Here’s a form of solar energy you might not be thinking of. It’s perfect for those of you who like to jump in an RV and travel across the plains, the wind blowing in your hair as the road drifts by underneath you. Today we’ll talk about RV solar power!
So your hauling down route 66 and you and your family decide to stop for a night at a nearby campground. Only problem is your out in the boonies and this particular campground does not offer electricity, so what are you to do? You could move on down to the next stop, but your tired from driving all day and you just want to relax. That is why you bought your RV in the first place right? Well if you have solar power for RV you sir are in luck!
Used with creative commons permission from Sideshow Bruce.
RV solar power kits [...]
According to the South Brunswick Post, Dow Jones has launched a massive solar project.
On Monday a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the solar project which will be built on it’s route 1 campus. 13,000 solar panels will be installed on parking areas throughout the 2,000 acre campus. Depending on how much sunlight their is the solar system will account for between 15% to 50% of energy consumption of the campus.
Used with creative commons permission from Brighton Earthship
During the ribbon cutting ceremony U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, made mention of the BP oil spill fiasco, and encouraged a need to move away from traditional dirty forms of generating power, such as oil, and coal, and move towards clean renewable sources of energy. The Senators heavily praised Dow Jones for it’s efforts to go solar, and encouraged other large corporate entities to follow in their foot steps.
The solar [...]
Photo used under Creative Commons from James Cridland
So what’s the major aspect of solar energy that’s really holding it back? Don’t know the answer?
Well I’ll tell you, it’s efficiency.
Efficiency of silicon solar cells at the moment is limited to around 30%. That’s not a lot when you think about it. That means 70% of the sunlight that’s hitting your panel is completely wasted.
So why is it wasted, and why can we not figure out a way to utilize more?
Well first you need to understand a bit of the science of how silicon solar cells work… Nope, not gonna get into a long winded discussion right here, if you would like to know more about that please visit Solar Energy Facts.
The problem is that most of the energy coming from the sun is just to high to be turned in to usable energy. Hot Electrons is the term used to [...]
Photo used under Creative Commons from jhritz
If you are looking to add a solar power system to your residence but you absolutely hate the look and bulkiness of photo-valtaic panels (Solar Panels), than solar roof tiles or solar shingles might be exactly what your looking for.
Solar roof tiles are shingles that operate in he same way as solar panels. Meaning they use the same technology and properties as solar panels to generate electricity by using the suns natural photons to create DC which is then converted into AC for use within your home. Solar shingles are designed to look like regular roof tiles and come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. Because of this they are a much more subtle and aesthetically pleasing package plus they offer the same benefits of it’s bulkier counterparts such as drastically reduced electricity bills, and non negative affects on the environment. Win, [...]
Photo used under Creative Commons from mjmonty.
Traditional heating systems can take up a lot of energy and cost quite a bit of money. A good way to deal with this is utilizing a solar air heater. Solar air heaters can be used in any building whether it’s your home, business, or a work shop like a garage or a green house.
Most solar air heaters work a little bit different then you might expect. When we talk about solar energy it is usually in the context of energy generation. However for a solar air heater we are only generating heat by using the sun not electricity. This simplifies the process quite a bit, and makes it very easy to build your own. Just like with most things in life, it really is quite simple as long as we look at it that way. Lets take a look at the process:
The [...]
