Posts Tagged: Equator

What Are Solar Panels? Solar panels are what you put on your roof, or pole mounted, or even ground mounted to capture the power of the sun and turn it into something mankind can use. Specifically, solar panels take on one of two types: solar thermal collectors used to capture heat, and photo voltaic solar modules which convert the heat and light from the sun into electricity.

In many third world countries, you see large black plastic bottles on the roofs of most homes. These are a form of solar thermal collector used to heat the water for household use. In areas near the equator where the suns shine almost every day, for most of the day, these are a very effective way to heat water for daily use.

In developed countries, solar panels acting as thermal collectors are generally closed tube systems of air flow capture devices. For heating space, the air can be sent into porous rock, like lava rock. For heating of water, for use as either water to use or water to heat the home, panels that cycle some form of liquid that does not freeze, such as anti-freeze or glycerol is used, in a drain back fashion.

But the big rave these days is in photo voltaic (or PV) electric generation. PV solar panels are often referred to as solar modules, which are ganged together to capture the suns power and create electricity that can power you home, or even better, flow back into the grid where anyone else can consume the power you are generating.

Advantages and Disdvantages of Solar Power

With all the hype of solar energy, you must become aware that there are advantages and disadvantages regarding solar.
Let’s start out with the disadvantages, and get it over:

• It only works when the sun shines
• Generation is the easy part, storage is the hard part
• Power companies generally limit what you can connect to the grid
• If you buy today, you may miss the new technology of tomorrow

but enough doom and gloom, what are the advantages?
• Go Green
• Reduce your electricity costs
• Lock in your current rate for future power
• Get paid to install solar

These are just a couple advantages.

So, to recap, “Solar panel” describes two types of devices that collect energy from the sun:
* Solar photovoltaic modules use solar cells to convert light from the sun into electricity.
* Solar thermal collectors use the sun’s energy to heat water or another fluid such as oil or antifreeze.

Nth Degree Energy (http://NthDegreeEnergy.com) offers Solar Energy Solutions to residential homeowners and commercial/business owners in the Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona regions. We design, install, warrant and maintain your solar photo voltaic electric generation system as a turnkey solution. You sit back, relax, lock in your electricity rate for years to come, and know you are helping mother earth survive a little longer.

If you haven’t heard all the talk about Renewable Energy, you must have been living in a cave for the last 10 years. Even so, if you were in a cave I am sure someone would have told you about solar energy, wind power or hydro power. These are all examples of renewable energy, that are being used in to days world and with the concern of Global Warming, at no other time in our history has this concept been more important. Click for earth 4 energy Michael Harvey,

-Solar Energy

Every day from sunrise to sunset the sun produces an unimaginable amount of energy, and all you have to do is tap into that energy. You need a solar colletor, which helps you to heat the water in your home or use a Solar cell to convert the sun’s energy to electricity, and if you have ever used a solar calculator I am sure you understand the idea.

This has moved on from the calculator to cells helping to providing power to homes, cars, street lamps, cell phones the list is endless. You will find solar cells helping provide power from the Artic to the equator.

-Wind Energy

For thousands of years man has harnessed the power of the wind, it used to be the only way a ship could get across the oceans. You will have also seen windmills that harnessed to power of the wind to grind grains or to pump water. Nowadays we are harnessing the power of the wind to create a clean source of electricity in all parts of the world.

Wind Farms have been appearing all over the countryside, and can produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes. They are surprisingly simple in how they work, the blades of the windmill and connected to an electrical generator through the use of gears and shafts, that mean when the blades turn electricity is created by the generator.

where you can learn about solar power and other forms of alternative energy you can use around your home. You can also learn how you can do your bit to stop Global Warmings- solar and wind renewable energy

This article will describe how solar energy is created and cover some of its basic principles.

Solar energy consists of the light and heat emitted by the sun, in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

With today’s technology, we are able to capture this radiation and turn it into usable forms of solar energy - such as heating or electricity.

Although one could go into technical dissertations on the subject of electromagnetic radiation, how it is converted into solar energy, and the exact qualities of its electromagnetic rays, this is not something the average person needs or wants to know.

But in order to benefit the most from the use of solar power, there are a few facts you should know. Knowing these facts can assist you to make a sound decisions, when looking at the use of solar power as a clean energy source for your home, RV, or whatever the case may be.

- Available Solar Resource

The technical feasibility and economical viability of using solar energy depends on the amount of available sunlight (solar radiation) in the area where you intend to place solar heaters or solar panels.

This is sometimes referred to as the available solar resource.

Every part of Earth is provided with sunlight during at least one part of the year. (I say “part of the year” as the north and south polar caps are each in total darkness for a few months of the year.) The amount of sunlight available is one factor to take into account when considering using solar energy.

There are a few other factors, however, which need to be looked at when determining the viability of solar energy in any given location. These are as follows:

* Geographic location

* Time of day

* Season

* Local landscape

* Local weather

Because the Earth is round, the sun hits its surface at different angles, at different locations on the globe. This ranges from 0� (just above the horizon - a good example of this is the north pole during the winter) to 90� (directly overhead, at and near the equator).

When the sun’s rays are vertical (directly overhead), the Earth’s surface gets a maximum of solar energy. The more slanted the sun’s rays are, the longer they have to travel through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the surface (becoming more scattered and diffuse as they go along).

The more scattered and diffuse the sun rays are, the less concentrated the solar energy is. Because the Earth is round, the polar regions never get direct sunlight, and they receive no sun at all during their respective winter months.

The Earth travels around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Because of its elliptical path, the northern hemisphere of the Earth is closer to the sun during one half of the year, and the southern hemisphere is closer during the other half of the year.

When one part of the Earth is closer to the sun, it receives more concentrated solar energy. This is the time of year that is referred to as “summer.”

But regardless of summer or winter, the 23.5� tilt of the Earth’s axis plays a larger role in determining the amount of sunlight striking Earth at a particular location. The tilting of the earth results in longer days in the northern hemisphere during one half the year, and longer days in the southern hemisphere during the other half of the year.

Areas such as the United States and Europe receive more solar energy between May and September - not only because days are longer, but also because the sun is nearly overhead during this season. The sun’s rays are far more slanted during the shorter days of the winter months. Cities such as Denver, Colorado, receive nearly three times more solar energy in June than they do in December.

- Diffuse and Direct Sunlight

As sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is absorbed, scattered, and reflected.

The following is a general list of materials that cause the sunlight to be diffused:

* Air Molecules

* Water vapor

* Clouds

* Dust

* Pollutants

Sunlight affected in this way is referred to as diffuse solar radiation or diffuse sunlight.

Sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface without being diffused is called direct beam solar radiation or direct sunlight.

The sum total of all diffuse and direct solar radiation in a given location is called global solar radiation. It is the total amount of sunlight hitting the Earth at any specific spot, both direct and diffuse combined.

Pollution and other atmospheric conditions (such as weather patterns) can reduce direct sunlight by 10% on clear dry days. They can reduce direct beam radiation by 100% on thick, cloudy days.

Note that the absence of direct sunlight does not imply total darkness, as some diffuse light will still get through.

- Measuring Sunlight and Solar Energy

Scientists measure the amount of sunlight available in specific locations during the different times of year.

They are then able to estimate the amount of sunlight which falls on similar regions at the same latitude with similar climates and conditions.

Measurements of solar energy are normally expressed as “total radiation on a horizontal surface”, or as “total amount of radiation on a surface tracking the sun”.

In this last case, the assumption is that one is using a solar panel that automatically tracks the sun.

In other words, the solar panel would be mounted on a tracking device so that the panel would remain at right angles to the sun throughout the day.

This system is primarily used for industrial setups, when it is used at all.

- Solar Energy Measurements

Radiation data (the amount of solar energy available at a given location) for solar electric (photovoltaic) systems is often represented as kilowatt-hours per square meter (kWh/m2). Direct estimates of solar energy may be expressed as watts per square meter (W/m2).

Radiation data for solar water heating and space heating systems is usually represented in British thermal units per square foot (Btu/ft2).

————————

Anna supports of clean living and the use of renewable energy in order to combat pollution and Global Warming, as well as the humanitarian and economic consequences of dependency on fossil fuels.

For more information on solar energy, visit Anna’s blogs, Solar Power and Alternative Energy.

You can also find a wide variety of solar power equipment, solar battery chargers, portable solar power, solar water heating, solar powered weather stations, solar fountains, solar lights, home solar panels, and more, at her Solar Power Store.

This article will describe how solar energy is created and cover some of its basic principles.

Solar energy consists of the light and heat emitted by the sun, in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

With today’s technology, we are able to capture this radiation and turn it into usable forms of solar energy - such as heating or electricity.

Although one could go into technical dissertations on the subject of electromagnetic radiation, how it is converted into solar energy, and the exact qualities of its electromagnetic rays, this is not something the average person needs or wants to know.

But in order to benefit the most from the use of solar power, there are a few facts you should know. Knowing these facts can assist you to make a sound decisions, when looking at the use of solar power as a clean energy source for your home, RV, or whatever the case may be.

- Available Solar Resource

The technical feasibility and economical viability of using solar energy depends on the amount of available sunlight (solar radiation) in the area where you intend to place solar heaters or solar panels.

This is sometimes referred to as the available solar resource.

Every part of Earth is provided with sunlight during at least one part of the year. (I say “part of the year” as the north and south polar caps are each in total darkness for a few months of the year.) The amount of sunlight available is one factor to take into account when considering using solar energy.

There are a few other factors, however, which need to be looked at when determining the viability of solar energy in any given location. These are as follows:

* Geographic location

* Time of day

* Season

* Local landscape

* Local weather

Because the Earth is round, the sun hits its surface at different angles, at different locations on the globe. This ranges from 0� (just above the horizon - a good example of this is the north pole during the winter) to 90� (directly overhead, at and near the equator).

When the sun’s rays are vertical (directly overhead), the Earth’s surface gets a maximum of solar energy. The more slanted the sun’s rays are, the longer they have to travel through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the surface (becoming more scattered and diffuse as they go along).

The more scattered and diffuse the sun rays are, the less concentrated the solar energy is. Because the Earth is round, the polar regions never get direct sunlight, and they receive no sun at all during their respective winter months.

The Earth travels around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Because of its elliptical path, the northern hemisphere of the Earth is closer to the sun during one half of the year, and the southern hemisphere is closer during the other half of the year.

When one part of the Earth is closer to the sun, it receives more concentrated solar energy. This is the time of year that is referred to as “summer.”

But regardless of summer or winter, the 23.5� tilt of the Earth’s axis plays a larger role in determining the amount of sunlight striking Earth at a particular location. The tilting of the earth results in longer days in the northern hemisphere during one half the year, and longer days in the southern hemisphere during the other half of the year.

Areas such as the United States and Europe receive more solar energy between May and September - not only because days are longer, but also because the sun is nearly overhead during this season. The sun’s rays are far more slanted during the shorter days of the winter months. Cities such as Denver, Colorado, receive nearly three times more solar energy in June than they do in December.

- Diffuse and Direct Sunlight

As sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is absorbed, scattered, and reflected.

The following is a general list of materials that cause the sunlight to be diffused:

* Air Molecules

* Water vapor

* Clouds

* Dust

* Pollutants

Sunlight affected in this way is referred to as diffuse solar radiation or diffuse sunlight.

Sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface without being diffused is called direct beam solar radiation or direct sunlight.

The sum total of all diffuse and direct solar radiation in a given location is called global solar radiation. It is the total amount of sunlight hitting the Earth at any specific spot, both direct and diffuse combined.

Pollution and other atmospheric conditions (such as weather patterns) can reduce direct sunlight by 10% on clear dry days. They can reduce direct beam radiation by 100% on thick, cloudy days.

Note that the absence of direct sunlight does not imply total darkness, as some diffuse light will still get through.

- Measuring Sunlight and Solar Energy

Scientists measure the amount of sunlight available in specific locations during the different times of year.

They are then able to estimate the amount of sunlight which falls on similar regions at the same latitude with similar climates and conditions.

Measurements of solar energy are normally expressed as “total radiation on a horizontal surface”, or as “total amount of radiation on a surface tracking the sun”.

In this last case, the assumption is that one is using a solar panel that automatically tracks the sun.

In other words, the solar panel would be mounted on a tracking device so that the panel would remain at right angles to the sun throughout the day.

This system is primarily used for industrial setups, when it is used at all.

- Solar Energy Measurements

Radiation data (the amount of solar energy available at a given location) for solar electric (photovoltaic) systems is often represented as kilowatt-hours per square meter (kWh/m2). Direct estimates of solar energy may be expressed as watts per square meter (W/m2).

Radiation data for solar water heating and space heating systems is usually represented in British thermal units per square foot (Btu/ft2).

————————

Anna supports of clean living and the use of renewable energy in order to combat pollution and Global Warming, as well as the humanitarian and economic consequences of dependency on fossil fuels.

For more information on solar energy, visit Anna’s blogs, Solar Energy and Alternative Energy.

You can also find a wide variety of solar power equipment, solar battery chargers, portable solar power, solar water heating, solar powered weather stations, solar fountains, solar lights, home solar panels, and more, at her Solar Power Store.