Solar Power Projects Currently In The Works

Solar Cells Becoming More Efficient

A European consortium of scientists has conducted a solar power project whereby they have increased the efficiency rating of solar cells. Their breakthrough allows a record level of 18% of sunlight to be converted to electricity by a solar panel. They believe that this innovation will decrease the costs involved in future solar power projects and will bring the world one step closer to solar energy becoming the world’s chief source of electricity.

Spain Now Requires Use Of Solar Power

The government of Spain has decided to take solar power projects much more seriously. With their new updates to their housing and building codes, they are requiring broad advancements in the use of solar technology. New homes must get at least 30% of their electrical needs from solar energy. The amount can vary based on location and other conditions. Whereas much of Spain’s research and funding has previously been dedicated to wind power, the country now sees solar power as its key to a brighter future in the field of energy resources and consumption.

Solar Powered Car A Huge Hit At Solar Energy Convention

A car powered entirely by solar energy was a huge hit at a recent solar energy convention in San Jose, California. After having been in development for several years, the car was unveiled to an overwhelmingly positive response. Looking more like a golf cart than a normal car, the vehicle is powered by energy collected by solar cells on the roof of the car. Prototypes are being prepared to lead to future models becoming available for consumer purchase. After meeting such a response at a convention of solar energy enthusiasts, it remains to be seen how the cars will be received at more mainstream automotive conventions and showcases.

Providing Heated Water For 2008 Olympics

The Olympic officials for the 2008 Summer Olympics to be held in Beijing, China have announced their plans to have a “green Olympics,” using environmentally friendly technologies wherever possible. In an effort to help them comply with this mission, a newly developed solar power project has been presented by German scientists and funded through the Italian government. Their system will allow the showers in the athlete’s village to be heated via solar power. The showers will be used by nearly 10,000 athletes, and the cost of the solar power project will be much less than heating via conventional means.

Solar Power System: Used To Generate Electricity And Not Heat

Solar power is a workable solution for most items excepting large electric appliances for which it is not a cost effective solution. Solar power may be used to operated gas clothes dryers and not for a heat element for drying because of the amount of electric power required. A solar power system is not meant to produce heat, rather to produce electricity using photovoltaic principles and the solar panel many be made of natural elements such as silicon which can be electrically charged when subjected to sun light. The electrical charge can be consolidated in the PV panel and then sent to the output terminals thus producing low voltage and direct current of six to twenty-four volts. A solar power system needs to calculate the intensity of the Sun’s radiation at different times of the day as well as time of the year and weather conditions and the total amount of solar radiation energy is calculated as Peak Sun Hours which represents the average amount of Sun available each day in the entire year.

Components Of A Solar Power System

There are four main components of the solar power system that produces electricity and it may supply 120 volt AC power for everyday use and these include solar panels, charge controller, battery plus the inverter. The function of the solar panel is to charge the battery and the charge regulator keeps the battery properly charged. The inverter is supplied DC voltage from the battery and this it converts to normal AC voltage and for higher voltage a transformer is needed or two identical inverters would do the job, if series-stacked.

Solar panel output is measured as watts and the wattage is calculated by multiplying the rated voltage with the rated amperage. The charge controller keeps track of the battery’s state-of-charge and makes certain that the battery is charged when in need and also helps to not overcharge the batteries. The batteries in turn are designed to be discharged and re-charged hundred as well as thousands of times and like solar panels, are wired in series and/or parallel to get the desired levels of voltage as well as to increase amp hours. The inverter is a piece of equipment that converts DC power that is stored in batteries to standard 120/240 VAC electricity and a majority of solar power systems are able to produce DC current which is stored in batteries. Also, in every solar power system there are bound to be losses dues to voltage loss when electricity is carried across wires, batteries and inverters and so one should get a system that has all the design features that result in minimal loss of charge.

Types Of Solar Power Water Heater

Solar power is arguably the most available, most renewable and potentially least expensive type of energy. But that’s all in the future – probably the near future. In the meantime, the expense of setting up and maintaining a solar array to provide energy for a private home is still high. Additionally, the efficiency is still not high enough to provide all of the necessary energy everyday. Newer homes are built with energy efficiency in mind and can save a lot of money with a solar array. Older homes, however, waste energy and can’t be fully supplied by solar energy. Sunlight, although dependable, isn’t reliable. There are always days with clouds and the winter brings less sunlight during the day. While many types of appliances can efficiently use the energy generated by a solar array, a solar power water heater is not one of them. A solar power water heater is more than just a water heater hooked up to a solar array.

Two Kinds

Water can be heated by the sun either passively or actively. Of course, the heat of the sun can heat water. The hard part is getting the hot water into the pipes and delivered where it is needed at any hour of the day or night. Compact systems are passive; they use the heat of the sun without converting the energy to electricity. The circulation of water in a vertical closed –loop circuit doesn’t need a pump, it works by convection. As a solar collector heats the water, the warmer water flows upward to a tank. The warm water displaces some cold water and the hear transfer occurs without a pump. Other types of solar power water heater use pumps to transfer hot water. The solar heat collectors may be integral collector-storage systems, flat collectors or evacuated tube collectors. Besides being used to heat water for use in a home, they can be used to heat a swimming pool.

The integral collector-storage systems, also called batch systems, have an insulated box with at least two tanks or tubes. The solar collector in this type of solar power water heater heats the cold water which then moves on to a backup water heater. Flat-plate collectors are insulated boxes that contain a dark-colored absorber plate which pulls in the heat of the sun. Evacuated-tube solar collectors are most often used for types of commercial solar power water heater. They use parallel rows of glass tubes each with an outer tube and metal absorber tube attached to a fin which absorbs the sun’s heat and inhibits heat loss.

The Advantages Of Solar Powered Equipment

The largest fraction of the energy consumed by the world today is still reliant on fossil fuels. As we all know from myriad unheeded warnings, fossil fuel supplies are being depleted rapidly, and they are what is known as non-renewable energy sources. This means when it’s gone, it’s gone for good. The evidence is all around us, too. Prices are continually on the rise for gasoline and other petroleum based products. Energy produced from burning coal and other sources is in this category as well.

The Alternative Energy Source

The solutions to this problem are all around us though. Renewable energy sources such as wind and especially solar energy are being developed now to counteract the problem of non-renewable sources disappearing. This energy will be more cost effective and will not pollute the environment as fossil fuels have. Equipment powered by solar energy will become more readily available in the near future and could make life better for literally everyone on the planet.

Self-Sufficiency Of Solar Powered Equipment

From a political and economic standpoint, the watchword for energy sources now is self-sufficiency. As costs from imported energy sources such as oil continue to rise, most experts are in agreement that nations should work towards having the ability to supply enough energy to meet their own needs and decrease reliance on foreign suppliers. The same could be said of each individual consumer. Using solar energy to power equipment is a prime example of this necessary self-sufficiency. Not only would someone using solar powered equipment be relying only on their own energy source, each piece of the equipment would be self-sufficient in and of itself. Each machine would theoretically need only the amount of energy that it could collect for itself from the sun. Unfortunately, this may not be entirely true right now. Much of the solar powered equipment available currently only uses solar energy as a backup or auxiliary energy source and still relies on conventional energy for its primary operations. As technology increases in the future, this will no longer by the case and solar powered equipment will become truly self-sufficient.

Why Solar Powered Equipment Is So Cost Effective

Utilizing solar energy does require an initial investment. Based on individual needs, determined largely by the amount of electricity required, the setup of solar collection equipment can vary in price. But after the setup fee, barring a nominal regular cost for maintenance, there are few expenses to solar power. Unlike conventional energy, there is no charge for the power itself, only the related equipment. For this and many other reasons, solar powered equipment is quickly becoming the best option for meeting energy needs.

What Is A Solar Power Plant?

Solar power is what the modern man hopes to set it free from dependency upon non-renewable energy. There have been so many research studies in the past, pilot projects and what not trying to gauge out and prove the effectiveness and efficiency of solar power in substituting the regular source of energy of today, for example electricity. Unfortunately, in spite of the sporadic success stories, solar power has not been able to establish its credentials in the minds and use of the people.

Why Solar Power Plants Have Failed To Date?

Theoretically speaking, solar power can and should be able to substitute all the power needs of today’s human beings. Why, then, practically it is not happening? There are many factors that work against this concept. Let us look into each one of them and try to find solutions, if possible.

1. Too expensive to set up – it is true that a solar power plant is indeed very expensive to set up while comparing with the regular type of power sources. Though the subsequent power would be highly subsidized (if not totally free), the costs to set up such a solar power plant are actually prohibitive. The solution here is to seek out alternatives to the expensive sun-capturing units and re-chargeable batteries and to hope that our research and development scientists would stumble upon a solution soon.

2. Too complex to set up on a large scale – the setting-up of solar power plant, which provides for the power requirements for a town or city, is much too complex to be undertaken on a large scale. Undertaking such a project without a guarantee of success would not be a wise choice. Pilot projects on a smaller scale showed that the setting up of such a center, while feasible, required a lot of effort. The best solar systems worked when adapted to a house. Anything beyond that grew too much in complexity to really prove beneficial.

3. Availability of standard products – there are very few major players in this field; hence, you cannot get the right implements in the market. Those who keep changing their specifications, allow them to improve as per the research for improvement dictates. Hence, if you set up your home today according to a certain type of solar power plant, maybe in two years time it will be totally obsolete, for it evolves ever so often.

These are only a few drawbacks of the application of solar power for the day-to-day needs of our modern society, which prevents this wonderful idea from being adopted on a large scale in the world – hopefully all the current research will result in a solution in the near future.

Looking for a Unique Watch? Purchase a Solar Powered Watch

Today’s society is a very busy one, thus there is always the need to wear a watch. The only problem is, what kind of watch is the most accurate? For a unique and accurate option, one should consider purchasing a solar powered watch.

What is a Solar Powered Watch?

A solar powered watch is a watch that is powered, either entirely or partly, by a solar panel. The solar panel absorbs artificial light as well as sunlight behind the crystal in the watch. The dial of the watch is either actually on the solar panel itself, or located a layer above it. Light is converted into electrical energy by the solar panel, and this is the energy used to power the watch.

The Casio Solar Powered Watch

If one is looking to invest in a solar powered watch, there are a variety of different brands that sell them. However, a particularly popular brand of watch is the Casio solar powered watch.

The Casio Pathfinder Protek is a solar powered watch that is also referred to as a solar atomic watch. It includes an altimeter barometer, a thermometer, and a digital compass.

This watch has a full auto EL backlight, which means, in terms of solar energy, that the watch automatically deactivates the backlight function when there is a sufficient amount of light surrounding the watch. When it comes to the specific implementation of solar power, the Casio Pathfinder Protek has a battery that will charge when placed in direct contact with any light source.

Another interesting aspect of the Casio Pathfinder Protek is its radio signal keeper in regard to its atomic time keeping. Having a watch that keeps the accurate time is very important, and so this solar powered watch has the ability to receive time calibration signals to accomplish that.

In conjunction with timekeeping, this watch also has a full auto calendar. This means that the watch has inbuilt allowances for months that are different lengths, in case the watch is being used during the course of a leap year.

The Casio Pathfinder Protek is just one example of the many different kinds of Casio solar powered watches that are available. These watches can be found locally in such places as department stores, and they can also be found via various websites on the internet. Their prices vary, but a solar powered watch generally costs at least $100. Regardless of the price, if one is looking for a unique watch, a solar powered watch is an excellent choice.

Saving Energy And Money Through A Solar Power Rebate

Lately, a hot topic of debate is the issue of conserving Earth’s natural resources. Historically, we have experienced many energy dilemmas that have underscored our need to seek out alternative sources. Some of these various shortages of energy have included gasoline and high rising oil prices.

There has been quite a bit of talk and a little bit of action. Some of those actions have included individuals purchasing hybrid cars, the use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and the use of solar power for homes and businesses.

As the saying goes, “put your money where your mouth is,” is a commitment that some state governments have taken to heart as they are beginning to offer a solar power rebate. In addition to offering a solar power rebate, there are rebates that are becoming available through a metering law.

What Is A Solar Power Rebate

The solar power rebate program is a percentage of money that is given back to the individual or business to help defray the cost of installing a solar power electrical system. The percentage of the solar power rebate varies from state to state and is contingent upon other factors.

Those factors include the fact that the rebates are paid in increments and those increments are based upon the size of the solar power electrical system that is installed. Generally a set amount per watt is rebated back to the individual or business. For example, if you installed a solar electric system that ranges from zero to 10,000 watts, you would receive a set amount while a larger system would receive a different rebate amount. Generally, the amount rebated is per watt utilized in the home from solar power.

In addition, there are different rebate formulas in place for different entities. Those different entities could include a set rate for the private sector while there would be a different rate for businesses and not for profits.

Metering Rebate

In addition to the solar power rebate that may be offered through your local government, there are, in some states, net metering laws. This legislation requires utilities to provide back to the consumer a reduction in their electricity bill. This reduction is based on the power that is generated from your solar electrical system. The net metering amount is registered through the use of a meter that measures the use of electricity in both directions. Therefore, in saving electricity, the meter will run backwards thus decreasing electricity and providing a reduction in your energy bill or producing a credit for the owner of the business or home. In essence, this is similar to a solar power rebate.

The requirements needed to adhere to, in regards to receiving this metering rebate, are that your home needs to be powered, in its entirety, by the renewable energy. In this case, that renewable energy is solar power.

Keep Up With News On Solar Power TV

One of the appliances in the house used possibly the most is the family television set and a new solar power TV can help reduce the operating costs. They are especially useful in homes built off the beaten path where a regular supplier of electricity does not exist.

There have been 12-volt power television sets on the market for many years that were used in cars and recreational vehicles. Some even were capable of dual power use, 12-volt DC or 120-volt AC. Since solar generated electricity is direct current these types of televisions make an ideal solar power TV.

When the power goes out during a storm or other natural disaster having a small solar power generator available can be an advantage to being able to get news of the event on television as well as operate lights and small appliances. If they do not have the same dual-power capability as your solar power TV, then a converter will be needed to operate them on direct current.

Build Your Own Solar Power Generator

You can build your own solar power generator for a couple of hundred dollars, depending on how much power you are looking to have. A small solar panel, generating enough electricity to power a solar power TV and a few other small appliances can be bought for under $100. The solar panel is connected to a deep-cycle battery, or marine battery. The deep-cycle battery is needed for continuous use.

A 12-DC meter and an input plug, like the lighter in you car is also needed, but if you are planning to use more than one item other than the solar power TV, you can get a multiple input box at most sporting goods or recreational vehicle stores. To operate AC appliances you will need a converter. A 115 volt, 140 watt should be sufficient for a color solar power TV, about 60 watts, and a VCR, about 20 watts, you will be using 80 watts. Wattage requirements are always listed on the appliance.

Attach the inverter to the battery by means of the plug, place the solar panel on the roof during the day and generate your own power, In can take five hours to fully charge a battery and about two or three to bring a used one up to full strength. However, with this set-up you can watch your solar power TV just about all night, on a fully charged battery.