expertvillage asked:

A grid tie inverter is made up of giant coils, switching and electronics. Learn about grid tie inverters for solar power from a professional in this free energy conservation video. Expert: Roger Bacon Bio: Roger Bacon is the owner of RGB Home Repair and Renovation in Santa Barbara California. He has experience in all phases of home repair and renovations such as plumbing, heating and solar power. Filmmaker: Diana Bacon

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John Tahan asked:


Solar energy has many advantages over conventional power energy. That energy is free and the only expense is from recovering it. The cost of recovering the suns energy is of a very small portion and recovered faster compared with conventional energy. The recovering units are not connected to natural gas or power grids, they stand alone with no fees. The supply of solar energy is limitless. It has no emission gases to harm the earth’s atmosphere, it is earth friendly.

Focusing collectors have a movable mirror, called heliostats, is pointed to the sun and can provide incredible heat, a temperature around 4000 degrees C. This degree temperature is used for a solar furnace in industries and research. These solar furnaces are healthy for the environment. The heliostats are focusing the energy to a boiler that turns water into steam. To produce solar electricity, focusing collectors are used.

These collectors are often used in schools and homes to provide heat using water that is heated in pipes. They cannot provide as much heat as the focusing collectors because of their smaller size. Focusing collectors and Photovoltaic cells, are build with thin pieces of semiconductors, they convert radiation from the sun into electricity. The pros and cons of solar energy are often debated, but the debate always seems to favor solar energy over the conventional method. Solar energy has no restriction on supply and demand like fuel, it is free and it doesn’t pollute the air. It is natural and pure and conducive to greater health.

We can work together in many ways in order to get the best of natural and renewable resources. Using solar energy is not only safe, free and helpful but it is inspiring to others. The expenses to put a solar system together are less than the cost of using other resources for heat, including electricity and gas. By using electricity and gas you may have a low cost at the beginning but in the end you will end up paying all the time for years to come. With solar power you may have a small initial investment to pay to convert your home into solar energy but after that you will have no huge electric bills in your mailbox. You may choose to combine the use of electric or gas for a back up heating source from local companies. Solar power has been available for a long time; it is available today and will be available for us for many years to come.



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Farooq Raza Qadri asked:


“SOLAR ENERGY”

 

by

Farooq Raza Qadri

 

            Today in Pakistan we are facing shortage of almost every basic need of life like water, gas, and especially electricity. It is the worst conditions we are facing now a days. The reason for that is…well we all know “THE REASONS” don’t we!!! Few days back I was reading an article in a local newspaper which was about getting electricity like many European countries which is from “Wind Turbines”. It’s a very good idea and we must have to think other ways of energy to meet our needs. Another idea which I’m going to discuss here is “SOLAR ENERGY”.  As we all know that summer season is longer than winter in Pakistan. So it means we can get more and more sunlight. In my view Solar Energy Systems will be more successful in Pakistan than any European country because thankfully we can have more sunlight than Europe. Many scientists and engineers from all over the world are working in this field. Some say that it’ll be very costly, YES it’ll be but only in start as like everything when it’s new its price is high but when the competition arises then prices goes down its simple economics. We’ve used the Sun for drying clothes and food for thousands of years, but only recently have we been able to use it for generating power. The Sun is 150 million Kilometers away, and amazingly powerful. Just the tiny fraction of the Sun’s energy that hits the Earth (around a hundredth of a millionth of a percent) is enough to meet all our power needs many times over. In fact, every minute, enough energy arrives at the Earth to meet our demands for a whole year – if only we could harness it properly and preserve it.

            Here are some techniques that are being used in many parts of the world to get energy from the sun light.

Solar Cells (really called “photovoltaic” or “photoelectric” cells) that convert light directly into electricity. In a sunny climate, you can get enough power to run a 100W light bulb from just one square metre of solar panel. This was originally developed in order to provide electricity for satellites, but these days many of us own calculators powered by solar cells. Solar cells provide the energy to run satellites that oribt the Earth. These give us satellite TV, telephones, navigation, weather forecasting, the internet and all manner of other facilities

Solar water heating, where heat from the Sun is used to heat water in glass panels on your roof. This means you don’t need to use so much gas or electricity to heat your water at home. Water is pumped through pipes in the panel.

The pipes are painted black, so they get hot when the Sun shines on them. This helps out your central heating system, and cuts your fuel bills. However, in very cold places especially in winter season you must remember to drain the water out to stop the panels freezing. Solar heating is worthwhile in places like California, Australia, South East Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh) where you get lots of sunshine as I mentioned it earlier.

Solar Towers One idea that is being considered is to build Solar Towers. The idea is very simple – you build a big greenhouse, which is warmed by the Sun. In the middle of the greenhouse you put a very tall tower. The hot air from the greenhouse will rise up this tower, fast – and can drive turbines along the way. This could generate significant amounts of power, especially in countries where there is a lot of sunshine and a lot of room, such as Australia.

 

Advantages



Solar energy is free – it needs no fuel and produces no waste or pollution.

In sunny countries, solar power can be used where there is no easy way to get electricity to a remote place.

Handy for low-power uses such as solar powered garden lights and battery chargers



Disadvantages



Doesn’t work at night. (Positively thinking it’ll cut our huge fuel and energy bills into half if we even have the solar energy system in day time. So that’s make it a negligible disadvantage.)

Very expensive to build solar power stations.

Solar cells cost a great deal compared to the amount of electricity they’ll produce in their lifetime.

Can be unreliable unless you’re in a very sunny climate. In the United Kingdom, solar power isn’t much use except for low-power applications, as you need a very large area of solar panels to get a decent amount of power. However, for these applications it’s definitely worthwhile.



Is it renewable?

Solar Power is renewable. The Sun will keep on shining anyway, so it makes sense to use it.

            Why “THE PROFESSIONALS” from Europe and America etc. I’ll suggest that to lower the cost we should use our own manpower which is cheaper and hardworking. By the Grace of ALLAH we are Blessed with everything in our country like skilled manpower, raw material and especially more and more SUN LIGHT!!! As I mentioned earlier Europe like UK and many other countries are facing problem with less sun light but By the Grace of ALLAH we don’t have to face it. We just need good management of these things and work with diligence. INSHALLAH we’ll be successful. Pakistan will be successful. LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!



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James Bratley asked:


Solar power is becoming a way of life for many people across the globe. From isolated communities to inner city suburbs, solar energy is becoming a very popular choice to better the environment.

Solar energy has been in existence ever since life on our planet began. We have been using the strength of the sun in many different ways, past and present. The more modern technique of using solar energy has been through the use of solar panels.

Solar energy is 100% reliable, if our planet did not receive this energy, or if the energy increased or dropped significantly, then the earth would more than likely struggle to support mankind. However, some methods regarding how we use solar energy are by no means 100% reliable.

The more modern method of harnessing solar energy has been through the use of solar panels. The technology used to turn sunlight into electricity is still in its infancy. Newer and better technologies are emerging every year, and one day we can be hopeful that solar panels could easily support a large household in a reliable way.

Many people have had great success using solar panels to power their home, and this can be down to a range of factors. The main problem associated with the reliability of solar panels is the cost. Due to the more expensive panels been out of the price range of your average consumer, more and more people are opting for budget solar cells, which provide a much lower output, resulting in the disappointment of the consumer.

The people who achieve a reliable and efficient power output from solar cells either integrate these solar panels with a small home wind turbine or ground source heat pump.

The “green dream” is by no means a dream. We do have the technology available to provide 100% of a households power supply, yet cost is the bridge that places the green dream a long way away.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com



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conradsh451 asked:

Solar Energy Village in Germany (Freiburg). en.wikipedia.org www.tve.org

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StanfordUniversity asked:

(November 18, 2009) John Benner, Manager of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Electronic Materials and Devices research group, discusses the factors and bottlenecks involved in scaling various photovoltaic technologies to national and international production scales. Stanford University www.stanford.edu National Renewable Energy Laboratory http Stanford Energy Seminar energyseminar.stanford.edu Stanford University Channel on YouTube http

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John Tahan asked:


We simply need to think back of the last time we lost power when we had to light some candles and wash ourselves with cold water. Luckily for us the power came back but what if it didn’t come back. We have to stop thinking that everything lasts forever because nothing does and the sooner we realize that, the better we will be, it is time to start thinking outside the box, and look up high above into the sky and realize that solar energy is here for us to use. It shines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week non stop around the world, it is here now and for a long time to come.

The sun is a very intense ball of fire or gas way up in the atmosphere. We only see it when we are awake but on the other side of the globe others also get the daytime when we get the night. Did you know that some people use a great deal of the heat generated from the sun in order to heat their homes, power electricity and provide hot water to their love ones and businesses. Thinking about all the machinery that runs with electricity, it is hard to imagine running it by rerouting the sun to the machinery. Scientists have started to make this possible by utilizing this free energy to power everything from, home heaters to heating water, from powering home appliances to electronic devices and even the space shuttle is using solar power.

This solar power energy can be redirected and concentrated using special boxes (solar panels) that attract the light during the day to heat water and homes throughout the night. Solar power is becoming very common, extremely important and provides a natural way to heat, collect electricity and heat water with just a little more effort. We live in changing times; in the future we may have no other choice but to look at natural resources in order to have these necessities and conveniences. To have a home solar power system installed or have one made yourself can save you a huge amount of money and the investment you made to modify you house to implement a solar system can pay itself off many times in a short period of time. Solar power is important now and in the future.



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Tina Metcalf asked:


Electricity generated from solar power (photovoltaic – PV) is steadily proving to be a clean, reliable and essential power.

Although naysayers, like fossil-fuel competitors, want us to think otherwise, I can easily demystify some common falsehoods about solar energy because progress and continued research proves that the current and future technologies of PV will meet our needs for cleaner power, which definitely is information worth discussing over any dinner party.

First of all most naysayers contend that solar energy cannot deliver any major portion of electricity to the states or the world for that matter. This is a falsehood based on the fact that PV technology can meet the required demand. That a 100-mile-square area of Nevada could supply solar energy to the states with all its electricity (roughly 800 gigawatts) operating reasonably efficient (10%) commercial PV modules.

Land, parking lots and rooftops are available for use to generate enough power. An estimated 17 by 17 miles per state is the required amount needed to produce 800 gigawatts. Apparently, there are enough “abandoned” sites that could be used for solar panels.

Supporters of solar electricity definitely have proven that PV can supply a major portion of the U.S. electrical needs with their projection of an increase of at least 15% of new added electricity capacity in 2020 with another increase of 10% by 2030.

Another falsehood I hear quite regularly is that photovoltaics will never become a huge industry. It’s a boutique business for a small group of privileged consumers.

Quite the contrary, solar electricity is a full-fledged business that has been growing steadily for more than 35% per year over the past 2 years. As a matter of fact, it’s been reported that the U.S.-based industry itself is reaching the $1 billion mark per year and providing 25,000 jobs. In the next two decades the growth rate is expected to rise to the $10-$15 billion level, thus provided 300,000 jobs by 2025. We are talking a major expansion of solar electricity as a tried and true power source.

Another very common falsehood that I hear at dinner party conversations is the PV is too expensive and will not ever compete against all mighty fossil-fuels – the industry will never manufacture the energy that it takes to produce the system.

Do I have a smirk on my face? Yes. This is so far from the truth, it is ridiculous. The overall cost of producing PV modules has dropped from 1980 at $50 per peak watt to as low as $3 per peak watt, presently, bringing the competitive applications to as low as 15¢-25¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh).

One can simply take a look at the market in California. The state incentives and net metering alone have places, PV electricity prices below 11¢/kWh, which is in the norm with some utility-delivered power. Designed for most domestic markets the trend is projected to continue through 2010 for most domestic markets.

Technologically the thin-film modules that are being implemented today payback in one year or even less, which means clean and practically free of overhead energy for the remaining 29-year life expectancy of the modules.



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UCtelevision asked:

By exploiting the powers of nanotechnology and taking advantage of nontoxic, Earth-abundant materials, Berkeley Lab’s Cyrus Wadia has fabricated new solar cell devices that have the potential to be several orders of magnitude less expensive than conventional solar cells. And, by mastering the chemistry of these materials—and the economics of solar energy—he envisions bringing electricity to the 1.2 billion people now living without it. Series: Science at the Theater [9/2009] [Science] [Show …

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GaiamSearch asked:

John Schaeffer discusses solar energy improvements over the last 30 years, as long as Real Goods has been in business. Visit: www.realgoods.com or http for more info.

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