Posts Tagged ‘pv’

How Efficient Are Solar Hot Water Systems?

Solar hot water heating systems are fairly simple to install, simple to maintain and the most cost effective way to introduce your home to solar energy. They can save significant energy and cost when they replace an electric hot water heater. And they can be successfully used even if you live in a climate where freezing temperatures are common during the winter.

If you live in a climate that does not have sub-zero temperatures, and your household consists of fewer than five people, you can install a batch heater. This is the least expensive solar water heating option, and it is relatively easy to build if you have the inclination to do-it-yourself. It is simply a water storage tank that also serves as the solar collector.

The tank is enclosed in a glass-covered box that is positioned to allow maximum exposure to the sun. The water in the tank heats up and hot water is accessible for use. However, it is not the most efficient system, since it takes longer to warm up an entire tank of water than to heat a flat panel solar collector. And as the tank cools at night, there is less hot water available for use.

There are two better systems that can be used even in freezing climates. The direct pump system circulates water between a solar collector and a storage cistern. With this design, water in the solar collector can heat up quicker, and the tank can be insulated for better temperature holding capacity. The pump can be designed to run on electricity from a photovoltaic cell if you desire to keep your system completely solar powered.

A thermosiphon system also uses a separate solar collector, along with the pull of gravity. And it allows for the use of an insulated storage reservoir for more consistent hot water delivery. When using either of these systems in cold climates where freezing is an issue, both the piping and the storage tank should be placed indoors and properly insulated to provide hot water even on the coldest days.

For more information regarding solar technology and how you can utilize solar power in your home or business, please visit http://www.GreenLivingRocks.com and http://build-a-solar-panel.info.

Look for our other posts. We are dedicated to providing information about solar power. Without using solar power as an alternative energy source, we are destined to completely wipe the world clean of natural resources. When we use renewable energy, we all win.

From one of our articles that can be found on our blog:

“A solar panel design has a specific set-up needed to make it work efficiently. The design has been refined over the years. Solar panels started out as very cumbersome pieces of technology. Today, these panels can be used in something as small as a calculator. When deciding on the placement of panels for home use. It’s helpful to know exactly what you need to get an entire solar energy system hooked up and running smoothly.”

From the operators of www.GreenLivingRocks.com — providing education regarding how to make a solar panel, solar powered, and solar hot water.

Solar Attic Fans Are Easy Do It Yourself Projects

Are you looking for a quick and uncomplicated solar energy project for your house that you can do by yourself?  Putting in a solar attic fan may be just the ticket.  Not only is it rather easy to do, but it will keep your residence cooler through hot summer days and nights.

You may not have even realized how much a hot attic contributes to your air conditioning bills.  Attics trap and hold all of the hot air that rises in your house.  This is good in the winter, but it can prevent your house from cooling off in the summer.

Attic temperatures can easily rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit even when outside temperatures are only in the eighties or nineties.  Most building codes require attics to be vented, but these vents are simply not designed to cool off the entire attic.  And a roof that has no shade gets sun for most of the day.

Installing a usual attic fan would require a licensed electrician because it would need to be connected to a power source in order to operate.  But solar attic fans are constructed with built-in pv modules powerful enough to run the fans.  Not only are they quieter than electric attic fans, but they require no electricity to run since they are installed on the roof and receive direct sunlight.  

If you are handy with a saw, drill and screwdriver, and self-confident enough to cut a hole in your roof, you can install a solar attic fan in a couple of hours.  You will have to to locate a place on your roof that receives sunlight the whole day, is close by the peak and also near the middle of the attic space.  You will be cutting a hole through the composition shingles and roof decking that will accommodate the size or your solar fan.

The trickiest and most vital part will be finding the optimal location and cutting the hole the proper size for the fan.  A location that faces south will receive the most sunlight.  If that is not viable, you can consider buying a model that has a solar module that can be tilted and positioned to face south.  

Once the hole has been cut, it is only a matter of securing the solar attic fan to the roof, and caulking around the fan to waterproof your installation.  You will be able to immediately feel the cooling effects in your attic.  And you will be able to have a more comfortable house and lower cooling bills throughout the summer.

From the operators of www.GreenLivingRocks.com — providing education regarding how to make a homemade solar panel, solar lights, and solar heating.

Solar PV – Make Your Own Personal Electrical Power For The Destiny Of The World

Solar PV certainly are a series of solar cells which have inside of it components which could transform photo voltaic radiation directly into direct current electricity. Much more particularly it can be that technological innovation which could convert sunlight directly into electrical power. The actual sun’s rays can provide around a thousand volts involving electricity in every block meter of the earth’s surface on a sun-drenched day. In case most of that power could be makes use of most people would be able to power some of our property at no cost.

The use of solar power system is usually diverse. You can use it to create electrical power in the home, in order to electrical power the electric motors, as well as block lights to name just a few. Photovoltaic happen to be used dating back 1958, having said that; its practical application had been typically within area. These are most generally utilised presently in solar energy hand calculators in which will need only daylight to operate.

Photo voltaic cells possess materials also known as semiconductors which are silicon and also are most frequently made use of. When daylight sinks into the cell part of in which light can be absorbed inside the semiconductor material. Energy for the reason that daylight might be used in the semiconductor which loosens electrons which in turn amount readily within the certain path. This particular flow associated with electrons is actually a current that can be used as electric power as soon as metal associates will be placed at the pinnacle along with bottom of the Photo voltaic cell. The current and also the cell’s voltage tell us the amount of wattage the particular solar cell could make.

Using solar power isn’t yet prevalent adequate to locate everyone using it but there are many people that feel they are able to help the environment while using solar Photovoltaic. Together with the price of electricity on the rise as well as the economy spiraling downward, people are curious about saving on their utility bills or totally eliminating them while using solar energy. Photovoltaic is usually an alternative power generating resource that can save money as well as do its part in preserving the planet. There is much talk about global warming and the greenhouse effect and also using solar PV, as an alternative power source, could make us feel good about ourselves once we do our part.

Now we’ve seen in the very last years elements just like the prices of the petrol crud oil barrel which have been getting to new peaks, the catastrophic effects of our planets atmosphere as a result of emission involving co2 leading to severe warmth as well as frosty waves along with various other unbelievable catastrophes, and more recently the horrible leak inside the Mexico bay eradicating the life of so many folks and also killing all of the faun within the area, its about time to take action and cease depending on fossil gas. Looking at additional directions is really a possibility. For example if only twenty percent from the Sahara desert has been coated with solar PV then it could supply 100% of the entire world electric utilization. Power from the sun is a resource that won’t finish anytime soon, long term and 100 % free to utilize by anyone. There is actually a need to make a worldwide move of mindset and find conscious that it could help save our own kids planet.

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