Posts from — September 2008

When you hear about home energy systems, it is primarily associated with the energy from the sun. The most common residential energy system is the conversion of solar energy into electricity for home use. There are two main types of solar energy, light and thermal. Light energy, from the sun, is harnessed by a collecting medium then transformed into electricity. Thermal energy, which is derived from the heat of the sun, is used to directly warm household water and swimming pools.

A typical home energy system has four components:

1. Photovoltaic Cells - Photovoltaic or solar cells made of a semiconductor material in which sunlight is converted into electricity through excitation of electrons. These cells require protection from various environmental and mechanical elements; thus, they are encased in photovoltaic modules or panels. These modules come in different sizes, weights, and shapes.

2. An Inverter - An inverter transforms direct current into alternative current electricity.

3. Mounting System - A sturdy mounting system is imperative to secure your home energy systems atop a variety of surfaces from tiled roofs to the shiny exterior of a yacht.

4. Storage - Batteries are optional as they served as storage for electricity produced.

The commonly used semiconductor materials in the manufacture of solar cells are:

1. Mono-Crystalline - Mono-crystalline silicon is made by the use of a crystal microtome that thinly slices the material into 150 - 350 microns thickness.

2. Using Multi-Crystalline Silicon - Multi-crystalline silicon is made by sawing into a block of silicon.

3. Amorphous Silicon - Amorphous silicon is produced when a thin layer of the material is placed on a substrate to make a photovoltaic module.

4. Thin film has a width of 1/10 micron, the flimsiest material to be used in solar cells.

The advantages of home energy systems are definitely extensive. Among such perks are the following:

1. Relatively fast turnabout of capital investment considering that solar power companies offer a minimum of a 20-year warranty and solar units can last a lifetime with proper use and care.

2. Since you are making your own electricity, you are no longer influenced by price hikes of electrical providers. You now have full reigns on the amount of electricity you can generate with your home energy system.

3. It's tax-free. There are no taxes yet levied by the government when you harness solar radiation. You are entitled to as much sunlight as your system can get.

4. Home energy systems have low maintenance costs compared to electrical connections with their many wirings and cables.

5. It is encouraged by the government. Many governments actually offer incentives for people to switch to home energy systems as part of their environmentalist movement.

6. Unlike renewable energy, solar power does not emit polluting emissions and harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon and methane. Accidental dredging and spillage seen in fossil fuel production is also not possible with solar power.

7. There are no dangerous ecological by-products made during solar power production.

8. It is an actual way of helping the environment. You set a good example for your neighbors to hopefully emulate. When you use solar power energy, you actually help conserve other depleting natural energy sources like petroleum and coal for future generation use.

Solar power and other forms of renewable energy are gaining popularity for a couple of reasons. The first is that traditional ways to heat and light your home are getting more expensive. People are feeling this cost in their wallets and it is motivating them to look for alternatives. Solar power kits and other types of renewable energy systems offer this alternative.

The second reason is the environment. People are becoming more concerned about what we are doing to the environment and the legacy that we leave for our children. A renewable energy resource is self renewing. It will not run dry or run out the more you use. It will not run out if more people use it.

Indeed, we are wasting the energy that can be gained from using the sun or harnessing the wind. And using these types of systems does not damage the environment and promote global warming as much as burning carbon based fossil fuels.

Solar power kits are mainly concerned with providing heat and electricity for the home.

Heat and electricity are essential to make a house a home. Heat provides physical warmth and makes water hot. Hot water is needed for baths and showers. You use it to wash clothes and dishes. Electricity powers all our household appliances and most likely provides light to your home at night.

Solar power kits for the home can provide hot water by passively heating water with thermal heat. This water is then passed to the home plumbing system. However, the most common form of solar power kit is the solar panel.

Solar panels are a number of photovoltaic (PV) cells lined up in series or parallel. A PV cell is made of silicon, that reacts with sunlight to through off an electron. When a number of PV cells are lined up together this causes a current to flow. This is direct current (DC) that can be used to power appliances.

DC can be stored in a battery or it can be transformed into alternating current (AC). AC is used in the home to power many of our household appliances like the TV, oven, refrigerator, home theater and many others.

Although there is lots of potential for a solar system to power your home, the main drawback is that it is totally reliant on the Sun. and sometimes the Sun does not shine as brightly or there are overhead clouds that interfere with it striking the panels. Anyone that uses a solar system is advised to have a back up system in this eventuality. Most people have the utility company or a gas powered generator. If you want to use another renewable system as backup then think about a wind generator.

A wind generator in the family home makes a lot of sense because wind is pretty much everywhere. So you won't be short of the natural resource that will generate power. By combining the two systems, solar ans wind, you will be covering all types of climatic conditions. In fact, a wind generator can work at night when a solar system is no use.

Having said this, it makes sense when you are new to renewable energy systems to always have the grid as a back up. Once you become more comfortable with renewable energy or know that the systems can provide all your energy needs then you can think about going off grid. Although, some people choose to stay on the grid and sell the electricity that they make back to the utility company.