Solar Energy

what are the pros and cons of: Hydroelectric power, solar energy, tidal/wave energy and wind power?

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:36:09 +0000

I just need the basic faults and advantages to these renewable energy sources.
Thank you.

Manisha is wrong !!

Hydroelectric power uses water to drive a turbine and generate electric power. This water may be from a dam and the water is released down a pipe.The water is not heated and turned into steam at all !!!
The main faults with most , solar , tidal and wave types is that the generation rate depends on the weather , its unpredictable , so if is its a very cold cloudy and calm winters day , you may want to use a lot of power on heating , but you may not be able to generate much power using wind , tide , of solar energy.
Hydo electric is the exception here where you can turn a valve on , to generate power when you want to.
Sometimes with nuclear power the reverse is true when we can generate more power than we need and we can not simply turn down or off nuclear power generation , this is an adeal time when we can pump water up in to a high dam and store the potential energy for later use.

WHY is the Dept of Energy NOT putting any energy savings investment in National Labs..like Solar systems?

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:00:36 +0000

If the Nation had invested $500M in the Energy systems of the National Labs…there would have been
future cost savings…increased employment, and the Dept of Energy could have been a role model..
Instead the nation invested in a loosing option!!!

I agree with SKIP 100 percent. This nation was just beginning to look into alternative energy until Ronald Reagan was elected. Reagan wanted to live in an anachronistic America where women still wore white gloves when they went out in public; and people drove around in sedans of the pre-seatbelt era (they had straps on the inside mounted btween the back seats and the front door to keep the backseat passengers from falling over when cars went around curves in the road).

One of the really big reasons that DOE is not investing in solar energy is that there has been recent talk in the past few years about reviving nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels and the carbon dioxide emissions they produce. Going back to nuclear power and its potential safety hazards would ensure the survival of the Department of Energy because alternative energy sources don’t produce greenhouse gases or produce still-radioactive spent fuel rods from reactors.

What type of energy do Solar power plants use?

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:49:16 +0000

What type of energy do Solar power plants use to convert to Electrical Energy? Do they use Potential, Mechanical, or Kinetic energy? I need an answer TODAY. Thanks(:

potential

With a decade of history, the Chinese solar energy technology is by far the best in the world. How come?

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:34:38 +0000

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBCe8kCvUlc&feature=related

2 http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/29/3948958/suntech-selected-by-cupertino.html

3 http://am.suntech-power.com/

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntech_Power

Because they don’t have politicians sucking on the cocks of big oil.

Emerging technology in solar energy?

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:48:52 +0000

What emerging technologies will make solar energy safer, more usable, more efficient, cleaner, etc?

like cars , house powers

Solar panel energy production?

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:24:45 +0000

Does it take more time for a solar panel to produce the same amount of energy you would quickly generate with a normal electrical outlet?

A standard electric outlet is 120 Volts and will produce up to 20 AMPS. One average solar panel will produce maybe 100 Watts at peak power (The sun at just the right angle on a very clear day). 100 Watts is like one(1) light bulb of light. The wall outlet will produce maybe enough power for 24 of those same light bulbs, and will do it 24 hours a day. Power (Watts) = Voltage X Amps

What do you do with excess amount of energy from solar panels?

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:24:59 +0000

If you produce more than enough energy with your solar panels, do you have to sell the excess energy to the utility company or is there a way to store it for later use?

It’s really hard to store the energy locally and recover it at a better price than paying the utility company.

In an area that has a "net metering" plan, the utility company acts just like a huge storage battery in practice.

Let’s say you had some actual batteries in your house, and the solar array generated 1 kWh more than you need during the day. You would charge those batteries, then draw the 1 kWh out at night. Net charge from the utility company: zero. But you would still have to buy the batteries and charger, and deal with the hassle of maintaining the batteries.

With net zero metering, if the array generates 1 kWh excess during the day, you drive your meter backwards, effectively selling to the electric company. At night, when you draw out the 1 kWh, the meter advances again, showing a net advance of zero. Net charge from the utility company: zero. Financially the same, except no batteries.

The example above is just an approximation, though. Some utility companies have various ways of charging you even though your net usage is zero.

How much energy can solar panel produce?

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:18:09 +0000

I am doing a project on solar panels.

All information given has to be accurate.

May I know how much energy can monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, vaporware solar panel produce? I also want to know more about solar panels. For example, how did Americans use solar panels during autumn and winter? Is the solar panel used in their everyday life?

Why can’t S’pore use solar panel even though we experience hot weather all year round?

in animals, a portion of kinetic energy is usually transformed into:?

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:37:30 +0000

a. chemical energy b. potential energy c. solar energy d. thermal energy e. more kinetic energy p.s. if you arn’t going to answer right aka robert down there, then please don’t bother. Thermal Energy. Because the temperature of the body … Continue reading →

Solar energy systems are vulnerable to weather?

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:39:29 +0000

If yes, why?

Yes- because the panels are converting sunlight to other forms of power.

Anything that difuses that light, obstructs it of filters it will reduce the conversion of energy because there is less energy there. This is true of passive systems, active heat systems and PV arrays.

On a cloudy day I only see a temperature rise in my greenhouse of about 5 degreesF, on a bright sunny day, it can be 70 degrees F inside with the outdoor temps being around 0 degrees F.