Solar Energy

I am writing a literature review essay..and i have to discuss about the political impact of solar energy..can anyone give me some advices or examples for what i can do about this topic.

Oil is a very political tool. Run by OPEC.

Solar power can be produced 100% domestically in a capitalistic manner. When you have no foreign governments dictating our energy policy, you create an independence that is very important for security. We don’t have to rely on anyone but ourselves. Foreign governments want us to "need" them.

In a sunny location, sunlight has a power density of about 1 kW/m2. Photovoltaic solar cells can convert this power into electricity with 15% efficiency.
If a typical home uses 390 kWh of electricity per month, how many square meters of solar cells would be required to meet its energy requirements? Assume that electricity can be generated from the sunlight for 8 hours per day.

Michelle, John is quite correct in his math. The only problem with the problem as it’s stated is that the average solar panel is closer to 11% efficient. There are some leading edge ones that claim to have reached as high as 18%, I don’t know if they have been independently tested yet, but most run between 10 and 13 %. So about 11 square meters should do it based on your weather forecast.

We actually live in a solar powered home. Our panels are advertised at 12% efficiency, they are multicrystaline. Our entire array takes up 155 square feet, or about 15 square meters. Our home uses about 300 kwh per month, and in the summer, we usually have a little excess, meaning by 2 pm on sunny days, our batteries are full and can’t hold any more charge, so for an hour or two, the panels only power the small loads in the house, and the rest is wasted. This is necessary though, so that after a few cloudy days, when the sun comes out, there is extra to bring the batteries back up as well as run the home.

Are you working on a homework assignment, or just doing research? There are some better places to get info on this subject than asking hacks like me online. Solar Energy International would be my first pick, and some of the renewable energy associations too. I will put some names and links below for you. Also, there is a great periodical that covers this stuff right down to the nuts and bolts, Home Power Magazine. It is actually where we got started 11 years ago, now we have made it here. Check out some of the websites and do some of your own research, you’ll be well informed in the end. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo

Discuss any issues/opportunities in marketing solar energy panel in the targeted foreign country such as the United Kingdom.

I would suggest reading about advantages and disadvantages of solar panels. Here’s the link if interested

http://renewableenergyarticles.blogspot.com/2010/01/main-advantages-and-disadvantages-of.html

looking for alternative ways to save energy money and thinking about solar panels. anyone know anything about it and how expensive it is to install them?

Installing solar panels is now much more affordable than most people realize. Depending on where you live, new financing mechanisms such as the Sungevity Solar Lease, PACE (property-assessed clean energy) and PPA (Power Purchase Agreements) allow you to get solar with zero money down–you pay off the system on a monthly basis, and your monthly payments are likely to be less than you’re paying for electricity right now. Also, if you go with one of these financing mechanisms, you’ll be guaranteed a fixed rate for 10-15 years so you won’t have to worry about utility rate hikes. Last but not least, there are some great rebates and tax credits available right now for PV systems and solar hot water heaters–check out http://www.dsireusa.org/ for details. I’ve had solar panels on my roof for years but wish this kind of creative financing had been available to me (oh well). I’m going to see if I can find an installer who will put up panels on my son’s school using some kind of PPA. (Oh, and if you live in New Jersey, check out this article about how installing solar can actually be a get-rich-quick (while saving the planet) scheme because of an amazing incentive program mandated by the state–http://solarpowerrocks.com/new-jersey/im-moving-to-new-jersey-just-to-buy-homes-and-put-solar-on-them-seriously/).

I mean, it’s the hottest place on earth, so one would assume it would be prime area for solar energy methods no?

The equator isn’t the hottest place on earth, it just gets the most direct sunlight at the top of the atmosphere. Near-tropical desert areas are hotter and get more sun at ground level due to less cloud cover. In addition, there are the questions of local demand for energy and local economic surplus to build solar power installations. There are some solar power installations in equatorial countries.

Claudine Schneider, the winner of the EPA’s Global Climate Protection Award medal for 2007, sits on the National Board of Advisors for a NGO called The Carrying Capacity Network, an organisation which wants to section off large areas of America from people as wilderness before:[QUOTE]

""it’s developed, overrun, consumed, and polluted by runaway population growth. It’s not too late, and we hope that you will join us in this effort.""

Claudine Schnieder, who also sits on the board of trustees of American Solar Energy Society, the Climate Institute, TERI (led by IPCC head, Rajendra Pachuari), and the Center for Resource Solutions was the former member of the house of representatives from Rhode Island who in the early days of the climate change debate said:

"Scientists may disagree [about climate change] but we can hear mother earth and she is crying"

- She now sits on the board of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Do you agree with Claudine Schneider that immigration must be effectively halted and population stabilised and then reduced to help prevent climate change and ensure we don’t exceed "carrying capacity"?

http://www.carryingcapacity.org/whatis.html
http://www.claudineschneider.com/

Well, it’s the 64 thousand dollar question.

I haven’t read those articles yet, but I will do.

The answer must lie with whether Climate Change is real or not, and if it is, whether man is adding to the problem.

If they’re real, then her point is valid, even if unpopular.

Even if you remove Climate Change from the equation, it still seems to me that we are overpopulating the planet. Again, if that’s also true, then it’s not just a question of immigration, it’s also a question of birth control. The more people on the planet, the more land is needed to sustain their needs, wherever they are.

Although the majority of the population explosion happens in underdeveloped countries, it’s people in the developed countries who place the most drain on world resources. Most of those are crammed into the cities, but we still require bio productive land to sustain our needs.

Take the population figures for the UK: http://puttheworldright.com/climate_change.html#ukpf

From the air it might look like we have plenty of space, but the figures say otherwise. It’s claimed if we never imported our requirements from elsewhere in the world, we would only have enough food for about three days.

Technology may reduce the problems to some extent, but the planet’s resources are still finite.

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/.