Solar Energy

If I mount a flat surface which points to certain constant direction. At certain place of the world. I now need to estimate the maximum amount of Solar radiation energy which this surface can get during certain time.
Is there a PC program or an algorithm that can make this estimate for me?

The actual problem.
I need to know how much maximum energy can I get during a year, if I put solar cells or solar collectors on my house tilted roof?

Is there anyone who can somehow help me?

Thank you in advance.

Try looking here: http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/redbook/atlas/

That’s the National Renewable Energy Labs site, and will give you insolation (amount of sun) for your area. If you have an ideal location and roof, you would choose, Average, Annual, Flat plate tilted south at latitude. Then a map will come up. This map takes into account weather conditions, too, because it is derived from actual measured data. Thus, a dry, cloudless location such as Phoenix shows more sun than a place with more clouds like Honolulu.

Let’s say the map says you get 5 hours equivalent sun per day. The word "equivalent" is important, because it factors in that morning and evening sun are weaker than noonday. The number you get means the equivalent of direct, noonday sun for 5 hours, even though it may be 12 hours from sunrise to sunset. And it’s an annual average, so you will get more in the summer, less in the winter. Ok, so you take that figure, say 5 hours, and multiply it my the size of your array in watts, and multiply it by 365, the number of days in a year.

Example:

5 hours/day X 3 kW array X 365 days/year = 5475 kWh/year.

If you want a more complex calculation, you can try http://www.pvwatts.org/ , and take into account exact tilt and orientation of your roof.

This company has basically just fallen into my lap, but it needs a name. It is a solar energy company that uses UV rays. So, you can get solar energy even on a cloudy day! Your help is greatly appreciated!

Solar Electric, but it is probably already taken. Rainy Day Solar Products. Cloudy Day Solar Panels.

This company has basically just fallen into my lap, but it needs a name. It is a solar energy company that uses UV rays. So, you can get solar energy even on a cloudy day! Your help is greatly appreciated!

You need a name that conveys the attributes of your company. Something that lets potential customers know that they’re wasting their money on "feel-good" environmentalism if they buy your product.
Solar is expensive, inconvenient, unreliable and worse – on a per kilowatt hour basis, it has a larger environmental footprint than conventional sources of electricity. The chemical processes used to make solar panels create wastes that never degrade and are a potential danger forever.
Why don’t you call it "Wish Upon a Star." It’s a fairy tale.

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.

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.

I’m doing a science report on solar energy, but I’m having a hard time finding information on more recent advances and developments in the area of harnessing solar power or putting it to use.
Also, how do solar chargers for cell phones, etc, work? Do they usually hook directly up to a solar panel, or do they connect a solar panel to a small solar cell, or…?

one simple device i’ve seen is a solar collector designed to heat water for residences. one variety consists of a piping or tubing laid out in a spiral shape or a rectangular panel, facing south to harness the sun’s rays to heat the water. it’s the same principle, as the ’sun shower’ used by outdoors enthusiasts.

some examples…
http://www.solardirect.com/swh/swh.htm
http://www.azsolarcenter.com/technology/solarh20.html
http://oscarsolarwaterheaters.com/

I need some information for my negative debate speech. The subject is "Should the American goverment support solar energy?" If you could help it would greatly appreciated. Thanks!

the cost

What are engineering challenges to develop solar energy for comfort/home uses?

Solar is an old technology now and is fairly developed. Cost is a bit of a barrier but that is coming down quickly. Production scale could also be considered a barrier, as the industry can’t yet make enough solar panels to satisfy demand. The panels themselves are limited in how much energy they can take out of the sun’s rays, but they are getting better at this. Materials are a big thing now, mostly in trying out different materials and structures in the cells to bring down the cost and boost the efficiency.

What is the amount of solar energy required to drive a 250 pound cart with a 250 pound person 10 miles? How many square feet of recharged paneling would be required?

If you are willing to go slowly enough, all you need from the solar panel is enough to overcome static friction to get the cart started.

I do know that a cyclist cruising along at a moderate speed (say, 10 miles an hour) is expending about 1/10 horsepower. That’s 80 watts. So on flat ground, a 100-watt panel push them over the 10 miles in an hour. Such a panel, if square, would be 2 to 2.5 feet on a side, if made with typical contemporary materials. If the terrain is more than gently rolling hills, more power would be needed.

Perhaps you could scale that answer to your situation.

I saw an episode in extreme makeover home edition were they built a house for a family and they used solar energy to power the house I like that not just because is good for the envirorment but because I think is better for us too, If we take care of the Earth we live in I think is going to last more.

Hurray for caring about Mother Earth. The cool thing about converting to solar energy is that you can do it a little at a time if you want to. One of the best sources in checking out all the options is the magazine Mother Earth News. This magazine has been around for as long as I can remember and have hundreds if not thousands of articles about solar energy projects. A good library will probably have back issues and I imagine you can go on line and get some article straight from the source if you are so inclined. As with any project it is the proper installation that is key in making the project worthwhile. So you either do it yourself, right, or hire people who have many years of experience in doing these types of installations. You might also be interested to know that the government gives very nice tax right offs for folks who convert to solar energy and some states can be very generous indeed. So check out all your different sources both on line and at the library to get the best information you can. Enjoy the process it is really fascinating overall.