Posts Tagged ‘homemade solar panel’

Everybody needs to begin conserving energy. Unless you act, the earth will be harmed and fuel costs will remain high. We must be more energy conscious and make an effort to reduce energy consumption. What can we do to start making a change?

Ensure windows are closed and in good condition. To prevent such a major energy loss, it is important to make this your first priority. Take a look at your hot water supply system. Is it sufficiently warm to ensure adequate supply of hot water yet sufficiently cold to save energy? Do you have an insulating material blanket around the water heater to preclude energy escaping? These two things will make your water heating system more effective and use less energy without building a homemade solar panel system.

Switch off inessential lights. This would save you money on your energy bill. Let the sunlight come in during the day. Windows and curtains must be drawn at night to prevent heat from getting out. This habit could make a difference on your energy.

As your electric light bulbs need to be replaced, replace them with energy effective Energy Star light bulbs. These bulbs will last longer and be energy effective, using a lot less energy to light up a room. You do not have to do it all at the same time, only over time as the bulbs have to be substituted.

Air conditioning isn’t necessary when a ceiling fan will be adequate. It is better to move the air around than to cool it down. Turn off all unused electrical equipment. Use light dimmers and lower the speed of roof fans. Get used to using less lights in the house. All steps you take can contribute to savings and make a difference.

Trees and shrubs planted in your garden can be a shelter and add shade to your home during summer. In frigid weather conditions the house is insulated by shrubs and trees planted in the garden.

You can save on driving expenses by accelerating your car slowly. Stay under the speed restriction and reduce speed well before reaching red traffic lights. Accelerate slowly when the traffic signal goes green again. Such savings will be very pronounced when you calculate your miles per gallon consumption.

Follow these few rules to begin conserving fuel for more energy saving ideas go to Earth4Energy. Involve your family to ensure success. Good energy practices need to be formed which will help you with saving money for your household budget. You will be helping the environment and putting money in your own pocket. Read How to Build a Wind Turbine for more information on how to utilize wind energy.

In summary, a solar panel is just a device that takes the collection of sunlight and converts it into electrical energy or heat. More and more homeowners are wanting to become indepent of the grid and starting to implement a homemade solar panel. You can as well but proceed with caution. Electricity is dangerous. If you make the decision to support this trend, make sure your read our review about which homemade solar panel do-it-yourself kits are safe and tested.

The Concept of Solar Panels

Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels and the atoms that are present in these panels are excited by the action of the sun’s energy. There are two panels called protector panels. These atoms reside within two layers of protector panels.

A formation of electric current takes place as a result of the action of the electrons from the aforementioned, excited atoms, and these are then used by a myriad of external devices. Going back a few hundreds of years, you can find that solar panels were actually in use for the purpose of heating home water. Often, light is concentrated through a specifically shaped mirror and onto a tube of oil. Due to this action, there is a heating up of oil and as these heated oil travels through a vat of water, it instantly results in the boiling of this water. The steam resulting from the boiling process is then used to turn a turbine and generate electricity.

The History of Solar Panels

It was in the year 1839 that the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Antoine – Cesar – Becquerel, a French physicist. His study on this subject involved electrolyte cells made from two metal electrodes and placed in an electrolyte solution.

Becquerel discovered that when this device was exposed to sunlight there was a noticable increase in the amount of energy generated. The first working solar cell was created by Charles Fritts in 1883 when he applied a thin layer of gold to sheets of selenium. Over a period of time many experiment were conducted and discoveries were made when it came to solar cells. Albert Einstein also published his thesis on the photoelectric effect, during this time and also won the Nobel Prize for his research.

It was space satellites that made large scale use of solar electrical energy for the first time. By 1980, the United States of America, produced a solar cell which provided an efficiency of nearly twenty percent, this efficiency was increased to around twenty four percent in the next two decades and currently there are a few companies that are manufacturing solar cells that offer efficiency levels of nearly twenty eight percent

The Working of Solar Panels

Pure silicon forms the basic element of all solar panels as its makes for an ideal platform that aids transmission of electrons. This substance is applied on the plates that make up photovoltaic cells. It is also possible to create solar panels by merging silicon panels with other elements with either negative or positive charges.

The Silicon atoms are exposed to the bombardment of photons when negative plates of solar cells are faced towards the sunlight. Once all free electrons are drawn away from the plates, enough electricity is generated to power various electronic appliances that do not require too much electricity to power them.

Features and Types of Solar Panels

Basically there are three types of solar panels, namely mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and amorphous solar panels. The average life expectancy for a solar panel is around 20 years but it can vary depending on the type of solar panel you select.

Solar panels do not require sustained maintenance for their upkeep although; if lead acid batteries are used then they must be checked every six months and topped up with distilled water if required. For those who are thinking of putting in a solar panel but are unsure of what size to go with, the easiest way to figure this out is to figure out your average daily consumption and base the size on your actual needs. This would give you a fair idea of what kind of solar panel to go for. In the long run, solar panels will reduce your electricity bill by a long way, and hence the option of using solar energy must be explored in a positive manner.

~Ralph Somers,

Moderator of Ralph’s Green Energy Guide