A Solar Energy House - Solar Power Electricity in the Home

A solar energy house will contain a number of appliances which are powered by solar energy. In this article I look at exactly how you will use solar power in the home.

Solar Cooker: A standard solar cooker has an outer box, which contains 3-4 containers for cooking. Solar cookers can be operated without burning gas or any other fuel. Different types of solar cookers are available for purchase. You can buy panel cooker, box cooker, curved concentrator cooker, etc.

Solar Lighting: Photovoltaic cells are used in solar lighting. They convert daylight into stored electricity for powering lighting devices when needed. These lights do not require electricity and emit light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which reduce carbon emission.

Solar Batteries and Chargers: The batteries and chargers distribute their charge to the device they are charging. Some rechargeable chargers contain several batteries at a time and a USB port that can be used to charge mobile phones, cameras, etc.

Solar Inverter: the function of a solar inverter is to change direct current (DC) electricity, generated from a photovoltaic panel into an alternating current (AC). It is the most expensive solar energy product.

The components of an inverter are: Solar panels, regulator or charge controller, batteries for electricity storage, and wiring.

Solar Water Heaters: Solar water heaters heat water with the help of solar energy. These heaters contain storage tanks and solar collectors.

There are mainly two primary types of solar water heating systems: Active, which have circulating pumps and controls and Passive, in which they are absent. Besides heating water at homes, it can also be used to heat the swimming pool.

Solar power is beneficial in so many ways and it helps us reduce the impact that fossil fuels are having on the environment. And for many people the hugely reduced energy costs are a major benefit, particularly if you combine solar energy with wind power.

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Use Solar Power and Future-Proof Your Home

People have been using solar power for many years to warm their water, keep their lights burning and maintain the general upkeep of their homes. Alternative energy is now more easily accessible to the public than ever before, and people worldwide are installing solar power technology in their homes in order to save money, and the planet. Converting your home is a considerable undertaking, but the results are very rewarding. Going solar is a growing trend, but where do you begin the process?

Solar power systems utilise energy from the sun - which is constantly renewing itself - and convert it into electricity. The most practical place to start the process of conversion is with the installation of solar panels on your roof. Firstly, you should make sure that your roof is not shaded by trees or other obstacles. Even if a small section of your solar panels are shaded, this will result in less power production. Also think about the size of the solar power system that you will need. This depends on the amount of electricity you use, taking into account that dark winter months will generate less power than summer. You can save money by installing solar panels yourself, or have them installed by professionals.

You can even use solar power to run outdoor lights; replace security, poolside and garden lights with solar powered lights and save electricity. They are long lasting and will last through all weather conditions. Solar water heating is also a great alternative to normal electricity-guzzling geysers. There are two types of geysers - Direct Systems that pump water into the panels themselves and Indirect Systems where the water circulates inside the panels in order to heat up. Another product that can be exchanged for a solar powered item is your fridge. As with solar water heating, there are also two types of solar fridges available. You can choose to use a solar fridge with batteries or one without. Other eco-friendly additions you could make to your home would be to add LED lights, solar security cameras and even solar cookers.

Solar power for personal properties has faced a number of negative misconceptions, as many people believed that a solar powered home needed constant maintenance. Now, you can reap the economical and environmental benefits by installing solar power products throughout your home.

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Solar PV Systems, Building Our Own Power House

There is a new type of Solar array or photoelectric solar cells you can call as Photovaltaics or simply PV this solar cell is made up of Silicons in crystalline form with little cadmium telluride and little copper indium sulfide or copper indium selenide. These solar arrays work on the principle of Einstein's photoelectric effect which won him the Nobel Prize. When Sun light falls on these PV solar systems, the device convents the heat energy into electrical energy and thus produces electricity. Semiconductors are used for manufacturing of the PV solar systems. This is because Semiconductors have most number of valance electrons. The process by which these semiconductors are made is known as Czochralski process. These semiconductors are produced using silicon. The amount of electrical energy produced is directly proportional to the number of Solar cells used.

The PV solar systems are one such renewable energy source which uses sun as its energy source. The main advantage of this PV solar system is that you can build it yourself. It will be a funny experience as well as exciting experience building the PV solar system ourselves. This kit costs around less that Dollar two hundred; you can also get the manuals from eBay website. You can cut down the cost if you can buy few things yourself from the local hardware stores.

Based on your need you can decide the number of solar cells to be used in the PV solar systems. For building a small mobile phone charger one Solar cell will be good enough. You can also add a battery to the design which will store the electrical energy for later use. This PV solar system with the battery gives you more stability because it provides you provision to store the power and provides you a constant output voltage. However, a design without batteries will have fluctuations in its output voltage.

More the solar cells more the generation capacity of your PV solar System. To maximize the power generation you need to maintain the angle at which the sun rays falls on the solar panel at ninety degrees. This can be archived by having a motor attached to the panels which can tilt the move it according to the position of the sun and maintain a ninety degrees angle between the panel and the sun rays. This will in turn increase the efficiency of the power generation in the PV solar systems. There are motors available in the market which can turn up to 320 degrees. You can also use reflectors in a large number to focus on one particular solar cell which will also help you increase the power production coefficient.

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Solar Water Heater - Natural Way to Heat Water

It has been replaced by solar heater in most of the homes today. There are many advantages of using heaters powered by the sun. These are the most effective way to heat water for various domestic purposes.

The Way It Works

It comprises of solar collectors and storage tanks. The working process of these heaters is quite simple. The solar collector or panels are installed on the roofs of the homes which collect the heat from the sun and transfer it to the pipes containing water and heating it in the process. The hot water is then stored in the storage tanks.

In the case of conventional water heaters, electricity or gas is required to heat the water whereas the solar water heater requires none of these to heat water.

It is mainly on of two types-the active water heaters and the passive water heaters. It an be used in any type of climate including freezing temperatures. These heaters use fluids and pipes to heat the water. The passive heaters are also known as Integral Collector Storage or ICS. Water is stored in the storage tank and it is painted black so as to absorb the heat of the sun rays. The heated water is then pushed through pipes into homes.

Basic Advantages of Using Solar Water Heater

In comparison to the conventional heaters, these heaters are much more cost efficient as it requires natural resources for heating purpose, i.e. the sun. Thereby most of the consumers are able to save the cost of electricity and gas charges.

The water heaters powered by the sun can be used to heat water in homes where there is shortage of electricity and gas supply. Yet another greatest advantage of using these heaters is that it is environment friendly. It does not emit any kind of poisonous gas while heating water.

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Solar Energy in the Future

As we are all aware there is a chance that all the renewable sources of energy will one day become extinct, using solar energy is certainly a very positive way of producing our own energy and a much better way of caring for our environment.

The Future Effects and Usage of Solar Energy

Solar Energy in the future will override our current sources of energy and homes will be designed specifically so they employ solar energy entirely. Solar power is being used around the home for many needs, such as cooking, water heaters, drying clothes. We even already have solar powered vehicles on the roads today.

The prospects of solar energy in the future for huge industries is very possible also, because these industries require so much energy and power they are using coal to help meet their energy needs. In the future I can guarantee you that before long all current energy grids will be replaced by solar energy systems.

Transportation and Solar

As we all know oil will one day be worn out, transportation in the future will also be dominated by solar equipment. As I mentioned earlier there already are solar powered vehicles on the roads, actually they are even here where I reside on an island in the pacific.

By the year 2020, experts say solar systems will be put into action, opening numerous possibilities for solar energy in the future. People are now realizing the significance of going solar and beginning to look into using this energy. We are becoming more aware of the possibility that our other resources will one day run out. So the sooner we can begin using solar the better.

Pollution Control

A great factor about solar power is its clean, unlike other sources of energy. The pollution rate is already quite disturbing. This beautiful planet we all reside on is slowly being destroyed, if we could all consider using solar or wind energy then we could certainly make a difference in our health and the future of our planet.

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Solar Panels For Homes - Lower Your Utility Bills!

Solar energy has been around for quite sometime now, yet it is not being utilized to the degree it should be. Solar panels for homes are a great way to light up your home along with various other current electricity replacements. As with anything, there are the pros and cons to solar panels for homes. Knowing the good bad and ugly will help you make the decision if solar panels are for you and your home.

Let's face it, installing solar panels is not cheap, but in the end, does it recover its cost, plus some? The initial purchase and installation of new solar panels can run anywhere from $20,000.00 to $100.000.00. You can find used ones for less, but locating them can be difficult. Once installed, most do not uninstall them to sell. Say, an estimated monthly electric bill runs $150.00; in one year electricity would have cost you $1,800.00. At a purchase price of $20,000.00 it would take up to 11 years for full recovery if no other traditional electric means were used. After that, your power usage during the day would be free. In the end, it does save you money, but many can be overwhelmed by the initial cost. Keep in mind that tax breaks and rebates are available for installing solar panels in your home. If the upfront cost is more then one can financially bear, there are always smaller levels one can go solar in their home to save money such as in solar powered water heaters.

Pros of solar panels for homes are they cause less global warming, less pollution, less dependence on oil, and solar energy will never be diminished.

Some cons in regards to solar panels for homes other then the initial expense are the amount of panels it requires to produce enough energy to make your money back out of it, can only be used during daylight hours, and certain weather (snow, rain, fog and hazy days) affects their functioning ability. Dependant upon where you live can also play a role in if solar panels for your home are a feasible option for you over traditional electric. Some people do not care for the look of several solar panels on their roof and will opt out for this reason. Lastly, solar panels need regular maintenance and replacing adding an expensive.

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Use of Solar Power at Home

Solar power solutions for your home have so far been seen as too costly 

and difficult to install. People would be amazed how relatively cheap 

and easy it can be today to install solar power at your home. If you use 

solar power at your home, you can significantly reduce your electricity

bills and make sure that future generations have a green and working

environment.

Solar Oven/Cooker: Using a solar oven or cooker is the easiest application of solar power. These solar cookers or ovens come in 

different configurations, like box and panel cookers or parabolic 

cookers. These cookers are based on the principle of concentrating 

the sun's energy into one area, using mirrors or other reflective 

material, which generates enough heat to cook and bake.

Solar Heating System: The solar collector, a dark painted box with 

a see through cover through which pipes are fed, is the main component 

of a solar heating system. Filled with anti-freeze, the fluid in these pipes is 

heated by the sun's rays. The pipes are wound through the hot water tank, 

where they heat the water.As the hot water system and the solar heating 

are both closed systems, the antifreeze in the solar collector pipes cannot 

contaminate the water. We distinguish two systems to move the working

fluid: an active system, where a pump moves the fluid around and a passive 

system, where natural convection moves the fluid. The water heated by 

the solar power can now be used in your home for heating or hot running
water in kitchen, shower or bath.

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Solar Power Tips

One should carefully select the residential solar system with the help of good tips. There are few factors and tips that you are required to consider while installing the solar power system for your homes and such tips include: how the system requires to be installed, price of installation, the amount of sunlight that can be received from your home and amount of maintenance the system requires over the period of time. Most of the systems, after every few years need to be maintained, but if the system has few of the mechanical parts, then in that case they need maintenance on a regular basis.

Solar cells: In the residential solar system these are the most widely-used component. Solar cell has silicon that absorbs the energy of the sun in the form of photons. A charge should be present for producing the energy and solar cells also have the elements boron and phosphorus. When the energy of the sun is absorbed into the silicon, the negative and the positive charges are being created due to such elements and the continuous flow of such charged particles creates energy that can be transferred or stored.

Solar panels: These are often used as a part of an entire residential solar system. Two types of solar panels can be used in a residential solar system. The first type is the photovoltaic cells; in this the energy from the sun is used for producing the energy. The second type is the solar thermal collector; in this the energy from the sun is used for heating the liquid. Solar panels work similarly to the solar cells, as solar panels generally has groupings of solar cells.

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