The Solar Energy Breakthrough Everyone Missed

When it comes to breaking our oil addiction, solar energy is often sited as a perfect renewable energy platform. There are problems with it from a cost perspective, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

There is little doubt we have a looming energy problem in the world. While gas prices may seem high now, things look particularly grim over the next 60 years. Oil exploration is at an all time low while at the same time emerging economies such as China and India increase the demand on existing supplies. Throw in population growth of approximately another 3.5 billion people over the next 50 years and we are definitely staring down the wrong end of a energy shotgun. Of course, this doesn’t even begin to account for global warming issues.

To get off fossil fuels, most are pointing to renewable energy sources. These platforms run the gamut from wind turbines to tidal farms in the ocean to solar energy and beyond. Of these, solar is probably the best known, but most problematic. At least, that was the case till 2006.

Solar power is a wonderful thing. It is clean in all senses of the word. The power source, the sun, is free and should be around for a few billion years. In fact, the sun bathes the Earth with enough energy in one day to meet our world wide power needs for a year. That being said, solar has always been handicapped by one thing. We cannot harness the power of the sun.

Solar panel systems work by using sunlight to stimulate a chemical process in silicone cells. While a novel concept in the 1950s, the system never has been efficient. In the 60s, a solar cell converted about four percent of energy in sunlight to usable power. Today, most systems are about 12 percent efficient at best. This lack of efficiency has led to a serious problem. You need a large number of cells covering a large area to gather enough energy to power a home, town or city. Economically, the process just is not feasible when compared to most other energy platforms. As you might imagine, most solar energy research is devoted to figuring out ways to convert the sunlight more efficiently.

In 2006, a stunning breakthrough was made in solar cell efficiency. In joint research with the Department of Defense, Spectrolab, Inc., produce a solar cell that converts more than 40 percent of the sunlight into energy. If you don’t think we have an energy problem, consider the fact that Spectrolab is a subsidiary of Boeing. Boeing and the Department of Defense working on solar energy? Yes, we have a looming energy problem.

Regardless, the new solar cell approaches the conversion process from a new angle. The idea is to build a multilayer cell. Each layer of the cell is designed to catch the energy in one spectrum of the sunlight and let the others pass through. While it may sound simple, the process is very complex. Regardless, the defense industry…err Spectrolab…pulled it off.

With a 40.7 percent efficiency, we are talking about a three fold increase for these cells. This equates to a much smaller number of cells and corresponding space being needed for solar energy platforms. This, of course, lowers the cost of systems. Is it enough to make solar competitive without government subsidies? No one is sure yet, but it might be. More importantly, Spectrolab believes the efficiency can be improved more as further research is done on the cell.

With such a major breakthrough, it is to bad nobody noticed!
Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo

Solar Power Systems From Leading Companies

There are hundreds of different companies that are able to supply solar power equipment. These companies have increased in popularity due to people wanting to protect the environment. By using solar power you can protect the environment by not having to burn fossil fuels. The amount of fuel that we have available is limited and they are quickly running out, by using solar power you are conserving the natural resources.

The most important part of any solar power system is the solar panels themselves. Huge companies such as Big Frog Mountain, Solar Cell Sales and Mr Solar produce a fairly basic kit which contains a solar panel, batteries and everything else you would need. You will not need any other specialized equipment like an air compressor. There are a few very large companies such as Kyocera Solar Power, these are made possible by the popularity and demand for such systems.

You will also need to purchase inverters and batteries from one of these solar power companies. One company called evergreen solar produces photovoltaic modules, these are used in very big solar installations. Photovoltaic or PV is the name for the way the energy is converted from light into electricity.

Another really useful use for solar equipment is heating. Solar Attic and Go Solar Company produce, design and install solar heating equipment to your home. After sales support is also available from these companies, and most are very friendly. You can also purchase solar heating equipment to heat swimming pools.

The Wireless Solar Process

Some solar power companies have pioneered wireless solar power, one such company is known as SunWize technologies Inc. By doing this you can create environmentally friendly power without much effort.

Solar energy can also be seen on race cars, space craft and even airplanes! Solar power companies all around the world produce silicon solar cells which are used in such applications. A company known as Nanosolar creates roll prints of solar cells which are much thinner than silicon, 1/100th thinner to be precise! Solar technology also finds itself at home in remote locations, particularly on livestock farms.

You will be able to find wholesale solar distributers, and retail shops. One useful wholesale distributor is www.solardepot.com. The retail solar stores are the ones that you should look out for if you want to buy equipment for your own home. Large systems are often only for industrial use, however you will find that many companies make smaller systems suitable for private use.

Commercial buyers may also be interested in solar powered street lights, billboards and parking lots. Many other companies have produced products which are aimed directly at personal use, from calculators, to laptop computers.

Jack Blacksmith pens almost entirely for http://www.insidewoodworking.com, a website on the topic of cordless compressor, cordless air compressor and different problems. Writing for publications on cordless compressor and 12v air compressor he expressed his know-how on the subject. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_S._Blacksmith

Solar Energy...when Will it be Affordable to the Average Homeowner?

Introduction:

Global warming impact to our quality and cost of living is large and very catastrophic. Homeowners are well aware of the increasing energy costs to heat, cool and illuminate their homes. The increasing costs of oil and other fossil fuels are daily headlines. The insatiable demand for energy to fuel world growth guarantees that the cost of these limited fuels will continue to increase. Political/economic forces will determine the rate of increase for fossil fuels. In addition, the increasing cost of global warming using fossil fuels is slowly being recognized.

The world is slowly beginning to understand the urgent need for renewable energy sources. However, each of these alternative energy sources brings major advantages and disadvantages. An example is wind generated energy. Wind energy is available to the whole world and generates electricity competitively with fossil fuels. The technology is understood and easy to apply. But, there are big objections to a windmill in "my back yard". Also, the number of birds and bats that will be crushed with wind power generation is not a warming thought. Wind technology will be a component of our energy solution. However, because of the above concerns, we need other major solutions to meet our demand for energy sources.

This search leads us to solar energy. The amount of sun energy striking our world in one day is sufficient to supply our energy demands for a year. We will not run out of this source in the foreseeable future. The major barrier to harnessing solar energy has been cost and convenience. For example, drying clothes in a dryer is easier than hanging clothes on an outside line, thus convenience precluded efforts to find more energy efficiency. We can convert solar energy to electricity but with a major capital cost. Greater acceptance and use of solar energy will lead to lower cost.

Solar Energy:

Energy from solar energy can be divided into two major categories:

Passive Solar Energy: This technology ranges from clothes drying in the sun to solar heating for hot water and many other passive techniques. All are important for our present and future quality of life. The technology is well understood and can be implemented as economics and space conditions allow.

Active Solar Energy: One of the active solar energy technologies is converting solar energy directly into electricity. It is called photovoltaic cell or PV. This is a device that converts light into electricity using the photoelectric effect. The first working solar cells

Physics of Active Solar Energy:

The physics of photon to electricity conversion is well understood by physicists. The basic model is of a photon from the sun which strikes the cell material and excites electrons that emit electricity. This model is simple compared to the complexity of modern day semiconductors. The major variables of PV electrical generation are cell material and impurities in the cell material.

Manufacturing Technology for Active Solar Energy:

Primarily single crystal, high purity silicon has been used to generate photon to electricity conversion. The manufacturing techniques for single crystal silicon and limited quantities of pure silicon impose a high cost for PV devices. Shortages of refined silicon have been hampering production worldwide since late 2004. This shortage persists to this date and has slowed PV growth. New materials are starting to come forward which should lower the PV materials hurdle.

Efficiency growth of Active Solar Energy:

Since the silicon PV invention in 1954, cheaper fossil fuel prices largely removed solar power from the public consciousness. Annual growth of electrical generation by PV ranged from 10 to 20% percent throughout the 1980's and 1990's. Worldwide installation of PV reached 1000 megawatts in 1999. Manufacturing costs for PV arrays has been dropping 3 to 5% over the recent years. This cost drop began to expand the use of PV electricity generation. Total peak power of installed PV was around 6000 megawatts at the end of 2006. Installed PV is projected to increase to over 9,000 megawatts in 2007. The average lowest retail cost of large photovoltaic arrays has declined from $7.50 to $4.00 per watt between 1990 and 2005.

PV materials have also been improving in recent years. The most recent materials approach is to process discrete cells on silicon wafers cut from multi crystalline ribbons which form thin films. This approach is the least expensive of known technologies. This group of technologies includes amorphous silicon cells deposited on stainless-steel ribbon, cadmium telluride (CdTe) cells deposited on glass, and copper indium gallium dielenide (CIGS) alloy cells deposited on either glass or stainless steel substrates. The efficiencies of these new materials are currently at 20%. Many researchers are working to improve the efficiencies. An added advantage of the new thin films is that they are flexible and are currently being used in roofing materials.

Current Trends in Generating Active Solar Energy:

Commercial businesses like Google, IBM, BJ's Wholesale, Estee Lauder, Kohls, Target, Tiffany & Co., Wal-Mart are installing PV solar energy. From "big box" discount giants to high end commercial businesses PV solar energy is finding acceptance in 2007. The most recent retail-outfitter to become part of this trend is Macy's, which announced earlier this month that it will install solar powered systems on 26 stores throughout California. These leading companies are turning to solar power because it makes good business sense and supports their environmental initiative. Creative financial arrangements allow these companies to afford the upfront capital costs and payback their loans with energy savings. So what does all this mean to the average home owner? PV Cost per Kilowatt (kWh):

In the California market, where state incentives and net metering are in place, PV electricity prices are dipping below 11¢/kWh, on par with some utility-delivered power. Moreover, according to the U.S. PV Industry Roadmap, solar electricity will continue this trend and become competitive by 2010 for most domestic markets. The outlook is very positive for PV generation of electricity. Once the capital investment is made, the cost of PV electricity is equivalent to fossil fuels and will continue to decrease.

Cost of PV Installation:

The cost of installation is the major barrier that has to be overcome for widespread PV acceptance. Around 59% of world solar product sales installed in the last five years were applications that are tied to the electricity grid. Solar energy prices in these applications are 5-20 times more expensive than the cheapest source of conventional electricity generation. This premium is well beyond the reach of the average home owner.

Fortunately, there are financial models coming forward to enable the consumer to finance PV solar installation and pay for this installation with the electrical savings. In order to make these financial models successful, federal and state incentives are needed and the installation should be connected to the electrical grid. These connections allow the home owner to sell back electricity when excessive amounts are available and to receive electricity when solar conditions do not allow sufficient electricity. Only fifty percent of our states have modernized to allow on-grid PV solar energy.

Berkeley, California is leading the way to enable it citizens to save electrical cost and meet environmental needs. Here is how their plan works. A property owner hires a city-approved solar installer, who determines the best solar system for the property, depending on energy use. Most residential solar panel systems in the city cost from $15,000 to $20,000.

The city will pay the contractor for the system and its installation, minus any applicable state and federal rebates, and would add an assessment to the property owner's tax bill to pay for the system. The extra tax would include administrative fees and interest, which would be lower than what the property owner could obtain on their own, because the city would secure low-interest bonds and loans. The tax would stay with the property even if the owner sold, although the owner would have to leave the solar panels. The property owner would save money on monthly Pacific Gas & Electric bills because electricity generated by the solar panels would partly replace electricity delivered by the utility. After the assessment expired, the solar panels, of a simple technology that requires little or no maintenance, would continue to partly replace PG&E electricity.

The Berkeley plan is a map for the rest of the world to allow us affordable electricity and meet our responsibilities to the environment.

I have a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering. Thirty six years spent in the development of semiconductors. Business experience in start up business plan. Currently, an oyster farmer and interested in helping the environment by deploying solar energy. Please visit my Web Site http://www.charlestonenvironmentalhelp.com were constructed by Charles Fritts in 1883. These prototype cells were made of selenium and achieved efficiencies around one percent. The silicon solar cell was created in 1954. The solar cell has benefited from the development of silicon semiconductors.

About the Author:
I have a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering. Thirty six years spent in the development of semiconductors. Business experience in start up business plan. Currently, an oyster farmer and interested in helping the environment by deploying solar energy. Please visit my Web Site http://www.charlestonenvironmentalhelp.com

Six Easy Steps to Estimate Cost of a Solar Power System

Author: Cooler Planet

Solar power energy systems are not inexpensive. That said it's important to compare them within context of other types of home improvement projects. Home buyers and realtors view a solar photovoltaic or solar hot water heating system as a significant

Six Easy Steps To Estimate Cost of a Solar Power System

Solar power energy systems are not inexpensive. That said it's important to compare them within context of other types of home improvement projects. Home buyers and realtors view a solar photovoltaic or solar hot water heating system as a significant value-added improvement – similar to adding a deck or remodeling your kitchen. Plus unlike a deck or kitchen remodel, you also gain one-up on your power bills.

Solar power systems often get an additional financial boost as well: many jurisdictions and utilities across the USA offer attractive financial incentives to drive down the upfront capital costs associated with a solar power system.

Here are some foolproof ways to estimate the cost of a solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system and to figure out if a solar energy system makes sense for you. Let's start with a home photovoltaic (PV) system.

Step 1: Estimate your home's electricity needs

To get started, it's good to have a sense of how much electricity you use. You'll have a better point for comparison if you find out how many kilowatt hours (kWh) you use per day, per month, per year. Your utility bill should include that information.

Of course, the utility bill will also display your costs and many utilities include a graph that displays how your monthly energy use/cost varies throughout the year. That helps you estimate where your highest energy use is and at what time of year.

New Home Construction

If you are constructing a new home, then you'll need to estimate your demand based on the type of equipment you plan to install and your home's square footage. The pross call this "your load".

To figure out your anticipated load, create a table to record the watt use for each appliance. Each appliance – be it a water heater, electric light, computer, or refrigerator – should have a nameplate that lists its power rating in watts. Or you can get the information from the manufacturer's website.

Some labels list amperage and voltage only; to obtain watts multiply the two together (amperage x voltage = watts). In another column, record the number of hours each appliance is expected to operate. Then multiple the watts and hours together to estimate watt-hours used per day. Since it's hard to anticipate all electric loads (it may get tedious scouting out every toothbrush and mobile phone cell charger), you might want to add a multiplier of 1.5 to be safe.

Step 2: Anticipate the future

In 2005, average residential electricity rates across the USA ranged from about 6 to nearly 16 cents per kilowatt hour depending on where you lived. Average retail and commercial electricity rates have increased roughly 30% since 1999 and the upward trend will likely continue especially as costs for the coal and hydropower used to generate that electricity rise as well. So think about your home electricity needs and present and future cost in relation to one another.

Step 3: How much sun do you get?

The Florida Solar Energy Center has conducted a study to examine how a 2-kW photovoltaic system would perform if installed on a highly energy efficient home across the continental USA (http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-PF-380-04/).

The study accounted for all factors that impact a PV system's performance such as the temperature effect on the photovoltaic cells, the amount of sun peak hours in various regions, and the efficiency of inverter to convert solar derived energy from DC to AC.

As the study implies, solar photovoltaic systems work just about anywhere in the US. Even in the Northeast or in "rainy Seattle", a pv system can pencil out if designed and installed properly. In New York or New Jersey, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1270 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, in Seattle, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1200 kilowatt hours per year. In the Southwest, of course, those ratios will be much greater.

Solar contractors in your area can help determine the best size for your solar photovoltaic system.

Step 4: Size your system

In general, solar photovoltaic systems sized between 1 to 5 kilowatts are usually sufficient to meet the electricity needs of most homes. One advantage of grid-tied systems is that you can use solar PV to supplement or offset some of your electricity needs; therefore you can size your system to match your budget and always add to the system later if needed.

Also as a side note, here's a rule of thumb to remember to help you estimate the physical space your PV system might need: one square foot yields 10 watts. So in bright sunlight, a square foot of a conventional photovoltaic panel will produce 10 watts of power. A 1000 watt system, for example, may need 100 – 200 square feet of area, depending on the type of PV module used.

Step 5: Know your rebates

Many states and local jurisdictions offer rebates, tax credits and other types of incentives to homeowners for installing residential photovoltaic and solar domestic water systems. To view a comprehensive database of the incentives available for renewable energy visit http://www.dsireusa.org.

At the Federal Level, you can take advantage of a 30% tax credit (of up to $2,000) for the purchase of a residential solar system at least until December 31, 2008.

Step 6: Run the numbers

Although the cost for a solar PV system will depend on the size of the system you intend to install, your electricity rate, the amount of kilowatt hours you expect to generate, and the state/local rebates/tax credits that may be available, the formulas for calculating the returns are pretty much the same.

For those who appreciate having the formulas, use the ones listed below to do a quick ballpark estimate of how much a solar photovoltaic system might cost you.

Retail Price for Solar Photovoltaic System
+ Building Permits
- $2,000 Federal Tax Credit
- State or Local Tax Credit or Rebate
- Utility Rebate or Other Incentive
= Net Investment

Kilowatts of electricity generated from PV per year
x Kilowatt hours used per year
= Annual Kilowatt energy from the PV system

Annual Kilowatt energy from the PV system
x Current Residential Electricity Rate
= Annual $$ Saved

Yearly Excess PV Energy Produced
x $$ credit applied per watt
= Annual Value from Net Metering

Of course, a more accurate assessment can be made by a pro. Work with a solar power contractor to size and price the right system for you. As is true with any major purchase, don't hesitate to ask for several bids from different contractors.

Many solar power providers will provide you with a comprehensive estimate. Helpful information to know includes:

- Total cost to make the system operational (labor cost for design and installation and equipment costs)
- Equipment (Make and Model)
- Warranty info
- Permit costs, if needed
- Tax, where applicable
- Federal tax credits
- State or local jurisdiction tax credits or rebates
- Utility rebates
- Expected Renewable Energy Certificates or Net metering credits
- Expected operation and maintenance costs
- Projected savings

Solar Thermal (also called Solar Hot Water)

Solar thermal systems capture the sun's energy to heat water and are one of the most cost-effective renewable energy systems. They are used to heat hot water tanks and/or a heating system. A solar pool heating system is another type of solar thermal system designed specifically to heat a pool or hot tub.

Generally it's worth investigating the economic viability of installing a solar hot water system if you have an electric water heater with utility rates of at least 5 cents per kilowatt hour and have tax credits or rebates available. (It may even be worth changing out a gas-powered water heater if your costs are at least $8/million BTU).

The formulas for costing out a solar water heater system are similar to estimating the cost for installing solar PV system. Many solar energy professionals can help you determine what system might work best for you.

Heating Your Swimming Pool with Solar Power

Although few jurisdictions provide financial incentives for using solar energy to heat a swimming pool or hot tub, in general, using solar power to heat your pool is a "no-brainer" from a return on investment standpoint.

The electricity used to heat a pool during the swimming season often amounts to the same amount of energy that homes-without-pools consume over a year. Combining a solar thermal system to generate heat for the pool with a solar thermal pool cover to retain the heat generated can further maximize efficiencies and extend your swimming season.

Most installers recommend that a solar collector used to heat a pool is sized at roughly half the square footage of your pool surface area. Solar thermal panels typically last 10 – 20 years and come with a 10-year warranty.

How long it takes to break even on the cost of your solar power pool system depends on where you live. In California or other parts of the Southwest, you'll break even in 1 to 3 years but places as "far north" as Canada, a solar pool heating system pencils out over a slightly longer period of time.

About the Author:
Find more solar panel and solar power information at Cooler Planet.

solar energy equipment

By: Keith Markensen

Gardening is an American pastime, and interest in it is growing rapidly. People are recognizing how much nice plants and landscaping will help the appearance of their home. It also is an enjoyable hobby to cultivate plants from seed to maturity in your own backyard garden. Adding decorative touches like stepping stones, fountains, or solar garden lighting can show your personal style.

With solar lighting in your garden, you can light a path, or highlight certain plants or features. The best part about it is that it does not need any external power. No chords or anything at all. Just like your plants, it will use the sun's energy to power itself.

A solar garden light is made up of a plastic shell with a solar cell inside. It also has a nickel and cadmium battery, a control board, an LED light source, and a photo resistor.

The sun charges the battery, which powers the solar cell. The control board and the light itself is powered by these. At night, the battery can't charge since the sunlight is gone, so the photo resistor turns on the LED. The LED can run for about 15 hours on a charged battery.

Outdoor electrical wiring can be a hassle to install, especially if your garden is not right next to your home. The solar lighting can easily fix that. It will cost more at first to install the solar lighting, but the money that will be saved in electric bills will more than make up for it.

You can chose the style, shape, and color of the lighting based upon your personal taste and the style of the rest of your garden. Plastic dome lighting is common, for example. This type is used most often for pathways or borders. There are spikes on the bottom so you can simply stick the lights into the ground.

Other shapes that are available include tubes, discs, lanterns, tiki torches, and globes. Besides putting them in the ground, you can mount some on your home or deck, or hang them on poles, etc. The number of options is amazing.

Light can add a really special quality to your garden, especially if you use the area to entertain friends and family in the evenings.

In addition to working well and looking great, landscape solar garden lights are good for the environment and your electricity bill. The lights are a great investment that will last.

Article Source: http://www.solarenergyarticles.com

For more information on the topic of solar garden lights Beginners, advanced and experts all turn to us as their source for information and products www.plant-care.com/solar_lighting_tips.php.