Renewable Energy – Lesson 2 – Solar Power

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:09:41 +0000

People have been aware that the sun’s energy can be harnessed to power various devices and machines for years, but it is not until recently that the technology and the motivation has pushed people to seriously consider solar energy as a viable power source.

With the current state of the economy and with the growing move toward a more environmentally responsible lifestyle, many people are considering various forms of renewable energy and “green living” principals. Solar power is usually at the top of the list when it comes to renewable energy sources. Solar power has been used for years by the government and various businesses, but it has only recently come into the mainstream for the everyday average household.

In almost any area of the country it is possible to dramatically cut one’s electric bill by installing and maintaining solar panels. Some people are even able to go entirely off the grid and power their homes completely independently of the traditional local electric company, all by solar power. While going off the grid may be an intimidating prospect for some, there is absolutely no reason why a household cannot install solar panels on the roof and greatly reduce the monthly electric bills.

Until recently, the cost to buy and install residential solar panels has been prohibitively high, and not everyone has the technical know how to do it themselves. However, with the shift toward renewable energy, many companies have seen this as an opportunity in an untapped industry and have started offering solar panels at much more competitive and affordable prices. The installation and upkeep of the solar panels is very easy and affordable. Many households find that they can pay for the solar panels in less than a year through the reduced electric bills they produce.

Obviously, once the panels are installed, the solar power is completely free and produces absolutely no harmful emissions, unlike traditional fossil fuels. As the technology becomes more mainstream, manufacturers and builders are constantly refining their techniques to make the solar panels more efficient, durable and innovative.

Recently, some builders have started to integrate solar power into their overall design by including solar panels as standard features on top of garages and in other unobtrusive places such as the roofs of gazebos, tops of pool houses, and on every available foot of roof space in general. Some pool decks are being built with embedded solar cells. As the renewable energy movement continues, more and more builders will find it necessary to integrate a solar power plan into their overall building plan in order to stay competitive with all the other builders who are doing the same.

Solar power is one of the easiest and best solutions to not only help the environment and climate, but to save significant amounts of money in electric bills as well. With solar power components being more affordable now than ever before, every homeowner should at least consider installing solar panels.

To learn more about solar panels price please visit: http://www.RenewableEnergyForUs.com

The Solar Power Timeline

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:38:48 +0000

What would you do if the utility companies paid you for energy?
You, like me, probably didn’t even know that was possible.
What if you never had to pay energy bills ever again?
Again, something else I didn’t know was possible.
These two questions took me completely by surprise when I started doing research for this article. Especially since both questions pertain to solar power.
The Truth About Solar Efficiency
Everyone has heard about the benefits of solar power in terms of environmental conservation and lessening our dependence on imported fossil fuel. But these are both concepts that apply on a grand scale. It’s very hard to equate what this means to an individual. We have to examine the past, present, and future of solar energy, in order to see that there is huge promise for the future of solar energy.
I, for one, could not have begun to tell you what the hard facts were in relation to solar power until I started digging. It turns out that what we hear about solar energy is just the tip of the iceberg. Which are disappearing, I might add, to the tune of 20% during the summer of 2008.
A Brief History
Before we go exploring the ins and outs of solar energy, let’s take a look at how this force of nature has evolved over the centuries.
Solar technology isn’t new. It probably started some time in the 7th Century B.C., when people learned how to use glass and sunlight to light a fire. There is some evidence that ancient cultures across the globe have used glass and polished metals to concentrate the heat and light of the sun. This concept has been around so long that the Justinian Code of 6th Century A.D. decreed that every individual had “Sun Rights”.
Skip ahead several hundred years and you will find documentation detailing the construction and use of equipment that harnesses the heat and power of the sun.
Solar Power Today
Now that we know where we’ve been, let’s look at where we are.
Right now, all across our planet, governments and organizations are installing solar panels and contributing funds to further research into a renewable energy source that is hoped to rival conventional energy in the next decade.
In the future, we can look forward to more solar energy homes and cars that perform up to the standards we expect from traditional fuel sources. Right this very moment I am living in a house that has solar panels to heat my water, and it does get very hot. I do, however, worry about having hot water at 2 a.m. Not that I take showers very often at that hour, but a writer’s work isn’t always done when the sun sets.
Solar Timeline
The following timeline for solar energy from the U.S. Department of Energy, lists the milestones in the historical development of solar technology from the 7th Century B.C. to now.
* 700 B.C.
A magnifying glass is used to concentrate the sun’s rays on a fuel and light a fire for light, warmth, and cooking.
* 300 B.C.
Greeks and Romans use mirrors to light torches for religious purposes.
* 200 B.C.
As early as 212 B.C., Greek scientist Archimedes makes use of the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and set fire to Rome’s wooden ships, which were besieging Syracuse. (Although there is no proof that this actually happened, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat 50 meters away.)
* 20 A.D.
The Chinese report using mirrors to light torches for religious purposes.
* 100 to 400 A.D.
In the first to the fourth centuries, Roman bath houses are built with large, south-facing windows to let in the sun’s warmth.
* 600 A.D.
Sunrooms on houses and public buildings are so common that the Justinian Code establishes “sun rights” to ensure that a building has access to the sun.
* 1300 A.D.
In North America, the ancestors of Pueblo people known as Anasazi build south-facing cliff dwellings that capture the warmth of the winter sun.
* 1700 to 1900 A.D.
Solar contraptions such as photovoltaic fiber, solar cells, and solar steam engines are invented. Eventually a water heater is power by solar electricity.
* 1900s
Solar technology improved thousands of times over, with a vast array of solar materials and solar collectors being constructed and implemented all over the world. Entire towns are powered by solar energy by the year 2000. Buildings are constructed with photovoltaic glass and green roofs, and are self-sustainable thanks to the advancements is solar power conversion.
* 2000s
Houses are powered with residential solar power systems sold in Home Depot, and NASA builds rockets and planes powered entirely by solar energy. Solar power is regarded as an inefficient possible solution to the upcoming oil issue.
* The Future
Within 10 years, continued advances in solar technology will allow us to generate all the electricity needed to power the entire US, and photovoltaic power will be competitive in price with traditional sources of electricity.
Solar electricity will be used in an electrolysis process that separates the hydrogen and oxygen in water so the hydrogen can be used in fuel cells for transportation and in buildings.
Pros and Cons of Solar Power
So this is where we must think about and examine the ups and downs of solar power.
* First, the sun is free. Once you pay for your solar panels, you are done paying to power your home. Conversely, the sun does take a hiatus. Even so, you can switch to battery power to take up the slack if you want.
* Second, if you have a system that produces more energy than you use, you can sell the excess energy to the utility company. But that usually requires you to live in a very sunny climate.
* Third, the cost of maintenance is very low. Since it is just a flat panel that doesn’t move, you don’t have to worry very much about mechanical malfunctions. Unfortunately, the initial cost of these panels can be very expensive and serves as a deterrent to buying.
I hope that these facts encourage you to look to the future of energy production. Environmental conservation is everyone’s responsibility. We all do what we can. Hopefully sometime soon it will be more cost effective. We can scarce afford to lose the only habitable planet we have and some species, like the polar bear, are already losing.

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Renewable Energy – Lesson 2 – Solar Power

The Solar Power Timeline