Posts Tagged: Solar Energy System

DIY solar panels are a great way to take advantage of emerging technologies including green energy. Alternative energy sources must be a part of our future. Our use of fossil fuels is not sustainable.

For several reasons, it just can’t persist that way. It may seem complex, but in reality making a solar power system isn’t hard at all. Your favorite local home improvement center stocks all of the materials and tools needed to get the job done.

The things you will need can be bought for approximately $200. There are now guides that instructs the homeowner on how to build a solar panel. A single solar panel has the potential to generate electricity of up to 120 W.

A solar array can generate enough electricity to power an entire home. When that happens it is referred to as going off the grid. When you hear the term going off the grid it means that you no longer need to rely on the power company for electricity.

The electric company will buy back any electricity that you do not use. How awesome is that? Constructing DIY solar panels is a very straightforward process. Photovoltaic solar panels consist of solar cells which are wired together in order to maximize their efficiency.

The solar cells arc considered photovoltaic because they turn the sun’s rays into electricity. Our light source is the sun. Manufacturers charge tens of thousands of dollars for their solar power systems.

At that price it will take decades before the homeowner recoups their original costs. By building your own solar energy system you can do it for a fraction of that. We’re talking about top quality work. You have the potential to save a lot of money too. It won’t take long at all to get your money back.

Not only that but the savings will continue as long as your system is maintained. Alternative energy users qualify for rebates and tax breaks from the government. With advances in technology, even people with little to no carpentry skills can do this.

There are guides available online such as Earth4energy that explain the entire process step-by-step. The directions are quite easy to follow in both video and written form. There are quite a few advantages that DIY solar panels offer.

The sun is the source of an unlimited amount of energy that we can tap into. In addition, there is actually no pollution or carbon footprint involved with using it. I actually consider it to be a noble undertaking.

There is a breakthrough DIY home improvement product available now called Earth4Energy. It’s all about empowering people by showing them how to take advantage of renewable energy sources. I am, of course, speaking of solar and wind power. Regardless of where you live, you more than likely have one or both of these energy sources.

You can get a hold of the guide immediately by downloading it through the Internet. Step-by-step videos and written instructions make following along quite easy. It also includes a full listing of the tools and materials that are necessary to build a solar panel and wind mill.

The thing that makes this system really great is that it can be done by anyone. In fact, Michael Harvey, the author of the system, purposely chose a wide variety of people to test it on. He wanted to make sure that anyone could do it.

The process of building solar panels begins with making the solar cells. The solar cells are then wired together which form of solar panels that we all are familiar with. And lastly, the solar panels must be properly installed on the home.

It kind of sounds like a very involved process doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not it is actually a rather simple process. Some eager entrepreneurs have even turned it into a business of their own where they build and sell panels and windmills.

You were you aware of the fact that installing a solar energy system on your home can cost tens of thousands of dollars? But with the Earth4Energy manual, which you can buy for under $50, you can build your own panels for less than $200. Likewise you can build a wind power generator for about $100.

Not only is it cheaper to construct energy generation systems, but they also add to the value of your home. Solar power systems add quite a bit of value, in fact. And of course, your electric bills will be a lot less than they used to.

For anyone that is interested in lessening their carbon footprint, as well as saving money, this may be a perfect fit. There is a no questions asked money back guarantee for those that are not completely satisfied with Earth4Energy.

Reprinted from http://nthdegreeenergy.com/colorado-solar-projects-abound/

Colorado is a mecca for grid tied Solar Energy Solutions, due to a combination of high sun hours and large consumers of electricity.

“Denver has more sun days then San Diego,” says Richard McCracken, owner of Nth Degree Solar Energy Solutions in Grand Junction, Colorado. Nth Degree Energy has been installing solar systems in the Grand Valley for the last three years, and is seeing a significant increase in business.

The American Recovery and Renewal Act has set aside billions of dollars for renewable energy sources. “Between utility rebates and federal tax rebates, the price per kilowatt of solar energy is now less than the cost of building new coal plants,” Richard points out.

Government mandates directing utility companies to increase the amount of renewable energy they produce has meant higher than average payouts from the power companies themselves. XCEL Energy and Black Hills, the two major electric utility providers in Colorado are both paying up to $2.00 or more per watt for installation cost offset as well as another $1-2 per watt to purchase the green tags that go with the solar energy produced.

Residential customers with a House Solar Energy System under 10 kilowatts get a service called net metering. This means the electricity their solar system produces spins the meter backwards, and the power they consume spins forward. At the end of each month, quarter or year, the power company settles up with the customer. “Businesses that use more than 10K of power are really in the sweet spot,” torts Richard.

Many solar companies sell businesses on the higher payout from the utility company to reduce the initial cost, but those businesses that need solar systems in excess of 10 kilowatts have much better return on investment if they keep the green tags for themselves and sell the power back to the utility company. “We call it double dipping,” quips Richard. As the solar engineer for Nth Degree Solar Energy, he was instrumental in creating the business model to show that solar is an investment with great returns, not just a bunch of panels on the roof to offset costs.

“Some people buy solar because it is the right thing to do, but if it also makes solid business sense, then it is a no brainer.” With an ROI over 10% and a payback of less than 5 years, this is a sure bet against inflation and continually increasing price of electricity. Let’s face it; the risk is much lower than the stock market, and the returns are better than the long term average of stocks. Why would you not, as a businessman invest in solar energy?

For more information about grid tied solar electric PV systems or to get a quote for your business or home, you can contact Nth Degree Solar Energy at: http://NthDegreeEnergy.com/ or call 970-241-1376

A solar power inverter forms an important part of any home solar energy system which supplies enough electricity to get you off the grid.

The inverter converts direct current, which is produced by a solar panel, into alternating current.

There is also a charge controller, which can use excess power to charge your system’s battery, and provide energy without any waste.

In some cases, solar power might be your best solution, if you want to get your home running off the grid. It is also relatively simple to install. It doesn’t require a large quantity of parts and components, in order to produce electricity.

Each system is different, but generally speaking, all you need is:

• Your wiring
• A solar regulator or charge controller
• A battery to store electricity in
• A set of solar panels

Solar panels usually produce 12 to 24 volts DC. Some appliances can run on this power, but most home appliances require 110 or 220 volts AC.

This is where a solar power inverter is needed. It converts the direct current into alternating current.

What is direct current? Direct current, or DC, flows continuously in one direction, while alternating current changes in its direction of flow.

Alternating current (AC) is used because it is a type of electricity which can be carried over longer distances, with minimal energy loss . Oddly enough, however, most household appliances have built in devices which convert the AC into DC, in order to operate.

Various types of solar inverters can be found on the market these days. You might come across some which are pretty cheap. But keep in mind that these might be inferior in quality. Some inverters get warmer when in use – and that heat adds up to a loss of energy.

Different solar inverters use different “loads,” as well. The “load” is the amount of current or energy that the inverter can handle. For home use, you might want to get a solar inverter that can handle a couple of hundred watts, at any given time. These aren’t always cheap, but they will be worthwhile in the long run.

Possibly the best type of solar inverter to get is the true sine wave. This type of inverter produces power identical to what you would receive from the main supply grid. When viewed on an oscilloscope, the waves are smooth.

If the true sine wave is beyond your budget, you might settle for a modified sine wave. This gives a lesser quality power than the true sine wave does, but is less expensive.

Getting Completely Off the Grid

If you are looking to get your home running off the grid completely, then get a “stand-alone power system inverter.” With this type of device, you plug the deep cycle batteries in - and it can be installed by virtually anyone.

You can also obtain a “mains grid inverter,” which draws power from your solar panels, and at the same time feeds excess energy back to the main grid. In some states, you can earn money back from the power companies when you produce excess power and feed it back to the grid.

Installing a Solar Power System in Your Home

When installing a partial or complete solar energy system into your home, there are generally two ways to go about it.

1.Hire a professional installation company to install your system

2.Do it yourself.

The least expensive choice is the latter – do it yourself.

There are many high-quality and popular do-it-yourself guides available, which will teach you how to install your own solar power or wind power system at home. These guides often include manuals, instructional videos, diagrams, and step-by-step instructions. For more information on these guides, please see DIY Solar Power.

You can find solar inverters and related solar power products at Solar Power Inverter.

Source: Solar Power Inverter

There are actually two types of solar power system.

One is connected to the national grid and the other one is a standalone system.

When solar power system is connected to the grid it means that all electricity which you do not use will go directly to the grid.

To put it in another way you are spinning your meter backwards.

The solar energy system which is not connected to grid is very similar except that it has a battery bank for storing the electricity for later use.

In both cases there is an inverter which converts the direct current (DC)from the solar panels to alternating current (AC), which is what we normally use in our homes.

The inverter is connected to the grid through your electricity meter if you have a grid connection.

Both systems are easy to maintain and require little effort. If you do use a battery bank there is some checking needed for the batteries depending on what type of batteries you use.

The solar panels are very durable and they often come with a 20 years guarantee. In most cases they do last 30 years so after a few years you produce very cheap electricity and your costs will be very predictable.

solar panels are very scalable and you can easily add more panels and get more electricity if you need to.

A panel is simply a collection of solar cells.

Usually they are made of crystalline silicon, or a combination of silicon with another material. It can also be stacked layers of alloy materials.

The silicon is divided into tiny disks. They are less than a centimeter in thickness, and are then polished and fixed from any cutting damage.

Thin silver wires, are spread across each disk and they are laid out in a grid design on top of the panel.

Then it is covered with a thin layer of glass and a material added to the bottom of the panel with a type of cement cement to help prevent overheating.

The solar panels are mounted a little above a surface facing the sun, in order to allow cooling breezes to run under the panels.
The power from the sun is free and inexhaustible. This vast, clean energy resource represents a very strong alternative to the fossil fuels.

It would be a severe injustice to our children not to take advantage of such a widely available resource.

Rolf Finney