Pros and Cons of Solar Power

Solar Energy Pros And Cons

Okay, so you’ve thought about changing your power source to solar power. But now it’s time to really take the plunge and decide for yourself what the right choice for you may be. Here are a few advantages and disadvantages for switching over to solar power.

Solar Power Advantages

Solar power is a renewable energy source that does not harm the environment when it is produced.
Sunlight is prevalent everywhere which is very different from fossil fuels which exist only in certain places. While sunlight does not appear evenly throughout the world, solar energy can be created anywhere, even though there is not a local energy utility. This means you can create power in inaccessible places.
the components necessary to build a solar system can be bought and used to construct a system fairly inexpensively
Solar energy does not cost anything
The technology exists and is currently used to implement solar radiation as and energy source for electricity, heat, and mechanical power
Solar systems do not require fuel to be delivered to your home or business and the fuel (or solar energy) will never run out
Solar systems can last for many years as these systems contain no moving parts
You can determine up front, the amount of power that a solar energy system will produce
Solar systems are silent and, as the technology advances, are becoming less and less visible
You can qualify for financial incentives from the government to assist you in paying for the system and will receive tax breaks when the system is in use
Using solar energy reduces the use of fossils fuels and creating greenhouse gases

Disadvantages of Solar Energy

Solar panels require a great deal of space. Therefore the roof is the best location but the direction you roof faces can impact the amount of power that can be produced
You can not generate solar power at nighttime which requires a method of storing the energy during daylight hours.
Batteries for storing energy for use later can be expensive. However, costs for these components are going down as more people convert to this type of power source.
Bad weather can affect the amount of power generated
The cost of installing a solar power system can be expensive if you do not know where to find low cost components

solar power advantages

Notes from some other folks

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power for Home. Demand for energy will be increasing by 50% in 20 years and there is no way to meet this amount with non-renewable nuclear or fossil sources. […]

Solar Power – Overcome the Disadvantages

Of late lot of research has been done to off-set the disadvantages of solar power for use in nights and monsoon conditions is to use dry-cell batteries, storing in the form of heat etc. […].

Solar Energy Advantages And Disadvantages

Knowing solar energy advantages and disadvantages is essential when looking into installing a home solar power system. The good thing is that the solar energy advantages overshadow the disadvantages. […]

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Advantage and Disadvantage of Solar Energy

Every power source has its advantages and disadvantages – solar power is not different in that regard.

Solar energy can be used and is used for a lot of different things, including electricity, central heating, hot water, and cooking. In some areas solar energy can be used to produce salt and also for desalinating sea water to make potable water. Solar energy has its origins in the sun and is created from the sun’s rays. This energy source is known to be very environmentally friendly. One disadvantage, however, is the fact that the sun rays are quite dilute when they enter the earth’s atmosphere which makes it more difficult to harness enough power for some processes.

The primary advantage of solar energy is the fact that it is clean. The sun’s rays are all that is required to produce electricity There is no need to use fossil fuels to produce electricity or heat. All you need is a solar energy collector or solar power panels in order to collect solar energy.

Solar energy is also less expensive than electric heating. By just using solar energy you can save a lot of money as compared to other heating sources. In return you will have lower electric bills and it also means that you don’t have to maintain a heater. If you produce enough energy through solar panels you can also sell some of that power back to the electric company which can end up as a source of income rather than an expense.

If you live in a remote area where there are no power lines, then solar energy can be the solution to this problem. Solar energy is a great alternative because it can provides you with anything from heating water, electricity, to cooking.

advantages for solar energy

Where fresh, potable water is scarce, solar energy can be used for desalination of sea water. Here, solar energy evaporates brine and leaves the salt crystals in the bottom of the basin. The water in turn condenses back in another basin where it can be used as drinking water.

The main disadvantage of solar energy is the fact that you have to have a lot of solar collectors installed around your house in order to create enough power for use. Solar energy may be very cheap but the solar collectors can be relatively expensive and also require regular maintenance in order to work properly and efficiently. Before deciding on solar energy use, it is important to determine you return on investment so you will know whether or not solar power is a viable option.

Another disadvantage is that you need the sun rays to make use of solar energy. If you are live in a place where there is not much sun light then this could be a problem. In other areas, the sun rays are frequently covered with clouds which makes solar energy collectors less efficient. You should determine if the sunshine in your area is abundant enough to create solar power for most of the year. Of course if you live in desert areas like New Mexico or Arizona, the sun produces a lot of sunshine and is ideal for collecting solar energy.

Finally, the sun only shines during the day. Therefore if you need electricity or hot water during the night, like many of us do, this can be a problem. You will need a backup system like the ‘old’ utility grid or you will need to store the electricity in batteries for later use..

Solar energy is a very clean and an alternative to conventional heating and electrical systems. Although this is true it is also good to mention the disadvantages of solar energy so you will make the right choice in your decision of you are considering using solar energy.

advantages disadvantages solar energy

Disadvantages of Solar Energy

This happens since as the energy deficiency rises, the companies producing the solar power systems are going to start rising their prices. Although many people obtain more advantages from the solar energy, recognizing the disadvantages is important also.

Renewable Energy

All of this work must proceed so that solar power also becomes a more economical source of energy, Chu said after strolling through the labs and chatting with top researchers. …. “It’s all about competitive advantage,” Spigarelli said. “ What can we do in this region that builds on our strengths?” National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Golden, Colo., facility calls itself the “nation’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research anddevelopment."

Advantages of Solar Energy

And do not forget biggest of advantages of solar energy, its totally free energy and cost of power you produce with your solar power for homes will not rise in future. Solar Power for Homes: What are Advantages of Solar Energy?.

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Building Your Own Solar And Wind Power Systems

Start Living Green: Generate Your Own Power

Learn how to generate your own electricity using renewable energy sources and save tons of cash on power bills.

If you are looking for ways of how to go greener, while saving money, then you have come to the right place, because here I’m going to share with you two great methods, which are involved with making free electricity using environmentally free techniques. Read on and discover how to save tons of cash and take care of the nature at the same time.

Okay, first I would like to mention that both of these methods will require initial investment. Don’t worry, it’s not very expensive and I think it’s pretty affordable for anyone. I will mention some figures later on, but the important thing to remember here is that it’s only one-time spending, meaning you just pay once and that’s it.

solar panel and windmill combination home power system

So for example the first method of generating free electricity is by using renewable energy source – wind. In this case you will need to make a windmill, which will cost you around $200 or maybe less. See, I told you, it’s not much. Once you have the mill, it will be constantly making power for you, and reducing your power bill, meaning you spend less on energy.

If you take advantage of the second method of generating energy as well, which is using , then you may even be able to eliminate your energy bills, because you will be producing a good amount of electricity to power up all your house equipment. I know lots of people, who have cancelled their energy supplier accounts, and now they don’t pay for electricity at all, because they have their own. So why don’t you?

You might be thinking that all this stuff is too complicated, and you just don’t want to get involved in this, but in reality, everything is much simpler. Basically, there are two things you need to learn: how to build a windmill and the solar panels. So you need proper instructions and guidance for that, don’t you? The solution to that is a great manual called Earth4Energy. Click the link above to check it out.

By Steven Blackman
Published: 11/17/2008

homemade wind solar power

Solar And Wind Energy

Gone are the days when we were restricted to using solar power for solely for warming water because nowadays, both wind power and solar energy, can be used for powering homes and businesses.

Make Your Own Power

Learn how to make your own power and avoid skyrocketing power prices forever. How to make your own power shows how anyone – yes even the most fumble-fingered beginner can use either solar or wind power to wave goodbye to the electricity.

Renewable Energy at Home

Solar energy and wind energy are the most effective ways to reduce the use of traditional electricity suppliers. These solutions can help the fight against power failures, dramatically reduce our electricity bills and also help the environment.

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Solar Power Backpack

Here is an – solar power backpacks and other solar gadgets that you can take with you to power up your laptop or other devices.

Solar Gadgets – Gotta Love Them
by: Rick Chapo

It has been claimed that our nation is infatuated with a variety of things from civil rights to freedom. Bah! If we are honest, we will admit we are infatuated with gadgets.

Solar Gadgets – Gotta Love Them

Forget the oil addiction, our biggest weakness as a nation is we are fools for gadgets. If it peels an onion 56 different ways, we have to own it. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself one question. When you go to a fair, how many gadgets do you end up bringing home? Be honest. There is no shame in it. In fact, I believe there is an argument to be made that a particular subject matter, whatever it is, isn’t mainstream until it includes gadgets. If this is true, solar energy may finally be a real alternative.

Most of us have far too many gadgets, particularly small personal gadgets. Cell phones, ipods, pdas, Bluetooth, I have them all. I find it somewhat ironic that all these small gadgets that are to make my life easier make me look like Sherpa walking around. Regardless, the digital age has one problem and you already know what it is. Gadgets require power and they always run down when you need them most. This, of course, results in you walking around with a power converter in your hand looking for a convenient outlet of some sort. Instead of looking like a junkie trying to find a fix, you can use a very useful new gadget.

Solar power packs are the latest and greatest thing when it comes to gadgets. Yes, I said solar. The packs come in a variety of forms, but they tend to look like the black folders for your compact discs. The packs are thin and light. When you are outside, you just unzip them, lay them in the sun and plug your power hungry gadget into them. The packs will put a charge into your gadget and you’ll be ready to go.

Finally, solar power we can use on a personal level. I guess it is here to stay.

About The Author

Rick Chapo is with http://www.solarcompanies.com – a directory of solar energy companies. Visit http://www.solarcompanies.com/articles to read more solar power articles.

solar power in the future

Solar Power Backpack

It’s flexible, so you could use it on a backpack.” The flexible silicon solar cells also require only a fraction of the thickness of silicon found in typical solar panels, which significantly lowers the cost to produce them.

Solar Gadgets

My aim is continually develop the Black Hills Solar Backpack and other environmentally friendly gadgets to help todays eco-conscious conscious consumer reduce their carbon footprint and improve their dependence on renewable energy.

Solar Battery Charger

Voltaic Backpack. Could this be a car solar battery charger? A car solar battery charger is a convenient way for you to use your vehicle and the power of the sun to recharge small, portable devices like cell phones, Ipoad and cameras.

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Essay On Solar Energy

Here Comes the Sun: Solar Energy Is Becoming More Attractive For Mainstream Consumers
by: Kavar Peter

The price of a barrel of oil has never been higher ($62.00&#43 in summer 2005 even before the chaos caused by Katrina). Some say this is a temporary spike, but more and more analysts are agreeing that this kind of pricing is here to stay. World consumption is at an all time high and given the new thirst for oil in China and India it is unlikely to diminish. According to International Energy Outlook, global demand is expected to continue to increase by as much as 59% in the next fifteen years.

Already, consumer energy bills have been increasing on average 6.5% per year for the last thirty years in the United States. Given the dramatic rise in the cost of producing energy using traditional non-renewable resources, this rate is bound to be overtaken by unheard of price increases in the very near future. And for consumers who are becoming more and more environmentally conscious, the thought of the millions and millions of tons of CO2 and other bi products being released into the atmosphere annually through the use of fossil fuels in creating energy is very alarming.

It is a no brainer that our reliance on oil to create energy leaves us very vulnerable. There are renewable technologies that produce energy, but the problem has been one of cost effectiveness. It has always been cheaper to supply energy using fossil fuels, and consequently, renewable sources such as solar or wind power have not taken off. But the situation now appears to be changing. More and more, our consumption of energy is outstripping supply. The grid can barely keep up with demand and rolling blackouts are no longer just a concept. No wonder governments are looking for alternatives. And no wonder everyone is talking solar once again.

In 1985 annual worldwide solar power system installation accounted for 21 megawatts of power. By 2004, this had multiplied to an incredible 927 megawatts in new installation power production alone. The demand for solar produced energy over the last several years has increased annually about 25%, although in 2004 sales were up a whopping 67% from the previous year.

go green with solar panels ramifications of renewable energy

There are several reasons for this increase in popularity for all things solar powered. Beyond the obvious environmental considerations and the privilege of not having to rely on power from a grid that is aging and stretched to capacity, solar is getting cost effective. While traditional energy production gets more expensive, technological advances are making solar power cheaper.

In 1980 the cost of harvesting energy from the sun stood at about $100 per watt. Literally a hundred times more expensive than the going rate of electricity, these systems were not economically viable. By 1999 however, technology had reduced this to about $4 per watt and costs have continued to decline by about 5% per year since. The Return on Investment is becoming very attractive for many commercial organizations and consumers.

Efficiencies have been realized in several technologies. The inverters that transform the collected DC energy into usable AC energy used to deliver only about 65% efficiency. 35% of the collected energy was lost in the transformation process. Today’s transformers are so efficient they deliver up to 96% of collected energy into usable AC current.

Photovoltaic technology has also made solar collection far more efficient. Twenty years ago, only 5% of the sun’s energy hitting a solar charging panel was harvested. This figure is now in excess of 15% and will continue to climb as more efficient compounds are designed and introduced in the manufacture of these photovoltaic panels.

All levels of government are increasingly looking at solar to provide stable, cost effective and environmentally friendly power. 35 states now have some kind of rebate program for homeowners that install solar power systems. And this is not just the southern ‘sunny states’. While California is the clear leader in promoting solar powered energy solutions (a program introduced in 2003 is promoting the introduction of solar powered energy systems into a million homes over the next several years) New Jersey and New York are next in line for solar investment.

At the municipal level, many jurisdictions have introduced solar solutions for traffic and streetlights. 50% of the energy used to run the City of Sacremento’s water purification plant is solar. NASA uses solar powered energy systems in many of its buildings. And governments are not using solar just because it is good for the environment and sets an example for commercial entities and consumers (although these benefits cannot be lost on them!). They’ve concluded that opting for solar systems will save them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With so many rebate programs today homeowners are coming to the same conclusions. Once the initial return on investment is recouped (as early as 4 to 6 years with the rebate programs in California for example), solar users don’t have any additional energy bills, almost no maintenance to worry about and are not slave to an electrical grid that is becoming more and more fragile as demand outstrips supply. No wonder solar power is getting attention!

Solar power is still more expensive than traditional energy production methods, but the gap is narrowing every year. Solar power applications are also multiplying at an amazing rate. House heating, solar pool lighting and heating, hot water tank heating, calculators, flashlights, solar garden lighting and on and on. Solar is clean, it’s efficient and it’s here to stay.

About The Author

Kavar Peter is a successful freelance writer with a strong interest in renewable energy issues. He writes regularly about solar powered products at http://www.solarlightcenter.com

This article was posted on September 14, 2005

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Solar Wind Home Energy

Light (particularly sunlight) can be used to create heat or generate electrical power. This is referred to as solar energy.

It is a clean form of energy production, which doesn’t pollute the environment as some other forms of energy production do.

There are two forms of solar energy. The first is solar thermal conversion, which uses sunlight to create heat and then electrical power. The second is photovoltaic conversion, which uses sheets of special materials to create electricity from the sun. "Photo-" means "light," and "voltaic" means "producing electricity."

solar power alt energy

Solar Thermal Conversion

Solar thermal conversion systems use reflectors or mirrors to concentrate sunlight to extremely intense levels of heat. (Solar means "of the sun," thermal means "of heat" and conversion means "changing something from one form to another.")

You can understand this better if you consider the example of using a magnifying glass to start a fire. You may have heard of this or even tried it before. You can hold a magnifying glass under the sun, and concentrate the light on a small pile of flammable materials. The magnifying glass will make the sun’s heat much stronger, and will light the materials on fire. It has been said that a magnifying glass one meter in diameter, held under the sun, will create a ray hot enough to melt stone.

If you want to experiment, hold a magnifying glass flat under the sun and put your hand under it. Very soon you will need to move your hand away – don’t burn yourself.

Solar thermal conversion systems use mirrors or reflectors to concentrate sunlight onto containers full of liquid. Sometimes water is used. Sometimes other liquids are used, which retain heat better than water.

The liquids are heated up to high temperatures, and this produces steam. The steam is used to turn a turbine. The turning motion of the turbine is used to create electricity.

How does a rotating motion create electricity? When you set up a coiled wire or similar device to rotate between two magnets, it generates an electric current. This is how electric generators work, as well as windmills, nuclear power plants, and other energy plants which use such things as coal, gas, or petroleum.

Windmills use the wind to create the turning motion. Nuclear power or fossil fuels are used to heat water up, thus creating steam to turn the turbines.

Solar heating is another form of solar thermal conversion. In solar heating, an absorber is used to take in sunlight and convert it to heat. The absorber could be something simple, like black paint, or it could be a special ceramic material. A heat absorber is considered to a be good one when it collects at least 95 percent of the sun’s radiation.

The absorbers are then used to heat a fluid, which is then circulated to warm up buildings or to create hot-water supplies.

Photovoltaic Conversion

As covered above, photo means "light." It comes from the Greek word ‘phos,’ which means "light."

‘Voltaic’ means, "producing electric current." The word comes from the name of Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist who was a pioneer in the field of electricity during the 1700’s. (His name is also where the word "volt" comes from.)

Photovoltaic means, "creating electrical energy when exposed to light."

A ‘cell’ is a device that produces electricity. An example of an electrical cell is a flashlight battery.

Photovoltaic cells produce electricity when they are exposed to light. They usually consist of panels. The panels contain two layers of different materials.

When light hits these two layers, one of the layers becomes positively charged, and the other becomes negatively charged.

This works similarly to a regular flashlight battery, which has a positive end and a negative end. When a wire connects the two ends, they produce an electric current.

When the two layers of material in a solar cell are exposed to light, they create an electric current.

The AMOUNT of electricity generated by a solar power cell depends on several factors. Mainly:

-How big is the solar power device, and how much surface is exposed to the sun?
-How strong is the sun? (This depends on time of day, weather, latitude, etc.)
-How long is the solar power device exposed?
-How much impediment is there to the light? (Clouds, mist, dust, dirt, etc.)

In other words, a solar power cell generates electricity faster when the sun (or light) is brighter. A device with larger solar panels will produce more electricity than one with smaller panels. Exposing the cell for a longer period of time will create more electricity than exposing it for a shorter period of time. A panel near the equator will be more effective than one in an arctic region. A solar panel in misty or dusty conditions does not create as much electricity as it would in full, unobstructed sun.

Some solar cells produce only enough current to power small electronic devices, but can be "daisy-chained" (connected together) in order to create more electricity for other items.

Solar cells which produce enough electricity to run larger equipment (such as laptops) may be larger, more expensive, or heavier than the others.

But there are many varieties available. Individuals and companies are consistently striving to create lighter and more efficient portable solar cells.

Solar Energy and the Future

An advantage to solar power is that it can reduce expenses. It can also be portable. When one is backpacking in the wilderness or traveling far from power grids, solar power can provide a means of powering electronic equipment.

Another advantage is, of course, the lack of pollution created by solar energy production. In fact, if all of our electrical energy were produced by such means, we might not be worrying about global warming and the other destructive effects of pollution on our environment.

These threats to our environment also pose a threat to mankind. Solar power could be developed to a point where it, along with other forms of renewable energy, would replace harmful means of electricity production.

It isn’t necessarily impossible to have a clean and safe Earth. We just have to work on it.

how is solar energy produced

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GM Using Roof Mounted Solar Heat Panels

commercial solar panels

General Motors, long inept at making cars with quality ratings that might persuade Americans to buy them, now finds itself too broke to install solar power.

But it has made a clever and commendable accommodation to its impoverishment. It has agreed to allow a solar-power company to install a system on the roof of one of its warehouses and then buy the power as it would from any other electric company.

In fact, the step may be so beneficial that GM now has similar plans for solar-power equipment installed on the roof of a second warehouse.

So sunhats off to GM! They may still not be clever enough to make a popular car, but at least they’ve found a way to make a popular choice about electric power.

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Portable Solar Power System

Here is a look at affordable solar power from a different perspective. In this instance the solar paower panels are portable.

I can still remember the analogue days of travel, when I backpacked through Europe and Asia with no more electronics than a couple of Double-A batteries (at best). I only needed them if I wanted to use the flash on my camera. That was less than fifteen years ago.

Now I don’t even go to the zoo without my laptop and my digital camera. When the battery runs out, it’s time for coffee. And then I make sure I sit near a power outlet in the nearest cafe.

portable solar panels

But what do you do when there are no power outlets? If you are kayaking in the middle of the Atlantic, climbing Mount Everest, or just on a local camping trip in the wilderness, what do you do when the batteries run out?

Some say "just bring extra batteries." That might work.

But what if you have several different electronic items, and you don’t want to buy spare batteries for each of them? What if you’ll be away from civilization for an extended period of time, and the spare batteries just won’t last?

A solution for this can be portable solar power. Devices exist which will charge your electronic equipment, using the power of the sun.

Not all portable solar power devices are the same. Some provide enough power to charge a laptop, some can be used for smaller devices such as cameras, and some can only be used for devices that use very little electricity – like MP3 players.

The amount of power that a solar device provides depends mostly on the size of the device. Bigger solar panels generally provide more power. Other factors influence the amount of electricity produced by a solar power device. These factors include the strength of the sun, the length of exposure to the sun, the obstruction to sun (mist, cloud cover, dust, etc.), and the location of the equipment on the Earth.

Different solar power devices provide different amounts of power, and are therefore compatible with different types of equipment.

Portable Solar Power devices also exist in a variety of forms. Some are light and flexible, while some are contained in durable units that look like a small suitcase or radio. There are waterproof varieties, as well as solar panels built into bags and backpacks.

When you are away for a few days, extra batteries may suffice to keep your camera or phone going. But if you will be away from civilization for weeks? Or even months? Ironically, escaping from the modern world can also involve modern solutions. Far and alone on the Patagonian plains, with nothing but the wind and the horses to keep you company, you may feel like you’re living six centuries into the past. But that doesn’t mean you will never want to access your email or take a photograph.

So don’t cancel that 45-day mountain trek. And don’t leave your digital camera behind.

We don’t all have to be tethered to the power lines.

Solar Powered Phone

Digicel Group and ZTE has launched the Coral-200-Solar, which will be available in selected market in June this year. The company has been providing its customer with low-cost or free portable solar chargers, now it has decided to join the fray.

DIY home solar power

Three types of solar electricity generators that you can find on today’s market are portable. Two of these portable generator types run on DC that is 12 or 30 amps. The third type of portable solar power generator runs on AC that has an inverter of 150 watts.

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What is a Photovoltaic Solar Cell?

Solar Power How It Works To Power Your Home

There are two main types of solar power, solar thermal and photovoltaic. Solar thermal uses the sun light’s infrared energy to either heat a liquid or to warm a mass of material that will later on release its stored heat. Harnessing solar thermal energy involves building a house in such a way to collect the sun’s heat during the day and radiate it into the home during the evening. However, in the summer time the house’s construction uses mass to keep the sun’s heat out of the home.

5 kw residential photovoltaic systems

Solar photovoltaic energy converting sun light into electrical energy. The most commonly associated component are the photovoltaic panels or solar panels that you see mounted on roofs.

This article will be focusing on how photovoltaic solar power (solar panels) and systems work.

Why are solar photovoltaic panels always on the south (or north) side of the roof?

In order to get the maximum electrical output from photovoltaic panels they need to be oriented to solar south in the northern hemisphere and solar north in the southern hemisphere. Solar north and solar south are the same as magnetic or compass north or south. There is about a fifteen degree difference between them.

Most solar photovoltaic panels are set at home latitude plus fifteen degrees or home latitude minus fifteen degrees. Depending on if you want a summer or winter bias to the angle of the solar panels. In higher latitudinal areas it makes more sense to have the photovoltaic panels set on a winter bias, so that during the winter the solar panels still get enough sun light to produce electricity.

How does a photovoltaic cell produce electricity?

A solar panel consists of a collection of photovoltaic cells. Each photovoltaic cell is made up of silicon wafer. Silicon in its pure state is a poor electrical conductor. During the manufacturing process, an impurity is added to the silicon so that when the photons (light) strikes the wafer electrons are released and create electrical current.

The type of electrical current produced by a solar panel is a low voltage direct current, or DC, typically in the range of six to twenty four volts. Photovoltaic panels have a nominal output voltage of 12 volts and an effective operating voltage of 17 or more volts.

A solar panel’s electrical output is affected by several factors. They are angle of the photovoltaic panels to the sun, time of day, time of the year and weather conditions. Solar photovoltaic panels produce more electricity during the middle of the day when the sun is directly overhead compared to the early morning and late evening when the sun light is striking the solar panel at a shallow angle.

Components of a residential solar power system

A residential solar power system consists of four components are: photovoltaic panels, charging controller, battery pack and an inverter. The photovoltaic panels convert sun light into electricity. The electricity is sent to the charging controller who keeps the battery pack fully charged, but not over charged. The battery pack sends the electricity to the inverter who converts the DC voltage to household AC at 120 volts and 60 hertz.

Photovoltaic panel

The output of a solar panel is stated in watts. The wattage is stated is typically for peak sun hours. Since the amount of sun light varies through the course of a day, to level out the variations the peak sun hours has been adopted by most manufactures to help installers and customer’s compare different solar panel models.

Suppose a solar panel is rated for 100 watts and an average of six peak sun hours is available per day. Then the solar panel would produce 100 watts * 6 peak hours = 600 watt hours of electricity or 0.6 kilo watt hours (KWh).

Charging controller

Charging controller or charge regulator controls the charging of the battery pack. It continually monitors the battery pack’s charge state. If the batteries are low, it will send electricity from the solar panels to the batteries. It also prevents over charging of the battery pack.

Don’t allow someone to convince you that a charging controller is not really required. Directly connecting the photovoltaic panels to the battery pack can permanently damage the batteries and possibly cause them to explode.

Battery pack

The battery pack’s purpose is to store electricity generated by the solar panels during the day and then at night or during extremely cloudy days provide electricity to the inverter.

The battery pack typically consists of lead acid batteries. Lead acid batteries are relatively inexpensive and readily available. There are many different types, sizes and capacities of batteries available. The most popular are gel cell and AGM deep cycle batteries because they are maintenance free and last a lot longer than wet cell lead acid batteries.

The most important thing to remember about the batteries is that the need to be deep cycle. Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged then recharged hundreds if not thousands of times. A deep cycle battery is designed to discharged to nearly empty, but not completely and then be slowly recharged over time. A common mistake for home owners is to think that they can use automotive batteries instead of deep cycle batteries. Car batteries are shallow cycle batteries. They are designed to discharge a lot of current quickly and then be immediately recharged.

Inverter

An inverter converts the DC electricity stored in the battery pack into household 120V AC. Almost everything in your home is powered by 120V electricity. Things like table lamps, freezer, lights, motors, dishwasher, and so on.

There are two main types of inverters sine wave and modified sine wave. The power company provides electricity as a sine wave. The electricity’s charge value goes smoothly from positive 120V to 0V to negative 120V and then back up to 0V and finally up to positive 120V. Then the cycle begins all over again. The time it takes to go through the entire cycle is one second.

Modified sine wave is also known as a square wave. Here the electricity’s charge value goes from positive 120V to negative -120 volts in effectively zero seconds.

Most household devices will function on a modified sine wave power. Light bulbs and motors will work, just not quite as efficiently as they would on sine wave electricity. However, there are some electronic devices that will not work on square wave electricity. It will be necessary to check with the manufacture to determine if the device will work on square wave electricity.

Now you have a basic understanding of solar power how it works to power your home. Now you have enough information about how solar power works to determine if it is a technology that you would want to invest in for your house.

By: Wilhelm Williams –

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Want more information on solar power installer? Try visiting www.homesolarpowerguide.com, a popular website that offers tips, advice and resources related to solar power. By Willhelm at homesolarpowerguide.com

photovoltaic installation procedures

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Answers to “What are the benefits of using solar power?”

Solar Power
by: Andrew Palmer 7eb

Solar power is becoming more and more popular as the oil prices keep increasing. Our demand on our natural resources such as coal, oil and gas continues to grown on a daily basis worldwide. Not to mention what these types of fuels are doing to global warming and air pollution. So, and maybe even save our earth.

Solar power is known to be one of the cleanest renewable energies around today. How solar power works is by photovoltaic tiles. These tiles change the sunlight into a form of electricity that can be used to heat our homes and even help our gardens grow.

What happens in essence is that the tiles are created with pieces of positive and negative silicon that is place under a thin piece of glass. The sunlight hitting the tiles causes the neutrons to move off of the silicon. The neutrons that are negatively charged are stuck to the silicon by the magnetic field that is caused because of the reaction. Then an electric current is formed. Then this current is passed to the area in which we wish to heat through as inverter which converts it to electrical power for us to use in our homes. This solar power can be used just like electricity for lamps, televisions, and of course heat.

Many people in the United States are now adding solar power to different areas of their homes, such as basements, sunrooms, or their entire home. These solar panels are not very hard to install but may be expensive according to how large the panels need to be and how they need to be installed.

Many states throughout the United States are now giving tax incentives to individuals and companies that wish to covert to solar power. You can find out more by talking with the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the U.S. Department of Energy.

Many schools throughout the national are now converting to solar power. This is a great way to save money for our school systems. Many schools have very high electric bills, due to the electricity that is being used on a daily basis to light the class rooms, keep our children warm during the winter and cool during the summer. This money that is being spent on electricity can soon be spent on better educating our children.

About The Author

Andrew Palmer maintain http://www.solar-panels.cc, an online source of information about solar power and renewable energy.

renewable energy sources over the years

Solar Power for Everyone

Our friend Ben has ranted about this before, but having just received an e-mail from the Mother Earth News with the subject line “Is solar power right for you?” has inspired me to rant about it again.

Growth of solar power for homes

One of the most frequently touched upon news subjects recently has been the extent to which solar power for homes has been growing.

Is Solar Power Right for You?

Would solar power be a good choice for your home? In some cases, purchasing solar panels now can add up to big savings over time. But whether solar makes sense for you depends on a lot of different factors, including how sunny your house is.

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