Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Home Improvement’

Solar DIY

October 31st, 2009

As for DIY solar, you can get the parts (panels, inverters, batteries, charge controllers) individually from many sources and make a system. It will not be cheap. You can’t make your own silicon cells, and probably aren’t up to designing the electronics, can’t make your own batteries etc.

Any solar is good solar! If you have the technical skills, there is no reason not to give it a try. However, DIY solar thermal is much more simple than solar electric. First, the incentives are only available for grid tied systems and panels usually come with a warranty that may only be available with professional installation. DIY is always worth considering but because the specific placement of the panels has a great deal to do with their efficiency, its usually worthwhile to speak with a pro.

DIY solar panels are a great way to save on energy bills and help your planet’s environment at the same time. They really aren’t hard to make, and can take less than a Saturday’s afternoon to set up. The best part about it, is that if you’re smart and resourceful - you can build solar panels for your home that are very inexpensive.

With a solar DIY kit you can save a significant amount of money on your initial investment. How much you save all depends on you. Going as far as buying components and building you your own will help you to understand the intricacies of how the system works and how to you may make them better and more efficient in the future. While there are many who have no trouble, we are sure that there are a few, just like us, that will need a little help. Do not let that part of the unknown discourage you.

With a solar DIY kit you can save a significant amount of money on your initial investment. How much you save all depends on you. Going as far as buying components and building you your own will help you to understand the intricacies of how the system works and how to you may make them better and more efficient in the future. While there are many who have no trouble, we are sure that there are a few, just like us, that will need a little help. Do not let that part of the unknown discourage you.

Using my solar DIY kit I initially built a mini solar system to generate enough power for my light bulb and it worked just fine. Later, I went ahead and build a bigger one and started to see some savings on my energy bills. Gradually you will see lower and lower bills. You can save up to 80% of the electricity bill by using solar energy. This can not be a bad thing for your wallet or your families budget.

Solar DIY panels use two different silicon layers to convert light into energy. The first n-type silicon layer uses light plus energy to create electrons, which increase in energy and travel through the holes of this layer onto the p-type layer, allowing the electric current to capture and convert light into electricity.

Therefore, solar DIY is definitely something to think about if you live in a warm climate.Would you like to cut your power costs? Home solar will definitely reduce the amount of energy you are contributing to the environment. Solar DIY instruction guides are available at all levels and commonly include the construction of solar panels, also known as photovoltaic technology to create energy you can store and use for household appliances.

Building your own solar hot water panels collectors is a breeze. The technology is simple and easy to understand if you have the basics. Tinker your own DIY solar into new savings.

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Solar Water Pumps

October 30th, 2009

Solar water pumps brought a lot of attention to themselves once again with the recent variations in prices of oil that hit almost everyone. A similar thing happened in the late 70s but we did not learn the lesson. As soon as oil prices came down, so did our intent to use more sustainable energy sources.

Solar water pumps have a huge advantage over regular pumps, they use free energy; think about it for a moment. Although one disadvantage is that solar energy is only available when the sun shines, another approach would be to simply store generated energy into batteries. Nevertheless, it would be of a great benefit to the environment and to the health of the local eco-systems where your electricity is currently produced.

Solar pumps fall into two major categories - surface, which includes pressure, delivery, and booster pumps & submersible which is primarily submersible well pumps.Delivery pumps are used to move water from one place to another. Some are capable of high pressure while others are intended mainly for moving large volumes at low pressure (such as moving water from a cistern to a stock watering tank). Flows can be small (1/2 gallon per minute or so) up to 30-40 gpm. Some (such as the popular 12 volt Shurflo pumps) are often used for pressurizing water systems in homes, RV’s, and boats.

Solar DIY is just one way to say do-it-yourself solar kit. You need particular parts to build a solar panel by yourself. You can build a solar panel by hand even if you do not take part in mechanical skills. A lot of people get scared at this point, because they do not have the right guidance. However, this can be as easy changing a light bulb once you have a little practice and understand the dynamics of how everything works.

Solar water pumps are cheap to build and cheap to power. And after the initial cost, there no one else to pay. Even uncle Sam says it good for your taxes.

With a solar DIY kit you can save a significant amount of money on your initial investment. How much you save all depends on you. Going as far as buying components and building you your own will help you to understand the intricacies of how the system works and how to you may make them better and more efficient in the future. While there are many who have no trouble, we are sure that there are a few, just like us, that will need a little help. Do not let that part of the unknown discourage you.

Solar water pumps brought a lot of attention to themselves once again with the recent variations in prices of oil that hit almost everyone. A similar thing happened in the late 70s but we did not learn the lesson. As soon as oil prices came down, so did our intent to use more sustainable energy sources.

Active systems can further be divided into direct and indirect systems. Direct systems directly heat the water in the collectors while an indirect system heats a different fluid (e.g. freon or distilled water) and the heat from this fluid is then transferred to the household water.

Building your own solar hot water panels collectors is a breeze. The technology is simple and easy to get if you have the basics. Tinker your own solar hot water panels into savings.

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Solar Panels Wholesale

October 29th, 2009

Solar power panels wholesale is no longer too expensive to be available to the average consumer. As the cost of producing solar panels decreases the number of solar panels wholesale available through the internet is increasing. You can go to websites that provide lists of solar panels wholesale dealers and search for the best deal in your state. Never pay for energy again, choose to install the Clean Energy choice of solar panels on your home for a fraction of the price just 5 years ago.

Additionally you want to find out if the panels are out of production, closeouts or simply not the most recent model. Many times you will want to buy replacement panels and this can affect availability. It is also important to verify that appropriate mounting hardware or kits will be readily available.

When you buy solar panels wholesale you are not likely to get the latest solar panel designs or products. The latest products command a premium. Suppliers want to sell the latest products and are therefore keen to shift older products to make room for the new. The older products may not be as technically advanced and may not be as efficient, but as you are buying a panel than produces a specific number of watts, the only downside may be that the latest product produces the same wattage from a slightly smaller panel. Not really a big issue.

Also to be considered as an option for wholesale pricing on solar panels are the new websites like groupon.com where companies will post offers of their group discounts. And with the way the economy is, we can all use a discount right about now coupled with some more savings on our electric bill.

You’ve probably seen calculators that have solar cells — calculators that never need batteries, and in some cases don’t even have an off button. As long as you have enough light, they seem to work forever. You may have seen larger solar panels on emergency road signs or call boxes, on buoys, even in parking lots to power lights.

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device which generates electricity directly from visible light by means of the photovoltaic effect. In order to generate useful power, it is necessary to connect a number of cells together to form a solar panel, also known as a photovoltaic module. There is more about the the different types of solar cells. The nominal output voltage of a solar panel is usually 12 Volts, and they may be used singly or wired together into an array. The number and size required is determined by the available light and the amount of energy required.

Buying solar panels wholesale does not always insure getting the most up to date products. Many of the high end manufacturers only sell to authorized dealers who they certify personally. It is very unlikely to find the newest panel designs sold as wholesale products. After a product has passed its prime then they are sold in bulk to supply companies who wholesale them to dealers and non-dealers alike.

The new solar cell differs significantly from the previous record holder - also based on a NREL design. Instead of using a germanium wafer as the bottom junction of the device, the new design uses compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide to split the solar spectrum into three equal parts that are absorbed by each of the cell’s three junctions for higher potential efficiencies.

Building your own solar panels wholesale is a breeze and just what you want to take the edge off of those high electric bills. The technology is simple and if you have the basics. Tinker your own solar panels wholesale into new savings.

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Things You Need To Know About Home Wind Turbine Design

October 27th, 2009

A few years back if I were to ask you what a home wind turbine was, you would most probably describe a massive tower with over-sized rotors plaguing the fields. But, with technology advancing and the ever-increasing energy crisis, it is now possible to have your own, scaled-down home wind turbine. What’s more is if you want to avoid the exorbitant prices of expert systems, you can learn to build and erect it yourself.

So, how does a home wind turbine make power?

A home wind turbine makes power by spinning a generator. The generator is attached to the rotor, made up of three aerodynamic blades, that is then attached to a tower. To keep the turbine facing the wind, the rotor has a tail, that acts as a weather vain.

If you do not know what a turbine/motor is or how it works, let me explain. Copper coils spin past magnets, and create an electromagnetic charge. This charge is then sent through wires to the batteries where it is stored. To use that charge in your home it needs to be passed through an inverter that changes the current from direct to alternating current. The reason wind power has become more popular on a small scale, is because of the improvement and efficiency in the design of the turbine.

Depending on your area’s wind conditions, the tower can vary in length. If you live near the sea where it is windy, the tower can be shorter, but in low-wind areas the tower needs to be taller to catch as much wind possible.

Over time the blades have improved drastically as researchers developed lighter, stronger, more efficient blades, with the capability of turning even in the lightest breeze. Back in the day, wind turbines had five blades, and looked similar to windmill water pumps, but recently they have moved to three blades, taking the form of over-sized airplane rotors. Like the tower, the blades vary in size, according to your wind conditions and energy requirements.

While so far we have been explaining the typical horizontal axis wind turbine, there is another design that is starting to gain popularity for small-scale projects. It is the vertical axis wind turbine or VAWT. Very different to the standard horizontal axis turbine, the VAWT spins on a vertical axis, and almost looks like a waterwheel put on its side. Since the VAWT tends to operate low to ground, it needs far more wind to make it turn efficiently, so it is not the ideal option for homeowners or small businesses. The VAWT has also been accused by ecologists of interrupting and harming various migratory birds, making it less attractive for green enthusiasts.

What you need to know before you buy a home wind turbine:

How big is the property?

Home wind turbines tend to work better in open areas expanding over an acre, where few nearby buildings can deflect the wind.

How windy is it where you live?

For the system to operate effectively, it is best to install the wind turbine is areas where the average wind speed is at least 11 miles per hour. You could get away with this by erecting a taller tower, and fix on larger blades.

Other uses for the wind turbine:

If you could use the turbine for other purposes, such as pumping in water from outside, then it may be more useful than you think. This is the reason you see so many windmills scattered over farms - they help pump water from reservoirs to the farmhouse.

Does my house need a constant power supply?

If you’re a home business owner that requires a constant power supply, or are just tired of the electricity company cutting off the power, then a home wind turbine may be the right solution. Even if the wind turbine is not strong enough to power the entire house for an extended period of time, it will be able to store the power for when you really need it.

Those are the keys to figuring out how much energy you need it to make, how tall the tower needs to be, and ideal sized blades, and the potential costs and benefits of buying a home wind turbine.

The great thing about technology is that it is always improving. So much so that motors have become smaller, efficient and cheap enough for us to attach a few small turbines right on the roof, and produce the same power as a larger turbine on a tall tower.

While commercially available wind power kits can cost up to $100,000, you can learn to make your power for a fraction of the cost, with part and materials sourced at home and the nearby hardware outlet. Even better news is that the United States and other countries offer tax relief for green energy homeowners, so not only can you cut your electricity costs, but your tax expenses too.

Forget about using the home made energy guide to make your own power at home! Try the Earth4Energy Instructions for free, and see how you can cut your power costs by up to 80% with your own home wind turbine and home solar power.

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What You Never Knew About Earth4Energy

October 23rd, 2009

The Earth4Energy ebook claims it can help you save up to 80% on your electricity bill, and perhaps even eliminate it completely. So does it live up our expectations? Without a doubt…Yes.

Likes:

1 - Great value for money

Earth4Energy, although similarly priced to the other guides, was the most complete and comprehensive ones we read. Furthermore, if we were ever stuck at some point in our build, the quick, helpful customer support provided great advice.

2 - Quality customer support

What we like about customer support is that not only were their replies helpful, but they came really quickly. Furthermore, it is the only guide that is regularly updated with the latest information. For example, after many requests, Earth4Energy added video instruction on how to build a working home solar kit and home wind generator, without charging us any more money!

3 - Excellent solar panel plans

The solar electric system instruction were well laid out and detailed. And with help from the step-by-step videos, they were by far the easiest to follow. The estimated costs to get all the parts was spot on. Michael Harvey, the man behind Earth4Energy, claimed we could source everything for under $150. We ended up spending only $137.88. That is amazing, if you think it would of cost us thousands of dollars to get a professional home solar power system!

Another winning aspect about Earth4Energy is that is explains how you can make the home solar power system portable, and use it to power your RV. This also comes in handy for those off the grid camping trips.

What we did not like about the guide:

1 - More than one system needed for best results:

This is one of those problems we found with all the diy energy guides. Yes, it is very possible to save up to 80% on power by following these plans, but it will take you more than one system to get there. So, depending on how much power you want to make, and where you live, you will have to scale up your systems, and obvious spend more than the claimed $250 or so to see the desired results.

Verdict:

If you are really serious about making your own home wind turbine and home solar power system to start saving money, then Earth4Energy is your best option. It has the most comprehensive instructions, practical diagrams, step-by-step videos, and top quality customer service with regular, value-added, free updates. And it is no wonder it has outperformed it closet competitors - Homemade Energy and Efficient Planet - by over 500% (based on number of happy customers).

And what’s even better is that you can now get a FREE sneak peek of Earth4Energy, before deciding to make your own Home Home Solar Power and save thousands on your electricity costs.

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Solar Indoor Lighting

October 22nd, 2009

How much do you know about solar lighting? Most people don’t realize that it can be used both indoors and out. While many of us may not have considered using home solar power to provide indoor lighting, it is becoming a growing trend world wide. It is a great way to save both money and energy.

Did you know that home solar power use dates back to over 2,600 years ago? Even still, indoor solar lighting technology is fairly new. It is, however becoming more and more frequently used in the U.S. to bring light to small structures such as park restrooms, service sheds, utility structures and others. These are locations far from established grids where conventional power sources would be cumbersome and expensive to run. There are even some commercial buildings that have begun utilizing indoor solar lighting, and the trend is growing in popularity.

Most of the indoor solar lighting in industrial use today is a mixture of solar light tube and home solar powered light technology. Combinations of home solar powered lighting and light tube technology are being used in high security applications like prisons. Solar light tubes are perfectly suited for this application, due to their ability to transfer considerable amounts of light to the interior of the structure using a very small footprint. This “hybrid” lighting method of combining home solar powered lights as a back up to these light tubes produces a solar lighting system that is extremely efficient and effective.

There are actually many uses for indoor solar lights; like lighting up your garage, shed or gazebo - not to mention the inside of your home. The fact that you don’t need an electrical source is a big advantage. All you need is a direct source of sunlight. No worrying about light bulbs or power outages. Indoor solar light installation is usually fairly easy and requires little if any maintenance and upkeep.

Many of us have buildings like garages and sheds that are far away from an electrical source making it difficult and expensive to provide a source of power. Indoor solar lighting can easily solve that dilemma and is very cost effective. You can also use products like solar skylights and track lights in your home.

With so many applications currently being made available, indoor solar lighting is showing a rapid increase in popularity. Peruse your local hardware store and you are sure to find lots of these “green” lighting products. As the technology becomes more advanced, more applications will be discovered for indoor solar lighting. The best part is that with the addition of indoor solar lights to your project, you will be saving money and the environment!

Need an easy solar lights project? Go to easysolarlighting.blogspot.com. For more info on solar technology, try solarlightssite.com.

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Is Buying Make Natural Power A Safe Bet?

October 21st, 2009

Over the past year a lot of diy energy guides have appeared on the internet, promising to teach even a complete technical newbie how to make their own home solar and wind power, and reduce their energy bills by up to 80%. One those guides happens to be Make Natural Power. But does it deliver what is promises? And is how does it stack up to the other guides?

The best thing about Make Natural Power is its cover. Everything beyond that was disappointing to say the least. Although it appears to have all the features of the the other guides, the information is very thin and not well-explained.

Good Aspects:

You will be able to build a solar and wind power system, but it will take you a very long time, unless you have great technical skills.

The Cons about getting the guide:

* Confusing illustrations

Not only were the diagrams for both the solar and wind power instructions boring and dull, but they were badly labeled and and not even to scale.

* Low quality home solar power system

The instructions were not easy to follow, and the illustrations did not help either. Because of this, the reader is required to figure things out on their own, resulting in a useless solar panel system, if it ever get finished.

* “Thin” maintenance information

While I eventually got my wind generator to work, it ended up breaking after 2 months. This could have been prevented if I was given correct advice on how to effectively maintain the wind turbine.

* Slow customer support

A lot of the time we had to contact customer service for assistance. But they were very slow to respond, and by the time they did reply we had either forgotten what the problem or had figured it out ourselves. On average, it will take over 5 days to get the answers you need.

Overall Rating

If you are willing to get a cheap knock-off of Earth4Energy, but for the same price, then by all means get the Make Natural Power guide. The book was terribly written, the instructions were confusing, and it was not a pleasant experience for me.

Tim McDonald recommends you rather try Earth4Energy for FREE, if you want to build a quality DIY Renewable Energy system and actually reduce your electricity bill.

categories: make natural power,home solar power,solar energy,wind power,renewable energy,alternative energy,home improvement,environment,technology,lighting,hobby,money saving tips,men,society

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Do It Yourself Home Solar Power Panels Tidings

September 12th, 2009

The Watt Power output of a Solar module is the number of watts output when it is illuminated under standard conditions. Watt Peak (Wp) is the direct current watts output of a solar module as measured under an Industry standardized Light Test.

Solar modules has dropped from around $27 Watt Peak (Wp) in 1982 to around $2.49 Wp today and can be expected to dive much further in the future. At $1 Wp, grid parity will have been achieved and Photovoltaics (PV) will be able to compete with the prevailing price of electricity.

Solar panels that cost less than $1 per watt to produce are on their way, as Colorado State University’s new method for low-cost, high-efficiency solar panels looks set to begin mass production. They will be sold for about $2 per watt to the public, about half the cost of current solar panels. The cost reduction comes from a new, continuous manufacturing process which uses cadmium telluride thin film rather than the more expensive crystalline silicon.

CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) permits a low cost production process. Automated high put though production processes have been employed successfully eliminating the need for expensive clean rooms or other specialty equipment.

Thin Firm CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) semiconductor material also converts low and diffuse light to electricity more efficiently than conventional cells under cloudy weather and dawn and dusk conditions. As a result, Thin Firm CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) modules will generally produce more electricity under real world conditions than conventional solar modules with similar power ratings.

Some sixty companies have announced to start thin film production by 2010. Thin-film solar cells consist of layers of active materials about 10 m thick compared with 200- to 300-m layers for crystalline-silicon cells. The technology allows for more flexible and robust shapes and is more cost effective.

The measurement of kilowatt-hours per kilowatt installed is an important factor. Calculate the average total solar watt output per dollar outlay. In most cases, when you are reach $0.15/kWh or better, you are competitive with your electric company.

There are cabling costs battery banks and inverters to consider. Calculating solar output, use an average of 5 hrs per day of sun. Eg. 4 x 80w panels produce 320 watts x 5 hrs should produce 1600 watts or 1.6 Kw per day. A 1000w system would produce about 4 Kwh per day. Most families use between 3-10 Kwh per day. Harness your very own experience with a do it yourself solar panel kit and discover this energy saving technology.

Create your unique do it yourself home solar power system. Home solar systems can form a vital part of any home emergency survival kit. Having a solar backup could be life saving in a natural catastrophe, or any other emergency where you could be cut off from main power but you have a need for electricity

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The Many Advantages Of Solar Panels

September 11th, 2009

It comes as no surprise to many that our energy sources are depleting at an accelerating rate with no end in sight. Thus, the search for alternative energy has begun, and that journey begins with solar energy. Apart from the easy availability, solar energy helps control environmental pollution. The reason most of us havent thought of using home solar power for our personal use is because of the stigma that it is expensive and troublesome to install.

However, you may be surprised to know how far away from the truth those two statements really are. Solar power will in fact save you money on your electric bill each month. In addition to saving money on your electricity bill, you can also have the satisfaction of knowing that youll be saving the planet from pollution by using solar energy.

This article hopes to accomplish to dispel any misconceived notions of home solar power as well as to introduce its many uses around the house.

Solar power can be used to cook food. A solar cooker is a cooking mechanism that doesnt need any fuel to cook. It is a small box in which you can cook a meal for up to 5 people. Did you know that you can cook food with home solar power? You can boil food, roast, and even bake all kinds of food. A solar cooker doesnt reduce your cooking methods. Stay the versatile chef that you are without sacrificing your meal by using a solar cooker. The only limitation, if it is one, is the time it takes to cook your meal as it takes just a bit longer than typical stoves. However, a solar cooker is still a great option if you are looking to cut down on your energy bill and do your part in saving the environment.

Another use of home solar power is the having a solar home lighting system. This is when you have a solar house lighting system that converts solar energy into electrical energy. You maybe asking, But how does that work? Theres no sunlight at night when you need lights the most. This is possible because the energy is stored during the day in cells for use later in the nighttime. The solar energy is stored in the solar cells.

Installing a solar lighting system can almost fully eliminate your electric bill.

You may also be unaware that you can also install a home solar powered heating system for you house.

If the sound of a solar heating system sounds like someone breaking into your savings account, be assured that that is not the case. Solar heating system installers make it a point to create home solar power solutions for homes that are aesthetically pleasing and cost effective for their customers. Placing a solar heating system is a worthy investment as people have seen a ROI within a three to four year time frame, thus being free heating after that.

Want to learn more about how to reduce your energy bill and how to make solar energy? Learn more about the Green DIY Energy windmill guide at Go-SolarEnergy.com!

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Learn How To Make Solar Panel Its Easy

September 1st, 2009

Earth4Energy is here to assist in these times of both global warming and ever increasing energy costs. Utilising Earth4Energy to show you how to make solar panel and use solar energy or wind power at home is something a lot of people are doing.

Solar electricity and wind mills systems set up by professional corporations normally take an investment of $ 3,000 or more. The return on this investment is plain only after a few years.

Michael Harvey, the author, and his team participate in fashioned the Earth4Energy line up to assist some companies and persons to figure out the question. The line up mostly focuses on two areas, home solar power and wind power.

Solar power is the most popular of renewable energy resources. It’s available everyplace on the globe in quantities that vary only modestly.

Earth4energy is not a scam, I’ve personally seen the inside of his ebook and you’ll be surprised at some of the updated information he shares with you. Follow the review in this article to save on the cost of materials needed to learn how to make solar panel.

Wind energy is a clean energy source as electricity generated by wind turbines doesn’t pollute the air or emit pollutants like other energy sources. This means less smog, less acid rain and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Earth4Energy is being sold worldwide, and has thousands of satisfied customers who have cut their electricity bills by up to 80% and more. And if you are not satisfied, they offer a 100% money back guarantee , no questions asked. We can save The Earth with less usage of fuel powered generator or other generators that harmed environment.

Learn how to make solar panel for a very small investment.

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