Solar Energy Resources
A solar glossary
If you’re thinking about installing a solar power system to cut the cost of powering your home, you might be confused by the unfamiliar (and often esoteric) jargon of the industry. Fear not. This glossary is a great starting point to getting familiarized with the language. You’ll be able to ask pertinent questions and have informed responses if you decide to talk to a professional solar installer. Here is a simple glossary of the most common terms you’ll come across on your path to cleaner energy.
Photovoltaic
Photovoltaics are the technology that converts solar radiation from the sun into DC electricity. “Photo” refers to the radiant energy source (light), and “voltaic” refers to the tangible electric output.
Rebates and incentives
Rebates and incentives are offered by government agencies and private companies in order to make solar power more affordable while simultaneously stimulating the industry. Solar rebates and incentives are two different ways of offsetting the cost of having clean energy. And, in most states, you can take advantage of many different ways solar energy in your home is made more affordable. While many programs work together in order to save you the most, their differences are highlighted here:
- Rebates tend to be a lump sum of money reimbursed to you based on how much energy your PV ... read more »
Solar Energy Explained
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How affordable is solar thermal equipment?
Solar thermal energy is an environmentally-friendly way to provide heat for your home. Solar thermal systems can use either collection tanks that reflect solar energy into water storage tanks that provide hot tap water, or “solar walls” that warm external building surfaces, and circulate air near those surfaces to heat interior rooms. While these systems are capable of reducing electrical and gas use substantially, many people do not consider them to be viable options for clean household energy because of their cost. The cost of a complete solar thermal system with two panels usually...
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Do-it-yourself solar generator
If you’re looking to save a few dollars each month on your electricity bill, or wish to take on a project that will help the environment, you should consider constructing your own solar power generator. These generators are fairly inexpensive, about $200-$300, and you can easily find all of these parts from electronics and RV/boat supply stores, or on the Internet. First you’ll need to buy a solar panel . You’ll want one rated for at least 12 volts, but a 16-volt panel will increase the types of devices you can run. The next thing you’ll need is a 12-volt, deep cycle battery...
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Four reasons to go solar now
Now more than ever is the best time to install solar power on your home or building. As photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies continue to grow, the costs associated with installing solar systems continue to drop. At the same time, the prices on your energy bill continue to go up because the prices on coal and natural-gas supplied power continue to increase. There are many other reasons to install solar now, here are just a few: 1. Incentives. Between solar incentives offered by your local government, your state, and those offered by the federal government, many home-sized PV or solar...
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How heat affects photovoltaics
There’s a complex relationship at work between photovoltaics (PV), heat and sunlight. Solar power works best when the sun’s shining (of course). But when the sun’s shining, everything gets hotter. PV semiconductors offer more resistance in extreme heat, making them less efficient when the modules should be most efficient. Thankfully, this additional resistance is small, at most, reducing efficiency by about 10 percent. But newer technologies—like thin-film PVs , which don’t rely on crystalline silicon to produce electricity—are less susceptible to heat-related...
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How long do installations take?
Considering installing a photovoltaic (PV) system on your home but are wondering how long it will take? Not long at all! Most PV systems are installed within a few days of installers starting work. It’s likely to take longer to get the installers there in the first place and to qualify for any solar rebates, credits, or incentives prior to installation of the system. If you’re planning on setting up a net metering system , it may also take the utility company a bit longer to set up a bidirectional electric meter. It’s possible to install solar on a home so quickly because modern...
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Do you live in a green state?
In this time of oil spills and global warming, polar cap melting and Prius-buying, the hottest word out there today is that environmentally friendly color: green. “Being green” refers to reducing damage to the environment and trying to help protect nature’s assets. When it comes to states though, being green takes a lot. It means having low per-capita emissions, good recycling programs, significant energy usage coming from renewable sources, and clean energy incentives or tax credits for doing things like composting or installing solar panels . While it’s debated which state...
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Top five U.S. solar cities
The overwhelming majority of the United States gets enough sunlight to make a PV system viable—an average of nearly 5.0 kilowatt hours per square meter daily (kWh/m2/day). But there’s a wide swath of the southwest that looks like a giant fireball on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) map, “Photovoltaic Solar Resources of the United States.” This region gets 6.8 kWh/m2/day or more of solar radiation. In many of these areas PV is quickly gaining traction and some of the larger cities in the region are capitalizing on it, but other cities could...
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Do-it-yourself solar panels
By doing a few key things, you can make a photovoltaic panel for significantly less than you’d pay for a newly manufactured PV panel. Manufacturers and distributors of PV equipment sell damaged or blemished PV cells cheap. Connecting and mounting them in a series allows you to make a working PV panel that you can be used to power appliances or other equipment in your home. The first step in building your own PV panel is to determine how powerful the panel you want to make will be. Next, find PV cells that will produce that much power. Contact manufacturers to see if they will sell you damaged...
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Understanding how Photovoltaics work
More and more we’re looking to photovoltaics (PV) and renewable energy to supply our future energy needs. Some science behind PVs is well over a century old—Albert Einstein’s 1905 explanation of the photoelectric effect won the Nobel prize in physics in 1921. PVs absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity through a nonmechanical process. The PV cell’s materials are able to absorb photons from at least part of the sun’s electromagnetic radiation. Traditionally, PVs have used treated silicon as a semiconductor in both the n-type and p-type layers of PV cell, which...
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Solar power modules, much like electronics, contain a variety of potentially hazardous materials, and cannot be safely disposed of in landfills. Solar panels generally function for 20-25 years, so the majority of panels manufactured are still in use. However, in years to come, their disposal could become an issue. New companies like PV Recycling are therefore looking for ways to recycle or reuse these solar modules when they have reached the end of their lifespan. The solar industry in the United States has been steadily expanding, with 320 megawatts (MW) of system equipment installed in 2008,...
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