Solar Energy » solar energy

What do the batteries to store solar energy contain?

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:04:35 +0000

I am told batteries for storing solar energy contain cadmium and small amouts of mercury. Is this true? what else do they contain?

These are your best bet for solar energy batteries, most are just simple car batteries. If you think about it, all is required is that they store electricity. The battery doesn’t know where you generate it from so I have complied a list of batteries you could use for storing solar electricity (bear in mind you will need around 5 of these for it to it be worth your time)

Your choice of solar batteries breaks down into these six groups:

Golf cart batteries – These are relatively cheap but will only last 2-6 years

Regular deep cycle batteries – Reasonably priced and will last 4-8 years

Premium or "heavy-duty" deep cycle batteries – The extra pounds will get you a lifespan of 7-15 years

Sealed gel cell batteries – Cheaper than AGM batteries but will only last 2-5 years

Sealed AGM batteries -Will last 4-7 years with little maintenance

Industrial batteries (e.g. forklift) – These workhorses can last 10-20 years

I know all of this because I work for a Solar Photovoltaic installer and I know just about everything there is to know about them as I have the responsibility of sourcing, ordering & installing the panels!

Hope this helps!

Chris

Which is a better way to use solar energy, mass-production or individual home usage?

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:58:51 +0000

I know we need to put a ton of effort towards research in renewable energy, specifically solar. But when it actually becomes a viable alternative to oil, and we can ~store~ solar energy efficiently, would it be best put to use atop individual homes and buildings, or as a source of electricity for whole cities?

The biggest problem you have with large solar installations is finding a large area near a major population center. In many cases the town councils love the IDEA of solar energy BUT just don’t want the solar energy farm IN THEIR TOWN!

In terms of efficiency, a large solar installation is far more efficient than solar panels on everybody’s roof.

However in this case the Political decision ends up trumping the Engineering decision.

What is the easiest and cheapest way to use solar energy in a classroom?

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:34:48 +0000

Hi, I’m doing a school project. We are required to design a classroom which exists in a "storage" container, with the idea that this classroom could host 25 learners and be self-sufficient so that it would be able to be used in rural settlements.
What is the easiest and cheapest method of using solar energy? The energy would only need to be used in winter for lighting and maybe a heater/radiator of some sort.
Ideas????

It is possible but very expensive to build a solar system that will make a room the size of a classroom "Self Sufficient" in winter period. May even be practically impossible if located where a lot of cloudy days are experienced.

At least the projects design and cost calculations may open your students eyes to the fact that Solar power is not easy and cheap like the news media likes to make us believe.

I have studied solar power for years. My first guess is you would spend over $100,000 and still not have a system that could support the goal of "Self Sufficient" unless class is willing to spend many days bundled up in freezing temperatures. May be possible in an area like Arizona or the Sahara desert.

What is the easiest and cheapest way to use solar energy in a classroom?

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:26:31 +0000

At least the projects design and cost calculations may open your students eyes to the fact that Solar power is not easy and cheap like the news media likes to make us believe.

What Percent Of Our Total Energy Is Used With Solar?

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:45:39 +0000

I cant find the answer to this anywhere. What Percent of our total energy use with solar? Why should Solar energy be used more? It is less than 5%. It should be used more because we want to reduce our … Continue reading →

How do photovoltaic cells transform solar energy in to electricity?

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:45:36 +0000

Can someone please explain how photovoltaic cells, also know as, solar panels convert solar energy into electricity!! Detail would be nice, and please use some key terms. I dont understand the process very well, and i would appreciate the help!
Thanks!

A simple Wikipedia search is a good idea – especially for mining the references:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_effect

This explanation, for instance, is from one of the references found in the Wikipedia article:

http://www.mrsolar.com/content/photovoltaic_effect.php

An illustrated article can be found here:

http://www.petervaldivia.com/technology/energy/solar-power.php

How does the solar energy is stored in a battery?

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:48:05 +0000

How does the solar battery charged using solar panels?What is the mechanism that converts solar energy in to electrical energy? How can a car be run on solar energy?what could be its maximum speed?

The mechanism used to convert solar energy is called a photovoltaic cell.
Solar cells are built of a mostly silicon compound, which leaves some atoms with loose electrons. These electrons are knocked free by the energy of the sun and, if attached to a circuit, will charge the battery like any AC charger.
A car can be run very simply Just use an electric car, with batteries being charged by a solar panel on the roof or at a filling port (similar to a gas station).
The fastest solar car I know of is the Nuna 2 (105 mph)

I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://How-To-Build-Cheap-Solar-Energy.info

How can I create solar energy for my home?

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 08:12:55 +0000

I am really interested in how I could use solar energy to power certain parts of my house. Or any other types of energy. How could I do this and do I need any special technical skills to do this?

There are a couple of ways to use solar to reduce the amount of power you buy.

1) Solar water heating. Solar water heating uses the heat of the sun to preheat your water. As hot water can be up to 1/3 of you power bills, using solar to heat up to 75% of it can greatly reduce your bills. It is the most efficient use of solar for a homeowner

2) Solar electricity. Solar electric panels can be installed and connected to the electric grid. You don’t have to generate all of the electricity you use, you just make what you can, and buy the rest from the electric company as usual. If you make more than you need during the day, you sell any extra to the electric company, then buy all you need at night. This way you don’t need to deal with batteries.

Both options qualify for a 30% tax credit from the USA federal gov’t, and most states offer additional incentives.

What if australia depended on solar energy?

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:17:16 +0000

If australia began to use only solar energy to power the country, what do you think would happen? Also, what would happen to the other energy sources we are currently using and all the power lines? And how would we be able to make sure that important buildings like hospitals always have power?
Please answer, best question gets full points.

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Any alternative energy source that is ‘intermittent’ solar or wind will be built with a storage mechanism, so that when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing, you will still have power. If a country were to rely fully on a technology like solar, they would set it up so that while the sun is shining, they would produce much more energy than they need. They would store the rest of the energy using technologies such as molten salt storage, creating hydrogen through electrolysis of water, or just simple batteries.

Likely, a country will never rely fully on one source of energy like this.

How much solar energy is produced every hour?

admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:17:03 +0000

I need to know how much energy is produced by solar energy and photovoltaics. Preferably in kilo watt hours but anything will do ;/ that depends on the panels being used, distance from the equator, cloud cover and time of … Continue reading →