Category Archives: Solar Energy
Is Solar Power the Future?
Solar power has been available for decades. Safe, relatively clean energy, but the cost of the panels has long been too high for the average consumer. They’re also the one problem with solar energy, for those wondering about the relatively clean energy part. But the recycling of them should improve over time.
Many people would love to go solar in their homes. It’s a practical energy source in many places, even ones where you wouldn’t expect it to do all that well. And in places where homes aren’t built near a pre-existing grid, solar power is often much, much more reasonable than having wires run out.
The fact that energy prices have been steadily rising also helps solar energy appear more reasonably priced. The cost is almost all upfront, which is perhaps the greatest challenge. A good solar power system sufficient to heat the average home in the United States runs many thousands of dollars. However it also offers tremendous savings over time.
Some people even generate enough excess to where they sell electricity back. It doesn’t bring in much money on the average, but you must admit that having the power company pay you has an appeal, especially if you aren’t paying them anything anymore.
Is solar power ready to take off at long last? It could be. We’ve been hearing for a long time that the day would come when solar power became affordable, something the average family could do, rather than something strictly for the affluent and environmentally aware.
States are becoming more interested in encouraging solar power as well. Many offer rebates or tax incentives to homeowners who install solar panels, and some are starting to look at businesses as well. May as well put those rooftops to good use, after all!
Unfortunately, not all states do this yet. It sounds like they will soon! There is federal legislation requiring states to consider adopting net metering standards by 2008. How this works from state to stat can be tricky, but since 40 states already have net metering, which allows customers to sell excess electricity back, paying only when they need more than they produce, things are looking better all the time.
Solar power is starting to fare better politically too. While it still lacks the funding of the coal or oil industries, it has popular backing. That does make a difference.
Choosing solar power still isn’t the easiest thing. As with other home improvements there’s a lot of paperwork, plus finding a reputable contractor with good solar panel installation experience. But things are definitely looking up.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.
Solar Power
Solar Power has been available for decades. Safe, relatively clean energy, but the cost of the panels has long been too high for the average consumer. They’re also the one problem with solar energy, for those wondering about the relatively clean energy part. But the recycling of them should improve over time.
Many people would love to go solar in their homes. It’s a practical energy source in many places, even ones where you wouldn’t expect it to do all that well. And in places where homes aren’t built near a pre-existing grid, solar power is often much, much more reasonable than having wires run out.
The fact that energy prices have been steadily rising also helps solar energy appear more reasonably priced. The cost is almost all upfront, which is perhaps the greatest challenge. A good solar power system sufficient to heat the average home in Canada runs many thousands of dollars. However it also offers tremendous savings over time.
Some people even generate enough excess to where they sell electricity back. It doesn’t bring in much money on the average, but you must admit that having the power company pay you has an appeal, especially if you aren’t paying them anything anymore.
Is solar power ready to take off at long last? It could be. We’ve been hearing for a long time that the day would come when solar power became affordable, something the average family could do, rather than something strictly for the affluent and environmentally aware.
Provinces are becoming more interested in encouraging solar power as well. Many offer rebates or tax incentives to homeowners who install solar panels, and some are starting to look at businesses as well. May as well put those rooftops to good use, after all!
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://sourcetecenergy.com/.
The Truth about Solar
The use of solar energy is versatile; it is used for electricity, central heating, hot water, cooking, for producing salt and even for desalination. The energy comes from the sun’s rays and is known to be very environmentally friendly. However, when the sun rays enter the earth’s atmosphere it is quite dilute. Although the advantages are clear there are also disadvantages.
Let’s start with the biggest advantage; it is a clean form of energy. To produce electricity or heat you only need the sun rays. There is no need to use fossil fuel in combination with sun rays to produce electricity or heat. You just need a solar energy collector or solar power panels in order to convert the energy into electricity.
Solar Panel
Another advantage is that it is cheaper than to use traditional electricity for heating. If you are using traditional electricity for heating you can save a lot of money. In return you will get lower electric bills and it also means that you don’t have to maintain heaters.
If you live in a remote area where there are no power-lines solar energy can be the solution. There are remote areas where power companies have no means to access your home. This great alternative can provide you with anything from heating water, electricity, and even cooking.
Another great use is for desalination in areas where fresh, drinkable water is scarce. The brine is evaporated and leaves the salt crystals in the bottom of the basin. The water in turn condenses back in another basin where it is now drinkable.
The advantages mentioned above are tremendous but there are some disadvantages. These disadvantages also need to be discussed to paint a better overall picture.
The main disadvantage of solar energy is that it’s dilute. This means you have to have a lot of solar collectors installed around your house. The energy itself is free, but the solar collectors are relatively expensive and some require regular maintenance in order to work properly and efficiently. If you decide to go solar you need to calculate the return on investment in order to know if the investment will be worth it.
One big disadvantage is that you need the sun rays to make use of it. If you are situated in a part of this beautiful planet where there is not much sun light then this could be a problem. In other areas, the sun rays are almost always covered in clouds making solar energy collectors less efficient. You should first know if the sunshine in your area is abundant for the most part of the year. Of course if you live in desert areas like in Arizona or Mexico the sun produces a lot of sunshine for the most part of the.
Solar energy is very clean and is a good alternative for traditional electricity. Although this is true it is also good to mention the disadvantages. If you are considering using solar energy you must read this first to make a balanced decision.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://sourcetecenergy.com/.
Heat Your Pool With Solar Energy
It is no secret anymore that there is need for alternatives for traditional fossil energy sources. The costs for consumers are rising and with the increasing demand for energy the power plants can hardly keep up. A good alternative is the use of solar energy. Through the years and with extensive research it has become one of the most used and reliable alternative energy sources.
Solar energy is often thought of as converting solar energy into electricity. But it is not only used to convert into electricity, it is also used for heating. It can be used to heat your home and if you own one, your swimming pool.
To convert sun rays into heat you will need to invest in solar panels. The water that runs through these panels are heated and transported to your home heating systems. Now, older model solar panels used to be very inefficient. This has now changed for the better. With the advancement of technology, the panels have now been efficient to collect and convert the sun’s energy into heat. Today, modern heating systems can have enough energy to heat the water in your home or even the swimming pool.
Solar Pool Heating
There are many types of systems available in the market today. These different types of heating control systems commonly work on temperature differential strategies. They work by utilizing two sensors with one located near the panels to heat water and the other is located on or near the water return valve to the panel. To put it in simple terms, one of the sensors detects the temperature of the water that is going to leave the panel and the other sensor will measure the water temperature that is coming in the panel.
This process works by setting a predetermined temperature set by the owner that the sensors will wait for. When the water meets the temperature that you set, the sensors will enable the computer to turn the pump on and transfer the water to the location you need it to be. The other sensor located in the return valve detects the temperature of the running water when it is in a specific range of the panel system it automatically shuts off the pump.
One of the most important factors in any heating system is temperature control is. You need to be sure to buy a system that has been recommended by your friends who already use solar heating system. Of course you can use the internet as a source of information to get recommendations.
Although the benefits are clear there are people who do not wish to install the solar panels because they are unattractive and find that they can literally ruin your landscape. For this problem an answer has been found. You can heat your home using solar energy without solar panels. You can do this by using the concept known as gain. This is used to heat homes without the use of solar panels. It can be very efficient and can save you a lot of money by not buying expensive solar panels. This system works just like a car parked in the heat of the sun with the windows rolled up. When you enter the car, you will experience a blast of heat coming out of the car. The same concept is used in this heating system.
Solar heating systems are one of the best and efficient ways to heat your home and the water in your home or pool. It can effectively reduce your utility bill by using these systems and can also reduce pollution caused by fossil fuels. With these modern heating systems you can be sure you can cut utility costs and at the same time reduce pollution.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://sourcetecenergy.com/.
Still Not Convinced about Solar Lighting?
There has never been a better time than now to take advantage of the numerous benefits of solar power. Many countries have made solar power affordable, cost effective, providing a 10% return on investment and in many cases solar power will pay for itself almost instantly.
The utilization of solar lighting has never offered more benefits than now. Not only can the installation of solar power pay for itself almost instantly, but given the current world political climate and the threat of terrorist actions to disrupt cheap oil supplies make it very prudent.
In the state of California the cost of solar power in 1978 was well over $300 per watt. Today, with incentives offered by the state, that price has now dropped to less than $6 per watt- a staggering 98% reduction in cost of solar energy.
In addition to the reduction in cost of installing a solar power system, your home’s value increases $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills- this according to the National Appraisal Institute.
Therefore, installing a solar power system in your home costing $16,000 would increase you home’s value by $17,520. That’s a net gain of $1520 the day you install the system.
On April 25, 1950 Bell Laboratories introduced the first silicon solar cell. Bell called its invention “The first successful device (solar cell) to convert useful amounts of the sun’s energy directly into electricity.” The NY Times heralded it as “The beginning of a New Era, leading eventually to the realization of one of mankind’s most cherished dreams-The harnessing of the almost limitless energy of the sun for uses of civilization.”
99% of the world’s energy comes from sunlight or solar energy. Everyday enough free sunlight energy falls on the Earth to supply our energy needs for 4-5 years at our present rate of consumption. At the equator, the Sun provides 1000 Watts per square meter on the Earth’s surface.
The amount of solar energy we take today in no way diminishes the amount we can take tomorrow or any time in the future.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.