Solar Empire - Endless War » solar

About 90 jobs cut at Uni-Solar on Tues.

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:21:24 +0000

United Solar Ovonics laid off about 25 percent of its workforce at the company’s Greenville facility Tuesday, a two-year employee told 24 Hour News 8.

At an employee meeting that day, the man who asked to remain anonymous said management split workers into two groups: one group consisted of people who got to keep their jobs and the other group was laid off immediately.

Duration : 0:2:50

do the solar windowscreens really work?

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:55:07 +0000

i live in a mobile home,wondering if the solar screens really help with keeping heat out,and lower electric bill?

when i bought my house the inspector noticed that it had solar screens and made a comment like they help to reduce the heat in the house as well keep out some if the glare.but in a trailer house I’m not sure the cost of installing them would pay off very fast.maybe the combo of solar screens and blinds may help over the long haul if you plan on staying there for 10 to 15 yrs.

Types of Solar Panels

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:54:59 +0000

Over the last decade the demand for renewable sources has grown exponentially putting the spotlight or should I say sunlight on solar cells and their manufactures. There are two main categories of solar systems, solar cells and solar water heather; Solar photovoltaics also know as “PVs” are cells that convert solar radiation (sunlight) into electricity. Solar water heaters are systems that have water storage tanks and solar collectors used to heat the water. The two main categories of solar water heating systems are active systems that use circulating pumps and control units, and passive solar water heaters that do not use pumps.

Solar Energy and Hydropower energy would you say these are good energy resources?

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:27:03 +0000

Im doing a project for science on energy resources and i happened to chose solar and hydro power energy. I need some opinions about them.. Are these good energy sources..Tell me what you guys think.

All power sources have drawbacks. The two you mention, like nuclear, are relatively clean, which is a plus.

Hydro is very cheap for the amount of energy we get, but our rivers are basically all dammed up already – there isn’t a lot more hydropower we can get.

Solar is one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity on a utility scale, but could be the cheapest way to generate electricity on a homeowner scale, at least for many urban homes. Unless one has a stream running through their property to run a water wheel, or strong steady wind, the other choices for getting power are using a gas- or oil-powered generator, or buying retail electricity from the grid. The generator will cost more per kWh over the life of the system, and the grid electricity could be more or less expensive, depending on where one lives. At the moment, the grid is usually cheaper, but not in all parts of the country.

How does solar activity relate to climate changes?

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:13:39 +0000

Does anyone have any info, preferably a link to organizations that measure solar output/sunspot activity/etc., which relates to the temperature of the earth for as long as such things have been tracked? I’m looking for scientific data and correlations. Thanks in advance.

Stanford Solar Center:

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/600px-Temp-sunspot-co2.svg.png

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm.html

Max Planck Institute:

http://www.mps.mpg.de/images/projekte/sun-climate/climate.gif

http://www.mps.mpg.de/en/projekte/sun-climate/

IPCC:

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-chapter2.pdf

http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/assessments-reports.htm

What effect does the solar wind have on Earth’s magnetic field?

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:37:54 +0000

What effect does the solar wind have on Earth’s magnetic field?
A. Compasses on Earth stop working.
B. Earth’s magnetosphere is spread out farther on the side of Earth not facing the sun.
C. The magnetic field on the side facing the sun is warmer.
D. Solar wind causes magnetic declination.

B. Earth’s magnetosphere is spread out farther on the side of Earth not facing the sun.

Can a solar panel help to eliminate frozen water pipes in a well?

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:22:42 +0000

This past winter my tenants had frozen water twice. Once when the power went out for 5 hours and another time when it hit -38 and no tap was running. The well is enclosed in a heated, insulated room with electric pump. There is also plenty of wind, so am thinking of going solar or wind power instead of a generator for back up.

Was the sun shining when the temperature was so low? I’m guessing probably not. If the wind was blowing during these cold and blackout periods, that may be the best option. There are wind kits for as little as $1000 and you can connect them to ‘heat tape’, which is basically a cord that emits heat. They are often used on pipes and eaves to melt snow. See the wind systems below. They will require a small battery system, have the provider draw out your system for you, and then you can install it.

How much solar paneling is required to produce electrical energy to move a 250 pound body in a 250 pound cart?

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:54:51 +0000

What is the amount of solar energy required to drive a 250 pound cart with a 250 pound person 10 miles? How many square feet of recharged paneling would be required?

If you are willing to go slowly enough, all you need from the solar panel is enough to overcome static friction to get the cart started.

I do know that a cyclist cruising along at a moderate speed (say, 10 miles an hour) is expending about 1/10 horsepower. That’s 80 watts. So on flat ground, a 100-watt panel push them over the 10 miles in an hour. Such a panel, if square, would be 2 to 2.5 feet on a side, if made with typical contemporary materials. If the terrain is more than gently rolling hills, more power would be needed.

I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

How many solar panels or wattage does it take to run the lights in the home?

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:08:49 +0000

I want to save money by using solar power, where I can.I already turn off lights when I am not in a room. I live in a 16 X 80 2000 trailer. But I only use the kitchen and my room most of the time. I have already bought a oil filled heater just for my room for the winter, instead of turning on the furnace. Can anyone help go green and save money.

Unless you put in a system that will store the power in batteries designing it to just run the lights is pointless since the solar cells will only produce during the day when you don’t really need to use the lights. That being said, if you want to save money, design it to run your refrigerator and/or your washing machine or something like that.

Solar cooker comes of age – 14 Nov 09

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:46:51 +0000

For centuries, many peoples around the world have had to gather bundles of firewood for cooking … a process that not only produces carbon emissions but has a significant effect on health.

Smoke and fumes cause respiratory diseases killing an estimated 1.6 million people a year worldwide.

But as the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference approaches, one Norwegian inventor believes he has refined a simple technology that could have a major impact for ordinary people, their environment and the world. It’s called the Kyoto Box.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons reports.

Duration : 0:2:20