Solar Empire - Endless War

what are the benefits and problems about solar electricity?

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:10:46 +0000

i got this project in science tats due tomorrow and i need it for that.

There would be less global warming, obviously, and there will be more electricity because the sun is up for about 12 hours a day we would gain a various amount of electricity within the 12 hours.

What do I attach my solar panel to so that I can read how much energy it was generated?

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:05:33 +0000

This is for my science fair project, I’m comparing the energy gained with Wind and Solar. I have a solar panel but it didn’t come with anything but alligator clips. What is something I can buy that would tell me how much Energy the panel has harvested? I was thinking something like a 12 volt battery that’s running something we can measure?

You can apply a load, such as a resistor, lamp or other. I am guessing that you have a small panel. This means it will have small current output. If it has to be a small load a resistor would be best.

Then you could measure the voltage and amperage to determine wattage.

How familiar are you with using solar electricity to power a residential house?

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:38:47 +0000

I was wondering how much the average person knows about using the suns energy to power the average residential home…

Do you know of any countries that already use the sun to power homes?

please tell me where you are from as well please…

thankyou!

Hey 0077, to answer your primary question, I am quite familiar with solar power. We’ve been powering our home from the wind and sun for 11 years now, and for the last 5 or 6 years, we’ve been going into the local schools and doing seminars on the subject. In some cases, the schools have loaded a bus with kids and brought them out to our home to see it first hand. As for your second question, the average homeowner knows about as much about solar power as they do about the furnace in their basement. Unfortunately, this is where the technology has fallen down. Lots of people want to build a new home, and talk to the builder about solar power. Frequently they are told, "Solar doesn’t work," or, "Solar is prohibitively expensive." Generally this is all they need to hear, and the panels are taken off the house plan.

Solar is not for everyone, or everyplace. Just because a home has solar panels does not mean they don’t have an electric bill, and that says nothing to the fact that a stand alone solar home that does not have access to utility power has to live with a finite amount of electricity. What do they do on a cloudy week? Most stand alone homes, like ours was, use both wind and solar. The reason for this is that the two compliment each other quite well. In the summer, we have long sunny days, but little wind. In the fall and winter, we have short cloudy days, and high winds. When you have a shortage of one, there is generally a surplus of the other. Trying to decide between the two technologies is like trying to decide between a 3 passenger pickup truck and an 8 passenger van as your sole family car. Each has its advantages, but it probably makes sense for a two car family to have one of each.

There is also the fact that lots of people like to grow their own tomatoes, even if it is cheaper to buy them at the market. They have to learn all about watering, bugs, soil ph and weeding. People who live in a solar powered home have a similar curse, they can tell you just how much sun shined last November, and how much power the stereo uses down to the last watthour. Any self respecting homeowner wouldn’t bother with the solar power, or the tomatoes, they would simply buy vegetables at the store, and electricity from the power company, and then sit home and complain about the price and quality of each. That used to be me, now I’m the other guy.

So no, the average homeowner does not know much about solar power, or furnaces. Most homes have furnaces, not many have solar panels. I wish they had both. In the 11 years we have had both, I can tell you that once solar power is installed, it is generally care free. We are on our third wind turbine here, and even though the last one is working better than the first two, it has had its moments. It has shut down 3 times, and had to be repaired twice. In all that time, my first solar panel has continued to make electricity, and I’ve never turned a screw on it or added a drop of oil. Yet, everyone I talk to about renewable energy wants to learn more about wind turbines it seems. They are neat, they move, they seem to have their own personality. They just require tall towers and routine maintenance. So does a car, and almost everyone has one of those too.

Many countries use solar power, almost all of them in fact, you just never hear about it, or see the panels in service. In the US alone there are over 100,000 homes and businesses using some level of solar power right now to operate at least some of their loads. That number is getting bigger as you read this by the way. I’ll list some sources you can check out below if you want to learn more. Take care 0077, Rudydoo

Converting sunlight to electricity with solar cells has an efficiency of 15%. It’s possible to achieve a highe?

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:46:58 +0000

Converting sunlight to electricity with solar cells has an efficiency of 15%. It’s possible to achieve a higher efficiency (though currently at higher cost) by using concentrated sunlight as the hot reservoir of a heat engine. Each dish in the figure concentrates sunlight on one side of a heat engine, producing a hot-reservoir temperature of 560 dedree Celsius . The cold reservoir, ambient air, is approximately 28 degree Celsius. The actual working efficiency of this device is 30%. What is the theoretical maximum efficiency?

Hi,

the theoretical maximum efficiency you can get by producting power from an heat source is defined by the carnot cycle.

Everything is clearly explain on the Wikipedia Carnot cycle page.

Have a nice day!

What is Kenya’s feed in tariff price for solar electricity?

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:45:06 +0000

I know that Kenya endorses the feed in tariff program to help support renewable energy in their country. But i am not sure on the specifics concerning solar panels. What is the price they guarantee for kilowatts/hour, and how long is that guaranteed?

You’ll have to check with the Ministry of Energy there. Here is an old policy proposal, but it says subject to review every 3 years, and the 3 years are up. http://www.futurepolicy.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Axel/Kenya_FIT_2008.pdf

If I read that document right, the feed-in tariffs are lower than the price of regular electricity, that is, no better than any US state.

how to get Solar Electricity cells installed for a Commercial Building ?

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:22:31 +0000

Hi, i just want to know that is it possible to get Solar Electricity for a commercial building.. while I know that it needs the PV cells etc.. and it also needs alternate power source as the electricity generated by Solar Cells might not be enough but post the installation is there any cost one needs to pay to government or the electricity is free. Please help.

we sell solar cell blow 0.5usd/watt

we are in china

hope we can cooperate

Can anybody tell whether solar water heater is economical and long lasting?

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:17:47 +0000

E would like to seek advice for purchasing a solar water heater

Definitely economical and long lasting! Heating water for bathing, laundry and cleaning can account for up to 70% of an average household’s gas bill. Installing a solar hot water system allows homeowners to significantly reduce their total energy consumption, saving money and reducing pollution of the environment. A properly selected, sized and installed system will provide years of ongoing savings and eco-friendly, maintenance-free performance. A solar hot water system is the natural complement to any full photovoltaic system, providing even more energy savings by utilizing the natural, renewable power of the sun, and even alone serves as an important first step to lowering your utility bill and living green. I say go for it! At least speak to your local solar installation company. I got a quote from this company I ended up using and they we’re very helpful with any questions I had. Just make sure the company you choose is reliable! Good luck.

How would installing a solar water heater help to conserve the environment?

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:47:21 +0000

Hi, i’m considering installing a solar water heater to my home, but I was wondering in what ways does it actually help to conserve the environment?

A typical installation would cover a space of say 2 by 4 meters. That area would be heated any how, by the sun and it would cool down inthe night. If you make the installation the sun energy will not be wasted to heat up a part of your roof but it will be used to heat up water for your shower. So zero energy used from the grid.

In a solar water heater – radiant energy is transferred to water that circulates through the tubes.?

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:23:59 +0000

In a solar water heater – radiant energy is transferred to water that circulates through the tubes. however the solar radiation that enters the collector and warms the water in the tubes is only 20% efficient (i.e. 80% is lost to the surroundings and air), what collector area is needed to raise 200kg of water from 20 degrees to 40 degrees in one hour, when the intensity of sunlight is 700 Watts per metre squared?

it takes 4.2J of energy to raise 1 ml of water ( 1 g of water) 1 degree.
You wish to raise 200,000 g of water by 20 degrees
so you need 4* 4.2 Mj ( million joules)
= 16.8 Mj

In an hour one metre of collector supplies 700 * 60 * 60 J
= 2.52 Mj
but it is only 20 % efficient so the water gains
2.52 * 0.2
= 0.54 Mj per m^2

To find the area divide energy needed ( 16.4) by energy per m^2 (0.54)
= 16.4/0.54
= 30 m^2

How can i build a solar panels on the roof of my house?

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:12:23 +0000

How can i build a solar panels on the roof of my house?