranteed to work for 20 years! And there are several reports of older solar models working as long as 40 years. Our solar energy systems are highly dependable, amazing durable (able to withstand hurricane type winds and large hailstorms), and a reliable source to deliver clean electricity to you and your family.
Energy Independence
- Instead of renting electricity from the utility company, with solar energy you own the electricity you produce. Xcel has raised electricity rates over 38% in just the last year, and rates are increase at almost 10% per year. Be your own power company and avoid these constant rate hikes.
Net Metering Laws
- Ever wanted to spin your electricity meter backwards? Now you can with solar energy, and if you decide to purchase a larger system, you can even sell electricity back to the utility company at near retail price - guaranteed.
Be an Example
- Enjoy the personal satisfaction of being the first on the block to own a solar energy system, enjoying a new technology, and helping to create the solar energy market.
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16 June 09
Elias J.
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The solar cells that you see on calculators and satellites are photovoltaic cells or modules (modules are simply a group of cells electrically connected and packaged in one frame). Photovoltaics, as the word implies (photo = light, voltaic = electricity), convert sunlight directly into electricity. Once used almost exclusively in space, photovoltaics are used more and more in less exotic ways. They could even power your house. How do these devices work?
Photovoltaic (PV) cells are made of special materials called semiconductors such as silicon, which is currently the most commonly used. Basically, when light strikes the cell, a certain portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor. The energy knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely. PV cells also all have one or more electric fields that act to force electrons freed by light absorption to flow in a certain direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by placing metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can draw that current off to use externally. For example, the current can power a calculator. This current, together with the cell's voltage (which is a result of its built-in electric field or fields), defines the power (or wattage) that the solar cell can produce. />
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21 Mar 09
Jon P.
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Ponder these four realities when you consider a new solar technology:
- Start your due diligence on a 10 year old roof. It is an extremely hostile environment. When I go up there just about the only thing I see that is still in good shape is corrosion-proof metal and glass.
- Does anyone remember TV antenna and sattelite dish rotators? How long did that mechanism last?
- High efficiency wins except where space is virtually unlimited. Roof space is generally not sufficient to meet a building's load for any structure over one story high.
- Customers don't buy solar cells -- so it doesn't matter what they cost per watt. The only things that matters to the customer are the total installed cost per watt of the entire *system* and lifecycle energy output.
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01 Feb 09
Elias J.
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If you are interested in getting started in setting solar panels in your home this site may be for you. There is a lot of information out there and some of it s pretty bad. So watch out. Check your sources and take some risks. The rewards of having an array of solar panels on your roof are well worth it.
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11 Jan 09
Parker C.
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A few years ago, I was having a conversation with my brother about solar panels and he said “Why can’t we just use the electricity in lightning?” To which my answer was "there is no way to safely do that." Then I started thinking about it. Lightning has a large EMP, ElectroMagnetic Pulse, a pulse that travels some distance away from the actual lightning strike. Most equipment damage caused by lightning is as a result of induced currents on power and telephone transmission lines, not direct strikes by the lightening.
let's do a dreaming... How about we place around tall metal structures like radio and TV transmitting towers, arrays of EMP capturing devices connected to an array of large capacitors were employed. During a lightning strike the capacitors would become charged, then they could slowly discharge there stored energy to the electrical grid using grid tied inverters. This would work best in an area where there is a lot of lightning to begin with, like Florida.
The average lightning strike transmits about 1 Terawatt of power in about 20-40 microseconds. The magnetic field generated from this event travels out uniformly from the strike point dissipating exponentially. The closer to the strike point, the higher the field and the greater yield potential. To store any meaningful amount of power, a massive capacitor bank, or capacitor bank and battery bank connected in parallel would be needed.
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14 Dec 08
Parker C.
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There are two basic types of solar panels. Normal panels use solar energy to heat water for basic needs at home, or even for pools. The absorber converts the radiation from the sun into heat. The second type of solar panel, known as photovoltaic panels, converts light into electricity. These panels are normally installed on the roof. The electricity produced by these panels is directed to a battery, which serves as the electricity storage device. The battery can then supply all the electricity that your household needs.
Your homemade solar panel is made from a collection of solar cells. Each solar cell produces a small amount of electricity, but collectively they produce enough electricity to fulfill your household power needs. It is important for the panels to keep facing the sun to receive direct sunrays.
You can choose from a number of tracking solar mounts available. The single-axis tracker is fixed at a vertical angle. The angle is manually maneuvered to follow the path of the sun, which is based on seasonal changes. For summer, the rule of thumb is to set the panels at your latitude minus 15, and for winter, you may set the panels at your latitude plus 15. The dual-axis tracker adjusts the vertical angle automatically.
Your homemade solar panel is an effective way to produce your own power and save on future power bills.
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Last week, as part of the 2010 MIT Energy Conference, the institute opened the doors to its energy research projects. Press and other interested parties got a first look at technologies that could one day make renewable energy abundant, cheap and more deployable. These cutting-edge technologies were presented by a handful of MIT faculty and students who showed some innovations in the solar, hydrogen and energy storage areas that are on the road to commercialization. 
As the books close on what was a turbulent 2009 for the solar industry, Lux Research said that the solar market will soon see the lopsided supply and demand that characterized much of the last year return to equilibrium. According to the new report Solar's Shakeout: Europe Loses Leadership as China Rises," strong demand growth in Asia and the U.S. will push the market to 9.3 GW in 2010, hitting a dollar value of US $39 billion. Building from there, continuing price reductions for all types of solar technology are expected to open new markets and help the solar industry reach $77 billion in revenue and 26.4 GW in capacity by 2015.