Wind Power Solutions » solar

Dot Earth Blog: Separating Issues from Myths in Obama’s Solyndra Situation

By ANDREW C. REVKIN — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:27:43 +0000

Real issues and plentiful mythology surround a failed solar company.

Germany proves the promise of renewable energy: hits 20 percent renewables

Jeremy Hance — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:51:00 +0000

As many people in the United States question whether renewable energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels, Germany now derives 20.8 percent of its electricity from renewable sources—a 15 percent increase since 2000, reports Der Spiegel. In contrast, the United States generates only 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, 6 percent of which comes from hydroelectric power, which some environmentalists see as unacceptably damaging.

Dot Earth: The White House’s Rooftop Solar Challenge

By ANDREW C. REVKIN — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:05:30 +0000

The Obama administration fails to keep a solar pledge.

Green: On Our Radar: No Robots Deployed In Nuclear Crisis

By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:23:49 +0000

Japan relies on humans for tasks that are handled through automation in many other parts of the world,

Green: 2010’s Major Environmental Moments

By FELICITY BARRINGER — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:25:03 +0000

It was a year full of big environmental news, from the BP oil spill to the failed climate bill.

Learning About Solar Power Facts

Lonny Serrano — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:36:38 +0000

At the time where nations run behind with their energy sources to supply every need, we all should be aware of the effective, cheapest, and even a reliable source of energy on earth. Yes, it is called solar energy! It is the actual energy that is free and available. We should only know how to use it properly. In addition, the best kind of energy is Oahu, which good for the environment.

Solar power is converted to electricity, so that it can increase temperature of the water, cook food, and dry wet clothes. Nowadays, the solar energy is the trend used by many people to heat water to the extent of working certain gadget. One interesting fact about solar power is that we do not much realize we use it and still we keep on using it. The cooking gas we use and even the petroleum and gases used as fuels are all part of the solar energy that are once a part of a certain plant that grew just by using the sun.

The numbers of people who use solar energy nowadays are increasing. Usually it is used for heating water, which is the primary issue in very household’s electric bill. In addition, even the price of this device is quite very high in an average household; still it would definitely benefit the user and environment after some time. Moreover, when the panels used in a household receives sunshine for three straight hours daily, it will be just enough to supply energy to the house for the entire night.

It is also interesting to know that Da Vinci finds out the wide use of solar energy almost six centuries ago. Man already knew about solar energy in those early days when he learned to make a fire. And since then, mankind learned some new uses that ranged from water heating, cooking food, and by using it as fuel for vehicles-solar energy is known for its maximum efficiency.

A natural phenomenon such as rain is also a result of the presence of solar energy. It is the natural process of evaporation and condensation on earth, which is cause by the suns energy to keep weather balance. Face it! There is no such way to keep away someone from using the solar energy.

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Residential Solar Panels Tips That Will Help You Today

Vivian Summers — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 09:04:19 +0000

It is possible already to use a solar panel for year-round applications like providing hot water. The objective of today is to expand that use to many other applications. When that happens, we would finally be able to leave petroleum behind and embrace a future that is full of the promise that the solar panel has made real enough to reach out and touch.

A good way you can use your solar panel is to have it installed as a part of your roofing. As a matter of fact, you can make it the roof. You can expect that to go a long way in producing energy that is sufficient for the whole family for the entire day. Just be sure you have batteries installed also that will make it possible for you to have access to energy at night, when the sun is down.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you want to have your solar panels facing the true south. If you live in the south, point them north. Anything short of that is not even worth it by a long shot. You will find that you are not able to get as much energy from the sun as you need. It would all have been a waste until you can correct it.

Solar panels work best in space because there is nothing to obstruct the sun’s rays from getting to them. On the earth’s surface, it is a different matter entirely. You see, there are clouds, there are buildings and trees, and there are all kinds of high-rises. As a result they have to make them bigger still to make them more efficient.

There are a lot of flat plate alternative solar energy panels with collectors that are used for water and space heating. The prototypes continue to be reviewed and revisited from time to time in attempts to make them better. Needless to say, there is much progress, but it is hardly enough. In the face of a dying world, better results are needed in shorter time.

To Learn about Solar energy kits and even on solar panel , see this informative site — http://www.AlternativeEnergyReviewSite.com

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DIY Solar Power – The Advantages Of Building Homemade Solar Panels

Jon Elsdon — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 08:17:30 +0000

People all over the globe are attempting to build or make their own solar power kits . But what exactly are the benefits or advantages of building your own solar panels? Read on to find out…

Reasons to build your own solar panels include:

1. Money Savings:

You can save literally thousands of dollars by implementing a DIY Solar Power System. The price of installing a commercial system can run into the high thousands, building homemade solar panels will cost you around $200 for materials.

Once installed only minimal maintenance is needed, just give them a clean every now and then to be sure the maximum area of your panels are exposed to sunlight.

Free power! Using solar power as you energy choice you will cut your electricity bill by a substantial, if your family home is anything like mine you can expect to save hundreds of dollars per annum.

You can also sell any excess power that you no longer require back to the power company.

2. Help out mother nature:

This is an extremely clean form of energy. No harmful emissions are given off during the harvesting, production or manufacturing of solar energy.

Provided the sun continues to shine in the sky there will be an infinite amount of energy, it is a totally renewable and as such doesn’t have any negative impacts on the earth.

3. Become independent:

You can move toward self sustainability by implementing a solar power system, no longer will you be tied to the grid. You can also build small panels to power devices in remote areas where conventional power is not available such as a campsite.

As we can see from the above advantages, diy solar power makes sense to use as our alternative energy source. As for the negative there really are none aside from having to spend some time building your own panels.

To learn more about homemade energy and how you too can build your own Photovoltaic solar panels check out the following link solar power kits

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3 Factors To Calculate In Knowing The Cost Of Installing Solar Panels

Lonny Serrano — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:13:51 +0000

Presently, I am certain that most of us are already aware of the many benefits that we can get from the installation of solar panels. Although, one fear of most homeowners is the installation process cost. Many people are convinced that the initial cost that the process will entail is so great and unaffordable. And this conviction has been stressed out by the financial predicament that we are facing now.

However, let me give you some good news that you will surely appreciate-determining how much the initial costs of installation is made easy nowadays. I have enumerated below 3 of the major factors that can assist us in calculating the cost of installation and in the realization that it is really within reach.

1. Determine the kilowatts needed at home by calculating it. This factor is a great aid for you to figure out the cost of installing solar panels. You can easily do this by referring back to your electric bills. The thing here is to get your bills of the last year and pick the one which has the greatest kilowatts consumed. Divide this number by thirty days. The answer will be the maximum usage and will equal to the solar power that you will need on a daily basis.

2. Determine the major appliances that you had used the entire year. Knowing what appliances must be and must not be used can also aid you so that you will end up with a more realistic costing. With this, you can now estimate the exact count of panels as well as the cells that you are to use. The output of your estimation is correct if you get the least amount of the expenses. Typical homeowners are just utilizing basic appliances; therefore they will only need a 90-watt solar panel powered by 25 pcs of 12V batteries.

3. Check and see if you can avail of some ready to fix solar panel kits. Purchasing it, instead of the already assembled ones, will limit down the cost that you will incur. Do it yourself kits usually come with the necessary things that you can use: batteries and some tie-ins that you will be able to use handy as they can be. Choosing one that will perfectly suit what your home requires will be an added bonus too.

I am certain that after learning these details, the doubt and second thoughts you are having about installing solar panels will gradually disappear. Instead, it will be replaced by the thoughts that sooner you will reap the savings that having these innovations can give you.

Hannah Anderson teaches about home improvement technology. To learn bonus materials about side projects he is studying, click on NJ solar power and NJ solar rebate.

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All You Need To Know About Renewable Sources Of Energy

Vivian Summers — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:44:28 +0000

In order to preserve our planet or even improve the state of the environment we need look at the many renewable energy advantages against the more harmful fossil fuels we currently use to supply our energy demands. With the rising costs of more widely used fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, the quest for renewable energy technology has been ramped up.

The truth is we already have a wealth of knowledge about alternatives to fossil fuels, but the problem has been implementation on a large enough scale, to make it effective in supplying our growing energy needs.

Solar power, wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy and bio-diesel are the most likely renewable energy alternatives that we currently know with the potential to replace traditional fossil fuels.

We must begin to weigh up the potential drawbacks of cost and comfort against the numerous advantages of these more environmentally friendly and sustainable energy sources.

Bio-diesel – produced from straight vegetable oil, animal oil/fats, tallow and waste cooking oil which must be treated before conversion to bio-diesel to remove impurities. This alternative fuel is safer, burns cleaner, and is easy to make.

Geothermal – resources range from shallow ground to hot water and rock several miles below the Earth’s surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma. Previously limited to places near tectonic plates, recent advancements in technology have expanded its range and potential. It is environmentally friendly and produces no pollution other then minor amounts of co2 when drilling into the earth but not even comparable to fossil fuel.

Hydroelectric energy – Flowing water is used to push turbines which generate electricity, usually situated within rivers or lakes, the faster the flow rate, the more energy generation that can occur. It’s environmentally friendly in terms of the fact it doesn’t place any type of harmful contaminants into the water.

Wind power – environmentally friendly, clean and inexhaustible wind farms are growing in numbers, this source of energy will only continue to grow in use, as fossil fuel reserves are depleted. With advances in the technology it is likely to see more and more of these adopted by people looking to take advantage of this resource.

Solar energy – utilized by collecting naturally occurring solar radiation from the sun, solar panels convert this in a process called the photoelectric effect. Solar energy is probably the most underused resource in comparison to its massive potential when you consider how abundantly it is found in some regions of the world. Solar energy is abundant and we can count on the sun to rise tomorrow and the day after that.

The drive for greener living and environmentally friendly renewable energy has given birth to DIY renewable energy kits, as well as larger scale projects building wind farms, solar power installations, geothermal plants etc. in a bid to begin the inevitable transition. In fact, photovoltaic cell systems are already being used in many remote areas that are not connected to the main power grids. The sharp rise in energy costs has given birth to an increase in the amount of people choosing to adopt home energy systems using solar or wind power if possible in a bid to reduce their dependency on the grid and reduce monthly energy costs. Advances in technology and the ready availability of solar panel components have made it a popular source of renewable energy.

The advantages and potential of alternative sources of energy are not widely known due to the lack desire to find out by most people but as you have read I hope you have seen the potential. Most places will not be able to use all of these energy systems simply because they don’t receive enough sunlight, wind or there’s no water supply etc. but in most cases there is at least one one source of renewable energy that can be harnessed. In comparison to the pollution and health defects harmful fossil fuels cause, any potential drawbacks critics may point out are insignificant.

With the gradual deterioration of the earth’s climate it is clear that the way we are currently producing electricity is unsustainable.

With the right investment and courage, we could begin the transition now instead of waiting 20-30 years when our planet will be in an increasingly worse state. The least we can do right now is to start implementing home energy systems,

With fossil fuels expected to run out within the next 50 years, the greatest achievement of our generation could be to begin the transition to these alternatives now and we will in fact have a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations.

Depending on where you live you could be using an alternative in your home, I would encourage you to find out more.

Learn about Solar Energy Kits , or Wind Power Pros And Cons . Read this wonderful site and be thrilled with truly essential information — http://www.AlternativeEnergyReviewSite.com

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Make Your Own DIY Solar Panels And Save!

Jon Elsdon — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:15:56 +0000

Using solar power to supply your homes energy needs is nothing new. Doing a quick search on google will reveal there are now a large number of DIY solar electricity guides being produced, which you can download over the internet. These do it yourself guides boast savings of as much as 80% off your power bills by replacing your existing power source with energy harvested from home built solar panels.

We thought we should look a little close at these diy guides to see if they really do live up to their promise of saving money and helping the environment.

The first thing we took into account was to look at the difference in the cost between a retail solar panel installation and the cost of building a solar panel yourself. A retail system could cost you many thousands of dollars, a diy solar power kit on the other hand will only set you back a couple of hundred dollars. This is due to the fact that you pay no labor costs for construction or installation. The total cost is made up of readily available materials. I am sure you would agree this represents some quite substantial savings.

The next major cost saving factor is the due to the fact we will be replacing our regular electricity which we are charged for with free solar energy. Once again the actually savings will vary depending on the needs of your home and the people in it, but savings have been reported to run as high as 80% or even more slashed from your current bill, once again this can represent hundreds of dollars that can be better spent somewhere else.

By now I am sure you are wondering how easy is it to build a system to generate solar energy? Well it’s extremely simple. Armed with a good DIY solar power kit guide you can have one up and running in just a few days, it’s the perfect project for any home handyman. You do need to ensure you get a clearly written and illustrated guide, preferably one that comes with video instruction as well as written.

The environmental benefit of using solar energy is obvious and enormous. By replacing your traditional, environmentally harmful energy sources with a clean, renewable energy will give mother nature a helping hand to heal herself.

So if you are looking to save a few dollars and reduce your carbon footprint by making your own diy solar panels check out the following link for more information solar panel kits

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A Critical Look At Wind Powered Generators

Vivian Summers — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:31:15 +0000

When you install wind power machinery, you want to see that it is not in the path of migratory birds, or that the birds do not take that way ever again. You would need to look then into options to make it possible – get the birds to fly through other paths. Or if you cannot manage that, work on ways you can install in a place that birds don’t take too often.

Take one last look at your fossil fuels. Coal, oil, wood or natural gas, they are history now. Alright you can save that look for another couple of years while the wind power prototypes are being perfected. But when they are, and every home is being outfitted with them, you will have to come to terms with it.

If only we could properly harness the power in the wind, there is a lot we could do with it. Sure thing, people have tried over time with various levels of success, but I believe there is more. When we get there, the world will know it. Wouldn’t you want to come along for the ride so that you are a part of it then?

Technological advance is what has brought wind power to where it is today. True it has been on the sidelines for a while, but the world needs it now, and has made that call. Thank God, the technology of it has not gone to sleep all this time; it is able to heed the call. And the results are the state of the art wind turbines that are being developed and produced everywhere you turn these days.

Wind energy is that contained in the force of the winds that blow across the earth every day. I much doubt that they ever stop blowing day or night, ever. This is why wind power has my vote of confidence for the alternate energy source of the future. So even if it does not blow at the same consistent speed all the time, the turbines are often able to make up for the slack of it.

To Learn about Wind powered generator and even on Wind power generators , visit this wonderful site — http://www.AlternativeEnergyReviewSite.com

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Build Your Own Solar Panel And Enjoy Free Solar Energy

Adrian Logan — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:22:08 +0000

Solar energy or commonly known as the energy from the sun is the most freely available form of energy on planet earth. The sun energy provides us with an unlimited source of light and heat. It has been the main reason why we human are alive today.

Our daily energy usage can be provided for if we know how to harness solar energy from the sun.

Below are the advantages of using solar power.

The solar energy solution is gaining popularity amongst the alternate energy solutions.

* Green energy: Solar energy does not release any harmful gases into our atmosphere. Also, it does not need any fuel to create the energy. It only needs the sunlight.

* Cheapest form of energy: Unlike oil or coal, you do not need to pay any money to harness the sun energy. You only need to pay a one time installation cost and within a few short years you can recover back the initial investment. From that point onwards, your power is virtually free.

* Ease of storage: You do not need to worry about power outage or times of darkness. You can easily store the solar power in order to have a 24×7 supply of power.

* Low maintenance cost: The solar panels are very simple to maintain. There is no expensive cost involved. You also do not need a lot of effort. Thus it is an ideal form of energy.

How solar power can play a part in our everyday life?

Solar power can be found in our day to day life. Below are some examples.

* Cooking with solar power: It is possible to cook with your solar energy and save up your gas or electricity. If you worry that the food will not be tasty, let me assure you that it is not. You can still cook your food in the typical manner like roasting, baking, boiling etc. Just a bit of patient is required from you but I am sure you agree with me that the extra few minutes of waiting is worth it as you are saving money for gas and electric power.

* Lighting: Power your house lightings with solar power. With the ability to store the power, you can also light your house at night. You can use freely any electrical applicance without worrying high power bills.

* Solar heating system: During cold winter, you can easily warm your house free without any high power costs. All thanks to solar power.

Learn how to build your own solar panel and eliminate your power bill.

Active Solar heating for your home

Evans D. Smith — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:40:06 +0000

The primary means of heating a residential home at present happens to be to make good use of active solar heating – at least as far as using solar energy goes. Most applications that make use of active solar heating will get their heat from sunlight which is then stored and mainly used for heating domestic supply of water though it is also useful for heating purposes as well.

Fans And Pumps

The term active indicates that the solar heating system uses fans as well as pumps that help in transferring the heat that was caught from the rays of the sun to a place where it can either be used or stored to be used later.

An active solar heating system is composed of collectors together with collector controls as well as a heat storage system and ultimately a system to allocate the heat. Solar collectors are ordinarily employed for applying solar energy for domestic heating purposes and it typically makes use of liquids or maybe air as the medium to take in the rays from the sun.

It is also necessary to get the size of the collectors right so that the best use of solar energy is achieved which of course depends on the collector\’s efficiency as well as on the local cost of energy as well as the heating requirements of the building. The more efficient collectors will need to be located at the right place, be properly oriented as well as its tilt angle too must be exactly right and of course its construction should be such that it is entirely insulated.

Even in states like Alaska an active solar heating system though not necessarily completely economical, has managed to give the obligatory source for heating domestic supply of water as well as to heat spaces inside buildings. These systems have helped in noticeably reducing our dependance on use of traditional fuels particularly when active solar heating systems are used together with passive solar heating systems.

The main use of an active solar heating system is that can be the best option in places where there is no utility power available. An active solar space heating system in fact, often uses the same kind of components as are used for heating domestic supply of water though at the same time it must also tie up with a distribution system (heating) that uses hot fluids as its source for heat. These systems are quite cost effective and so quite popular.

What you just learned about How To Build Solar Panels is just the beginning. To get the full story and all the details, check us out at Best DIY Solar Power House Guide.

Learning About A Solar Panel Heating System

Evans D. Smith — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:06:14 +0000

The advantages of a solar cell heating system are truly stupendous. Anyone that isn\’t mindful of this is truly missing out because there isn\’t any better time to have a passive or active solar heating system installed in your house than now. Before you go ahead with a solar panel heating system there are a couple of things that you\’re going to need to find out more about.

Why Install it?

Why on Earth would an individual wish to install a solar energy panel heating system in their home? There are plenty of reasons in reality. Installing solar heating in houses has substantial ecological advantages and as well decreases the CO2 emissions due to burning normal fuels. Thus it\’s an excellent way to make your house more ecological and know that you aren\’t going to be doing any farther damage to the world around you.

Benefits

Besides the ecological advantages, there are many others that you may need to be conscious of before installing one of these systems in your own residence. There\’s the cost-effectiveness for one, and though you\’ll have to shell out a little bit of money at first to get the system going, it\’ll more than pay itself off in the long term.

These systems are fantastically trustworthy and sturdy, and will last you an entire life so long as they\’ve been installed correctly.

As well, they take up very little space in the home. A typical system for a family of 4 will require no more than 40 to 80 square feet of unobstructed southern exposure which is very little room at all. So don\’t think that you have to use a whole basement or other area just to have the solar heating system installed in your home because that is most definitely not true.

Care and Upkeep

When it comes to the care and maintenance of a solar panel heating system, there is going to be very little to none that you are going to have to be concerned with. In fact, other than a change of anti-freeze every couple of years, there is pretty much nothing else that you are going to have to be concerned with.

It is straightforward to understand why installing a solar energy panel heating system in your house is going to be such a neat idea and why it is something you should definitely be thinking seriously about.

To get more information about How To Make Solar Panels, visit our in-depth review at Best DIY Solar Power House Guide.

What Do Solar Panels Do?

Jim Samposzi — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:49:53 +0000

It has been recognised for many years now that resources we have on earth to give energy to many appliances and devices is something that will not last forever. The population is growing and this has meant that the resources will last even less time than originally thought and run out in perhaps our lifetimes or at the very least that of our children. So that we can continue to enjoy heating and the technologies that need energy to make them work another option is to use solar panels.

Many people have noticed that the cost of energy is rising and this is another reason why they have decided to have solar panels installed. This will provide you with either free or very low cost energy depending on the type of solar panel you wish to have for your home or garden.

You will notice that once you have the panels installed you will be able to not only gain the money you have spent on the installation; you will also be able to benefit from extra savings each time your usual bill comes in.

One other benefit that may not be noticeable immediately but it will definitely in the future is that using renewable energy is better for the environment. People who suffer from problems with their lungs will benefit from not having so much pollution in the air as will any future generations.

What you may not be aware of is the fact that many companies who supply energy around the world are getting benefits from the other forms of energy already. You would think that as a result of this you would see your energy process go down, but this is not the case as if anything the money you are paying out is going up rather than down. By having your own panels to create your own energy you are cutting out the middle man and the overheads meaning that it is your household and bank balance that benefits rather than someone else\’s.

There are different kinds of panels available and I would like to tell you about them so that you can make the best decision for you and your home. The option you choose will depend on the kind of energy you wish to produce, whether it is just to heat water or to power other appliances in your home.

Thermal energy is where the sun is used to create warmth; this can heat water in your home and can also be piped through to radiators to cut out the costs you have to pay for your heating. Imagine the savings you could make during the winter months. No longer will you have to worry about the amount of time that your family spending the shower as the heating of the water will be at no cost to you.

Although you will need more complex panels for the other form you can save more money with electric energy. This is where your panels use the energy from the sun to create electric to run anything that needs an electrical input to make it work.

Technology has given us many things but the benefit to solar energy is that it is taken from nature but is something that is ongoing and does not need to be restored in the way that other energy does. This method has many advantages and to save money further you could buy the kits to build the solar panels yourself meaning that you bypass the installation costs.

Installing your own home solar panels is quick! Find everything you need to assemble and install your solar panel units today!

Solar Power – Some Basic Info That You Should Know

Dan Westwood — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:09:33 +0000

Thanks to the vast quantity of advertising publicity, a lot of folks find things like solar energy and other sorts of renewable energy somewhat of a gimmick. Unfortunately, this does tend to be the prevailing case for various persons. Still, nothing could be further from the truth. There are real options out there and workable alternatives to help save the natural world.

Solar energy is one of the more workable alternatives. There are umpteen other kinds of renewable energy which really are offering practical solutions in many cases. Solar energy has no real disadvantages connected with it, except in some cases, it can be quite pricey to get the gear that you require.

With regard to how much money you will save with a domestic solar energy plant, it is of course entirely dependent on how much electricity it would generate. Typically, a couple of solar panels of a high quality build should be able to make enough electricity to perform basic tasks on an everyday basis in your house.

It would be a completely wrong statement to say that buying solar panel kits is cheap. Indeed it is somewhat high-priced, however the amount of money you can save in the longer term makes it worth it in roughly every case. Certainly, it does depend slightly on where you live and you need to take care that you have the necessary average quantity of sunlight.

The amount of money you could save on your electricity bills can be highly advantageous. As you are no doubt well aware, your electricity bills constantly go up as the price of energy continues to increase. Making use of solar energy could provide enough power to perform all kinds of basic day to day tasks in your house, radically lowering your electricity bill.

To cut down on your electricity bills and make installing solar energy worth it, you will certainly need to live in an area which gets an sufficient amounts of sunlight. Most areas of the world get enough sunlight to be able to profit quite considerably. You will want to look into this beforehand however, of course.

In some parts of the world, if you make more power than you are actually using, you can even sell it back into the grid and get paid for it. There are a huge number of cases in which a domestic solar power system can be of great benefit to you financially and economically.

At Envirotech Summit you can learn more about how solar energy can be used if you are truly interested in a more eco form of energy production.

Reduce Monthly Electricity Costs on Lighting

Steve Brodie — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:26:43 +0000

by Steve Brodie

This DIY cut monthly electricity costs article is just the beginning when it comes to easy ways to save you money on your power bills. You could get yourself some new green products or even take you and your family on a mini vacation.

CFL is what’s called a Compact Fluorescent Lamp or a circular fluorescent bulb. Incandescent bulbs generate light differently to a CFL bulb.

Since Thomas Edison’s invention of incandescent light bulbs they have pretty much worked the same way. Light is produced after electricity is connected to both sides of the carbon filament causing it to get hot. CFLs and normal fluoro tubes contain a closed glass tube with a fluoro coating that glows when current is applied to the argon and mercury vapour inside.

Although you may have heard how these bulbs work, no matter how cheap they are, if you are turning them on more than about twice a year you are wasting your money. If you want to save money look for the green products. Compared with an incandescent bulb the newer Energy Star CFL bulbs can save around 75% in costs. In 6 months of usage a CFL will pay for itself saving you about $30 per bulb over its lifespan!

There are different choices for the color of the light omitted from the CFL bulbs these days. This can really enhance the mood of the room, home office or family room. You can choose CFL colors varying from a warm yellow to a daylight blue. Choosing a warmer colored light would be the right choice if you prefer incandescent bulbs. Be aware that the daylight or bluer light comes across as very harsh white light and can have negative effects on people that are sensitive to light.

If you see a K on the bulb packaging, that K or Kelvin rating, will give you the “temperature” of the bulb. A Kelvin rating of 2700K-3000K means it’s a warm/yellow bulb. 3500K-4100K Kelvin rating will get you a cool white bulb. And if you wanted the Daylight Blue bulb look for a Kelvin rated bulb of 5000K-6500K.

To replace 40 watt incandescent bulbs, use 9-13 watt CFL bulbs to get the same results. Replace a 60 watt incandescent with a 13-15 watt CFL. Use an 18-25 watt CFL to replace a 75 watt incandescent bulb. And look for the 23-30 watt CFLs if you want to replace 100 watt incandescent bulbs.

Please remember to recycle all compact fluorescent bulbs. In some states disposing of mercury filled bulbs with solid waste rubbish is illegal. Thats because in one CFL there is about 5 milligrams of mercury.

When you want to recycle your used CFL green products, places like ACE Hardware, Orchard (OSH), IKEA and Home Depot will accept and properly dispose of the used CFL bulbs.

If you are wanting decorative lights, consider Energy Star qualified light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. These bulbs create the exact same amount of light as their equivalent incandescent bulb and use up to 90% less energy! It takes the same amount of energy to power up one 7 watt incandescent bulb as it does to power up to 140 LEDs!

Give the CFLs a try for inside and the LEDs for the outside. They will save you some good money and reduce your carbon footprint.

About the Author:

Maybe you enjoyed this information on DIY Cut Monthly Electricity Costs on Lighting take a peek at my site Cheap Solar Power for plenty of valuable information for you!

DIY Solar Power

Miles Novak — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:18:05 +0000

There are many different ways to make use of the light and heat energy emitted by the sun. Some common ideas include:

- Simply using the sun to help regulate home temperature (passive solar energy)

- With the help of mirrors, thermal solar collectors can amplify the heat of the sun and pass it on to water or other substances

- The light emitted by the sun can be converted into electricity with photovoltaic cells

When done effectively, taking advantage of the heat and light energy displaced by the sun can have a substantial impact on your monthly bills. Harnessing the suns power in this sense is known as Passive Solar Power. A few ideas to help you take advantage of the suns passive energy include:

- Insulation! This is probably the most important step in taking advantage of passive solar energy. Make sure that your walls, ceilings, and floors are appropriately insulated. Also check around windows, doors, and electrical outlets. Proper insulation in a house should result in an inside temperature that stays relatively constant

- Along the lines of insulation, curtains can have a strong impact on maintaining a consistent home temperature. Shutters and clear insulating window covers can also play a role in keeping warm air in or cold air out.

- Something most people do not realize is that plants can play a strong role in determining the temperature of a house. In addition to providing fresh air, plants placed effectively around windows and doorways can function as a sort of heat barrier, keeping a house cool in the summer.

In addition to taking advantage of the sun in a passive way, one can use a more active approach. As mentioned above, a thermal solar collector is a great tool for using the suns tremendous temperature output to heat water or a space.

A thermal collector is a device that features an array of dark metal plates, covered in a sheet of glass. The sun warms these metal plates, which absorb the heat and transfer it to a substance, for example water or air. This heated substance can now be used immediately, or stored in a well insulated container for later use.

The Basic Explanation of Light for Electricity: the lights energy is captured by photovoltaic panels, and is then converted to electricity by the said panels. As soon as the suns rays are turned to electricity, it can be used just as we normally use grid supplied electric.

About the author: Miles Novak is an experienced writer in the field of alternative energy. Visit his webpage for a guide to Do it Yourself products and Home Energy Solutions.

Solar Power – Anyone Can Understand

Dale Green — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:19:46 +0000

Today there are classes to teach us anything and everything we ever wanted to know about solar energy. Many people just want to know the hard basic facts to kick them around in your had and see if they start to make sense. If that is you and you’d like to learn more, start slow, then continue reading.

To begin your solar power project, you will need a battery. Automobile batteries are not designed for deep discharge and have very thin plates to keep their weight at a minimum. Solar batteries must be capable of providing long periods of deep discharge with only a few hours of a full recharge when the sun is out. The perfect battery choice for this type of use is a golf cart battery. Slow to discharge because of thick plates but only needing minimal charging, these batteries are very heavy with a small amount of amperage so many would need to be banked together for any large application of electrical use.

Next step in the project you will need solar panels. Voltage of the panels is important, but size is not. The voltage needs to be higher than the battery. For instance, if there is less power going into the battery than there will not be any power coming out of the battery. The panel needs to have more pressure to push into the battery. Wattage also needs to be higher than the battery. As long as the watts and volts are equal to what you need, you can purchase large or several small panels.

Measuring the amount of power that you intend to use determines how large your batteries are going to be. This takes a little bit of work. The basic rule of thumb is Watts = Volts x Amps so begin with this formula and begin adding up volts and amps of everything you would like to run on solar for a grand total.

The solar panels will determine by the number of amp hours that you will use in 24 hours during sunlight. Estimated at 6 hours of total sunlight hours, take 1/6 of an amp times the 14 volt panel. The answer is 2.33 watts, but now you’ll round that up to 3 watts. You need a 14 volt, 3 watt panel to generate one amp of power to power your pond pump.

Now that you have your power stored in your batteries, the DC needs to be converted to AC in order to power your electrical products. An inverter comes in different sizes and many options. You actually only need a simple unit but it has to be able to support the loads that you are going to draw through it. Remember when figuring your estimated voltage that some motors will use as much as seven times their rated power just to start up.

Connections and the condition of your cables are very important whether it can support the load of current. Don’t try and cut corners or skimp when buying small wire that will burn out (making it dangerous to catch other things around it on fire).

Maintenance work by checking on the process of your energy and battery function is required. If all this information makes sense, and you are ready to learn more, it’s time to sign up for a class.

You can learnHow to build a wind generator watch this great video How to build a wind generator by clicking on this link.