Solar Power

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A solar collector is a device which is essential to any solar heating system. It gathers the sun’s energy, converts it into heat, and then transfers the heat into water, air, or solar fluid. This device is mainly used in water heating systems, pool heaters, and space heating systems.

The amount of solar energy which strikes the earth’s surface in any given area depends on the location and weather conditions. But it averages out to around 1,000 watts per square meter, under good weather conditions, when the surface of the earth is perpendicular to the sun?s rays. To fully harness this energy, the solar collectors need to be positioned properly.

Types of Solar Collectors

There are three basic types of solar collectors.

The first type is the flat-plate collector. This is the most common type, and is used in homes for water and space heating systems. It usually consists of an insulated metal box, with a plastic or glass cover, and a dark absorber plate. It can be used to heat air or to heat liquid, at temperatures lower than 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then there?s the liquid flat-plate collector. It works by heating liquid as it flows through tubes that are adjacent to the absorber plate. The simplest liquid systems would use potable water which is heated as it passes through the collector and then flows back into the building. Some solar pool heaters use this type as well.

Finally, there is the air flat-plate collector, which is commonly used to heat air. In this case, the absorber plates can be made from either metal sheets, or from layers of screen. The air would be passed through the absorber by the use of a fan, or by natural convection. It should be noted that less heat is conducted by air than by water. This method is thus probably the least is least effective, amongst the different types of solar collectors.

Positioning

Solar collectors can be placed on the roof, but they must face the sun. If you?re in the southern hemisphere, it should be placed on a north-facing roof, while the opposite is true for those living in the northern hemisphere.

In a very sunny location, sunny, a 2 to 10 square-meter array might suffice to provide hot water for a standard-sized family home.

Due to the fact that space and water heating eats up most of the energy consumption of the household, utilizing a system such as this is an important factor in maintaining sustainable housing. Financially, if you are looking to invest in Solar Power for your home, the installation of a solar water heating system is usually the best way to start, as the investment-to-savings ratio is usually best with solar water heaters. This would of course have to be researched independently, for your living circumstances and location.

Anna
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-a-solar-collector-helps-save-energy-in-your-home-741987.html

 

How would you like to reduce your dependency on fossil fuels? How would you like to decrease your reliance on the power companies and cut the size of your bill each month? If you answered yes to both of these questions switching to solar power will greatly benefit you. PV systems make advantage of the suns rays and convert them into usable source of energy. The sun offers a renewable, and barring any unforeseen events, a timeless source of energy. Solar power is both financially and environmentally friendly. By using solar power one can save money, and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are released through the burning of fossil fuel and natural gas for power. 

 

When considering electrical bills, switching to solar power has become the oblivious answer for many people and their households. Electrical bills make up a large portion of the household budget, and during the winter months they account for half of the power bills spent in a home. A solar power system is the one way to reduce or even eliminate your electrical bills.

 

Having your home run on solar power is easy to do, and many resources make installation an easy to do it yourself process. First consider a budget for your solar power spending; this can be based off of how much of your home you will power to solar energy, or the amount of kilowatt-hours your home uses. Once you purchase the basic parts: solar panels, inverter, battery, wires, etc, installation is easy. 

 

The solar panels which will be ground or roof mounted will provide the DC current which will be taken by the inverter and transformed into AC current which will be used to power your home. One key advantage of Solar Power that has attracted many is its longevity. Besides the sun providing a constant source of energy, solar panels are extremely durable. Solar panels can function for many decades before showing signs of failures, so if you are on a tight budget you can purchase used solar panels worry free. Solar power is an obvious answer to reducing dependency on fossil fuels and thus power companies. The process is inexpensive, and easy for a person to do themselves.   

 

 

MejI Alabi
http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/solar-power-is-easy-do-it-yourself-684650.html

Two solar power technologies exist, the passive and the active technology. The passive technology are the photocell panels or the photovoltaic film that receives sunlight and generates electricity more apt for a space station or a home. The active technology is a solar thermal that uses a dish to concentrate sunlight that produces steam, which in turn powers a turbine that generates electricity. Another active technology, which is not being promoted, hidden form public view, is using the Stirling Engine to move a power generator.

The passive technology is ready to go, and there are a few homes that have already installed the system. This system is totally clean, backed by the USDOE Solar American Initiative, it requires sufficient space on the roof to position the panels or film, and uses an inverter to turn direct current into alternate current homes can use. The Utility companies have also developed the Net Metering system to buy electricity on their terms, from homes that have generate a surplus of electricity. The new federal tax law “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008″ effective January 2009 provides a 30% tax credit of the cost of a solar system. Some States are also providing large incentives to install solar systems, although with the current economic crisis these paybacks can be curtailed or delayed. The rest of the payback has to come from real savings generated over time by the system from the Utility company. This passive solar system is expensive as of today, and payback is obtained in 8 years of savings. Photovoltaic film or photocell panels are low efficiency and voltage, and compare badly with the option of buying electricity from the utility company. Currently you require from 13 to 15 photocell panels to generate the 2.5 to 3.0 Kilowatt hours generating capacity.

Walmart has established a pilot plan to install photovoltaic panels in several of their stores. If the system produces a return, they will massively implement it in all their stores, since they have sufficient roof space currently not utilized.

The Solar-thermal system is not adequate for homes and mainly will be used for large Utility companies. However, the active system based on a Stirling engine to power a generator which could be applicable for homes, is not available for massive distribution. Although all of its components have been developed, no one has yet integrated the solar power generating kit, or a home appliance. This home system or appliance should be very low cost because it requires: a solar collector or dish which could cost around $200 USD, a stiriling engine with a cost of $350, the 3 KW per hour power generator with a cost of $350, and the battery bank which is the expensive ticket item and could run several thousand dollars, to store electricity if the system is a stand alone not tied to the power grid. If the home is currently supplied by a utility company, then the battery bank is not needed and the Net Metering system with the public utility company can be used. In addition to the sun collector dish the rest of the system can be packaged in two boxes. One which has the stiriling engine and power generator, and the other with the battery if you are a location not tied to the grid. It can also have a gas heater installation as a backup to when there is a lack of sunlight making this a very reliable alternative.

Apparently, there are companies in America, New Zealand, India, Sweden, and other countries trying to develop the stiriling engine . A few companies are receiving funding from investment funds to develop the stiriling engine for this home appliance. Infinia Corporation, a US company has a head start, because they are currently producing a big sterling engine to power up 10 homes at a time and installing many of them in a centralized solar farm in California. Other companies should not be discouraged because markets are so huge, there will be enough room for all suppliers. Just in United States alone there is a potential of 124 million homes that could use the Solar Power appliance, plus commercial and industrial sites.

Having the home powering appliance, can be the initial steps for returning to sustainable systems. Today, the sun is light and warmth, provided to us from God and Nature, free for all of us to use and enjoy. A home solar powered generator would provide clean energy, and allow equal footing to all nations rich and poor, to devote their funding into other worthwhile social services such as health and education. Rich nations which have electrical grids and power generation capacity would suddenly feel there would be no need to continue increasing Power generation capacities and hopefully they would discontinue all those plants that contaminate. Please see Poverty generation:  http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/poverty-and-the-new-world-order-809385.html

Juan Trevino
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-power-technologies-on-hold-673269.html