Archive for November, 2009

How much power can solar panels generate?

These panels will be fixed on my building terrace, which has an area of 1,800 sq. fts.

A good solar Panel can generate 100 to 150 Watts per sq.m in a tropical areas (present mono-crystalline cells has 15 % efficienncy) and the power out can reduce depending on sunshine etc.

Thanks,
S.Gopinath

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How do solar panels convert solar energy into electricity?


Go on Wikipedia and look up the "photoelectric effect". In a nutshell: photons (light) hitting certain materials will transfer enough energy to electrons to break them off of that material. The movement of these electrons is electricity.

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homework help.?

make a list of things that you can do at home to reduce energy usage.

make a list of things that you can do at school to reduce energy usage.

Home:
Install energy efficient light bulbs
Turn out the light when you leave a room
Use natural sunlight during the day
Hand wash your dishes
Turn down the thermostat
Buy solar panels to supplement energy usage
Walk or ride a bike instead of driving a car
Buy locally grown produce (less energy to transport)
Drink filtered tap water instead of bottled water
Use lower energy settings on the washer/dryer
Buy cold water detergent and wash clothes on cold water setting
Air dry laundry
Plant trees to shade your house
Use a low flow shower head
Lower the setting on your hot water heater
Defrost your freezer periodically

School:
Walk or ride a bike to school instead of riding in a car
Shut off the lights in class during lunch
Install energy efficient lights
Turn off computer monitors when not in use
Pack your lunch in reusable containers

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Can I build my own Hot Water Solar Panels?

I’m looking for some advice on hot water solar panels. I’m trying to save some money on electricity. A neighbor has been suggesting solar powered equipment for some time now, and I think he’s right. It does save quite a bit of money in the long run. They’re kind of expensive though, so I’m looking for cheaper alternatives.

Solar Power is great. I installed it myself about 2 years ago, and you really do notice the change within the first couple months. Building it yourself is actually pretty tricky without the right resources. Some of the guides don’t have enough detailed information that you need when you start putting the project together.

I was having a lot of trouble until I stumbled upon a site that was offering some great resources for solar DIY projects. I went ahead and added it to the sources section below. It’s great and has everything you would need for putting your own solar projects together, including hot water solar panels. Hope this helps!

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Homemade Solar Cells – Which Solar Cell Types Are Used To Build Solar Panels

I’m trying to build my own homemade solar cells & solar panels.

Solar cell types:
1. Monocrystalline solar cells
2. Polycrystalline solar cells
3. Amorphous solar cells

The amorphous type is popular for homemade solar cells and small solar panels, such as in calculators and garden lamps. You get 12 Volts of electricity from a solar panel built from an array of solar cells.

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Anyone currently using solar/wind power at home?

I’ve done a little research and the cost is not prohibitive, as far as I can see.

Do you ever have interrupted power?

How much did the panels/windmills cost?

How much was installation?

Do you plan to invest in alternative energy sources again? What, exactly?

Estimate your savings, please.

I installed a solar PV system this summer. I am still tied to the grid, so I don’t store my power, but I am lucky to have a meter that runs backwards so my utility buys my unused power. We occasionally have rolling black outs on peak demand days when we get several days over 100 degrees. I shouldn’t have to worry about power if we have a black out in my neighborhood during day light.

I paid $16K for my system and my utility paid $10K so the total system with installation was $26K. I will also get a $2K Fed.tax credit. The company I used had a licensed electrical and structural engineer, so I feel confident I won’t have problems in the future.

I will add to my system in a few years when we get either plug in hybrids or electric cars. I will need to see what my usage will be to get a system to fit my demand. I will also be able to get another rebate when I install the additional system.

Since I only have a few months I can’t say for sure what my savings will be. The proposal I received estimated I would be able to cut my usage by 33%, but so far I’ve seen about at 75% savings. I expect I will see it drop as the day light decreases, but I have much lower usage in the winter months as well. The proposal estimated a 6.5 year break even point. If that holds true and electric rates increase by 5% annually then I should save over $40K.

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Is it true that the newfound planet ‘Nibiru’ can threaten our planet?

Greetings,
I have recently found out about the newfound comet planet of Nibiru. it is said that in the comming years it will eventually move closer until the earth is between Nibiru and the sun. causing massive tsunami’s earthquakes and devastating climate change. is this possible? I’ve seen very good evidence for this.. and even NASA admits that they have recognized this new planet in our solar system. you can see for yourself on the YouTube channel: AndrosEnigmaX
this really got me thinking. plus the government doesn’t want us to know about it apparently. Please share your thoughts on Nibiru and be well.

Sorry, Jaedacoy, but Nibiru is a fictional planet. It doesn’t really exist, and there is no evidence at all as to its existence. It has never been observed through any telescope or other observational device.

Zecharia Sitchin is the guy who proposed that the planet Nibiru might exist, but he based it entirely on ancient Sumerian texts which he interpreted differently from everyone else. He is not considered credible in the academic world.

Even if his interpretation of these texts is correct (and it almost certainly isn’t), the fact that the ancient Sumerians might have believed in a 12th planet doesn’t mean there is one. There is no modern evidence for Nibiru at all.

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Does anyone want to volunteer to pay $5,000 extra in taxes this year?

Whether you be poor, rich, or even middle class, cap on trade is here. Amazingly enough most people do not know about it or do not fully understand what it will do for them. The basic idea is that the Federal Government will create a figure that it thinks is an appropriate amount of carbon emissions. It will then create a hefty tax for any additional carbon emissions.

So what are the results?

Coal, natural gas, and anything that emits "greenhouse" gases will be taxed. This is not only going to effect your electricity costs. Corporation use gasoline and energy to produce everything from tampons to food. There will even be a tax associated with tilling a field because of the carbon the soil will release.

Inevitably corporations will transfer the tax onto the consumer. If you don’t believe that to be true, listen here to our genius of a President openly discuss that fact:

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/02/obama-ill-make-energy-prices-skyrocket/

We are not talking about a few buck here. We are talking about trillions of dollars that our liberal, progressive, moronic government wants to spend in order to fix a problem that is not even scientific fact. There are numerous problems with Gore’s assertion and also with the ways we are trying to rectify the energy crisis.

Whether you are liberal or conservative, no matter what you believe, exposing yourself to opinions that are in contradiction with your own is not a bad thing. It ensures not only that you will be educated enough to comment on something, it also ensures that you understand the entirety of the issue you are discussing. Because of this I would ask anyone that wishes to respond to this discussion to at least read a few pages of the following link to see what many scientists are saying about our government’s new policies and ideas about anthropogenic warming:

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=83947f5d-d84a-4a84-ad5d-6e2d71db52d9

In an hour or so your congress will put to vote a bill that will cost every American thousands of dollars each year. If you think for a second that you will be okay because you are poor you are sadly mistaken. I currently make 35-40,000 dollars a year. I own a 1500 square foot house that was built 70+ years ago. Because of this my house is under-insulated. If I were wealthy and this bill passed, I would buy solar panels and switch to geothermal heating. Unfortunately because I am merely middle class, I will not be able to afford the immense increase in my taxes, food costs, transportation cost, etc, that will be inevitable if this bill passes.

So what I ask is this: can anyone honestly say that they believe this to be the correct course of action. While you are being bombarded with Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett stories, you congress is about to pass a bill that will put an IMMENSE financial strain on families that are already struggling. I am asking that no matter what your beliefs that you take a few moments to look at these two links. If you are one of those people that has an opinion that is based on little more than what you have been taught via unqualified public school teachers, or by our politicians, or by the media, please, take a few moments to look at those links and share your opinion about what is about to happen.

Here is a phone number that will allow you to contact your congress person’s office. This is URGENT. This bill goes to vote in a matter of minutes. Good luck getting through.

2022243121

The following link will allow you to contact your local reps via online form. This is probably the best method as the phone lines are swamped with angry voters:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

Enter your zip at the right of the page, click on the representatives name, and then click on online contact form.
I’m willing to bet none of you even bothered looking at the links. That’s because what you are spewing is "meaningless political jargon"

I’ll volunteer all those who voted for Obama to pay more in taxes.

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Solar Systems and DIY?

I’d like to build some solar panels for my house, and I have the instructions to do so. However, I live in NY, which means we get snow and ice. Because of this I question the use of glass, or at least standard glass, that might be more incline to break or chip. Would alternatives work as well? Also, I heard that an anti-reflective coating on the "glass" would increase the efficiency of the panels, but I can’t find anything that would do this unless I order pretty expensive "glass" (which sort of defeats the purpose of making the panels myself). Any advice?

You can use double strength glass, which is, as the name implies, twice the strength of standard glass. The other option is to use a tempered glass which increases the cost substantially. As far as buying pure "white" glass, you are getting well beyond reasonable cost.

Here is a list of manufacturers and distributors of anti reflective coatings, from a brief read it seems that this may not be a do it yourself project. Good Luck!

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what is the scope for alternate fuel in India?

can anyone suggest me a project in alternate fuel (final semester mech engg), and details regarding various fuels,their availability and modern methods?

Brazil supplies a huge amount of their fuel from alcohol and is a model for the rest of the world they prove its economically viable imagine the possibilities?

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