Solar Energy

I am doing a science project and I need to find out if solar panels are an environmentally feasible way to heat a pool compared to the #2 diesel that is currently being used. Is there a calculator that I could use to see how much energy a solar panel uses?

What you need is a solar pool heater. It is a series of plastic panels that you run your pool water through using your existing pool pump. As the water runs through them, they get heated by the sun, just like if you leave a hose in the yard, the water inside gets very hot. Since you are using your existing pool pump, no extra electricity is used. You can see some data on it at http://www.hi-tecsolar.com/whysolar.html.

To size a system, you use anywhere from 70% to 100% of the pool’s surface area to determine how many panels. A 10′ x 40′ pool is 400 sq ft, it would need anywhere from 280 to 400 sq ft of panels. That kit will cost less than $2000, and can heat the pool to around 10 degrees F higher than the air temp. http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Pool-Heaters-and-Pumps/Unglazed-Solar-Pool-Heating/Guardian-Solar-Pool-Heating/Leveredge-Guardian-Pool-Heating-Package-400-SqFt/p7353/.

This is MUCH more cost effective than using solar electric panels to power an electric pool heater. Depending on what fuel is currently used to heat the pool, a system can pay for itself in a year or two.

What’s the best deal going on companies leasing out Solar Panels in California?

Solar Power Purchase Agreements, or PPA, have historically been for large systems for commercial and municipal customers. However, they are starting to venture into the residential sector.

Buying the power from the panels instead of the panels itself can help with the upfront costs and lock you in to a lower per kwh cost than buying from the electric company. However, you would not qualify for the rebates available if you bought the equipment yourself, so you would continue to pay for electricity after the equipment was paid for if you bought it outright.

I don’t know anything about these companies, but a quick search for California Solar PPA turned up:

Heliomu PPA www.heliomu.com
Solar City Lease www.solarcity.com
SunRun PPA. www.sunrunhome.com

Any salt can be used but a mix of sodium and potassium nitrate is best used commercially (otherwise used as a fertiliser)

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I was wondering if I can build a residential solar energy system easily? I am pretty good in using tools and everything.

Depending on the rules in your area, you may be able to install at least part of it. You should, or may be required by law to, hire an installer to connect the AC side of it.

Do not get fooled by the build your own scams on the web. Most of them don’t work, and those that do are not allowed to be connected to a home. You must get UL listed panels and inverter.

You can see some residential packages here, http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/Grid-Tied-Systems/Alt-E-Designed-Grid-Tie-Packages/c1087/.

To determine the size of the system you need, go to a grid-tied calculator like http://www.altestore.com/store/calculators/on_grid_calculator/.

Some places rely on solar and wind energy right? To power their homes and such. How do they use energy in the night or when there is no wind? Do they have something that stores the energy like a big battery or something?

I have to “make” a green city and it will use renewable energy source including solar and wind energy. How would I make the wind and solar energy sustainable and not have shortages of power?

Small places, like a remote house or an island, might have batteries. A large place, like a city, would be connected to a "Grid", or electrical energy transmission system. If the wind stopped blowing, deep in the night, they would pull energy off the grid, from a nuclear plant, or coal-burning generation station, or hydroelectric project many miles away. A town on an island might have a large diesel generator.

usually solar energy is used to heat water(or any other liquid with heat transfer characteristics)

so for example ,solar thermal power plants,they use sun to heat the water till it becomes steam under high pressure to turn on turbines which generate electricity.

Also thermal water heaters in homes use the same idea where sometimes vacuum tubes are used where water passes through them,These tubes are designed such that they absorb the solar energy (photons with energy transformed to heat) but in the mean time they dont dissipate heat back to atmosphere

Hi if anyone was is a solar expert of some sort, can you please help me and answer my interview questions? Its for a project and I need to interview someone with some sort of general knowledge of Solar power and technology

My Questions are:

Q1. What is it like working and putting together Solar equipment for people who are starting to go “green” and looking to save some money?

Q2.What are some of the benefits when working with a Solar company?

Q3.Are there any dangers when working with Solar equipment?

Q4. Do you think most of America will switch from Grid-tied energy and go to more eco-friendly solar power by the next decade?

Q5. What are your thoughts on solar energy and the effect it has on global warming?

Q6. Do you currently own any solar equipment of your own?

Q7. How often do you go out and set up solar equipment for other customers?

Q8. Do you like working with a solar company? What do you like about it?

Q9. How much money does solar power save you?

Q10. What are other benefits can you gain from using solar energy?

I’m not what you’re looking for, but maybe I can help a little? I’m doing a physics Masters in cadmium telluride solar cells. I work with a group of research scientists.

Q1: I don’t make panels for people. We build small ones in labs using different techniques and then test them to try and work out how to make them more efficient, so companies can help people ‘go green’ more cheaply later on :p the physics is very interesting & challenging though.

Q2: I work in a university, so I’m still a student. That’s fun!

Q3: Most solar equipment has very little danger, but we work with cadmium telluride, which is toxic. We have stringent safety procedures, although we only use tiny amounts (15g of the stuff coats about a square metre – the solar panels are very thin, about 5-thousandths of a millimetre).

Q4: No. It will take several decades; but I’m convinced that during the next decade some techs will become cost competitive in the US. We need to develop alternatives; porphyrin dye solar cells, copper-zinc-tin-sulphur cells or organics before we can provide countries worth of power.

Q5: It’s clean and can produce huge amounts of power without taking up much land like wind power does. You still need backup or energy storage, but it’s going to be very sensible in sunny places. I’ve calculated the heat flow changes and solar panels reduce global warming.

Q6: I have a solar charger for my phone and battery equipment that I was given as a gift & I use on camping etc. I wouldn’t buy any for a few years yet though: I live in northern England!

Q7: I don’t set it up for other people. I test cells pretty much every week though. With some periods of programming & writing in between.

Q8: I like being a student and researching something that other people haven’t done yet. The challenge of the unknown is great.

Q9: Zero, right now :p

Q10: Right now it’s too expensive, but in future it will be cheaper than grid power, and cleaner. Less air pollution = better health. Less global warming and insulation from price shocks when petrol and gas prices shoot up.

Only 80 billion(roughly 10% of the "Stimulus" bill) was spent on renewable energy. Nothing is being done to develop said technologies. More of the bill was spent on pork and earmarks than was spent on infrastructure and energy, two of our biggest needs. We can supply enough power to meet 100% of our needs through Solar energy. The technology is out there already. Why are we not doing this? Does this give an open window for a Republican to come in and propose better solutions for energy independence and clean energy?

ANYTHING with Obummer’s name on it is questionable.

I also want to know how much go for?

try internet and paid browsing sites

1) Does the battery ever need replacing?
2) How often do you have to recharge it?
3) If it’s left out in the sun for long periods can that be harmful?
4) I want to be able to use a laptop in the middle of nowhere away from society. Is there any way I can recharge it like with solar energy or something, so I don’t have to go back into society every time I want to charge it?
5) Laptop or ipad, which do you think is better?
ty

1-yes
2- 1 to 4 hours
3-the sun will damage it
4-yes
5- ipad’s suck