Solardenise's Blog

Future Solar

solardenise — Sun, 30 May 2010 10:38:21 +0000

Some people ask if Solar Power even has a future. I say yes and Future Solar is right around the corner. As we speak eco-homes have clean earth technologies applied while they are being built. Before we jump into what is new here is a question for you. Did you know that the sun in an average day the sun produces 10,000 times more electricity than we use?

Up until recently Solar cell efficiency has not been all that impressive. An example would be multicrystalline panels. They range from 12%-17% in efficiency. Most home solar panels are constructed this way.
Then we have Thin Film Solar or flexable panels. These can range from 5%-8% in efficiency. These are the panels you see that can keep your car or boat battery charged.
The latest in alternative energy technology is “spray on solar”. You may hear this referred to as Quantum Dots Solar Power. An easy explanation for quantum dots is that they are a semiconductors. When combined with a special polymer can be sprayed on to a variety of materials.
Here is the twist. Up until these dots were discovered solar cell efficiency was low because the panels could only absorb visible light. That is why solar panels could not produce at night. Quantum Dots are a composite that will react to both visible light and infrared light.
The theory is that since infrared light takes place both during the day and night the insulation period is expanded and the efficiency improved. We give off infrared heat. Anything that heats up will give off infrared heat.
This alternative energy technology can be stitched into clothing and used to operate a cell phone or even a laptop. Imagine plugging your phone into your shirt. The potential applications are being studied by most of the major Solar Companies that do there own manufacturing.
They predict that can reach 30% by 2011. The actual construction, since it is flexable can be incorporated into all kinds of roofing systems. We already have Solar Shingles and with this new technology they will be able to do an even better job.
One of Solar’s big drawbacks is the cost. The cost keeps dropping but even still you are looking at anywhere from $8-$10 per watt. A 3KW (3,000 watt) system will run $24,000-$30,000 installed. The buzz around Quantum Dot Solar Power is that the cost could drop to a range from $1-$2 per watt.

What will Future Solar look like? Just about anything you can wear, or carry with you.
So does solar have a future? I think we have answered the question with a very loud YES!!!

solardenise — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:31:34 +0000

Has anyone seen the new Solar Boat? It’s got 5300 square feet of Solar Panels on it and can cruise at 15 knots. It is a catamaran style boat and is called Planet Solar. The owners (Raphaël Domjan and Gerard d’Aboville) plan to go around the world in it starting in April 2011. What I would give to go on that cruise.

5 Ways to Heat Your Pool

solardenise — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:28:03 +0000

Is this article I will tell you 5 ways to heat your pool starting from the most expensive to the least costly.

Let me start off by saying at least two of these ways have their limits as far as the ability to make your pool comfortable. I mention them because they are methods that are used.

1) Gas Heater. I went online and checked prices on 125K BTU heaters and the range is from $1250 to $1400.A gas heater will heat the pool up in a day or two.

The estimate in Central Florida keeping your pool 80* will cost you $210/month. So if you heat your pool for 5 months it will cost you $1050 + $1250 =$2300 the first year. $1050 x 5 = $5250 + $1250 =$6500. This is based on you installing the heater yourself.

2) Heat Pump. Again online prices are $4000 to $4500. You can install it yourself but because it requires a separate circuit breaker with disconnect I would not suggest trying it unless you are an electrician. The installation will cost between $500 and $1000. Let’s use the low end. $4000 + $500 = $4500 installed. Once again in Central Florida the cost per month will be $120. So $120 x 5 = $600. $600 x 5 = $3000 + $4500 =$7500.

3) Solar Pool Heater. It will cost between $5000 and $6000 installed. It will take about 3 days to heat your pool to 80*. Once installed it will cost you $0 to heat your pool. The cost after 5 years is still $5000 or on the high end $6000. If you buy your own system and install it yourself you can save even more. Comparing it to both Gas and the Heat Pump the payoff is anywhere from 4 years to 4.6 years. What is the payback on a Gas Heater or a Heat Pump? Answer: There is no payback!

4) Solar Pool blanket. The ones with the bubbles will cost you about $100 if you cut it yourself to fit your pool. You want it floating inside your pool or you will be picking it up from the corner of your yard every time the wind blows. This method is the cheapest and probably works best in northern climates where you only swim 3 to 4 months per year. You can get your pool up to 80* but with no guarantees. It will pay for itself in one season and will last 3 or 4.

5) Last on my list is to do nothing and let the sun heat your pool. If you have built yours with full exposure you should get to 80* eventually. This is what many people do.

Ways to Save Money on Utilities

solardenise — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:21:48 +0000

The first thing you may want to look at is saving water. Install a low flow shower head and low flow faucets. They are inexpensive and can save a few dollars a month. Payback on investment is relatively fast. Change you bulbs to compact flourescents. They last a long time and use a fraction of the electricity. Make sure the caulking around windows is in good shape and also check the weather stripping on your doors. Just one or two leaks on either one of these is like having a window partially opened. How much insulation do you have in your attic? Is it old and settled. Have more blown in or have someone spray foam in. Spray foam cost a little more but will seal any air leaks in your attic and help keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Which brings me to my last point. Turn your thermostat to 78* in the summer and 68* in the winter.

Evacuated Tubes VS Flat Plate Collector

solardenise — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:50:37 +0000

I’ll make this simple. If you are thinking about having a Solar Hot Water system installed in your home. I suggest a flat plate collector. Evacuated tubes are better for commercial applications because they provide hotter temperatures. flat plate collectors provide a heating range more suitable to residential use.

Concentrated Thermal Solar

solardenise — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:09:30 +0000

A solar thermal concentrator uses reflctors or mirrors focused on an object usually filled with water. As the water heats and eventually turns to steam it will start the steam generator which produces electricity. These have been called Solar Power Towers. Other variations are the parabolic trough, Dish Stirling, Concentrating Linear Fresnel Reflector, Solar chimney. These all work and are being used as we speak.

Advances in Solar Technology

solardenise — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:29:10 +0000

The new kid on the block is the concentrating solar cell. Researchers are now saying by using mirror concentrators the cost could soon be in competition with grid produced electricity. This process combined with super efficient cells is gaining ground. right now with the technology we have to produce a gigawatt of power (about the size of the typical power plant) would take a space equal to 4 square miles of silicon. To get the same production using concentration would take up around 2-2 1/2 square miles. This is still in experimental stages and the next stage is to use tracking systems to follow the movement of the sun.

Tax Credits for Solar and Wind Power

solardenise — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:43:55 +0000

Currently in the United States we have a 30% tax credit for both Wind and Solar power. The difference between a credit and a deduction is huge. While a deduction lowers your taxable income, a credit comes right off of the top. An example would be if you owe $3,000 to th IRS but you put up a $10,000 Solar system your credit would be $3,000 so you would owe nothing. If you are getting a refund the $3,000 would be added to that. Check with the people who do your taxes first. If you do your own I suggest you visit the IRS website to check the status of the credits.

Wind Power

solardenise — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:49 +0000

When I was growing up they were called windmills. Now it seems only the commercial ones are referred to that way. For residential we call them wind turbines. They can rotate on a horizontal or vertical axis. Some can generator electricity in as little as 4 mph ( miles per hours) wind. You actually need a wind of 11 mph or greater to reach max efficiency though. People are building their own and they are pretty easy to make. You can buy most all of the parts at your local hardware store and the total cost to build one comes in under $200. You will need other components like an inverter, possibly a charge controller and deep cycle batteries. The 2 latter components are if you want to be seperate from your power company, but why go the added expense? Hook right into the power grid and you eliminate the need for batteries and the charge controller. This system would have a payback period of under 5 years and would last 2-3 times that long or more. A wind turbine is also a great compliment to a solar PV system.

Solar Electric

solardenise — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:16:06 +0000

To day we’ll talk a little about Solar Photo-voltaic panels. From now on I’ll refer to it as PV. These panels produce electrity from the sun through the photoelectric effect. PV panels date back to the 1880′s. Nasa has been using them on satellites and they are also used on the Space Station. Last year the Kennedy Space center started up their new 10 mega-watt array. they partnered with Florida Power and Light on the project. Enough about the commercial side. Let’s talk about residential. I lay out 3 ways you can go. Of course there are more but we’ll keep it simple.

Grid Tied system. A growing number of utility companies are offering Net-Metering. You are still hooked into the power grid. This means that if your system produces more than you use they will buy it back in the form of credits. This is like putting electricity in the bank. In the event that you produce more your meter runs backwards. Check with your utility company to see if they offer net metering.

Grid Tied with battery backup. The advantage to this is in the event of a power outage you will have power with a battery backup. how much power depends on the amount of battery storage you have. you can still be on a net metering program.

Stand Alone or Off Grid. You are not tied into the power grid but are using batteries as your main power source. The panels charge the batteries during the day. It’s always a good idea when doing this to incorporate a generator for backup.

These are the 3 basic systems. Next I’ll talk about Solar GenerConcentration.