Archive

Posts Tagged ‘solar panels’

MODERN LESSONS FROM ANCIENT TIMES

November 2nd, 2009
Comments Off

Solar power has been around since the Seventh Century BC. 
In ancient Egypt, bricks for construction were made from shaping a mixture of mud and straw into blocks and baking it in the sun.Ancient Greeks and Romans recognised the benefits of what we now call passive solar design – using architecture to maximise the sun’s capacity to heat and light indoor spaces. 
In order to get the maximum benefit from the winter sun, they made sure their buildings were orientated towards the sun.At the same time, they were able to cut down on firewood which was scarce, displaying a very early switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy.The Romans took solar design a step further by covering south-facing building openings with glass or mica to prevent the heat of the winter sun from escaping, and even made a law against obscuring a neighbour’s access to sunlight.
Solar energy was also used as a weapon of war as early as 200 BC with the ancient Greeks using bronze shields to direct the sun’s rays onto the Roman’s wooden ships, setting fire to them.  Some native American cultures built their homes against the sides of rocky cliffs to benefit from the natural storage of heat harnessed during the day.
The world’s first solar collector is said to have been built in 1767 by the Swiss Horace de Saussure, but it was only in 1839 when Frenchman Edmond Becquerel first showed photovoltaic activity that the foundation for modern solar power research was set.His major discovery was that exposure to light increased electric current in certain materials.
Mathematician Auguste Mouchout continued the French nation’s interest in solar power, and invented the first active solar motor and a solar powered steam engine.  Both inventions failed due to high production costs.
Scientists all over the world were experimenting with solar energy.  In 1876, William Grylls Adams discovered that selenium produced electricity when exposed to light, without the need for heat or moving parts. 
In 1921, Albert Einstein who is better known for his Theory of Relativity, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theories on the photoelectric effect.
In the 1950s, Bell Laboratories (now known as AT & T Laboratories) developed the first silicon solar cell which could generate a measurable electric current.  It was the first cell capable of converting enough of the sun’s energy into power to run everyday electrical appliances.
The launch of the satellite, Vanguard 1 in the fifties marked the first practical application of photovoltaic solar cells.The first solar powered aircraft flew across the channel from France to England in 1981 under power from its sixteen thousand solar cells which gave off 3 000W of power.
The Arab Oil Embargo in 1973/4 forced western economies to rethink solar energy research as a means of reducing their dependence on oil.A large number of new applications was made possible after Dr Elliot Berman designed a less expensive solar cell in the 1970s. 
Concern for the environment has been a major driver of research into renewable energy sources, including solar power, geothermal and wind power.And whilst solar technology today is powering far more than a hand-held radio, the basic idea of solar power has remained the same since ancient times – it is a viable renewable energy source.

melkay Current Events , , , , , , , ,

Reviews On Portable Solar Power

October 29th, 2009
Comments Off

A number articles have been written on solar power, its benefits and its advantages. Contained in this article is just a summary of most of the information discussed about in most of them.

I will quickly go through the following topics: how does wind power works, how to make solar power at home and how to install solar power system

Quite a substantial number of reviews have been written on solar energy. I will try and summarize the information found in most portable solar power review articles. Yes it is possible to generate solar power on a small scale. As you probably are aware you can now construct your own solar panels from home and produce power for your home.

If you are looking for a system that is relatively small then it would be best to deal with a system that you have constructed on your own. This way you will not run into any problems every time you have to take it down and put it up again; because you already know how. What you need to know is when you choose portability you sacrificing the amount of energy you can produce.

The small portable panels do not create as much energy as the large ones do. Unless you build a number of small portable panels that you will be able to link and operate at the same time.

Most portable solar power review articles are flooded with the same information that’s why I have decided to summarize it for you here.

The advantage of small solar panels is the apparent ease of being able to move around with them. You can also add on them. That is link in more panels and increase the outputpower that you generate. But the amount will depend on how much energy you want and the term portable really also depends on an individuals perspective.

One can look at the panels that are being being used to provide energy for big houses as small when compared to the industrial level. Most portable solar power review articles do not differentiate between small scale production panels.  Why; because the concept is the same. What you should know is whichever panel you have in mind you can build one for yourself and its very simple.

melkay Current Events

How to save in energy bills

October 5th, 2009
Comments Off

In this bad economic times, a lot of people are still in searchh of saving money. One of the ways that is overlooked a lot is conserving energy.  Not only can this save you money, but it can also help the  environment.In this article we are going to learn of a great way to save a lot of money in energy bills.

The best way that you can save on your energy bills is to have a solar energy system for your house.It isn’t as difficult as it may seem to be.All that it will take is for you to go and have solar panels installed onto your house.  When people look into this they realize that solar panels can be expensive.  So they go looking for cheap solar panels.

Now they might be able to find some but if they really want to save they should look into building a solar energy system themselves.  There are plenty of manuals that can teach them how to do a diy solar panels.In general all of them are written so well that you will be able to easily follow along step by step.If you are able to do it this way you are going to be saving thousands of dollars for yourself.Now if you find yourself not wanting to do it, you need to go out and hire somebody.  And it won’t cost as much as an electrician or solar company would charge.

It doesn’t matter if you have someone install it yourself or if you learn how to build a solar panel.As long as you make the effort to change your energy into solar, you will be saving money.

But not only can you save yourself money but you can also help the environment.Making use of solar energy gets rid of a lot of more toxic type of energy.  You will be using clean natural energy.  Who knows you might be able to set a good example and more people will follow your footsteps.

melkay Current Events , , , ,

How to save money using solar panels

October 2nd, 2009
Comments Off

There is a movement that has been going on for quite some time.It is the growing group of people going green.  Part of that movement is producing your own clean natural energy.The main way this is done is with solar energy.  It is not only a great method of helping the environment, it can also save money.

So one of the first things people do is look for cheap solar panels.  Once they go looking they soon realize that most solar panels are expensive.They are very expensive when you buy it, and also when you have it installed.That will be the case if you decide to go with a commercial contractor.But for a few people, there was another way found.

That other way is people are learning how to build a solar panel.Instead of having a contractor charge you for thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars.  They have opted to learn how to build the solar panel themselves.This has allowed them to save lots of money in the process.

So where can you get diy solar panels instructions.If you search the internet there will be a bunch of information.There will be some sites that have free information.A few sites that will try to sell the info to you.The best method will be to get your hands on a complete guide that has all the steps.The information you find free is okay.But if your goal is to build a complete system it won’t be enough.  You don’t just need some info.You will have to have it all.  From start to finish you need the complete instructions.

Once you do have your guide then you can begin to go green.Putting it together will be worth it.it will be of help in regards to the energy costs.In a few instances people were able to be taken off the grid.And naturally it will also be very beneficial with the environment.You shall be using the best energy, clean natural energy.

So there you have it.A great way to save money.  A good way to help the environment.A great way to live.

melkay Current Events , , ,