Solar Empire - Endless War » solar power generation http://www.solar-empire.net Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:10:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 what permit’s are needed for Power generation? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/what-permits-are-needed-for-power-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/what-permits-are-needed-for-power-generation#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:25:40 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/what-permits-are-needed-for-power-generation I was wondering what permit (if any ) would I need if I have solar panels and generate power that goes back into the grid.

Also a friend and I were wondering what permit’s do power company’s need for say wind generation or solar panels. Like if we had a new generator design then what would we need to start powering the grid
It has no pollutants and is not nuclear, lol

Contact your local government agency dealing with building permits. They can tell you all of the requirements. You may be interested to know that many places require utilities companies to buy up the excess power you generate. Thus, at the end of the month you receive a cheque from the untility company rather than a bill.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/what-permits-are-needed-for-power-generation/feed 2 Concentrated solar power (CSP) energy generation? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/concentrated-solar-power-csp-energy-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/concentrated-solar-power-csp-energy-generation#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:07:10 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/concentrated-solar-power-csp-energy-generation How do you calculate the amount of energy in one of these systems as related to the surface area of mirrors pointing at it?

More specifically, how much surface area is needed to get to a certain temperature?
How much surface area to melt metal, like aluminum?

CSP generally refers to solar thermal installations but all solar energy must be concentrated. Photovoltaic energy is concentrated by placing them in a series.

A power tower has mirrors
A parabolic dish has the dish
a parabolic trough has the trough
a solar chimney concentrates the energy in a chimney
a solar pond concentrates the energy without mirrors….

In general insolation is fixed. Only so much energy strikes the Earth.1 If the reflecting surface is not on a tracking mechanism it will be at some angle to the sun which will reduce efficiency. The reflection has a certain efficiency based upon the quality of the reflection and the surface. The focus has a certain efficiency. The more narrow the focus the more the energy will be concentrated.

Let’s say that the particular area has a 5 Kwh / sq meter / day insolation value for your type of tracking concentrator. Your reflection and concentration is 95% efficient and you have 20 sq meters of surface. Your target will be receiving (5 x 20) x .95 or 95 kwh of energy each day.

Now what are you heating? A cup of water or a 500 gallon per minute pipe of running water? 1 kwh = 3412 BTU. 1 BTU is the energy needed to raise 1# of water 1 deg F.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/concentrated-solar-power-csp-energy-generation/feed 1 Which is best solar or wind power generation ? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/which-is-best-solar-or-wind-power-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/which-is-best-solar-or-wind-power-generation#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:32:15 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/which-is-best-solar-or-wind-power-generation
Solar power has an efficiency of 30% only and its cost is high per unit watt produced, while wind power may be more efficient, it can’t be installed anywhere, a continuous wind flow of 5.0 m/s is required.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/which-is-best-solar-or-wind-power-generation/feed 3 Is there another source for power generation such as Solar, Wind ? Then Why not to use such sources ? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/is-there-another-source-for-power-generation-such-as-solar-wind-then-why-not-to-use-such-sources http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/is-there-another-source-for-power-generation-such-as-solar-wind-then-why-not-to-use-such-sources#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:01:23 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/is-there-another-source-for-power-generation-such-as-solar-wind-then-why-not-to-use-such-sources
There are technologies like anti-matter reactors that are kept extremely secret. They are used to fuel extremely advanced aircrafts such as flying saucers. Such aerospace research is categorized as "black projects". They are supposedly funded by the US tax payers. Boeing, and Lockheed skunkworks are rumored to be major players in these secret research projects.

These black projects have played a major role in these "UFO" incidents happening all around the world. Out of the many completely authentic UFO sightings, only a fraction of them involve a possibility of real extra-terrestrials. The rest of them have earthly explanations. See the videos below…shocking!

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/is-there-another-source-for-power-generation-such-as-solar-wind-then-why-not-to-use-such-sources/feed 7 solar power generation? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-power-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-power-generation#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:30:15 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-power-generation
It helps if you actually phrase a question.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-power-generation/feed 6 Solar panels for power generation. How is it done? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-panels-for-power-generation-how-is-it-done http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-panels-for-power-generation-how-is-it-done#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:05:43 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-panels-for-power-generation-how-is-it-done As one who has spent a lifetime in the radio/electronic industry can someone explain to me how (according to the TV) all that is required to provide all your domestic power requirements is a few solar panels on the roof and any surplus can be sold back to the grid at an enhanced rate.
Who is trying to kid Who/

With a large enough investment. A number of utilities have programs that help subsidize installations of "co-producer" solar panel arrays. Your out of pocket will still run on the order of 30,000,00 dollars US, give or take a bit. You are still grid tied though, but at times when you are not using the power, or the excess power if you are charging batteries, you are producing energy for the power company.

One of the things that has been promoted in some magazines and in some online forums- and is illegal in the manner most do it, has been for people to go out and buy a panel, a charge controller and an inverter and just plug that into their wall outlet- a very unsafe practice, but people do it.

The power company, when they install a system that complies with their standards, you are not getting paid an enhanced rate, you are still selling the power back to them at a lower rate than what they would charge you to use that same amount of energy.

What is usually most cost effective for people is to simply cut their usage. You can do that by looking at the "half program" on the site http://www.builditsolar.com

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/solar-panels-for-power-generation-how-is-it-done/feed 4 Wind and Solar power generation……? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/wind-and-solar-power-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/wind-and-solar-power-generation#comments Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:32:34 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/wind-and-solar-power-generation A simple question, hopefully with a simple answer.

I need to generate 10,000,000kWh per year via wind and solar power.
With 8760 hours in the year, please presume 2500 full hours of good wind.
How many turbines do I need and of what rating? What is the most efficient set up?
At peak operation I need to generate a minimum of 370,000 kWh per month.
For the solar power I have 10,000 metre2 of available space.

The numbers may look big, but they are all correct, this is a serious question.

Thanks in advance.

If any of you work for a wind turbine/solar panel manufacturer/installer and want to discuss this, please email me your professional email address and I will contact you via that.

As far as solar power is concerned please visit http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/
We can provide you with an accurate solar panel installation quote free of charge. The quote will also include all the information you need regarding eligible tax rebates, government and state incentives, payback period, estimated future cash flows, and how big of a system we can place on your property to meet your energy needs.
Once you request the free quote on our site you may be in touch with a member of our team and even request for a free on-site evaluation.
We look forward to hearing from you soon. Once again the website is: http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/wind-and-solar-power-generation/feed 2 If solar and wind power generation were judged on 40 year old models? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/if-solar-and-wind-power-generation-were-judged-on-40-year-old-models http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/if-solar-and-wind-power-generation-were-judged-on-40-year-old-models#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:41:41 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/if-solar-and-wind-power-generation-were-judged-on-40-year-old-models Like nuclear power is. How would they compare?

100 years ago people had windmills to pump water out of wells.
Then the windmills were modified to generate electricity so people could have electric lights and refrigerators.

Then people chucked out their windmills and got connected to the national electricity grid.

Now there is a beginning of a move in the opposite direction.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/if-solar-and-wind-power-generation-were-judged-on-40-year-old-models/feed 3 How is the study of radiative heat transfer associated with solar power generation? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-is-the-study-of-radiative-heat-transfer-associated-with-solar-power-generation http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-is-the-study-of-radiative-heat-transfer-associated-with-solar-power-generation#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:07:26 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-is-the-study-of-radiative-heat-transfer-associated-with-solar-power-generation
More accurately, the sun radiates energy as electromagnetic waves, mainly at the wavelengths of visible light, which can be absorbed by a suitable panel or collector, and converted to other energy forms such as heat or electricity. There is not much heat radiation (infra red) because the sun is too hot to radiate a lot of infra red. This is associated with "black body radiation" (see the link). A black body at room temperature of 300K emits ~10,000nm wavelength radiation, whereas the sun at ~6000K is ~560nm radiation.

When we feel the sun warming our skin that is what is happening. The direct visible light from the direction of the sun represents about 1000 watts per square meter at the bottom of the atmosphere. It gets absorbed and reflected more or less by everything the light impinges on. Sometimes the resultant heating causes infra-red (heat) energy to be re-radiated, so when we put our hand near a building wall or other object in the sun, the wall feels hot.

With photovoltaic panels, part of the light from the sun is converted to electricity, and part heats the panel. The panel needs suitable cooling by convection and radiation to ensure the heating is not excessive.

With solar absorption panels (for hot water or more seriously hot for generating electricity using a heat engine), the light from the sun is collected and absorbed and so used to heat the working fluid. The working fluid can be further heated by recirculation of the fluid or by focusing the sunlight. With high temperatures involved >500C in some cases) the power per unit area is increased by focusing the sun, so the power density is greater. If a 10 meter diameter parabolic reflector is used to focus the sun onto a 200mm x 200mm absorption block, the area ratio is:
For the dish, pi x r^2 = 78.5m^2
For the absorption block length x breadth = 0.04m^2
Ratio 78.5/0.04 = 1962.5
The ratio is almost 2000:1, so the energy density is now ~2MW per square meter (less any losses). This can heat a working fluid to a high temperature rapidly as the heat flows from the absorption block into the working fluid much faster. With heat, the flow is in joules per second = watt-seconds/second = watts.

]]> http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-is-the-study-of-radiative-heat-transfer-associated-with-solar-power-generation/feed 2 How efficient/cost-effective would it be for solar power generation to be used on a massive scale? http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-efficientcost-effective-would-it-be-for-solar-power-generation-to-be-used-on-a-massive-scale http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-efficientcost-effective-would-it-be-for-solar-power-generation-to-be-used-on-a-massive-scale#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:56:25 +0000 admin http://www.solar-empire.net/solar-power-generation/how-efficientcost-effective-would-it-be-for-solar-power-generation-to-be-used-on-a-massive-scale Although solar/photovoltaic panels are still quite inefficient, why not use them on a massive scale, in places like Australia or the Sahara where there is bright sunlight nealry all the time? Surely solar farms on a collossal scale would: a) find a use for huge areas of otherwise useless desert, and b) generate enough electricity for the entire country, allowing it to do away with power stations? Or would the overall cost be too great – surely huge projects like these would help to lower the cost of photovoltaic panels?

Photo voltaic cells are an ecological disaster, costing (read using lots of resources to manufacture) a lot, and they have a limited life. They are uneconomic which is why solar farms use mirrors reflecting light to a central tower or to water pipes, where the high temperatures generated heat water to drive a turbine.
In a hostile environment like the sahara, photovoltaic cells or mirrors would be sand blasted into oblivion.

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