The Future Of Solar PV (Photovoltaic) Energy

1. The Problem
2.The Solution
3. The Results
4.The Benefits

An Investment in the Future

1. The Problem:
Traditional sources of electrical power generation are running out as production will peak in the next decade but demand will continue to rise. Energy prices will continue to rise at a higher rate as well as the number of outages during peak hours. There is the obvious problem of the pollution we are causing to our environment.
From my perspective, the world's energy needs vary greatly; there is no clear single solution to the problem of supplying the world's energy.
All forms of energy production have issues associated with them, i. e. -
1. Coal - Pollution/Strip Mining
2. Natural Gas - Cost and Lack of Infrastructure
3. Hydro - Limited Availability/Environmental Concerns
4. Wind - Limited Site and Resource Availability
5. Solar PV - Higher Cost
6. Nuclear – Waste disposal
2. The Solution:
Solar PV (Photovoltaic) systems effectively deliver three to five hours of peak power per day at roughly 10 Watts per square foot. Not one square inch of new land would be required to site PV. Theoretically, there are adequate residential, commercial, Government rooftops, and parking structures in California to power a substantial percentage of our State's electrical needs from solar.
In Southern California, solar produces a net energy gain in approximately three years. This means that within three years, PV systems begin producing more energy than the energy spent in producing the system and its raw materials. Best of all, the energy produced cost zero emissions.At today's prices, a typical solar system costs approximately $6.00/watt, installed and has an operating life in excess of 25 years. For all intents and purposes, maintenance and operating costs are minimal. Now there are systems available for rent. Companies such as Citizenre at www.jointhesolution.com/rethink-solar allow you to create solar power of a unit that is installed, maintained and monitored by them. You merely pay the monthly rental fee for you clean electricity which is the same price as you pay the electric company for you electricity. Also they allow you to lock in a rate now for up to 25 years so you are paying the same price throughout the entire contract.
3. The Results:
Solar energy increases the diversity of power and adds stability to a fossil fuel favored energy structure, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
4. The Benefits:-- Solar can be quickly deployed at the point of use, reducing the need for additional transmission and distribution infrastructure, and cost thereof.
-- Solar operates most efficiently at mid day, when grid demand is at its peak. By decreasing the strain during peak hours, the longevity of existing power plants and infrastructure is extended, lowering further the cost of energy production.
-- By deploying solar over time the cumulative effect of the installed base is impressive. Given its 25-year life, within 10 to 20 years, a respectable portion of California's energy could be supplied by solar.
-- Once installed, the cost is fixed. In comparison to traditional sources of energy, the fuel cost is nonexistent, and operational costs are limited. A solar system's cost is amortized over its life, there are no rate hikes due to fuel or operating cost increases.
5. An Investment in the Future:
Solar energy is part of the solution and is a key to America's long-term energy supply. After all, fossil fuels have a long history of issues with respect to stability of supply and cost. The Outlook of Solar Power is Bright!1. Solar will sustain its torrid growth, as costs continue to fall. The solar market has grown at ~40% per annum in recent years, and there are many reasons to think that it will sustain, if not exceed, that clip in 2009. Solar panel prices have followed a predictable experience curve since the 1970’s, with prices dropping by 30% with each doubling of manufacturing capacity. As the silicon-dominated industry moves to thinner and higher-efficiency wafers, increases manufacturing scale, improves wafer and cell processing technologies, sees polysilicon prices return to rational levels, and migrates production to lower-cost countries –- costs will continue to drive towards parity with grid rates, and solar will become increasingly more attractive. Indeed, a solar panel for your home, whether brand new, second hand or rented, is definitely a wise choice as it helps you in minimizing your electric bills, helps the worlds growing energy needs and is especially an environmentally healthy and helpful choice.
If you are interested in more information on solar energy go to
http://solarizeitnow.com/




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Solar Panels- Concept and History

A solar panel is basically a device that enables the collection of and conversion of solar energy into electrical energy or even heat.
The Concept of Solar Panels
Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels and the atoms that are present in these panels are excited by the action of the sun's energy. These atoms are present in a silicon layer that lies between two panels known as protector panels.
A formation of electric current takes place as a result of the action of the electrons from the aforementioned, excited atoms, and these are then used by a myriad of external devices. The history of solar panels dates back by hundreds of years, when their sole purpose was to heat the water for use in homes. Many-a-times specially shaped mirror is used for the concentration of light onto a tube of oil. Due to this action, there is a heating up of oil and as these heated oil travels through a vat of water, it instantly results in the boiling of this water. The steam that is a resultant of this process of boiling is used to turn a turbine for the generation of electricity.
The History of Solar Panels
It was in the year 1839 that the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Antoine – Cesar – Becquerel, a French physicist. His experiment in this regard involved the placement of an electrolyte cell in an electrolyte solution; two metal electrodes made up the electrolyte cell.
When this device was exposed to sunlight, Becquerel found that the generation of electricity saw a marked increase. It was in 1883 that Charles Fritts coated sheets of selenium with a thin layer of gold and built the first genuine solar cell. Over a period of time many experiment were conducted and discoveries were made when it came to solar cells. Albert Einstein also published his thesis on the photoelectric effect, during this time and also won the Nobel Prize for his research.
It was space satellites that made large scale use of solar electrical energy for the first time. By 1980, the United States of America, produced a solar cell which provided an efficiency of nearly twenty percent, this efficiency was increased to around twenty four percent in the next two decades and currently there are a few companies that are manufacturing solar cells that offer efficiency levels of nearly twenty eight percent
The Working of Solar Panels
Pure silicon forms the basic element of all solar panels as its makes for an ideal platform that aids transmission of electrons. This material is used on the plates that form a solar panel. Solar panels are also created by combining silicon panels with other elements, with negative or positive charges.
The Silicon atoms are exposed to the bombardment of photons when negative plates of solar cells are faced towards the sunlight. Once all free electrons are drawn away from the plates, enough electricity is generated to power various electronic appliances that do not require too much electricity to power them.
Features and Types of Solar Panels
Basically there are three types of solar panels, namely mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and amorphous solar panels. The life expectancy of solar panels depends on the type of solar panels selected by you; generally it’s around twenty years or so.
Solar panels do not require sustained maintenance for their upkeep although; if lead acid batteries are used then they must be checked every six months and topped up with distilled water if required. If you are looking for a solar panel for your needs and do not know what size to go for, then the best way would be to calculate your average consumption of electricity on a daily basis. This would give you a fair idea of what kind of solar panel to go for. In the long run, solar panels will reduce your electricity bill by a long way, and hence the option of using solar energy must be explored in a positive manner.




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Solar: Will It Ever Power Our Vehicles?

As solar power has matured as a technology, companies have started applying it to more than just houses. Acting as an energy platform for our transport was an obvious application.
Solar: Will It Ever Power Our Vehicles
As an active technology, one of the first uses for solar power was on NASA spacecraft. Although not used for propelling the crafts, interested parties immediately started thinking about using solar power for getting us around in our daily lives. Alas, there were so many problems with the technology, including efficiency issues, that the idea never really gained much footing. With the massive popularity of hybrid vehicles, companies and research institutes are revisiting the idea.
Vehicles getting all of their energy from the sun are not a viable option at this time or for the near future. The problem is you simply can’t produce enough energy to meet the power needs. Until technology is developed to make the sunlight conversion process much more efficient, there really is not an answer to the problem. This technological advance, however, may not be far away.
Quantum dots are a form of nanotechnology that is being developed by numerous companies for solar power applications. This technology essentially tries to create tiny solar robots to convert the sunlight to energy. Millions fit within small areas and the hope is the efficiency conversion rate will go through the roof. The companies are looking to create a platform where the robots would exist in paint. Yep, the paint on your home and car may eventually produce all the energy needed.
In the meantime, solar power applications are being developed with a focus on hybrids. The basic idea is to use solar power to provide energy to the batteries powering the hybrid cars. Put another way, it is a step towards the ultimate goal. Honda does not discuss its research, but is believed to have built a facility solely for this purpose and is dumping money into it hand over foot.
The creation of viable solar vehicles is dependent on the advances of the underlying technology. Solar hybrids should be on the market relatively quickly. The big breakthrough, however, will be when viable commercial applications are developed using nanotechnology.



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Heating Water using Solar Power

Heating Water using Solar Power
When you decide to convert your main power source over to solar power you will need to make some adjustments to the appliances that carry the power source. When you use solar power to heat your water you may find that you will need to purchase a solar powered water heater in order to do that. You may be able to make adjustments to your existing one but what ever steps you take to turn it into solar power it will be worth it.
There are several different ways to heat your water using solar power. You can even make your own solar power source. The water runs through pipes before it enters your home. Heating water using solar power will occur before the water gets into your home as it passes by the solar source that attracted the light. You may also have a tank to store the water in that can heat the water up. In order to heat your water successfully you will need to have both a solar collector and a storage tank.
A flat plate collector is the most common collector. It is designed to be a thin, flat rectangular box that has a see through cover and it can carry fluid to be heated. This fluid could be the water or it may be a solution, such as antifreeze that will prevent the water from freezing. Next the water moves through the tubes to an absorber plate. This plate is painted black to attract and absorb the heat from the sun. When the collector gets hot, it will heat the fluid that passes through the tubes. As the water passes through the tubes it goes into the storage tank. The storage tank holds the heated water. It is usually well insulated so the water will stay warm longer. Then the water flows into the home on demand.
Solar water heating systems are divided into two groups: Active and passive. When the heating systems are active, that means that they rely on the pumps or other mechanical device that can move the water between the flat plate collector and the storage tank. Active is the most common because it is quicker and more efficient. The passive system relies on gravity to feed the water from the flat plate collector to the storage tank. This may be slow at times and may not be sufficient enough to keep up with the demand. Both ways are logical and may be more of a choice of preference for you. Another thought that you need to consider is that if your flat plate collector and your storage tank is not angled right it may be hard for the gravity to feed the liquid through.
Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort. Choosing to heat your water using solar power is a wise choice and a first step in making a choice to help preserve our environment. We know how easy it is to use solar power to do a lot of things, including heating our water.



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The Cost Of Solar Power

If you are looking for an alternative energy source for your house, solar power could
be for you if you have the right resources. As a general rule right now with today's
technology, solar power can be very expensive. An average American either uses
electricity or gas to provide heat to the house. These fuel sources can also be used
for producing hot water, running your washing machine, and any other appliance or
entertainment device you might have in your home. In some parts of the countries,
such as the Northeast and out west, the cost of electricity and gas products are very
expensive.
Solar power can be an alternative for your house. In a typical house there is a usage
of over 14,400 watt hours per day. That's a lot of juice going to your house. The
more family members you have and the more you are at home enjoying modern
comforts the more electricity you will use. Solar panels can create 70 mW per square
inch. In the course of the day these solar panels might receive about five hours of
sun. This only equals 350 mW hours during the day. So to get the energy you need
for your house which is at 14,400 W hours per day you would have to have 41,000
in.² of solar panel for your house. If you do the math that is almost 300 ft.² of solar
panels. At today's prices that would cost you around $16,000.
Not only would you need a solar panel you'd also have to have a battery bank and an
inverter. Adding these would double your cost of installation and adding materials
and a 48 average size ouster, you are looking at close to $32,000. If you want to add
an air-conditioner to the mix you might as well double that figure to $64,000 for
installation. Added to the installation cost you also need to make your house energyefficient.
This means the closing of cracks between doors and windows. You would
also have to use energy-efficient appliances. You may put the hybrid or hot water
heater so that it only uses electricity during the times that you need it. You would
have to switch over from a desktop to a laptop computer to save on electricity.
This might reduce your need for such a large solar panel but in reality this would not
really stop the sticker shock or the upfront money you need to pay. When you pay
for electricity the traditional way, it only costs around a hundred dollars an hour to
purchase power from the power grid. Of course you should pay for usage but the
hookup to the power grid is a fractional amount of money compared to the large
amount of money you would have to spend to install solar panels on your house.
You have probably seen solar panels on houses in remote areas or as a lot in one
neighborhood. These people have bought these to be more eco friendly and have
invested their money for something they believe in. You too can do this if you have
the resources and the finances, but it might be feasible to wait until the technology is
more efficient and less expensive than it is right now.
Keep up on the technology that is being developed. Periodically go to the internet or
to a science trade publication and see what advances have been made concerning
solar cells and solar panel technology. There may be a break-through that would
bring the prices down so that they are more affordable for the common man. You
might want to start with a small solar panel and just direct that energy to one
appliance that might be draining you, such as a freezer, a water heater, or a washer
and dryer. Technology is moving at light speed these days and the resources to bring
down the cost are here.

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Ways to use Solar Power for Heat

We have become accustomed to turning a dial or pushing a button in order to have heat. These ways are nice but they may be inconvenient as well. Heating homes, schools or businesses with solar energy is not only easy but cost effective as well. There are several ways that we can capture the sun's heat even in winter times. In order to capture the sun's heat you need a solar source. This source can be something that will attract the sun rays but trap the heat from it when it enters the source. A good example is a sunroom.
These rooms are attached to a home or a building and are constructed of glass panels from the floor to the ceiling. It is usually facing the morning sun in order to get the full affect of the heat. When the sun shines into the room the glass allows the sunrays heat the furniture and everything in the room. These areas become the source that holds the heat in so that it will not escape back out of the glass. This type of heating is natural and can be very efficient if it is constructed correctly.
Other forms of solar power heat are:
Thermal mass that absorbs and holds in the heat. It traps and holds heat while the sun is shining and disperses the heat when the sun goes down.
Trombe Wall is a natural solar heating and ventilation system that uses air channels to hold the heat between a glass object and a thermal mass that is facing the sun. The sunlight gets trapped and stored inside this wall and is then circulated though vents and the top and the bottom of the wall. The wall radiates the heat.
Transpired collector is also a wall that is used facing the sun. The wall absorbs the sunlight and heats the air when it enters into the ventilation system.
Solar Cooling is a great way to ventilate a building. It absorbs the solar heat and cools it making ice with a solar powered steam engine that is attached to a cooling device.
Solar Chimney is also a solar ventilation system. It is made of a thermal mass that is hollow inside. The chimney will warm the air inside the chimney and causing the heat to rise. The rise allows the air to circulate and vent properly.
There are several ways that we can provide heating and cooling to our homes, businesses, buildings or other structures that need to be heated. The ways listed above are by using all natural material that will pay off in the long run when you have heat using the sun and not an artificial heating source that may be produced by non-renewable resources. We all need heat no matter what. We need to find out what ways we can save the heat from the day to keep our house warm at night. Not only does it work for heating but also cooling as well.


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Portable Solar Panel Systems

One of the most popular types of portable solar panel systems is the 12 volt (12v) system. But just how much energy does 12v give you? Not enough to heat your house, but enough to run some of your portable devices, or recharge their rechargeable batteries.

These portable panels operate like large solar panels, but generate less electricity due to their smaller size. Like their larger cousins, they operate best under direct full sun conditions. Most of them will work on cloudy and rainy days, but it will take longer to generate the electricity to charge your device. Most will not operate with indoor lighting, but there are solar panels being developed that will be able to use indoor light. They're projected to reach the consumer market in another 4 or 5 years.

Good portable panel systems have built-in regulators, meaning they'll automatically adjust the amount of energy they produce to the amount that the device requires. So be sure that the portable panels you buy have this feature, otherwise there's a danger of overcharging (or "frying") the device that you're trying to recharge.

Most portable solar panels fold into sizes small enough to fit into a large pocket or purse. But you can't fold the cells themselves. Think of a weight belt. It's foldable and flexible when compared to a barbell. But it folds because small weights are sewn into a flexible fabric, not because the weights are foldable. It's the same with the foldable solar panels: they fold because the solar cells are small enough to be mounted on foldable fabric.

So even though portable solar panels are advertised to be durable and waterproof, you still need to be careful when handling them. If you fold or crease the solar cell itself, you'll probably break or disable it. So don't fold the cell, or put the portable panels in the washing machine, or poke them with sharp objects. Your weight belt will survive that kind of treatment, but your portable solar panel won't.

One more word of caution: the portable solar panel can't recharge regular batteries. It can only charge rechargeable batteries. This may be obvious to you, but you'd be surprised how many people try to recharge regular batteries.

You will need additional connector equipment in order to use the portable panels, so plan for the additional expense. You'll need connectors that fit with the recharging plugs on your portable devices. And if you plan to use your portable solar panels to trickle charge your car, boat or snowmobile battery, you might need a set of battery clips.

"Trickle charging" can keep your vehicle's battery fully charged. Here's how it works: place the portable solar panel on a surface where it receives the most sun; then plug it into the cigarette lighter socket, or attach the clips to the vehicle's battery. This can be a great help in really cold climates where temperatures drop below freezing, and you have to keep your car parked outside all day.

Portable solar panels are still relatively expensive compared to using grid electricity at home or in the office. But they make sense if you spend a lot of time camping, hiking or working from your car. And they're great backup systems for times when the power goes out.





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