Solar System: September 2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

How Does Solar Power Work?

The basics of solar power. Solar power is probably the cleanest, most viable form of renewable energy available and it can be used in several forms to help power your house. Many gardens now use solar lights or solar garden water features. The availability and wide use of solar power in gardens shows exactly how versatile it is as a source of energy. The technology and the systems are becoming smaller, more compact and better looking than when they were first created and used. Early examples of solar power systems can be seen in California where, in the 1980s, enough solar power panels were installed to power over 10 million homes. How do photovoltaic tiles work? Simply put photovoltaic tiles and other forms of solar energy work by converting some of the energy in sunlight into a clean form of electricity that can be used in our houses. The PV cells consist of a positive and a negative slice of silicon placed under a thin slice of glass. As the protons of the sunlight beat down onto the PV cell they knock the neutrons off the silicon. The negatively charged free neutrons are attracted to the silicon but are trapped by the magnetic field that is formed from the opposing fields. Small wires on the silicon catch these neutrons and when connected in a circuit an electric current is formed. This reaction gives Direct Current electricity though, and it must be passed through an inverter to be converted into an Alternating Current used in our homes to power any electrical items. Some of the power is lost in this part of the process as the inverter is only around 95% efficient but this is a much greater efficiency than was once available. The nature of the PV cell means there is little or no maintenance required and there are no moving parts; this means that a typical PV cell can last up to 40 years with no work besides an annual clean. How can I use them to power my house? There are several ways to use solar power around the house and not just for powering. You can use it to heat your hot water, heat your pool or even your central heating or if you have plenty of roof space and a reasonable amount of sun you can get a grid tie system; a grid tie system means that not only can you power your entire house but during those times when you create an excess of electricity you can sell it back to the grid. An efficiently solar powered home will be able to reasonably create between 75 and 100% of their own power and because of the grid tie system this means you may not have to pay for electricity ever again. For more more information about solar power please visit http://www.solar-power-energy.info

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Mounting Lights Doesn't Need to Be Difficult

If you're like me then as soon as your child has drawn something beautiful then you simply have to hang it on the wall and display it for all to see. Trouble is many people fail to notice their work of art. There are ways to resolve this though, one of these is using track lighting to grab people's eyes! This is a great way to control what people look at in your room. There are many different colors and styles of track lighting which may be suitable for your room. Track lighting can enhance the beauty of draperies, furniture, carpet, and art. If you're not very good at electrical wiring then you can buy lighting kits which just need to be plugged into the wall. These are extremely easy to install however they are not as professional as ceiling mounted units. Materials you will need to install track lights: - Drill - Screwdriver - Electrical cables - Electrical Tape - Ladder - Electricians Pliers - Voltage meter - Tape measure - Track lighting kit - Wire nuts - Toggle bolts It is actually fairly easy to install the track lights: 1. Start by turning off the electricity. Make sure you switch off the correct junction box using your service panel or breaker box. Make sure that the circuit is safe and by using your voltage meter. When you are 100% sure that the power is off you should remove the light fixture and disconnect all of the wires. Make sure you keep all of the bare wire ends away from each other. 2. Now you should wire the live section of the light. Put the live wire into the track lighting system and tighten the screw. Pigtail leads should be used to finish connecting the live wire. 3. Decide where you want the track lights to go, bear in mind the current location of the junction box. You can get extra fittings for certain locations. Start by marking the mounting holes with a pencil and drill them. 4. Mount the track unit. Put the wires into the junction box and install everything on the box. Fit the track onto the ceiling. Fit the bolts and screws through the track and put the track onto the ceiling. You should ask for help from your family if you are struggling. 5. Insert the adapter into the track and attach it. Fit the cover over the top of the mounting plate and fix with screws. 6. Install the suggested bulbs 7. Connect the unit to your houses wiring system. Twist the wires onto the corresponding house wire and use pigtail wires to link them together. Use a ceiling box to secure all of the wires and tighten the screws. 8. Turn power on and test lights If your lights don't work then you've done something wrong, or the unit is faulty. Turn it all off and check the current, check that you haven't made any mistakes. When you have the lights working adjust the angle of them so that they position the light exactly where you want it. You could also install a dimmer switch so that you can vary the intensity of the lighting. Now all that's left to do is relax and show off your son's masterpiece! The copywriter Vince Paxton is specifically passionate about subjects corresponding to drapery hardware. His comments on curtains and drapes and draperies can be found on his online sites.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Solar Power At Home

Is it time to consider solar power for your home? Recent solar research has uncovered some amazing technologies which will not only make solar more efficient but will finally bring solar prices into the average householder's price arena. If you think the solar energy solution is for you here are 10 steps to get you powered up. 1 ~ If you're building a home, orient the largest windows and the roof toward the south, smallest windows to the north. Plant deciduous trees (leaves fall off in winter) in a position where they'll shade the windows in the summer but allow the winter sun to shine in. 2 ~ Make your home as energy efficient as possible. Replace all heating and cooling appliances (fridge, freezer, air conditioner, stove, oven, dryer) with the most energy efficient model available or switch to gas or propane where possible. Install a solar power water heater and possibly a wood, pellet or corn husk stove. 3 ~ Check your electricity bill to determine the amount of power you use now that you've made changes. Size your system for the month with the greatest energy use. (In warm climates that'll be summer and in colder climates it'll be winter. Sizing your system for the month with the highest use ensures that you'll produce enough power for any month of the year. An average 2 bedroom home in the southern US uses 25 KWH per day. 4 ~ If you intend to tie into the grid then sizing will not be as critical as it is for an independent system. 5 ~ Price out your system. Remember that the panels themselves only account for about 45% of the cost of your system. You may want to acquire more than one estimate and if you have an installer or are handy enough to do it yourself you can often save money by purchasing your components through ebay or other avenues. (Be careful, you may not qualify for warranties) 6 ~ Other set up costs are ~ inverter, charge controller, batteries, installation and various wires and hardware. (Some of these costs will not apply to a grid tied solar power system.) 7 ~ Without subsidies expect to pay at least $75,000 USD (August 2007) for an independent solar energy system. A grid tie system will cost significantly less because you don't have to size the system to cover all of your power needs. The utility grid will pick up when the solar power falls off. 8 ~ Many nations, countries and municipalities provide substantial subsidies, grants and tax incentives which reduce the price to you by half or better. Check with gov't and power companies in your area to see if solar power subsidies exist. 9 ~ Once the system has been installed there is little maintenance required (some battery maintenance and periodic inspections of the solar panels) and interruptions in power will be a thing of the past. 10 ~ Solar panels not only increase the value of your home but pay monthly dividends in electric bill savings for up to 40 years. The more energy efficient you make your home the lower your cost to convert to solar power. Free yourself from the political tug of war over oil and gas and help clean up the environment at the same time. Solar power is here to stay and about to take its rightful place at the energy table. Hi, I'm Debra from http://www.solarpowerathome.com Solar Power At Home. Here you'll find information to help you decide whether solar power is right for you.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Power Plants Need Cooling Water - Droughts Causing Some Power Plants to Shut Down

Shortage of water not only hurts real estate values, as people stop watering their landscaping, it is also hurts the energy generation companies. Now it might be obvious that if lack of water in the reservoirs and behind dams means that the water cannot be let out in order to use hydro-electricity generators, but that is not the only use of water in the energy generation business. You see cooling is required for power plants and without water the generators plants have to be shut down otherwise they over heat. Fewer electricity generating plants on the grid mean that the other generating plants have to run at higher capacity to keep up with demand, which may not be possible, depending on how many generation plants have been shut down. It can get serious in a hurry. Worse, drought regions are quite large and that means many energy generating plants might have to close in the same area. How bad is the current problem? It is getting pretty serious and there are Power Plants in GA, NC, TN, CA, FL that are now at risk of being shut down. So, far there have already been a few, but those numbers will increase as we reach Spring and Summer time where no new major rain storms are normally expected. When drinking water is pitted against electricity generation, fresh water supplies for citizens will win. When water is rationed in Level II Drought and homeowners cannot water their own lawn or landscaping, they should not be surprised that the cost of electricity increases due to the same supply and demand issues, as the power plants are going thirsty without water for cooling. I would like to offer the following essays for background information: The Flow of Water: http://activerain.com/blogsview/394040/The-Flow-of-Water The Flow of Energy: http://activerain.com/blogsview/392479/The-Flow-of-Energy "Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; WorldThinkTank.net. Lance Winslow's Bio

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Throwing A Little Light On Compact Bulbs

Good for the Maryland Public Service Commission for giving 250,000 Maryland residents two free CFLs each to test out this new bulb. Not all compact light bulbs are equal, and most of us know nothing about them - so here's a little information to help when choosing CFLs. If you are a green-minded person, then by buying the Energy Star label, you will be buying a bulb that has been tested to meet operating, reliability and energy efficiency criteria. CFLs are more expensive than an incandescent, but considering that CFLs last about 8 times as long as an incandescent, that actually represents a lot of savings. Also consider this: if you replace a l00 watt incandescent with a 25 watt CFL, you will save a whopping $30.00 for the life of the CFL. (This can vary slightly according to individual state costs). However, something not very often taken into account is to choose the right type of CFL for each room, or for each situation, if you have more than one lamp. The shade of white is differentiated by the color temperature marked on the bulb. This is identified by correlated color temperature (CCT) and measured by Kelvin (K). Warmer colors correspond to lower Kelvin numbers, while higher Kelvin numbers indicate a cooler, bluer light. Mostly you will find a limited choice, and most CFLs on the market are 2700-3000 K and project soft white or "warm" light. These bulbs enhance any warm colors such as red, yellow and orange that may be found in the home. For optimal reading, choose a bulb with a slightly higher K rating (up to 3500 K), but as that K rating increases (to 4100, 5000 and 6500K) the effect is increasingly white to bluish light that enhances cooler colors such as blue, green and violet. These higher K-rated lights are often referred to simply as "daylight". If you are happy with the type of lighting you have in your home, but would like to economize and help the environment by using CFLs, use the following conversion chart to replace the old fashioned bulbs. 40watt bulbs will equal 9-11 wattage; 60watt bulbs will equal 13-16 wattage; 75 watt bulbs will equal 18-20 wattage. For the 'green' among us, who have heard that these CFLs contain mercury - this is true. However each bulb contains about 1% of the amount of mercury we may have in one filling in our mouth, so it is considered to be insignificant. For more information on Maryland real estate, or to learn about properties in the Edgewater real estate market, visit Branden online at http://www.MarylandHomesAndProperty.com

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