Our Energy Future Comes From The Sun
Random header image... Refresh for more!

Posts from — April 2009

How Solar Power Works – Build Your Own Solar Panel And Save Money

by Christopher Y Mitchell

Solar power is turning out to be one of the most effective ways to generate free electricity. With little maintenance needed, it creates an abundance of free, clean energy. Wondering how solar power works? This article will help you see how it works, and how easy it is to set up your own solar power system. If you are planning one for your own home or office, this piece of information on how solar power works may come to your help.

How can you get solar power?

The electricity from solar panels is the same as from burning fossil fuels. The differences are that it is generated with the help of the sun's energy, making it pollution free, cheap to maintain, and environment friendly. Even better is the fact that the energy is free - you don't have to pay for the raw ingredients (e.g. coal, gas etc). Electricity from solar power will happily power all of your existing appliances too.

If you want to set up your own solar power unit, you need to know a bit about solar panels. Search the internet and you'll see there are many step-by-step manuals on how to build your own. These will provide proper set up information and guidance for you to construct your unit at home. You can gain all the information you need about how solar power works in the manual provided with such units.

These units capture the sun's energy (coming to you through the sun's rays) using the solar panels and convert it into useable electricity. This is how solar power works. With minimal investment needed (for a DIY system) and easy maintenance, it's a much more cost efficient source of energy. You can significantly reduce your bills from the first month.

Solar Panels And Solar Panel Kits

It's easier than you might imagine to set up a simple solar system. You get everything you need in an easy to understand manner. You can literally save thousands by getting your own system built. The fact that you can install them by yourself also makes it cheaper. Most people can get them built in an afternoon, or a day, maximum.

Even though the solar panel kits will not provide you with the ability to power up your whole house, you can run a number of applications at the same time, and save a considerably amount of money.

If you're fed up with rising electricity bills, now is the time to switch to clean and free solar energy. The sun provides the earth with approximately 1000 watts per square yard of energy on a bright sunny day. By knowing how solar power works and using it, you can tap this free energy, and use the money you save elsewhere.

About the Author:

April 26, 2009   No Comments

Solar Power House – Why You are Missing Out by Not Using Thin Film Solar Panels

by Mike Toll

If you want to build a solar power house, no doubt you will want the best power for a reasonable price. Although there was a time when it was expensive to create solar power homes, today with new advancements in technology it is becoming cost effective and beneficial. One excellent addition to the solar power for homes market has been the thin film solar panels, making it an easy thing to get solar energy for less money.

These new thin film pv solar panels now being used in solar powered homes, are actually thin layers in stacks that are not thicker than packing paper. This new technology can be seen in solar powered calculators and the thin film they use. Thin panels aren't baked the way traditional panels are, the thin film solar panels are made on unique rolling machines much like a printing press.

Using these new thin-film solar panels has many great benefits for a solar power house. They are much lighter and they can easily be put on various surfaces. They look good, and there are no huge and unsightly panels on the roof-top to worry about. A key benefit is that these flexible solar panel technologies are economical and provide great efficiency. The installation of these thin-film solar panels for conversion to solar power homes is definitely an idea whose time has come.

The technology and science behind the thin film panels is essentially the same, some differences exist in in the way the panels are manufactured. Silicon is put between wafer cell layers, but for these new thin film solar cells, either copper indium gallium diselenide or cadmium telluride is placed between each thin layer. The new thin panels are also made quite differently as well. These panels are made on huge presses similar to printing presses using aluminum foil, a process that saves money.

Thin film solar panels designed for a solar power house have been highlighted on CNN and even given the distinction of the "Invention of the Year" by Time Magazine. The advantages of thin film panels definitely make them a worthy invention to be given this title. You'll also find solar power is finally going to be as affordable as other energy forms, and these flexible solar panels are definitely a technological leap forward that will change the way we think of solar energy.

About the Author:

April 25, 2009   No Comments