Solar energy

solar energy

Read and learn more about solar energy. For more, visit the Renewable Energy website EnergySourceRenewable.org

Q: Solar Energy?
Me and my husband is planning to build a new home in Austin TX and we wanted to be 100 free from electric bill using the sun energy. Anybody who have knowledge about PV, Solar Panel please I need your help.

Project Plan: 2500 sqm floor plan
5 bedrooms

What type of PV or Solar Panel Cell we need?
How much do you think it will cost?
Do you know an architect or builder who provide custom plan
Do you know somebody from Austin is using Solar Panel
Do you know local manufacturer that we can contact with?

XoXo
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A: In order to figure out how much “load” your house is going to need, you’ll need to add up all the projected electrical use that your future home will consume. You’ll need to add up things like the fridge, washer, dryer, dishwasher, water heater (could be solar), TV, computer(s), all other misc electronic stuff will really suck up the power. Don’t forget about the lights-think LED or compact flourescent. Also-think about adding more insulation than that which is required by your local building codes. A high-effeciency HVAC system will also help curb the electrical usage.
You might also want to check out…

http://www.greenhomeguide.org/

Q: solar energy?
anyone know any state grants or home loans for home solar energy for southern california. thank you

A: As a former Californian I have looked into this and found the only help is after the fact. There are rebates, and tax breaks once you have a system installed and running. If you produce any excess power, you can go out and watch your meter spin backwards! And by law, the power companies must buy all the excess you can produce. Now That’s pretty cool

Q: Solar energy?
How does the angle the light makes (Ex. the angle of the sun’s rays) with the surface affect solar energy?
here the experiment
The inside of a shoe box was insulated using Styrofoam and a thermometer was placed through a hole inside the box. Two absorbing surfaces were made from aluminum foil. The upper surface of one sheet was painted black and the other left shiny. The following tests were then carried out.

A sheet of shiny aluminum was placed in the bottom of the box. The top of the box was covered with glass and the temperature of the air inside the box was recorded. The lamp was then turned on and the temperature was recorded after 3 minute.

The procedure was repeated, this time using the blackened aluminum as the absorbing surface. Three set of data were collected. One test was done with the glass cover, one without the glass cover and the third with a glass cover but at an angle of 45º.

A: The most efficient angle for transfer of solar energy is 90 degrees so there is minimal immediate loss of energy to reflection. The further away the angle of the incoming rays of light from a line perpendicular to the surface of the collector, the more reflection of the light there will be and the less energy will be collected (comparatively).

Q: SOlar Energy?
3 Examples of how solar energy is used.

A: Solar energy is used as follows:

It heats and lights the earth, without it we would all die on a very cold rock with no plant life.

Photo voltaic cells can collect solar energy and produce an electric current.

Solar collectors, usually roof mounted, are used domestically to heat water in homes.

Some desert areas use an array of mirrors to heat water in a central tower to produce steam to turn a generator and produce electricity.

Q: Solar energy- does anyone know of a DIY way to make a solar collector and transfer that energy to batteries?
I would like to learn about solar energy and how I can make some panels for my home, of course with in a reasonable budget. My goal is to be able to run a refrigerator and fan off of battery. Any ideas out there?

A: If your goal is to save money, it will be hard to do that with solar electricity. You can come out ahead under some circumstances, but powering a refrigerator and a fan is an unlikely one. However, if your goal is to learn about this kind of setup, you could get a kit from (say) Harbor Freight for a few hundred dollars, which will (barely) charge a car battery over a period of a couple weeks. The energy you collect could power a fan for several hours.

You could also learn about solar electricity just by searching the web. That way, you don’t need to spend any money at all. Our solar setup is documented at

http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html

That said, there are ways you can save money on energy. A solar hot water heater usually pays for itself over time, depending on where you live. You can buy a kit to retrofit your existing water heater for perhaps $2000 or so.

Also, if your refrigerator is old, just changing to a new, extremely efficient model can save 1/3, maybe even 2/3 of the energy.

Q: Solar Energy and Hydropower energy would you say these are good energy resources?
Im doing a project for science on energy resources and i happened to chose solar and hydro power energy. I need some opinions about them.. Are these good energy sources..Tell me what you guys think.

A: All power sources have drawbacks. The two you mention, like nuclear, are relatively clean, which is a plus.

Hydro is very cheap for the amount of energy we get, but our rivers are basically all dammed up already – there isn’t a lot more hydropower we can get.

Solar is one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity on a utility scale, but could be the cheapest way to generate electricity on a homeowner scale, at least for many urban homes. Unless one has a stream running through their property to run a water wheel, or strong steady wind, the other choices for getting power are using a gas- or oil-powered generator, or buying retail electricity from the grid. The generator will cost more per kWh over the life of the system, and the grid electricity could be more or less expensive, depending on where one lives. At the moment, the grid is usually cheaper, but not in all parts of the country.

Q: How to estimate Solar energy on certain direction pointed surface?
If I mount a flat surface which points to certain constant direction. At certain place of the world. I now need to estimate the maximum amount of Solar radiation energy which this surface can get during certain time.
Is there a PC program or an algorithm that can make this estimate for me?

The actual problem.
I need to know how much maximum energy can I get during a year, if I put solar cells or solar collectors on my house tilted roof?

Is there anyone who can somehow help me?

Thank you in advance.

A: Try looking here: http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/redbook/atlas/

That’s the National Renewable Energy Labs site, and will give you insolation (amount of sun) for your area. If you have an ideal location and roof, you would choose, Average, Annual, Flat plate tilted south at latitude. Then a map will come up. This map takes into account weather conditions, too, because it is derived from actual measured data. Thus, a dry, cloudless location such as Phoenix shows more sun than a place with more clouds like Honolulu.

Let’s say the map says you get 5 hours equivalent sun per day. The word “equivalent” is important, because it factors in that morning and evening sun are weaker than noonday. The number you get means the equivalent of direct, noonday sun for 5 hours, even though it may be 12 hours from sunrise to sunset. And it’s an annual average, so you will get more in the summer, less in the winter. Ok, so you take that figure, say 5 hours, and multiply it my the size of your array in watts, and multiply it by 365, the number of days in a year.

Example:

5 hours/day X 3 kW array X 365 days/year = 5475 kWh/year.

If you want a more complex calculation, you can try http://www.pvwatts.org/ , and take into account exact tilt and orientation of your roof.

Q: How does the solar energy is stored in a battery?
How does the solar battery charged using solar panels?What is the mechanism that converts solar energy in to electrical energy? How can a car be run on solar energy?what could be its maximum speed?

A: The mechanism used to convert solar energy is called a photovoltaic cell.
Solar cells are built of a mostly silicon compound, which leaves some atoms with loose electrons. These electrons are knocked free by the energy of the sun and, if attached to a circuit, will charge the battery like any AC charger.
A car can be run very simply Just use an electric car, with batteries being charged by a solar panel on the roof or at a filling port (similar to a gas station).
The fastest solar car I know of is the Nuna 2 (105 mph)

Hope this helps

Q: Why is solar energy a renewable resource and also some advantages and disadvantages of using solar energy?
Please tell me some disadvantages and advantages of using solar energy. I also need to know why it is a renewable resource. Can you also tell me how much of of solar energy is left and how long it will last. Thank you so much. [Tell me some websites to vist about this information]

A: First, its all a guess but the sun will continue to shine for about another 2-4 billion years. So for all practical purposes, its eternal.
Solar energy depends on sunshine, one disadvantage is cloudy, overcast, rainy, snow etc. days. No sunshine, no real energy. Another difficulty is converting solar energy, solar panels generate direct current (DC) and this has to be converted to AC current to run appliances, etc. in your house. In order to store solar energy, batteries are required, so the DC current from the solar panels can charge the batteries, and then the DC current must be converted to AC.
Solar panels are not cheap but the price is coming down. They also don’t last forever and can be damaged by hail, etc.
The good news is, solar energy is clean, not pollution except for the manufacture of the panels and for the moment, sunshine is still free.

Q: How is solar energy harnessed for human benefit?
Please help w/ these questions..And provide Sources/References !

- Type of energy transformations that take place in harnessing the solar energy.
- efficiency of the (solar) energy transformations
- The amount of energy obtained from solar energy?

Thank you !

A: I saw a link to Earth4Energy above. Earth4Energy is a scam, so beware. I wrote it up in my hall of shame at http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions6.html

The two common collection methods are photoelectric cells (solar cells) that make electricity, and solar heat collectors. Heat collectors are usually either the flat plate variety, or evacuated tube collectors. Wikipedia is a good place to read about how solar cells work. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect

I have a few pictures posted at http://www.nlcpr.com/SolarInsolation.html that you will find interesting. The houses are from the Solar Decathlon at Washington DC.

The amount of energy is dependent on where you are on Earth and the time of year. Most governments publish solar insolation maps you can use. I will post links below. For Canada use the link for natural resources Canada. For the USA use NREL (National Renewable Energy Lab). NASA has maps that cover the entire Earth. If you know the annual solar energy per square meter in your area, you can multiply it by the efficiency of the collector to get a feel for how much energy you can extract.

The efficiency of a evacuated tube collector is complex to calculate, but you can get practical equations from Institute SPF – they are European and respected. SPF tests both flat plate and evacuated tube models. I have a graph on my web site that shows the efficiency of Apricus brand tubes. Efficiency will likely be somewhere around 50%. If course, it depends on how cold it is outside. There is also space between each tube, so be careful with the math.

So, in summary: Get the total amount of energy from a solar insolation map (NASA, NREL or NRC). Get solar collector (heat) efficiencies from Institute SPF. Get the solar panel efficiencies from a reputable manufacturer like BP (British Petroleum). Use Wikipedia for links to the theory.

Wind energy is indirect solar energy if you want to enlarge the scope of your studies.

If you need a specific resource, use the contact form on my web site and if I can find what you need, I will post it on my links page for everyone.

Have fun with your project/assignment.

Q: How do places with wind and solar energy sustain their power?
Some places rely on solar and wind energy right? To power their homes and such. How do they use energy in the night or when there is no wind? Do they have something that stores the energy like a big battery or something?

I have to “make” a green city and it will use renewable energy source including solar and wind energy. How would I make the wind and solar energy sustainable and not have shortages of power?

A: Small places, like a remote house or an island, might have batteries. A large place, like a city, would be connected to a “Grid”, or electrical energy transmission system. If the wind stopped blowing, deep in the night, they would pull energy off the grid, from a nuclear plant, or coal-burning generation station, or hydroelectric project many miles away. A town on an island might have a large diesel generator.

Q: How to calculate how much energy converted from Solar Energy to Electricity?
Dear All,

How can I calculate how much energy converted from Solar Energy to Electricity? Does it based on the how strong of the sunlight? Does it based on how many solar cell? Any detail equations for this purpose?

Thanks a lot.

A: Taken from wiki:

“At solar noon on a clear March or September equinox day, the solar radiation at the equator is about 1000 W/m2. Hence, the “standard” solar radiation (known as the “air mass 1.5 spectrum”) has a power density of 1000 watts per square meter. Thus, a 12% efficiency solar cell having 1 m² of surface area in full sunlight at solar noon at the equator during either the March or September equinox will produce approximately 120 watts of peak power.”

I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

Q: What other types of energy can solar energy be converted into?
Besides thermal and electrical energy, what can solar energy be converted into? Please post your reference if you have one.

A: Energy from the sun comes in the form of heat and light. Plants convert light into biological energy through photosynthesis.

Photovoltaic cells and panels convert light to electric current. Heat from the sun can also be converted into mechanical and electrical energy by focusing the heat on a steam generator to run a steam engine or hot air engine.

Mechanical energy can be further converted into electricity, and electricity can be converted into mechanical or chemical energy.

You can easily develop your own bibliography on this topic. The internet is slam full of information uses for solar energy.

Good luck!

Q: How efficiently do plants use solar energy when compared to solar panels?
How does the amount of chemical energy stored in plants compare to the electrical energy stored by solar panel/batteries?

A: Most plants are around 1% efficient at turning sunlight into a useful form of energy it can use. Bamboo is probably somewhat higher. Solar panels are somewhere around 20% efficient now I think. Trees are much cheaper to use for collecting solar energy if you have the land area though.

Q: How expensive is solar energy to produce?
How expensive is solar energy to produce?

What does a solar energy power plant look like and how do they work?

What are the hidden costs to society and the world? ( pollution, etc)

A: You do not produce solar energy; it is free from the sun. However it can be converted to electricity using solar panels. If you check a picture of a satellite or the space station in orbit, you will see large solar panels to produce electricity to run the machines.
One environmental problem could be the disposal of old and derelict panels.

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

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