Solar And Wind 4 Me

Technorati Tags: solar, solar home, wind, windmill

Hello,
I want to install solar panels on my roof. We get PLENTY of sun light here in florida. So we were wondering about how much would it cost to have them installed? are atleast how much for the setup because I have friends that offered to install them there Air Force Electricians so it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m not wanting to run the who house on Solar Power just help cut the bill cost. So could you give me some Ideas?

Some ideas. Hmm, I came across a great site that offers a lot of good information about solar energy and the installation of it, including links to applicable government sites and related sites that offer great grants/tax credits, etc. Check it out, I’m sure it’s worth it:

http://yourhandymanzone.com/Your_Handyman_Zone_How_To_Pages_Home_Improvement_Zone_Alternative_Energy_Systems.htm

Hi-tech ways to capture enough sunlight per day every day to power everything in a home or business hasn’t been discovered yet. The current cost of solar panels can run into thousands of pounds, which would require the panels to produce electricity for years without maintenance in order to see a return on investment. What is needed is more grants available to people to enable them to afford renewable energy in the homes. Otherwise only the relatively well off will be able to afford paying over £2000 for solar panels and then saving money over the next 10-20 years. B & Q and other retailers in the UK have now started to advertise solar and wind turbines on TV, they must becoming more mainstream for them to do this.

Currently, many people use solar panels, which can be placed on a side of a roof to attract sunlight during the day to heat a small number of rooms and water. Solar panels can be purchased at a number of locations throughout the UK, as well as online. To view UK companies involved in renewable sources of energy see the green directory. Panels do a great job of helping families and businesses to conserve energy. Hopefully, solar panels will become a part of daily life, in order to prevent the disappearance of natural resources and to maintain energy conservation. In August 2006 high street chain Currys have said that they will start to sell off the shelf solar panels at a substantial discount to existing suppliers. Also, houses that are being built locally now have wind turbines attached to create energy! At last progress from the house builders are making an effort – they can be the real drivers behind this change.

In the recent 2006 Budget announcement by Gorden Brown, millions of pounds have been allocated to helping homes and businesses take advantage of renewable energy and the benefits that it brings. This is a welcoming strategy by the government. More and more homes are also attaching mini-wind turbines to their homes to boost the electricity generated by solar panels, British Gas (Centrica) have recently been looking for volunteers to pilot this with.

Developing countries with sunny climates such as Africa are the perfect place to take advantage of this renewable energy especially in rural areas that are not connected to the national grid for electricity. There needs to be a commitment from the G8 and other government around the world in providing funds to achieve this.

I have just read about the founding of google and the founders are keep to develop solar power and have invested in a number of companies that have solar panels attached to like a mat that you can roll out and stick onto a building instead of the current large, expensive panels that are available at the moment!

Davinos Greeno
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/renewable-energy-and-solar-power-84548.html

You might belong to those home owners who are having second thoughts on purchasing his own solar garden lights (or any other type of solar lighting or gadgets for that matter) if only because you have doubts about the efficiency of these gadgets. People somehow doubt whether or not these sun-powered gadget would really deliver what the manufacturers advertise they can do.

 

If many of the home owners who have already bought and installed their solar garden lights on their yards are really happy about the quality of the product that they get. Most outdoor lights nowadays are really efficient and reliable regardless of the kind of brand – this is because manufacturers are in fierce competition with one another and so they want to capture a good share of the market by selling excellent quality solar products.

 

What makes this type of outdoor solar lighting click? Here are some of the reasons why garden solar lights are better than the conventional outdoor lights.

 

Solar lights are made up of solar cells, without which the lights will not be able to work as no solar energy is harnessed. And so PV or photovoltaic cells are the special components not found in ordinary lights; they make the collection of energy from the sun and its conversion to solar power possible.

 

Solar garden lights are built with light emitting diode lights or LED lights. They are made of advanced materials making them several levels higher than the ordinary lights in terms of quality in providing illumination to your garden and home exteriors.

 

What makes garden solar lights a hit among home owners is that they are known to run efficiently for many hours in a day without any need for any battery changes. Of course being sun power-run, you never need electricity for these sun-powered gadgets. Normally, these lights that are fully exposed to the rays of the sun will be able to gather energy and transform it to power, enough for the lights to illuminate for 8 to a maximum of 10 hours non-stop.

 

Overall, the benefits that we can take advantage of solar garden lights are significant, although there is one drawback. In terms of illumination, these lights are not as bright as the usual lighting. Hence, many home owners really buy solar lighting as mainly accents to beautify their homes.

 

If you are greatly interested in other solar lights, solar panels and sun-powered gadget topics and discussions, do visit our http://solarlightsandgizmos.com/ blog.

Ernesto Maitim
http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/efficient-solar-garden-lights-for-homeowners-514038.html

I was looking to get a solar panel installation quote for my house, and preferably a free quote.

Usually solar panels are expensive. The solar panel + installation can cost you thousands of dollars. You will need a professional to install your solar panel.
Why don't you try to do it yourself? There are do-it-yourself guide that are very cheap. It will show you also where to buy th cheapest materials. All in all, you can get it for less than $200. But be careful. some of them are scams.
I can show you one that is not and will really help you in building your own solar panel. Here's the link
http://33ad5gyef4cwavbnp8mmp24o68.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=ANNEQ

If you're not interested, maybe you can check out some articles about it. It might help you.
http://hubpages.com/hub/green-energy-sol…
http://hubpages.com/hub/Low-Cost-Solar-P…
http://hubpages.com/hub/DIY-Home-Solar-P…

I hope these will help you.
Good luck

Many individuals, especially those who are newbies in solar technology might wonder how solar panel works.  But first, what is a home solar panel? This is a sun-powered gadget that collects and utilizes the energy from the sun via its rays and converting them into power.

Some residents use home solar panel gadgets to act as alternative source of power for their small home appliances, effectively complementing the electricity consumption from the local utility.

Still there are home owners who invest on residential solar panels that can fully power the home, running all its appliances, water heater and even the swimming pool. However, for you to own and install your own home solar panel that will work as sole source of your everyday power requirements can be very costly. A solar panel unit actually has an exorbitant price of several thousand dollars.

Now, how solar panel works can be answered simply. It has photovoltaic cells in the panels that mainly work by collecting the energy from the rays of the sun that falls on them. Such photovoltaic cells effectively convert solar energy into electricity for home use.

You can very well consider these gadgets as investments, because you need to shell out a sizeable amount of money in order to purchase and install them as your power source. It is certainly a serious investment as albeit you only have to spend an initial sum of money, the amount needed is really a big one. After the purchase you need not worry about it as the solar gadgets runs on its own, creating endless supply of power for your residence with the help, of course, of the sun.

Many advocates of clean and green environment recommend the utilization of home solar panel if only because the energy that it gathers and converts to power comes from the sun. Hence, the produced power is clean and harmless to the world environment. Likewise, you need not worry about solar energy running out as the supply is endless. Solar energy is clean renewable energy, and so is considered as the best alternative energy there is.

For more photovoltaic cells and home solar panel articles, do visit our Solar Panel World blog.

Ernesto Maitim
http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/how-solar-panel-works-running-your-homes-with-these-sunpowered-gadgets-643153.html

Mitsubishi solar panels are sold in pairs. I was in the market this week, checking on solar panels to install in my own house / workshop. Here's the price list I got from online and wholesale dealers for a pair of Mitsubishi panels:

* Model MF120EC4 (120 watts) — $590
* Model MF125UE5N (125 watts) — $610
* Model MF175MF5 (175 watts) — $799
* Model MF180UD4 (180 watts) — $820
* Model MF185UD5 (185 watts) — $850

BP Solar, PowerUp Solar & GE Solar too have their own panels with a low-to-high price range. Go for BP solar panels as they're more affordable for home installation and good value for money.

Solar power is recently broadly used not only from business but from private homes instead of traditional energy resources. The main benefit of using it is that it is renewable - solar power cannot finish and as long as there is sunlight power can be generated.

What do you need to have to benefit from renewable solar power? In fact the equipment needed is neither extraordinary nor very expensive. All you need to have to start using solar power as alternative energy source s solar panels. Moreover solar panels are pretty easy to be manufactured in case you want to do them yourself. The materials required are not very expensive and the actual manufacturing does not require great skills.

Once you have the solar panels installed you should decide what for you will use the renewable solar power. It can be used for generating electricity or heating of your home or just for heating water. Many people prefer using solar panels to get hot water only. Other uses it for home heating as well. Some also get panels installed to generate electricity. Still you will have to get a lot of solar panels installed if you want to fully replace your current electricity supply. However in the most cases you will be able to generate enough power for your garden lighting or other small electricity consumables.

No matter what power of your home needs you replace with renewable solar power, you will definitely cut your utilities bills, especially during winters when you have to pay hundreds just for heating.

Not only renewable solar power is good for your pocket, it is in fact very beneficial for the global ecology. Solar power is totally pollution free - to generate it you don’t need to use any fuels and by generating it you don’t pollute the air, water or soil in any way. It is actually better than using wind power because solar power generators do not produce any noise. The only real disadvantage is that you cannot generate power during nights and if bad cloudy weather power generation is greatly reduced.

Abhinav Sidana
http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/renewable-solar-power-598820.html

My family is really "Green" when it comes to our lifestyle. I just need to know how much it would cost for solar panels to provide our electricity. How many would one house need? Do they charge by the panel?

It is not that simple. You need panels, batteries to store the energy, an inverter. Your usage can be figured out by a professional who will ask you questions about your lifestyle to figure out your average usage, determining your panel/battery needs. You cannot run any high usage items such as electric dryers or electric stoves, or electric furnace (depending on where you live). There are a lot of variables. You will be looking at around $20-30000 per average 4 person household.

Are you afraid to open your electric bill this summer to see how much it is costing you to keep your home comfortable and cool? With oil and natural gas prices increasing, so to is the price per kilowatt of electricity.

What can a homeowner do to reduce the electric cooling bill? One option is to raise the thermostat, at the price of comfort. Perhaps consider installing more insulation in the attic or having double pane windows installed. Each of these choices will increase the energy efficiency at considerable investment cost. However, these and many other energy efficiency options will help reduce the energy demands of the home but will not counter to rising cost of electricity.

There is a rising interest in harnessing solar power for residential use. Despite the high initial investment, the long-term savings are being touted as an efficient means of beating the high cost of electric power. Look into local, state and federal tax incentives to help reduce the investment cost.

There are two main components to a solar power system.
• Solar panels forming an solar array
• Inverter to convert the 12V or 24V DC electricity into 120V AC.

Optional components are:
• Charging controller
• Storage batteries

The battery array is charged by the solar power system. During the night or on cloudy days the batteries discharge the electricity and provide power to your home. The charging controller charges the batteries and prevents an overcharge that would shorten the lifespan of the batteries.

Storage batteries do not need to part of a residential solar power system. Any electricity that is generated and is not needed to power the home can be sold back to the electric utility company. In effect, your home becomes a mini power generating station for the electric company. How would you like to see your electric meter run backwards?

How does a solar power system work and integrate into my home’s electrical system?

Solar panels convert sunlight into electrical energy. A solar panel’s electrical output is affected by a couple factors: angle of the sun light to the solar panel, number of hours of direct sunlight, and the efficiency of the solar panel. It is interesting to note that currently available photovoltaic solar panels convert about 12 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. Although, this does not appear to be very efficient, this is a four times greater than what was available a few years ago.

Solar panels are connected into a grid often referred to as a solar array. The panels are connected electrically to increase the amperage. The solar array is mounted on the south facing side of the roof at an optimal 30 degree angle. The ideal location should be free of any obstructions such as building and trees for most if not all of the day.

If you choose to install storage battery pack. The electric lines from the photovoltaic panels will be connected to the charge controller. The storage batteries are similar, but not the same as an automotive battery. They are deep cycle batteries that can handle being charged and discharged thousands of times before the battery needs to be replaced. They are also known as sealed lead acid batteries or gel cell batteries.

The final piece is the inverter. The inverter converts the 12 volt DC electricity into usable 120 volt AC. The inverter is directly connected your home’s electric system at the main breaker box via a junction or sub panel. Inverters have been around for years in commercial applications. Now days they are most popularly used to convert 12 volt DC electricity from a car battery into 120 volt AC power.

Advantages of solar electric power

Solar power for residential use has several obvious and not so obvious advantages for the homeowner.

• After the system has paid for itself in electricity it generated that you did not need to purchase, the solar power system continues on producing free electricity for your home.
• Reduces the heat build up in the attic. Each solar panel installed on your roof will shades your roof from the sun’s infrared energy. A cooler attic reduces the amount of cooling required for a comfortable home.
• It quietly produces electricity.
• 100% renewable energy source
• Pollution free electricity production
• Most solar panels are warranted for a minimum of 25 years.

Disadvantages of solar electric power

• Replacing the roofing material creates hassle in that the solar panels must be removed from the roof while the old roofing is removed and the new one is installed.
• The high investment cost. A typical installation costs about $13,000.
• To regain your investment, you have to live in the home for several years. This depends on the amount of electricity produced and the cost per kilowatt purchased from the electric company.

It will be necessary to have a local solar power installation company design the right solar power system for your home. Carefully interview and compare each installation company before selecting the design and installation company.

A growing number of homeowners are turning toward the sun to convert its energy into clean, renewable electricity to meet the power demands of their home. Isn’t time you considered converting free sunlight into electricity for your home?

Wilhelm Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/utilizing-solar-power-for-residential-use-127852.html