Before you start your plans for solar electric power, educate yourself in what the changes will mean for you. You may want to be totally self-sufficient and at the same time save money on your utilities. Changing to solar electric power will do both of those things and at the same time you’ll be saving our country by becoming ‘green.’
The best time to decide what is needed will be when the home is built, but many are going ahead and changing out the of electric power to solar electric power to achieve the same success as a new home will provide. So in both new homes and older homes, you should first check the windows and make sure they are double paned. Over time window and doorframes become weathered and aged and they need to be draft proof. Attic insulation also needs to be checked and either upgraded or replaced.
After you’ve checked and find that your home is up to standards, plan your solar electric power. You may need a professional to achieve the greatest success. If you’re planning on doing the project yourself, there are some things that you’ll need. Things like a battery meter and a start-stop switch for the solar power generator.
The professional suggest more outlets, and some could be low voltage outlets that will work well for devices that require little energy. Phone answering machines and fans work well with those. You’ll be able to put more outlets outside and in places like workshops, detached garages, or even gazebos. Place the outlets where more work will take place instead of lighting up the entire area, like desks or workbenches.
Power tools, lawn mowers, and other outside devices will require the outside outlets. Most plugs work on 120 volt power, and the stronger electric needs of 220 or 240 volt could be handled with your former electric power, at least until they find ways to convert the solar electric power to that higher voltage. Then you will be totally self-sufficient, and your utility company may be coming to you to purchase your electricity.
When you decide on solar power, keep that in mind whenever you purchase items that will run off that power. Just remember converted solar power is still electricity and it takes a person familiar with electricity to process the photovoltaic collection panels and battery storage units for use in your home outlets.
SolarGEM specializes in Orange County solar energy, Orange County solar panels, and Riverside solar energy.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
What is Solar Energy?
Solar Energy is the ability to create heat or electrical power from the sun and is referred to as solar energy. It is also clean and doesn’t pollute our environment.
There are two types of solar energy:
No. 1 = Solar thermal conversion uses the sun to create heat and that turns into electrical power. Solar means of the sun; thermal means of heat; and conversion means to change from one form to another.
No. 2 = Photovoltaic conversion. Photo means light; Voltaic means producing electricity.
Solar Thermal Conversion use reflectors or mirrors that concentrate the sun’s light to extremely intense heat. It works in the same way as a magnifying glass that can start a fire when held over flammable material. The reflectors or mirrors direct the sunlight on to containers that are filled with liquid and sometimes they use water. However the water does not retain the heat as well as other liquid.
They heat the liquid to high temperatures and that produces steam. Then the steam turns a turbine and the turning motion creates electricity. Electricity generators, windmills, and even nuclear power plants generate energy in the same way. However windmills use wind to create the turning, and nuclear power plants use coal or gas to create the energy.
Photovoltaic Conversion creates a cell that turns to electric energy when it is exposed to light and it works similar to a flashlight battery with a positive and negative charge. They usually have panels that have two layers of material with a positive and a negative and when a wire connects the two it creates electricity.
The amount of electricity generated depends on how much is exposed to the sun, how strong the sun is, the time of day, weather and where it is located. For instance the solar power cell creates more electricity when it is near the equator than the ones in the arctic regions.
The improvements made in recent years and the solar energy is becoming more popular as people become more familiar with the process. One business that plans to change its entire operation is the Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California. They have constructed strong metal beams all across their parking lots. The beams face to the south and west and they will be installing solar energy and creating their own power plant.
To make your own investment on a smaller scale, contact a business online and make the same decisions to control your own future.
SolarGEM specializes in Orange County solar energy, Orange County solar panels, and Riverside solar energy.
There are two types of solar energy:
No. 1 = Solar thermal conversion uses the sun to create heat and that turns into electrical power. Solar means of the sun; thermal means of heat; and conversion means to change from one form to another.
No. 2 = Photovoltaic conversion. Photo means light; Voltaic means producing electricity.
Solar Thermal Conversion use reflectors or mirrors that concentrate the sun’s light to extremely intense heat. It works in the same way as a magnifying glass that can start a fire when held over flammable material. The reflectors or mirrors direct the sunlight on to containers that are filled with liquid and sometimes they use water. However the water does not retain the heat as well as other liquid.
They heat the liquid to high temperatures and that produces steam. Then the steam turns a turbine and the turning motion creates electricity. Electricity generators, windmills, and even nuclear power plants generate energy in the same way. However windmills use wind to create the turning, and nuclear power plants use coal or gas to create the energy.
Photovoltaic Conversion creates a cell that turns to electric energy when it is exposed to light and it works similar to a flashlight battery with a positive and negative charge. They usually have panels that have two layers of material with a positive and a negative and when a wire connects the two it creates electricity.
The amount of electricity generated depends on how much is exposed to the sun, how strong the sun is, the time of day, weather and where it is located. For instance the solar power cell creates more electricity when it is near the equator than the ones in the arctic regions.
The improvements made in recent years and the solar energy is becoming more popular as people become more familiar with the process. One business that plans to change its entire operation is the Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California. They have constructed strong metal beams all across their parking lots. The beams face to the south and west and they will be installing solar energy and creating their own power plant.
To make your own investment on a smaller scale, contact a business online and make the same decisions to control your own future.
SolarGEM specializes in Orange County solar energy, Orange County solar panels, and Riverside solar energy.
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