We already have utility poles and the wires and such. Why couldn’t we just add a wind turbine , solar panels, converter and battery and just convert the whole system. Instead of living off grid, we change the grid. But my research is frustrating me. I need to know if it could possibly work.
Category: Saving Energy
Photovoltaic Panels
As technology constantly advances there are many new green technologies released each day that can help us improve our energy efficiency. One of these technologies is the "Thin-Film solar panel." How are thin-film solar panels being used by consumers today? How do they compare traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels?
How solar cells
Since each solar panel is built with lots of individual cells, it is important to understand how these cells. According to GE, "Solar cells convert one form of energy (Sunlight) into another form of energy (electricity). When sunlight is reduced or stopped, for example, when a cloud passes in front of the sun, or when the sun sets in the night, the conversion process slows down or stops completely. When the sun, the conversion process resumes. Solar cells do not store electricity. For the night, a solar electric system needs some kind of energy storage, batteries often to take advantage of solar cells instead. "
What is a thin film solar panel?
A panel of thin film is known more for this manufacturing process than its actual size. Considered by many as part of the second generation of photovoltaic cells, thin film solar panels use a manufacturing process that involves applying several thin layers of a reactive substance, sunlight on a base material.
What are the benefits of thin film solar panels?
Unlike their "thick" cousins, thin-film panels use much less raw material in manufacturing. Moreover, cells thin film can be manufactured in a process of large area. This process can be continuous and automated. Another unique feature of the thin film is its ability to be deposited on flexible substrate materials. This means thin-film solar panels can be integrated into roofing tiles and other architectural products. layer panels fine are also much lighter than traditional photovoltaics.
Creating thin film solar panels
Like many new technologies is not all positive. Although thin-film solar panels can provide a way "to produce green electricity is important to realize cost underlying environment. thin panels, like other solar panels are very energy intensive to produce. They also require valuable limited resources such as silicon, copper and cadmium.
Panels vs Traditional thin film solar
While the efficiency of solar cells can vary widely from 6% for amorphous silicon based solar cells, to 42.8% for non-commercial use, the union of several research laboratories of the cell. The most common type available in the market for solar cell is "multicrystalline If" offering between 14-19% efficiency. Despite film Thin solar panels are gaining ground in terms of efficiency, currently offer between 7-9% efficiency.
The lowest rates efficiently low Why should I take into account the thin-film solar panels?
Thin-film solar panels are lighter than traditional crystalline photovoltaic materials. Thanks to its light weight that can be installed in a multitude of places you would never be able to install traditional solar panels. Consider installing a roof, thin-film solar panels are simpler to install because it can avoid large, ugly and expensive roof-mounted racks. Why do you want to install a rack when you can simply tie photovoltaic thin film laminates for your roof? According to a recent article in Mother Earth News takes only "Five to 10 minutes of each sheet of a PV panel roof."
Prices of Thin Film Solar Panel
If you are willing to negotiate loss of income for more flexible installation options that you may be surprised to learn that the thin film at a competitive price compared with the same size as traditional solar panels. Depending on where you buy your panels you should find prices between $ 4 and $ 5 per watt. Remember to include installation cost of your total purchase price of thin film solar panels require less labor to install.
Solar Incentives and discounts
Incentives and rebate programs vary widely depending on where you live, but due to the volume available I encourage you to search for incentives and rebates Online. Database of State Incentives for Renewable Efficiency (DSIR), managed by the Solar Center North Carolina is a great place to start. You can DSIR find here:
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While the thin film are not for all they can offer some people a flexible way to add solar power to your home or business. In today's market, thin-film panels are already competitive and that technology improves you can expect to increase their efficiency. Solar panels can gradually reduce our dependence on fossil fuel based energy. Residential electricity generated by fossil fuels is the third largest contributor of CO2 emissions in the United States.
Do your part to combat warming overall – by going solar.
Sam Greyhawk is an energy efficiency evangelist working with Cool-N-Save(tm), an Energy Star Partner, based in Huntington Beach, California.
Cool-N-Save(tm) is a brand new air conditioner add-on that can be installed in just 10 minutes with no tools required. In the hottest months, your air conditioner can be responsible for up to 90% of your monthly electrical bill. Cool-N-Save(tm) has been scientifically proven by Tulane University to improve air conditioner efficiency by up to 30% – which translates into real monthly savings for you. Saving energy helps fight global warming and Cool-N-Save(tm) is a cost-effective way to reduce your energy usage.
SOLAR PANEL DIY Photovoltaic, Harbor Freight, INSTALLATION Training Video Solar Electricity
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Costs Of Renewable Energy For The Home
We are looking at buying a house and renovating it, and were wondering about using solar or wind power to power much of our house. We will have a well, be on a septic system, have a wood burning furnace for heating the house, so we would like to have solar or wind power so we can use as little electricity as possible (its insanely expensive here!). We also have our appliances (fridge, stove, washer, dryer, freezer).
How much would a basic set up be for a 900 sq ft, 3 bedroom house? For either wind turbines or solar panels and necessary equipment? I am in Southern Ontario.
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Solar Christmas Lights
This is a great article on how to save energy while enjoying the fun displays of the holiday season.
Solar Christmas Lights Offer You Dazzling Displays That Are Fun, Festive, And Free!
If you are wanting to decorate your yard for Christmas while still doing your part to save the environment, you can do so by using solar Christmas lights. Today technology has finally come to a place where it is actually affordable to purchase lights for Christmas that use solar power. Once you pay for your solar Christmas lights, you will find that your lighting costs will be free for the season, since these lights do not need any electricity.
Since you do not have to plug your solar Christmas lights into the electric, you will not see a rise in your electric bill around the Christmas season. Sure, you need to make sure that the lights get enough sun each day so the batteries in the lights get charged. There are actually some solar Christmas lights available that can charge up on cloudy days as well. However, if you want to purchase these kinds of lights, you will need to check the label on them before you buy if you need this as an option for your lights.
Today you can even find solar Christmas lights that are designed for outdoor use, such as for decorating outdoor trees. They are perfectly fine for outdoor use, no matter what kind of weather that you have. So now, even if there is no plug in sight, you can still decorate with these lights, since they do not require being plugged in. With the use LED lights, these lights now come smaller than ever before, and you can easily find lights that are designed for outdoor use as well as indoor use, and there are a variety of fittings and fixtures that are available to you as well. Of course not only can you use these lights for Christmas time, but you can use these lights all year round to light up your yard.
You can find a variety of different designs when it comes to solar Christmas lights. You can find Santa lights, lights for a Christmas tree, string lights, lighted garlands, stars, flowers, snowman lights, and a whole lot more. You will also find them in a variety of great colors as well, so you will be sure to find whatever color and design that you are looking for.
With the emergence of solar Christmas lights, it is now possible to decorate your yard for Christmas in an eco-friendly way. You can decorate trees or your entire yard for the holiday season with these great lights. The best part 1000 is, you will not even have to pay an electric bill for them, since your solar Christmas lights use the suns energy.
By: Henry Switzer
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Henry Switzer is a regular contributor to www.solarlightschoice.com/ ‘>www.solarlightschoice.com supplying you with all the information and resources you need to know about
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10 Eco-Friendly Home Improvement Ideas
10 Eco-Friendly Home Improvement Ideas
Remodeling is a great opportunity, not only to make your home look and feel better to live in, but also to make it less of a burden on the environment–and on your pocketbook.
Today, it’s more important than ever to consider eco-friendly or "green" products and materials when you improve your home. This is of course because we want to do our part to keep the environment healthy, but it’s also because most of us can’t afford to waste money on inefficient homes. Many products and materials that are eco-friendly can also help your pocket book–think inexpensive heating and cooling bills, low water bills, and affordable gas or electricity bills.
Fortunately, there are many options today for those who want to make eco-friendly home improvements. Here are 10 ideas to get you started:
1. Tons of water is wasted each year in the bathrooms of homeowners, so take a look in there when you’re doing your green remodeling. For the toilet consider a dual flush model. These are designs that use two different flush settings depending upon what you need (usually a powerful mode that offers 1.6 gallons and then a nice and gentle .8-gallon flush as well). This can greatly help reduce water consumption in the home over the course of a single year.
2. Paint goes a long ways in adding curb appeal to the outside of a house or cheering up drab spaces inside. It’s also an easy and relatively inexpensive home improvement that will make a huge difference. When you are selecting paint, stick to only brands that use non-VOC or non-volatile organic chemicals. Typical paint has high levels of VOCs, which is neither eco-friendly nor particularly healthy. You may need to search for brands and special lines that offer low and reduced VOC levels, but they are becoming more readily available. Just ask at the paint department of the home improvement store, and someone should be educated enough to help you find an eco-friendly paint that will suit your needs.
3. Flooring is one of the first things people think of when they make plans to remodel, and there are lots of ways to get what you want and still be eco-friendly. For those who are looking for a natural type of material then cork flooring is a great option to explore. It is durable, comfortable to walk on, and also boasts the use of no toxic adhesives that can harm the environment. There are a wide range of colors and designs for cork floor tiles, showing that the material is not meant just for walls and bulletin boards anymore.
4. Your floors may not really need to be replaced at all. Reusing and refinishing already existing materials is a hallmark of the green remodeling movement, so another viable home improvement option that you can look into is refinishing the floors that you currently have. This is especially plausible if you have wood floors underneath any other type of floor in your home. While it may take some work to make them shine again, it is worth the effort.
5. Carpets can be eco-friendly too. Sometimes it’s hard to beat the warmth and softness of carpets, but if you want to be green and healthy (carpeting is well known for harboring dust mites, pet dander, and mildew, all of which are hard to get out even with steam cleaning), consider carpet tiles. These are typically created from recyclable materials and are very easy to install as well as clean. This makes them a beautiful choice as well as a simple option for carpet across an entire room. You can even get outdoor carpet tiles to spruce up balconies or rooftop decks.
6. If you’re going with carpets, know that carpet padding isn’t always necessary. Skip the carpet padding if possible. This is usually additional material that is used when using traditional carpet and involves additional labor, materials, and chemicals and also makes it much harder to keep the carpet clean without the use of harsh chemicals.
7. In the bedroom look for organic bedding. Many off-the-shelf bedding products are treated with a chemical called formaldehyde, which is intended to make them soft, but this is a huge toxic chemical and very hazardous to the environment as well as your own personal health. Look for organic bedding to avoid the dangers to your health.
8. As for the bed itself, consider eco-friendly mattresses. There are several companies that have them available; most are typically made from a material called natural latex rubber, which is friendly to the environment. Also these mattresses pose fewer problems when it’s time to replace them.
9. Think solar power whenever possible. This can save you a lot of money in the long run. For example, if you are replacing your water heater, consider a solar powered model. This will reduce energy usage, lower your power bill, and ensure that you always have plenty of hot water on hand, even if the power is out in the rest of the house.
10. If you’re not ready to take the big remodeling step, you can make green choices just in your home furnishings. One of the best things you can do is purchase used furniture. This helps to keep old furniture out of the landfills, and it reduces the demand on forests and materials to build new pieces from scratch. Also, older pieces tend to be higher quality than what’s put out today (i.e. solid hardwood instead of particleboard), so you may actually get a better piece of furniture just by sanding and staining an old coffee table or perhaps reupholstering old chairs and sofas. Getting used furniture is a great way to save some money and be eco friendly all at the same time.
There are far more home improvements to save money and create an eco-friendly home than listed here, but these should get you started. As you go down the remodeling road, you’ll find plenty of other ways you can create a home that is healthy to live in and is friendly to the environment.
| By TC Thorn |
There’sa new website in town for home dwellers looking to go green (or go more green). The newly launched Sierra Club Green Home was created, as you may have guessed by Sierra Club and covers a wide range of green home topics.
One of the most important financial and personal investments in a person’s life is their home, so why not make it as environmentally healthy as possible, not to mention economically smart?
Rated a four-star (out of a possible five stars) project by the Austin Energy Green Building Rating System, the home boasts a number of green features in the design itself, including passive heating and cooling and day lighting.
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