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Solar Power Cost

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So how much does solar power cost exactly?

solar power cost

Well, maybe a better question we should be asking ourselves is, what will it cost us if we do not invest in solar power systems. With the effects of Global Warming, pollution from cars, and waste generated from power plants, we are effectively killing our most precious resource. If we do not begin to change the way we create and use energy, we will no longer have a livable earth to make our homes on. We will be handing down a diseased planet not worth living on to our children, where there will be no clean water to swim in, fresh non polluted air to breathe, or nutritious produce to consume. It is time to join a movement that is continually gaining momentum and will continue to do so. However it needs your help, and all that’s asked of you is to save money while saving the earth. So when thinking about solar power costs it’s not a very difficult decision is it?

There are so many reasons to install solar power to your home that it makes no sense not to anymore. More benefits are being discovered everyday. For instance the solar power systems cost of a residential home is dramatically reduced due to the fact that after the initial investment of installing solar panels, the energy created is 100% free. Older methods of energy creation that pollute the atmosphere like coal and nuclear technology are rising sharply in price and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Did you know you can even sell the solar energy to the utility company’s even furthering your savings. Not to mention the positive effects on the earth that come with not needing to use negative forms of generating energy. Solar panels are 100% environmentally friendly, no pollution at all, zilch, Nada, nothing!

Fortunately we are able to utilize solar power in easier and cheaper ways due to advancements in technology and techniques used to create more energy efficient, cheaper, and better looking solar panels. Luckily there are extremely easy ways to lower the cost of solar power, and also have some fun by making solar panels yourself. Doing it this way can drastically lower the amount of money you’ll spend on your initial investment. I highly recommend trying it out, just be careful when purchasing a kit, they are not all created equal.

This site is dedicated to helping everyday people move towards creating there own self sufficient renewable and cost effective solar electricity. For those of you who think that implementing solar energy into your household is to expensive or that you would like to but have no idea of how to go about it, well then you have come to the right place. It is our hope that we will be able to teach you about Solar Power Cost and the savings it will pass on to you.

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Solar Army of One

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The US armed forces have been utilizing solar power for some time now. Recently they have been making a larger effort to utilize alternative sources of energy in order to solve problems with for one the cost of using and transporting fossil fuels. But also the danger of having to transport fuel to bases and command centers.

I think it’s really important for the armed forces to embrace alternative energies for a number of reasons. For one it cuts down on the massive costs of funding operations overseas dramatically. This is due to less fossil fuel convoys needing to travel through enemy territory which in turn helps cut down on fatalities of our troops. It also saves on the obvious costs of soaring fossil fuels. If there is a way to generate the power needed for bases and operations without putting our men in uniform in the way of even more danger then all efforts should be of the utmost importance to utilize solar power.

The armed forces have often played a major part in developing and furthering important technology. To see the military embracing new alternative energy technology is an important step for the industry. The army has recently unveiled the Rucksack Enhanced Portable Power System or (REPPS) for short. The rucksack contains a 62 watt solar blanket that can be utilized for running electrical equipment and charging batteries if more power is needed several REPPS may be daisy chained together creating a powerful solar energy system. At only 10 lbs. the rucksack is extremely portable and I expect to be seeing quite a few more small portable solar power options in the near future.

To read the full story please visit: http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/08/02/43176-army-deploys-innovative-battery-recharging-kit/

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New Solar Technology Solar Window Coating

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Solar Window Coating

Poor Windows Just Sitting There Waiting to Get Sprayed.

There is a new technology in the solar power industry you may have not yet heard of. New Energy Technologies have just unveiled their new solar window coating. The see-thru spray consists of the worlds smallest organic solar cells, and is easily applied to glass window surfaces without blocking the sunlight from your home or business.

Some of the highlights of this technology are:

  • The solar cells in the spray are so small that they measure about a 1/4 the size of a grain of rice.
  • The coating is very easy to apply and does not need costly vacuum or high temperature techniques but can instead be sprayed on at room temperature.
  • The solar window coating conducts electricity from both natural light and does a much better job at generating electricity from artificial lighting. In fact it can generate up to ten fold the electricity from artificial light then traditional solar cells.

The aspect that really gets me excited aside from the ease of installation is the fact that it can generate quite a bit more power from artificial light then traditional PV cells. This is pretty cool because one of the disadvantages to today’s solar cells is it’s dependency on direct sunlight, this is a problem because it dictates where you need to place solar cells on your residence or business. What New Energy Technologies is proposing is that you will be able to use solar window coating on all of your glass windows and conduct energy from artificial light such as fluorescent as well, instead of just applying it to areas where there is direct sunlight.. How much energy and savings could be garnered from artificial light I am not quite sure about yet and will have to be seen, but the prospect non the less is interesting.

Unfortunately the companies website is a little vague on how the solar cells are actually able to do this, but it does state that in a scientific study:

“Under normal office lighting conditions, without the benefit of outside natural light from windows, New Energy’s ultra-small solar cells produced:

  • Almost 2-fold greater output power density than monocrystalline silicon, an established commercial solar cell material;
  • More than 8-fold greater output power density than copper-indium-selenide, known for its high optical absorption coefficients and versatile optical and electrical characteristics; and
  • More than 10-fold greater output power density than flexible thin-film amorphous-silicon, a popular ‘second-generation’ solar thin-film material.”

So, we will have to see if the energy generated from artificial light is enough to be considered any value on it’s own, but as an additional source of energy combining with the energy generated from direct sunlight, along with the ease of use, solar window coating may be a strong contender. Time will tell, and we’ll keep you updated.

What do you think about Solar Window coating, breakthrough, or meh? Be sure to let us know.

Make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed so you can stay up to date when we post more information on renewable energy technology and thank you for visiting Solar Power Cost.

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Are Solar Rebate Programs Working?

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Over the last couple of years we’ve seen the solar industry boom due to solar rebate initiatives. These programs give a residential or business owner money back for solar power installations. Depending on what state you are in these rebates can be of a substantial amount of money, and they have been quite successful.

Not only have these programs increased the amount of photovoltaic systems throughout the US but the average cost of installing a new solar power installation has decreased dramatically from $9 to $6 since 2008. This is a huge difference in price.

This decrease in the cost of solar power is extremely important for the future as at the moment cost for a Kilowatt of power throughout the US ranges from 8 cents to just under 20 cents per KwH. These prices are set to dramatically increase in the upcoming years. Renewable energies however will continue to fall as more and more projects are completed. This will amount to vast savings in the next 50 years .

Not to mention the revenue and jobs solar power projects are bringing in as well. Take Pennsylvania for instance. According to The Mercury, “the share of solar power added to Pennsylvania’s grid increased by 350 percent and brought $1.4 million into the state’s economy in 2009.” As our economy and job market is in recession, generating new technology jobs, while generating clean renewable energy should be a main focus for the US.

We are also seeing a positive trend of schools embracing the need of investing in solar power for it’s environmental and economical benefits.

All in all, renewable energy is gaining more mainstream support everyday.

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New Technology May Cut Solar Power Costs Dramatically

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There’s been a recent and cool new breakthrough in solar power technology. Scientists at NREL have developed a way to use chemicals in order to etch a trillion microscopic holes in silicon wafers. So what does this mean for the solar industry? Actually it might mean quite a bit especially in solar power costs.

The scientists start with a cylindrical wafer of silicon and introduce chloroauric acid which creates nano-particles of gold that then etch into the silicon in such small diameter that it would take 40 of these holes to equal one human hair.

Light comes from the sun as protons and then can be converted into electrons for our use. The problem lies in the fact that the protons bounce off of surfaces and the potential energy is then lost. This is where the tiny little holes come in. Through the addition of these holes being etched into the gray silicon it turns incredibly black which will allow the silicon wafer to capture all the colors of light the sun throws at it.

Now black silicon wet etch technology is not perfect yet, and there are still a lot of studies to do. For one the wafer itself is able to capture more protons then traditional PV reflective surfaces. However NREL’s solar cells made with the solar wafer are still a few tenths of a percentage less efficient then traditional photo voltaic cells. NREL is now working on improving the effiency of the solar wafer.

But with this technology the cost of producing solar cells is greatly reduced, and simplified using the chemical bath, and forgoing a reflective surface. They have also found that the solar wafer requires about a third less of the energy as opposed to adding a reflective layer. Furthermore the solar wafer is much better for the environment as dangerous gases are used in the production of traditional solar cells such as silane, and nitrogen trifluoride. These gases are horrendous to the environment, and therefore cuts down on greatly on greenhouse gases. This will mean a significant drop in the cost for solar roof tiles and other photo voltaic devices.

Visit http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/09/cheaper-better-solar-cell-is-full-of-holes to read the full story.

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