Once installed save fortunes in bills , solar and wind power can save you money and save the environment even if it is just a bit.
Interested in opinions as I am starting a business in supplying both.
Actually rain power could be an untapped source. Good thinking.
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Hello,
I know little on solar power for the home. I understand that it is possible to convert power to chemical form then use it as electricity. My question is, what elements are involved and how is the sizing being done?
I need the power design to power lights (say 10), TV and radio.
First of all, the conversion is chemical to electricity, as in the chemistry of a car battery which provides an output voltage.
To meet your needs, you need to figure how much useful sunlight you will have per day. Such sources as the Weather Channel, or National Climatology office can supply that to you. You need to determine the total load. Just add everything up, and that is the load you need to have sufficient energy to provide power for. If this works out to be, let’s say 200 watts, then you need at least a 200 watt solar panel, provided that you have enough sunlight from the time that you get up in the morning, until you go to bed at night. Count on it, you won’t have enough sunlight for your needs, unless you live up in Alaska. Even then, there is part of the year where there will not be enough light at any time of the day. What you need, for full 24 hour coverage is a battery bank, and unless everything will run on 12 or 24 volts, then you need 1 or more inverters. With inverters, you lose 10% in conversion loss from DC to AC. Batteries should be RV, Trolling motor, or best yet, electric fork lift batteries, or the reasonable equivalent of such as these. I would recomment at least double to quadruple the total energy need for the solar panels, and to multiply the battery capacity by the total load supply that you have figured out, for at least a 24 hour run time. All of that, then multiplied by 90% to know how long the system will provide power, IF you use any DC to AC inverters. Within reason, the larger the battery bank, the better. Do NOT use regular car batteries, they will not last as long as you need them to last, unless you understand the difference between cranking amps, and reserve amps. Another point is that auto batteries are simply not designed for this kind of service.
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My washer is 120 volts 60 gz,9.6 amps. The solar panels I am looking at are:
Sharp ND-208U1 Solar Panels (208 Watt)
List Price $1,479.99
Only $1,049.99
Sharp solar panels (208 Watt)
List Price $1,352.99
Only $1,040.99
If I buy that will it be enough to run my washer?
Solar panels produce power in proportion to the amount of sun light and inverse proportion to the temperature. To use solar power you will need in addition to the panels a bank of batteries a charge controller and an inverter to convert to 120v. The panel(s) will only be used to recharge the batteries and the batteries connected to the inverter is what is going to run your washing machine. You therefore need to know how long is the machine going to run, how often and how much charging can you expect to get from each panel in order to figure out how many panels you will need and how many batteries. If you do only one load very infrequenly, you will be able to use a smaller battery bank and charge at a lower rate.
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I have a cabin in the woods and need more light. I do have enough sun but I was wondering how or where do I get a solar panel to lead to a power outlet? In a perfect world I would like to get a solar panel with a connecting wire to an outlet or something so I could power a small TV. I know its hard enough but can I get that pre-made? Or even lastly should I look at wind power consider I would like this to be under $500? Thank you for putting up with this bundle of questions.
A typical solar panel will deliver 50 watts of power in the form of 24 volts DC. You need 120 volts AC. So here is what it takes:
Since you will need at least 200 watts to do a small TV, you need four solar panels, and a solar controller. Then you need a 24 volt solar type battery to load the output of the panels.
Next you need an inverter. This is a device that changes 24 volts DC into 120 volts AC, which you can wire to a standard outlet for the TV set.
solar panels cost around $6 per watt of power. 200 X $6 = $1200
Solar Controller will cost around $150
The battery will cost around $100
The inverter will cost around $200
You could get by with less than 200 watts of solar panels if you just let it charge the battery all day and only use the TV for an hour or two in the evening with the TV running on the inverter which is powered by the battery.
The link is for a similar system ready to go.
Wind is not a viable option.
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A Dorky Engineering Student explains how a homebuilt wind turbine create usable Electrical Power
Duration : 0:7:48
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http://www.greenpowerscience.com/
GREEN POWER SCIENCE STIRLING ENGINE AND A FRESNEL LENS 1800 RPMS. HAD TO STOP AS ENGINE HEAT SHAFT WAS GETTING TOO HOT.
Duration : 0:2:34
solar-power/stirling-engine-fresnel-lens-solar-power-green-energy-sun#more-467″ class=”more-link”>Read the rest of this entry
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