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Examples of solar energy?
When you install solar hot water panels or evacuated tubes on your roof and you get hot water free, that is one of the best examples of how you can take advantage of solar energy and also cut down on the amount of gas or electricity that you use.
What are two problems associated with the use of solar energy?
One problem associated with the use of solar energy the cost to purchase the solar panels and convert the energy. Another problem is there needs to be a way to store the energy when the sun is not out.
Are solar panels harmful to the environment?
No, they are the opposite. They give you natural power and are a good choice if you wish to help the environment. Unfortunately, many people think like this. The reality though is that, at best, they are neutral for the environment and probably have a slight negative impact compared to uncleaned coal fired power generation. Silicon cells are made with tremendous volumes of energy. The gases and chemicals used are also extremely toxic and include gases like phosgene (a nerve gas that smells like fish). They give us back that energy that we used to produce them very slowly, over many decades. It is unfortunate that most of these panels do not live many decades. The typical solar panel will pay for itself in under two decades (cost wise). This is also their projected life span. Typical panels produce about 75% of their rated power when new for a couple of hours each day. After three years, this number will start to decrease. Solar panels for your home are a great way to feel smug about helping the environment while actually hurting it, in most situations. They are great for quiet power in remote applications! If I had it to do over, I would NEVER have put solar panels on my home. The payback here is many decades after they are dead. There is also a fair amount of monthly maintenance required on them. Bottom line, they do nothing positive for the environment, increase your work load and do give you a certain satisfaction that you are taking money from the power company.
What are some ideas of a solar system project that does not cost much?
Solar energy is basically heat so why not heat a fluid and use it to run an electrical generator. Get a old large antenna dish and cover it with aluminized mylar. It can be constantly aimed at the sun for a small price in several ways. You can find one that tracked satellites and retrain it. At the focus a ball with the liquid flowing through it gets heated. Use it to run a steam engine or to heat the house. A half pipe approach doesn't require constant tracking. The medium flows through a pipe in a half round channel at its' focal point. As a community project for a school or community building the price could come way down. Window box heaters where you make a rectangular box with channels for heat flow. It is painted black taking air in from the room at the bottom and heated air coming out the top and into a window. Just putting a black plastic hose on your south facing roof will give you steaming hot water. Bread box heaters are very cheap. Just a black box with piping inside that heats water. Do it right and cheap you might develop a salable project. Even the "making of" book or video would be fun to make .
What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?
Advantages:Solar power gives you a return on your investment, while paying your utility for electricity gives you 0% return.Solar energy is renewable unlike the conventional resources (coal, oil) which will inevitably run out.Non-polluting, no carbon dioxide like fossil fuelsFree except for capital expenses.Longevity - solar panels can last over forty years and are often warranteed for 25.Low maintenance - solar panels require very little upkeepIndependence - an off-grid system allows you to break free from the electrical gridEnvironmentally friendly because the conversion of energy doesn't produce any carbon dioxide.It comes from the sun, which, unless you are in The South or North pole, comes out almost everydaySolar power is better for the environment, compared to burning fossil fuels and other electrical power.sun is renewableYou get clean energy without harming the environment [in term of carbon emissions] ,in certain countries, excessive power generated can be sold back to local electricity providerreduces pollutionhelps create jobs - shores up economy - to build -> you hire - innovate-maintain - basically economic activitiesreduced dependence on fossil fuelsOnce installed, the power is freeIt is environmentally friendly and no pollution is associated with solar powerYou can sell your excess power back to the power companiesIt can be installed anywhereYou can use batteries to store power for use at nightEnergy from the sun is renewable, that is, it keeps on comingIt is freeIt does no damage to the earth or its atmosphereIt produces no carbon dioxideIt doesn't have to be dug up from the ground like coal, oil, natural gas, or uraniumIt doesn't have to be cut down, like wood from forests.It produces clean, green power in the form of electricity and can be used to power just about everything we need.There is more solar energy landing on the earth every day than it would take to supply the world for a year.Solar energy can heat swimming pools, power calculators, and power cars.You can even cook food with solar energy.We are using a renewable energy source like the sun, instead of non-renewable energy sources such as Gas, oil, fossil fuels etc...We can save power of electricity.We can prepare food with more taste.We need not bother about electricity board.solar power panels are small enough to fit on every rooftop in a citySolar cells last a long time, typically guaranteed for 20 or 25 years.Disadvantages:Takes up a lot of space,Only works when Sun is shining.It doesn't produce much electricity for one single panel.If you were to build it on the ground, the cost will be higher [for massive area of land]Only areas of the world with lots of sunlight and very low heat are suitable for solar power generationYou need a lot of money to the installation of the solar energy.Least power energy at night time is another disadvantage of solar energy.When there is no solar energy to be collected you'll have to have adequate battery backup to get you through the nights and rainy days.If people invest money in them they can have a tendency to use energy more freely rather than continuing to try and be economical with resources as they feel they have "done their bit"High Initial Outlay => Either Vc or Government support/subsidy government support => impact on budget => ratification through the Congress/senate/parliament etc ->some people complain of eyesores -> * fine beautiful, great - but not in my backyard -" - well so said the folks in Maine..It takes a considerable amount of solar panels depending on your location to produce the same amount of electricitySolar cells are not efficient yetSolar energy is not available 24 hours a day. It can only be harnessed well when it is the strongest, that is, excluding morning, evening and night.Current devices which utilize solar energy are expensive.There is no guarantee of sunlight in stormy climate or during rain.The initial cost is the main disadvantage of installing a solar energy system, largely because of the high cost of the semi-conducting materials used in building one.The cost of solar energy is also high compared to non-renewable utility-supplied electricity. As energy shortages are becoming more common, solar energy is becoming more price-competitive.Solar panels require quite a large area for installation to achieve a good level of efficiency.The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sunThe production of solar energy is influenced by the presence of clouds or pollution in the air.Similarly, no solar energy will be produced during nighttime although a battery backup system and/or net metering will solve this problem.As far as solar powered cars go - their slower speed might not appeal to everyone caught up in today's rat race.The major disadvantage with solar power is the cost....it's quite expensive and can only be used where there is very little obstruction to sunlight striking the modules...If there is no sun, there will be no solar power because solar power is from the sun.Solar photovoltaic panels are not being mass-produced quickly enough to make them cheapsolar power doesn't work so well on cloudy days, so they aren't suitable for every countrysolar power doesn't work at night, so scientists are working on ways to store extra daytime energy (a recent idea is to split ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, and then using the hydrogen as a fuel at night)solar power stations are best placed in hot deserts which are sometimes far away from the main electricity grid. Heat degrades the system faster and they perform poorly over 85 degrees.Only useful during the day (unless you have a solar battery that will "charge" during the day, these add pollution to the environment)Procurement and Installation is expensive, but this can be helped by Federal grants that are now availableIt takes a considerable amount of solar panels depending on your location to produce the same amount of electricitySolar cells are not completely efficient yetonly available for limited portion of the day (Wisconsin for example gets an average of two hours of full sunlight each day)limited by environmental factors (like latitude and weather)not particularly efficient (current technology can only extract a small portion of the energy available in sunlight).Solar panels do not work well in warm temperaturesPayback is often measured in multiple decades while life span in often less then 25 years.Solar panels degrade with time.Solar Panels can not produce their full rated power. A 100 watt panel can not provide more then 80 watts in full sunlight and cold weather.A single hail storm once every twenty years destroys the return on investment.Many areas have no possible return on investment or the return is over the lifespan of the panel.CostThere are many advantages and disadvantages to solar energy. See the related link below.good source of renewable energyexpensiveAdvantages of solar power * solar power is free (once the initial setup is complete) * solar power is clean and green (no emissions, no carbon dioxide) * solar power is renewable (we can use as much as we can today, and there's still plenty coming again tomorrow) * solar power panels are small enough to fit on every rooftop in a city and so do away with the need for more power stationsDisadvantages of solar power* solar power is expensive to set up. Solar photovoltaic panels are not being mass-produced quickly enough to make them cheap * solar power doesn't work so well on cloudy days, so they aren't suitable for every country * solar power doesn't work at night, so scientists are working on ways to store extra daytime energy (a recent idea is to split ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, and then using the hydrogen as a fuel at night) * solar power stations are best placed in hot deserts which are sometimes far away from the main electricity gridThere are many benefits of solar energy, but it is still an expensive technology to install with limited power:Once installed, it is a cheap (free) source of energy.A few amps over an extended period of time add up. Running a small gas generator might put out 8 amps of power as long as you feed it gasoline. A solar panel will do that every day.... forever... with no gasolineNo greenhouse gas productionCan be used to augment existing electric, or hot water systemsIn VogueAfter the initial installation, the price won't ever go upNo electric billsThere are significant transmission losses with grid power. Local production of solar power can eliminate these losses.Fewer power failures than with Utility PowerUnfortunately not everything is "peachy" with solar electricity, leading to slow implementation. The technology is expensive to implement.Vital system components are often hard to find, for example Home Depot doesn't carry a good selection of 12V fuses, breakers, or even 12V Compact Fluorescent Light Bubs.Because of the startup expense, most people encourage extreme conservation. Which means that a solar house might not have the same conveniences that other houses may haveSeasonal variations in solar energy. Especially solar heat is least available during the winter when it is most wantedLess solar energy on cloudy or rainy daysThe size of a solar electric system required just to offset basic connect fees on a "grid attached" system may be huge. But, if one is not attached to the grid, excess power is wasted.Requires storage system for usage at nightRequires inverter if one wants to use the standard 110/220V used by most power systems in the world.The system does "wear". Batteries wear out, panels loose power, panels can fail, inverters can fail. etc.It may take 30 years to pay off, at which time it is worn out and/or obsolete.Not necessarily "plug and play"... may require some tinkering, not just flicking a switchYet, despite the shortcomings of solar power, it is a huge step forward. Remember, commercial operations may plan repaying their electric grid investments over 30+ years.... so a few years to repay a solar system is not unexpected. And even dams or nuclear power plants require maintenance. The use of solar energy has many advantages and disadvantages. Advantages for using solar energy include have a personal energy source, a lower electric bill, and renewability. Despite these benefits, solar energy is not availble during times of inclement weather such as storms, because there is no sunlight. A further disadvantage is that many solar panels contain harmful chemicals. In the event of a catastrophe, a broken energy panel may release toxins with harmful health effects.
Why are solar solar panels rectangle?
Most solar panels are rectangular in shape. The main reason for this is to be able to get the best use of an area. There are solar panels that are in other shapes also. They don't have to be rectangular to work.
What is the best deal for solar panels?
All solar panels are made the same. It'd like as heater a watt is a watt!
What dealers sell solar panels around where i live?
Wholesale Solar offers all brands of solar panels at the best prices. Compare solar panels by brand and price, or by wattage, amps, volts, power tolerances, and weight.
What is the best website that offers plug in solar panels at a cheap price?
Websites that offer and sell plug in solar panels at a cheap affordable price include Plug in Solar Panels, Solar Shop and The Solar Electricity Company. They offer DIY kits that you can assemble yourself.
Where is the best site to find prices on solar panels?
The best site to price solar panels is solarpanels.org. Home kits start as low as $8420 and you may be eligible for a credit on your taxes!
Where do solar panels work best?
they work best where there is a lot of sun like on a roof and in the middle of nowhere for solar farms.
What are the best performing electric solar panels?
The best performing electric solar panels are probably the most expensive ones. Unisolar brand seems to be the cheapest while Photovoltaic is in the middle range. Perhaps Sharp are the best.
Are solar panels cheap and best?
This is impossible to answer without knowing what you are comparing them to. In general solar panels have a high initial cost but are cheap to run. 'Best' is very much dependent on your own circumstances and preferences.
What are best surface for solar panels?
black because black absorbs heat from the sun. (solar radition)
Best color for solar heating panels?
ther best colour for a solar panel is black because it will exsob the heat faster
Where are the best deal of solar panels?
Like with other products, there are many different brands of solar panels. Use a website like http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-panels.html to compare the brands for the qualities you are looking for.
Are solar panels the best form of solar power generation?
The best form of solar power generation is through much more advanced and dangerous technology. For your home though, solar panels are a great form of solar power generation, and although not totally reliable, very good for environment and saves costs.
