New and better solar powered panels coming? Thin film is coming. Did yo know I was using this on small applications for the last several years. I will be adding a small panel on my site for you to buy and test shortly.
Solar Power Using An Alloy Film Better Than Silicon
Categories
Energy solutions
Save the environment
Further to: "Off-The-Grid" Right Now here is some great news. Starting with following two articles - a very interesting technology to follow up on.
..."solar photovoltaic technology can be produced in any desired amount, from a few milliwatts to many megawatts, if so desired. It is not necessary to erect large power stations to serve a community with energy from this technology.
A typical middle-class suburban family needs only about 30 square metres (about the size of a living room) of solar panels to supply all of its electricity needs."..
This highly efficient Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide (CIGS) alloy eclipses Silicon and should finally make solar energy possible.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The solar horse riding helmet!
Here it is from Yahoo creative commons a neat horse riding hat!
Solar powered safety lit bike helmet.
Weatherproof, versatile, changeable parts, doubles as a AAA battery charger.
Weatherproof, changable 5 or 10mm flashing LEDs in O ring sealed mounts. Flexible weatherproof solar panel. Panel and batteries are detachable from helmet for use as a AAA battery charger for camping. Removable AAA batteries can be charged in wall if needed, or regular AAAs can be used.
> Charge time: 5-8 hours in full sunlight to charge 4 AA batteries. I used 3 AAA batteries, so it is much quicker. It will charge in bright cloud cover as well.
> Runtime being tested, but so far, seems like several hours.
To me this is a well-suited application of solar powered trickle charge panels. I only ride at night about an hour or so a week, so during the day the helmet can sit in a window and charge. Helmet mounted lights also free me from having lights mounted on my bike that need to be detached to keep from being stolen. It works in the rain and so far is always charged when I need it.
This project could be done in many different ways. The key breakthroughs for me after many trials and errors, were to use a simple soft case Velcro wrapped to the helmet, and to use Black Shoe Goo! I think it's the new duct tape. Also, most of the work was getting an easy rapid prototype idea to work rain or shine for months on end and be versatile with replaceable parts.
Solar powered safety lit bike helmet.
Weatherproof, versatile, changeable parts, doubles as a AAA battery charger.
Weatherproof, changable 5 or 10mm flashing LEDs in O ring sealed mounts. Flexible weatherproof solar panel. Panel and batteries are detachable from helmet for use as a AAA battery charger for camping. Removable AAA batteries can be charged in wall if needed, or regular AAAs can be used.
> Charge time: 5-8 hours in full sunlight to charge 4 AA batteries. I used 3 AAA batteries, so it is much quicker. It will charge in bright cloud cover as well.
> Runtime being tested, but so far, seems like several hours.
To me this is a well-suited application of solar powered trickle charge panels. I only ride at night about an hour or so a week, so during the day the helmet can sit in a window and charge. Helmet mounted lights also free me from having lights mounted on my bike that need to be detached to keep from being stolen. It works in the rain and so far is always charged when I need it.
This project could be done in many different ways. The key breakthroughs for me after many trials and errors, were to use a simple soft case Velcro wrapped to the helmet, and to use Black Shoe Goo! I think it's the new duct tape. Also, most of the work was getting an easy rapid prototype idea to work rain or shine for months on end and be versatile with replaceable parts.
A neat solar engine!
Solar engine
A simple circuit, designed to gather energy from light, store the energy, and then release that energy in bursts to drive a motor, coil, or some other circuit . These are variously called Solar Engines, solarengines, and SEs; in strict electronic terms, they are called relaxation oscillators. The whole purpose of a solar engine is to act like a power "savings account" -- a small trickle of incoming energy is saved up until a useable amount is stored. This stored energy is then released in a burst, in order to drive some useful (if only sporadic and incremental) work.
Various solar engine designs "trigger" (release their stored energy) based any of a number of criteria.
Solar engines have a number of advantages:
* With a solar engine, a solar-powered robot can be made to work (if only sporadically) in even low light levels.
* Solar engines allow solar cell size to be minimized
o Saves money
o Saves weight
o Allows room for the solar cell to be ruggedized.
Four types of solar engines have been defined and built to date, categorized by their trigger mechanism:
* Type 1 - voltage controlled trigger. This is by far the predominant form of solar engine, since they are "efficient enough" for most uses, and pretty simple to build.
* Type 2 - time controlled trigger. These aren't terribly efficient, but are handy for 'bots that need activity at specific times.
* Type 3 - charge curve differentiated, i.e., it triggers when the charge rate of the capacitor(s) slows down. These are (theoretically at least) the most efficient.
* Nocturnal -- These solar engines charge up when it's light, and discharge (i.e., power a load) when it's dark.
For more information, and a whole slew of solar engine designs, see the Solar Engine section of the BEAM Reference Library's BEAM Circuits collection.
A simple circuit, designed to gather energy from light, store the energy, and then release that energy in bursts to drive a motor, coil, or some other circuit . These are variously called Solar Engines, solarengines, and SEs; in strict electronic terms, they are called relaxation oscillators. The whole purpose of a solar engine is to act like a power "savings account" -- a small trickle of incoming energy is saved up until a useable amount is stored. This stored energy is then released in a burst, in order to drive some useful (if only sporadic and incremental) work.
Various solar engine designs "trigger" (release their stored energy) based any of a number of criteria.
Solar engines have a number of advantages:
* With a solar engine, a solar-powered robot can be made to work (if only sporadically) in even low light levels.
* Solar engines allow solar cell size to be minimized
o Saves money
o Saves weight
o Allows room for the solar cell to be ruggedized.
Four types of solar engines have been defined and built to date, categorized by their trigger mechanism:
* Type 1 - voltage controlled trigger. This is by far the predominant form of solar engine, since they are "efficient enough" for most uses, and pretty simple to build.
* Type 2 - time controlled trigger. These aren't terribly efficient, but are handy for 'bots that need activity at specific times.
* Type 3 - charge curve differentiated, i.e., it triggers when the charge rate of the capacitor(s) slows down. These are (theoretically at least) the most efficient.
* Nocturnal -- These solar engines charge up when it's light, and discharge (i.e., power a load) when it's dark.
For more information, and a whole slew of solar engine designs, see the Solar Engine section of the BEAM Reference Library's BEAM Circuits collection.
LED and 110 power in the barn
I went out yesterday and it was about 10 below wind chill and I pulled a chain in the door and one LED light came on, then I walked a bit pulled another chain, then I walked a bit and pressed a button and on came my 110 knights and walked a bit more and turned on another LED light and there my barn was flooded with more than enough light to feed the horse, and put her up.
The cold really affects the florressants but does not in anyway effect the LED lighting.
Just thought I would tell you :) All this is run by one 12 volt 35 amp/hr jell battery and 1-1amp solar panel. Call me if yu have any questions.
The cold really affects the florressants but does not in anyway effect the LED lighting.
Just thought I would tell you :) All this is run by one 12 volt 35 amp/hr jell battery and 1-1amp solar panel. Call me if yu have any questions.
working by my LED solar light
I am up early in frigid KC and once again I am using my 12 volt LED light and I am typing away. No power from the big screw I mean power company being used. Of course I am using 110V for my laptop. My goal one day is to power my entire room by DC/AC power. Recently I read that a small roof top solar system would cost about $20,000 installed...yikes but I will try to save to do this...in the mean time I will try to do it on the cheap :)
I just bought a 1000 watt inverter for my power AC/DC power back up system. I wanted 2000 Watts but money made me compromise. I will use it to power or test power a pc in the office. we will see. I have a 60 amp hour battery and a 1 amp 17 watt solar panel to trickle charge the system and now the 1000 watt inverter. I will buy a nice regulator and put it all together. So my lights in the office and at least one computer will be working on full back up power. I will keep you posted.
I just bought a 1000 watt inverter for my power AC/DC power back up system. I wanted 2000 Watts but money made me compromise. I will use it to power or test power a pc in the office. we will see. I have a 60 amp hour battery and a 1 amp 17 watt solar panel to trickle charge the system and now the 1000 watt inverter. I will buy a nice regulator and put it all together. So my lights in the office and at least one computer will be working on full back up power. I will keep you posted.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A cool new solar gadget
Global Satellite USA Launches Solar-Powered Laptop Bag
December 17, 2008
[Satellite Today 12-17-08] Global Satellite USA has released the Generator, a bag that produces enough solar power to charge a laptop from less than a day in the sun, the company announced Dec. 17.
The Generator features a 15-watt solar panel and a battery that holds the equivalent of a full laptop charge and also can be charged from a wall outlet.
For each hour in the sun, the Generator extends laptop run time by 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the efficiency of the laptop, according to Global Satellite USA. An hour in the sun also generates enough power to fully charge most phones, MP3 players and small cameras.
December 17, 2008
[Satellite Today 12-17-08] Global Satellite USA has released the Generator, a bag that produces enough solar power to charge a laptop from less than a day in the sun, the company announced Dec. 17.
The Generator features a 15-watt solar panel and a battery that holds the equivalent of a full laptop charge and also can be charged from a wall outlet.
For each hour in the sun, the Generator extends laptop run time by 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the efficiency of the laptop, according to Global Satellite USA. An hour in the sun also generates enough power to fully charge most phones, MP3 players and small cameras.
Solar on the cheap
This a rather long article I found but it is worth the read. I have done some of this and saved and scrounged many solar panels and items.:
t seems that the “green” (or brown) movement is growing faster and faster. It used to be the realm of unwashed hippies, tree huggers and other so called “degenerates” who lived off the grid, in the wild, on the fringes of society.
Lately, I keep reading about how more mainstream people are jumping in, purchasing solar panels, adding passive solar rooms, collecting rain water. I read about people who build $300,000+ green homes, that price doesn’t include the price of the land it sits upon! It’s all fine and dandy for those who have lots of readily available cash sitting around, or worse, they get loans to bankroll their ubergreen homes.I have no complaints about those who can afford the extravagant green homes, if you are wealthy and can afford to do it, then by all means go for it. But what about all of the rest of us, living on fixed or small incomes? Is it possible to live the green dream if you don’t have a cool million sitting in the bank? The answer is YES, you can!
In this article I talk about solar panels, but this can also refer to anything it takes to live off grid, solar power, wind power, water power…
That doesn’t mean you can go out and buy an entire setup of solar panels and everything that goes with it right off the bat. That would just be foolish. It would be even more foolish to buy on credit, there is no point in making this cost more than it has to, and buying on credit, unless you CAN and WILL pay off the balance before the next billing cycle, you will be paying more than necessary.
The way to bankroll your purchases is to do it one step at a time. I am assuming that you have taken the time to educate yourself on solar panels and everything that goes with it. You don’t need to go crazy, just do a little homework, learn what you need, figure out how you can reduce your power needs, the less power you can use, the less you need to spend on your solar setup.
Figure out how much money you have left over at the end of the month, after all of your bills are paid. Take that money, put some of it aside for a “rainy day”, and take the rest and purchase as many solar panels as you can. If that is one, then just get one. Set these aside and add to it each month. You will need more than just solar panels, but this will get you started. You will also need to get deep cycle batteries, there are several different types, again you need to educate yourself. They can be expensive, so buy them as you can. You also need to try to stay with the same size or as close to the same size as possible as well a the same type, you don’t want to mix wet batteries with gel batteries, again, you need to educate yourself. It might even be advisable to make those your latter purchases since batteries generally require some maintenance, they don’t like just sitting idle.
You will need to get at least one charge controller, don’t skimp on this, this one item will insure that you don’t overcharge your batteries, this investment will pay off big time in the long run.
For the solar panels, I have heard many different opinions about how much to spend on them, I find that they don’t have any moving parts, and either they work or they don’t, so if you can find them cheaper, then buy the cheaper ones. Harbor Freight has good prices on a range of solar panels, I find nothing wrong with them. Just a little bit of advice, I used to work in the electronics industry, in general, the sales people tended to disparage the “cheaper” generic items in favor of the more expensive brand name items. The only reason they did this was so their paychecks would be bigger, ie they earned commission on their sales. I even found this trend in a store where no one earned commissions.
I don’t know why they did it other than the bottom line of the store, but it happened, and it happened frequently. It was their perception that the higher priced, name brand products were somehow better than the lower cost generic products. The funny part about it is, usually the generic products were made by the same manufacturers that made the name brand products. These often had a lower price point AND a bigger markup, so if they had been “pushing” the generics, they would have been, in reality, making more money for the store in the long run! Go figure! So don’t get caught up in the “it has to be a brand name” solar panel, buy what you can afford.
If you do this, starting now, within a year you should have a pretty good stash of solar goodies waiting for you to hook them all up. If you think this will take too long, just think of it like this, the time WILL go by whether you are slowly stocking up or not, if you had started this a year ago, how much would you have now? So don’t let the perception of time passing slowly discourage you from getting started, the sooner you start, the sooner you will be in better shape to be off grid. The longer you put it off, the longer it will take for you to become independent!
If you don’t have enough money to purchase an item at the end of the month, then set aside the money you DO have, don’t blow it, just save it and add it to next month’s funds. Anytime you come into extra money, an unexpected raise, a bonus, Christmas or birthday money, put that towards your solar purchases. Try spending less on unnecessary things, instead of eating out, eat at home, bring your lunch to work, stop buying those $4.00 coffee’s, you know what I am talking about! Take the change out of your pocket or purse everyday and put it aside, every little bit adds up. Eat closer to the earth, stop buying all the pre-prepared, over packaged microwave junk foods, your body, mind and pocketbook will be the better for it.
Ladies, do you REALLY have to get your nails done every week? How about shopping at discount stores or even (gasp) second hand stores? I have found brand new clothes, with retail tags still attached in thrift stores, I can buy a pair of good jeans for a few dollars instead of paying $30.00 and up. You can even find deals on some of your groceries if you are willing to shop at salvage grocery stores, just look in the phone book. Also look at the dollar stores for some of your grocery needs, you can get lots of staples at a great price there. Just take inventory of what you are spending each month, decide which things can be trimmed or even cut out all together, what is more important, going to the movies this weekend or becoming free from monthly utility bills?
Do you really need to have 2 cars? Do you really need a NEW car? Buying an older model car can save you thousands of dollars in car payments as well as lower insurance premiums. What do you have laying around collecting dust that you can sell? What can you give up that will save you money, how much are you paying to watch TV? I’m talking about cable and satellite services, how about dropping the service all together, or if you are not willing to do that, how about dropping the premium channels? How much would that save each month? Shop around for internet service, you may be paying too much for your current service. Try this, turn off your modem, turn on your wireless card and see if there is a signal you can “use” to get free internet. Check with your neighbors and see if you can go in with them on an internet connection and share the bill.
If your company has an employee stock plan, or some other type of savings plans, especially if they match your contribution, then GO FOR IT! That’s exactly how I was able to buy my little parcel of land, I worked 10 and a half years at Best Buy, the last 7 years I worked part time. I signed up for the employee stock plan as soon as it was available for the part timers. I gave the maximum that I could, it was 20% of my paycheck. Working part time, that wasn’t much, on average it was about $70.00 per paycheck, we were paid every 2 weeks. I left the money alone, most of the time I didn’t even know how much money I had in that account. Too many time I saw this happen with the other people I worked with, they would get a couple of thousand dollars saved up, then they would cash it in and make a down payment on a new car, or something else that was equally unnecessary. I only became interested in how much I had when I started looking for a place to buy to live off grid. In the 7 or so years that I had participated in this program, I had saved/earned enough to be able to buy my land outright. I didn’t have to get a bank loan, I didn’t use credit cards, I just cashed in one investment and put the money into another investment, my property.
More at the following link: http://www.off-grid.net/2008/12/15/off-grid-on-the-cheap/
t seems that the “green” (or brown) movement is growing faster and faster. It used to be the realm of unwashed hippies, tree huggers and other so called “degenerates” who lived off the grid, in the wild, on the fringes of society.
Lately, I keep reading about how more mainstream people are jumping in, purchasing solar panels, adding passive solar rooms, collecting rain water. I read about people who build $300,000+ green homes, that price doesn’t include the price of the land it sits upon! It’s all fine and dandy for those who have lots of readily available cash sitting around, or worse, they get loans to bankroll their ubergreen homes.I have no complaints about those who can afford the extravagant green homes, if you are wealthy and can afford to do it, then by all means go for it. But what about all of the rest of us, living on fixed or small incomes? Is it possible to live the green dream if you don’t have a cool million sitting in the bank? The answer is YES, you can!
In this article I talk about solar panels, but this can also refer to anything it takes to live off grid, solar power, wind power, water power…
That doesn’t mean you can go out and buy an entire setup of solar panels and everything that goes with it right off the bat. That would just be foolish. It would be even more foolish to buy on credit, there is no point in making this cost more than it has to, and buying on credit, unless you CAN and WILL pay off the balance before the next billing cycle, you will be paying more than necessary.
The way to bankroll your purchases is to do it one step at a time. I am assuming that you have taken the time to educate yourself on solar panels and everything that goes with it. You don’t need to go crazy, just do a little homework, learn what you need, figure out how you can reduce your power needs, the less power you can use, the less you need to spend on your solar setup.
Figure out how much money you have left over at the end of the month, after all of your bills are paid. Take that money, put some of it aside for a “rainy day”, and take the rest and purchase as many solar panels as you can. If that is one, then just get one. Set these aside and add to it each month. You will need more than just solar panels, but this will get you started. You will also need to get deep cycle batteries, there are several different types, again you need to educate yourself. They can be expensive, so buy them as you can. You also need to try to stay with the same size or as close to the same size as possible as well a the same type, you don’t want to mix wet batteries with gel batteries, again, you need to educate yourself. It might even be advisable to make those your latter purchases since batteries generally require some maintenance, they don’t like just sitting idle.
You will need to get at least one charge controller, don’t skimp on this, this one item will insure that you don’t overcharge your batteries, this investment will pay off big time in the long run.
For the solar panels, I have heard many different opinions about how much to spend on them, I find that they don’t have any moving parts, and either they work or they don’t, so if you can find them cheaper, then buy the cheaper ones. Harbor Freight has good prices on a range of solar panels, I find nothing wrong with them. Just a little bit of advice, I used to work in the electronics industry, in general, the sales people tended to disparage the “cheaper” generic items in favor of the more expensive brand name items. The only reason they did this was so their paychecks would be bigger, ie they earned commission on their sales. I even found this trend in a store where no one earned commissions.
I don’t know why they did it other than the bottom line of the store, but it happened, and it happened frequently. It was their perception that the higher priced, name brand products were somehow better than the lower cost generic products. The funny part about it is, usually the generic products were made by the same manufacturers that made the name brand products. These often had a lower price point AND a bigger markup, so if they had been “pushing” the generics, they would have been, in reality, making more money for the store in the long run! Go figure! So don’t get caught up in the “it has to be a brand name” solar panel, buy what you can afford.
If you do this, starting now, within a year you should have a pretty good stash of solar goodies waiting for you to hook them all up. If you think this will take too long, just think of it like this, the time WILL go by whether you are slowly stocking up or not, if you had started this a year ago, how much would you have now? So don’t let the perception of time passing slowly discourage you from getting started, the sooner you start, the sooner you will be in better shape to be off grid. The longer you put it off, the longer it will take for you to become independent!
If you don’t have enough money to purchase an item at the end of the month, then set aside the money you DO have, don’t blow it, just save it and add it to next month’s funds. Anytime you come into extra money, an unexpected raise, a bonus, Christmas or birthday money, put that towards your solar purchases. Try spending less on unnecessary things, instead of eating out, eat at home, bring your lunch to work, stop buying those $4.00 coffee’s, you know what I am talking about! Take the change out of your pocket or purse everyday and put it aside, every little bit adds up. Eat closer to the earth, stop buying all the pre-prepared, over packaged microwave junk foods, your body, mind and pocketbook will be the better for it.
Ladies, do you REALLY have to get your nails done every week? How about shopping at discount stores or even (gasp) second hand stores? I have found brand new clothes, with retail tags still attached in thrift stores, I can buy a pair of good jeans for a few dollars instead of paying $30.00 and up. You can even find deals on some of your groceries if you are willing to shop at salvage grocery stores, just look in the phone book. Also look at the dollar stores for some of your grocery needs, you can get lots of staples at a great price there. Just take inventory of what you are spending each month, decide which things can be trimmed or even cut out all together, what is more important, going to the movies this weekend or becoming free from monthly utility bills?
Do you really need to have 2 cars? Do you really need a NEW car? Buying an older model car can save you thousands of dollars in car payments as well as lower insurance premiums. What do you have laying around collecting dust that you can sell? What can you give up that will save you money, how much are you paying to watch TV? I’m talking about cable and satellite services, how about dropping the service all together, or if you are not willing to do that, how about dropping the premium channels? How much would that save each month? Shop around for internet service, you may be paying too much for your current service. Try this, turn off your modem, turn on your wireless card and see if there is a signal you can “use” to get free internet. Check with your neighbors and see if you can go in with them on an internet connection and share the bill.
If your company has an employee stock plan, or some other type of savings plans, especially if they match your contribution, then GO FOR IT! That’s exactly how I was able to buy my little parcel of land, I worked 10 and a half years at Best Buy, the last 7 years I worked part time. I signed up for the employee stock plan as soon as it was available for the part timers. I gave the maximum that I could, it was 20% of my paycheck. Working part time, that wasn’t much, on average it was about $70.00 per paycheck, we were paid every 2 weeks. I left the money alone, most of the time I didn’t even know how much money I had in that account. Too many time I saw this happen with the other people I worked with, they would get a couple of thousand dollars saved up, then they would cash it in and make a down payment on a new car, or something else that was equally unnecessary. I only became interested in how much I had when I started looking for a place to buy to live off grid. In the 7 or so years that I had participated in this program, I had saved/earned enough to be able to buy my land outright. I didn’t have to get a bank loan, I didn’t use credit cards, I just cashed in one investment and put the money into another investment, my property.
More at the following link: http://www.off-grid.net/2008/12/15/off-grid-on-the-cheap/
Friday, December 12, 2008
Can you afford residential solar?
This is a neat article by Eric Duncan
by Eric Q. Duncan
The economy is not getting any better. This means most people are still limiting their spending any way they can. Many are thinking about alternate sources of energy to use at their residence to save money on a long-term basis. Residential solar panels are a good choice for saving money and this source of energy does no harm to the environment.
It is a common belief that the only way to have green renewable energy is to purchase a system through an alternative energy company and have it professionally installed in your home. This is out of reach for most people, as they cannot afford it. What they do not know is they can build their own solar panels for a reasonable cost at home.
Your own homemade solar panels can be connected to your utility company’s grid in such a way as to feed your unused power back through their lines. They are obligated to pay you for the excess power you produce. This means not only can you lower your bills; you may also receive a check from the power company.
The solar panels depend on sunshine to produce power to your home. What will you do at night or on rainy days? Here are three options for you to think about.
A system of batteries can be set up to store power for use when you need it. When your solar panels are not getting enough sun to work, your batteries will take over to provide power to your home. Once you have the battery back-up system in place you will not be dependent on the electric company for power. You can have your power from them shut off.
This means your home is producing all its energy needs from your homemade solar panels. This is referred to as living off the grid. You are running your lights, air, heat, or anything else you use electricity to power without using the services of the power company.
You can also build your own wind power system and use it as well as your homemade solar panels. It will kick in when the sun is not shining and power your home. It is easy to construct your own wind system from simple inexpensive products from your local supply company. But then again sometimes the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
For this reason, it is still wise to hook up to the power grid or invest in a battery bank to ensure you never have to go without power. However, by using both types of green energy you provide more energy to your home and very rarely have to depend on your back up methods for power.
The third method is to simply be hooked to the grid. If you ever are in a situation where the sun is not shining you home simply draws power from the grid. Usually it only costs you a few dollars per bill and often times due to the power the grid has used from your solar panel you break even.
It is time to do all you can to cut the cost of living and having your own residential solar panels is a good way to do it. The environment needs help and this green alternative energy source will not harm the earth or atmosphere in any way. Anyone can make and install their own solar panels with the right guidance.
by Eric Q. Duncan
The economy is not getting any better. This means most people are still limiting their spending any way they can. Many are thinking about alternate sources of energy to use at their residence to save money on a long-term basis. Residential solar panels are a good choice for saving money and this source of energy does no harm to the environment.
It is a common belief that the only way to have green renewable energy is to purchase a system through an alternative energy company and have it professionally installed in your home. This is out of reach for most people, as they cannot afford it. What they do not know is they can build their own solar panels for a reasonable cost at home.
Your own homemade solar panels can be connected to your utility company’s grid in such a way as to feed your unused power back through their lines. They are obligated to pay you for the excess power you produce. This means not only can you lower your bills; you may also receive a check from the power company.
The solar panels depend on sunshine to produce power to your home. What will you do at night or on rainy days? Here are three options for you to think about.
A system of batteries can be set up to store power for use when you need it. When your solar panels are not getting enough sun to work, your batteries will take over to provide power to your home. Once you have the battery back-up system in place you will not be dependent on the electric company for power. You can have your power from them shut off.
This means your home is producing all its energy needs from your homemade solar panels. This is referred to as living off the grid. You are running your lights, air, heat, or anything else you use electricity to power without using the services of the power company.
You can also build your own wind power system and use it as well as your homemade solar panels. It will kick in when the sun is not shining and power your home. It is easy to construct your own wind system from simple inexpensive products from your local supply company. But then again sometimes the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
For this reason, it is still wise to hook up to the power grid or invest in a battery bank to ensure you never have to go without power. However, by using both types of green energy you provide more energy to your home and very rarely have to depend on your back up methods for power.
The third method is to simply be hooked to the grid. If you ever are in a situation where the sun is not shining you home simply draws power from the grid. Usually it only costs you a few dollars per bill and often times due to the power the grid has used from your solar panel you break even.
It is time to do all you can to cut the cost of living and having your own residential solar panels is a good way to do it. The environment needs help and this green alternative energy source will not harm the earth or atmosphere in any way. Anyone can make and install their own solar panels with the right guidance.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
If you are using batteries for solar use remember this
One thing I have noticed, do not let yur battery charge go below about 12 volts. if you let the voltage drop too far almost no amount of solar trickle charge will work and you will have to use a commercial battery charger to bring you back up to then allow the solar panel to keep you up to snuff.
Working in the early morning with only 12 volt and 110 solar power
Yes it was one of those mornings and my eyes just popped open and away I went. I went into my office and I turned on my 12 volt light and also my 110 inverter light and my room was awash in very bright light. I say this because I often just use that light to work by. I will tell you that the inverter light is very bright but it does suck some juice. Unless you have a big battery, be prepared for a few hours of light. I will experiment and buy a much more powerful battery and gauge its performance. Bottom line...with 12 volt LED lights you can work a long time on a little battery but the light is not quite the same. On an inverter light, you can get as much light or more than your household light but only for so long. Bottom line is you have to balance your needs.
Samsung is going solar
Like it or not here it comes
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — With growth in flat-panel TV sales declining, LCD makers at Samsung are seeing solar and immersive displays as two of the most promising drivers of future demand. Meanwhile, the company is shifting its LCD business into survival mode for the downturn with a new focus on cost-effective products.
A Samsung executive said the company's move into large scale production of solar photovoltaic panels may be "almost inevitable." Samsung saw industry growth in flat-panel TVs—the biggest market for LCDs--trending down to single digits even before the economic downturn in September.
"It may be even worse now," said Jun-Hyung Souk, executive vice president of Samsung's display R&D center. "We have to do something for 2010 and beyond to create the next growth engine," he said speaking at an annual Samsung tech forum here.
Over the last 18 months, Samsung has assembled a large R&D group for solar panels. The company may start by producing bulk crystalline panels because newer thin film technologies may require another two years or more of research.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — With growth in flat-panel TV sales declining, LCD makers at Samsung are seeing solar and immersive displays as two of the most promising drivers of future demand. Meanwhile, the company is shifting its LCD business into survival mode for the downturn with a new focus on cost-effective products.
A Samsung executive said the company's move into large scale production of solar photovoltaic panels may be "almost inevitable." Samsung saw industry growth in flat-panel TVs—the biggest market for LCDs--trending down to single digits even before the economic downturn in September.
"It may be even worse now," said Jun-Hyung Souk, executive vice president of Samsung's display R&D center. "We have to do something for 2010 and beyond to create the next growth engine," he said speaking at an annual Samsung tech forum here.
Over the last 18 months, Samsung has assembled a large R&D group for solar panels. The company may start by producing bulk crystalline panels because newer thin film technologies may require another two years or more of research.
Solar Power is growing
This is a neat article I saw in the Kansas City Star. This is much bigger in scope than anything we sell but it can be taken down to a smaller level.
Solar systems powering more Calif. agribusinesses
By STEVE LAWRENCE
Associated Press Writer
Jessica Lundberg, who chairs the board of directors of the Lundberg Family Farms, is seen near a solar power panel at the farm in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations
Rich Pedroncelli
Jessica Lundberg, who chairs the board of directors of the Lundberg Family Farms, is seen near a solar power panel at the farm in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations
Rice seed runs through a separator at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms, which has been growing rice since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations. While it gets 10 percent to 15 percent of it's power from solar panels, installed on the farm in 2006, the Lundberg Farms also buys renewable energy credits that enables the company to say that it gets 100 percent of it's electricity from renewable sources. Rice seed is poured into a hopper that will be mixed with other ingredients to make rice cakes at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms, which has been growing rice since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations. While it gets 10 percent to 15 percent of it's power from solar panels, installed in 2006 , the Lundberg Farms also buys renewable energy credits that enables the company to say that it gets 100 percent of it's electricity from renewable sources. A solar power panel is seen with rice storage bins at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations Jessica Lundberg displays a variety of rice grown by the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations.
For more than 70 years, California's abundance of sunshine has enabled the Lundberg family to grow rice in the Central Valley north of Sacramento.
Now the sun is helping the family churn out myriad rice products, from chips to cakes to pasta.
Lundberg Family Farms, which bills itself as the nation's largest producer of organic rice and rice products, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations.
"It made sense from an environmental point of view and a business point of view," said Jessica Lundberg, whose family has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937.
There's no count of how many growers have invested in solar, but Bernadette Del Chiaro, a clean energy advocate with the group Environment California, said she has seen an increase in agricultural companies installing solar panels over the last five years.
That's particularly true among wineries and packing plants that have high refrigeration and air conditioning costs.
"We're seeing a lot of wineries go solar, and it's not just to green their image," she said. "It's because they can actually save money."
More than 960 California companies have applied for rebates through the state Public Utilities Commission since Jan. 1, 2007, for installing solar panels, but there's no breakdown available on how many of those applicants are in agriculture.
Besides the rebates, companies that install solar panels can qualify for a federal tax credit on the purchase and installation costs. They also can get credits from utilities for any unused solar-generated electricity they send to the power grid.
Ron Martella said his family's walnut processing company, Grower Direct Nut Co., took a long look at the potential economic benefits before deciding to install solar panels this year.
"We're in one of the cheapest electrical districts in the state," said Martella, a director of the company in Hughson, about 80 miles south of Sacramento. "We came to the conclusion that with the tax credits and rebates, the money we'd save on electricity would be a positive thing for our company in the long run."
He expects the $3.5 million project to be paid off in about eight years.
Lundberg Farms won a Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this year for its use of renewable energy.
Besides the power it obtains from its solar panels, the company buys renewable energy credits that help develop wind power. That enables Lundberg Farms to claim it gets 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.
The EPA said Lundberg's energy program was the "the largest U.S. renewable energy commitment by an agribusiness." The company also won the award in 2004.
Lundberg traces her family's interest in renewable energy to her grandparents' experiences farming in the Midwest during the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.
"They had seen what happens ... if you don't take care of your resources," she said. "When they came to California and had a chance to start again, they took it really seriously."
Her father and his three brothers started the rice mill in the 1960s and began growing rice without chemicals. Now a third generation of cousins and their spouses has moved into positions at the company, which grows 17 varieties of rice on about 15,000 acres.
It turns 45 million to 60 million pounds of rice a year into more than 150 products, including varieties of rice chips, rice syrup, rice pasta, rice cakes and one- and two-pound packages of rice. It also sells rice in bulk quantities.
Company officials figure their solar panels will be providing them with electricity for the next 30 to 40 years.
Rebates and tax credits covered about half the cost of the $3.5 million project. They expect to make up for the rest of the cost in eight to 10 years.
"We're still carrying the cost of installation, paying them off," Lundberg said. "But we think it was a good business decision. It's just so satisfying to be able to contribute like that, to have something tangible we are able to do."
Solar systems powering more Calif. agribusinesses
By STEVE LAWRENCE
Associated Press Writer
Jessica Lundberg, who chairs the board of directors of the Lundberg Family Farms, is seen near a solar power panel at the farm in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations
Rich Pedroncelli
Jessica Lundberg, who chairs the board of directors of the Lundberg Family Farms, is seen near a solar power panel at the farm in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations
Rice seed runs through a separator at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms, which has been growing rice since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations. While it gets 10 percent to 15 percent of it's power from solar panels, installed on the farm in 2006, the Lundberg Farms also buys renewable energy credits that enables the company to say that it gets 100 percent of it's electricity from renewable sources. Rice seed is poured into a hopper that will be mixed with other ingredients to make rice cakes at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms, which has been growing rice since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations. While it gets 10 percent to 15 percent of it's power from solar panels, installed in 2006 , the Lundberg Farms also buys renewable energy credits that enables the company to say that it gets 100 percent of it's electricity from renewable sources. A solar power panel is seen with rice storage bins at the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations Jessica Lundberg displays a variety of rice grown by the Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Lundberg Family Farms,which has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations.
For more than 70 years, California's abundance of sunshine has enabled the Lundberg family to grow rice in the Central Valley north of Sacramento.
Now the sun is helping the family churn out myriad rice products, from chips to cakes to pasta.
Lundberg Family Farms, which bills itself as the nation's largest producer of organic rice and rice products, is among a small but growing number of California growers and processors who are turning to solar power to help them run their operations.
"It made sense from an environmental point of view and a business point of view," said Jessica Lundberg, whose family has been growing rice in the Richvale area since 1937.
There's no count of how many growers have invested in solar, but Bernadette Del Chiaro, a clean energy advocate with the group Environment California, said she has seen an increase in agricultural companies installing solar panels over the last five years.
That's particularly true among wineries and packing plants that have high refrigeration and air conditioning costs.
"We're seeing a lot of wineries go solar, and it's not just to green their image," she said. "It's because they can actually save money."
More than 960 California companies have applied for rebates through the state Public Utilities Commission since Jan. 1, 2007, for installing solar panels, but there's no breakdown available on how many of those applicants are in agriculture.
Besides the rebates, companies that install solar panels can qualify for a federal tax credit on the purchase and installation costs. They also can get credits from utilities for any unused solar-generated electricity they send to the power grid.
Ron Martella said his family's walnut processing company, Grower Direct Nut Co., took a long look at the potential economic benefits before deciding to install solar panels this year.
"We're in one of the cheapest electrical districts in the state," said Martella, a director of the company in Hughson, about 80 miles south of Sacramento. "We came to the conclusion that with the tax credits and rebates, the money we'd save on electricity would be a positive thing for our company in the long run."
He expects the $3.5 million project to be paid off in about eight years.
Lundberg Farms won a Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this year for its use of renewable energy.
Besides the power it obtains from its solar panels, the company buys renewable energy credits that help develop wind power. That enables Lundberg Farms to claim it gets 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.
The EPA said Lundberg's energy program was the "the largest U.S. renewable energy commitment by an agribusiness." The company also won the award in 2004.
Lundberg traces her family's interest in renewable energy to her grandparents' experiences farming in the Midwest during the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.
"They had seen what happens ... if you don't take care of your resources," she said. "When they came to California and had a chance to start again, they took it really seriously."
Her father and his three brothers started the rice mill in the 1960s and began growing rice without chemicals. Now a third generation of cousins and their spouses has moved into positions at the company, which grows 17 varieties of rice on about 15,000 acres.
It turns 45 million to 60 million pounds of rice a year into more than 150 products, including varieties of rice chips, rice syrup, rice pasta, rice cakes and one- and two-pound packages of rice. It also sells rice in bulk quantities.
Company officials figure their solar panels will be providing them with electricity for the next 30 to 40 years.
Rebates and tax credits covered about half the cost of the $3.5 million project. They expect to make up for the rest of the cost in eight to 10 years.
"We're still carrying the cost of installation, paying them off," Lundberg said. "But we think it was a good business decision. It's just so satisfying to be able to contribute like that, to have something tangible we are able to do."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)