Comments for Solar Power and Solar Panels

Comment on HOW TO MAKE SOLAR PANELS FOR SCIENCE MODEL? by Skechers

Skechers — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:31:59 +0000

Solar cells convert the energy of the sun into electricity. By using items commonly found in the home or your local hardware store, you can make a solar panel to demonstrate this photoelectric effect. You can also save energy by converting some of your traditional electrical supply over to solar power.
Things You’ll Need:
• One electric stove or hotplate (at least 1100 watts)
• Sheet metal shears
• One micro-ammeter (able to read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes)
• Tap water
• One 2 liter plastic bottle or glass
• Safety goggles
• Two to three tbsps. of table salt
• 1/2 -foot square sheet of copper flashing
• Electric drill with sand paper
• Two alligator clip leads
Harness the Power of the Sun. Here are the procedures:
1. Use sheet metal shears to cut the copper flashing in a square or rectangle to fit the size of the electric burner. Be sure to use a piece of copper flashing that is thoroughly cleaned. You may use sandpaper to thoroughly remove any sign of corrosion before proceeding.
2. Place the copper flashing on the electric burner and turn the burner on. You will need to "cook" the flashing for as long as 30 minutes or more to develop a thick layer of black cupric oxide.
3. Allow the copper to cool slowly once the layer of cupric oxide has formed. It will begin to flake off and may do so with some force as the oxide and the copper cool at different rates.
4. Scrub the completely cooled copper under running water to remove any last remaining bits of oxide. Be gentle, as you do not want to remove any of the red cuprous oxide that has been created in heating the flashing.
5. Cut another piece of copper to the same size. Attach both panels using the alligator clips to the inside of the wide-mouth glass jar or plastic bottle with the top cut off. The panels should not touch and should bend to match the curves of the jar or bottle.
6. Connect the lead of the alligator clip which fastens the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. The negative terminal should then be connected to the cuprous oxide plate.
7. Make a solution of salt and water by dissolving the salt in hot tap water. You should make enough solution to barely cover the bottom of the plates, leaving the clips high and dry.
8. Place your solar panel in the sun to see the gauge jump to reflect the current your project has created.
References :
http://www.ehow.com/how_2056821_make-solar-panel.html

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by rgathright

rgathright — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:35:59 +0000

You are not alone in wanting an answer to this question. My neighbors have been asking me whether they can power their AC units in the same way to a solar panel.

First, your problem is going to be providing power at night when the solar panels are not providing electricity. Doing this will require a bank of high capacity batteries. Here is some detailed discussion about doing just that: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5547078/increasing_inverter_capacity_with_the.html?cat=6

Second, the amount of power required to generate the required current of 220 VAC @ 8 amps that you asked for is about 1760 Watts. Today, solar panels are selling for $3.50 per watt. You would need to purchase $6160 worth of solar panels and then find someone willing to install them. Finally, a 220VAC inverter would cost about $1500 on today’s market. As you can see the costs are rather steep to obtain a true off-the grid solar powered air conditioning system. Here is some discussion about what a 50 watt solar panel can do: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5435226/how_to_install_a_50_watt_solar_panel_pg2.html?cat=57

The solution to your problem is going with a hybrid solar array. In this situation, you would have your power company install a reversible power meter on your home. Then you connect your solar panels to an inverter that produces 120VAC at the same approved wave length as the power company provides. During the day, power is sent back to the electric company and they deduct that from your bill. While you would not power your Air Conditioner directly from solar power, you would still be given credit for the solar power generated during the day. Several of my friends and neighbors are going this route because of its simplicity of design and ultimately its ability to be expanded to multiple solar panels at once by you.

Good luck and I hope that you decide to go solar. I am not paid or compensated for my advice from any solar outfit or power company.
References :
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5566608/what_do_polycrystalline_solar_panels.html?cat=57

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by Morris D.

Morris D. — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:15:59 +0000

If your state offers "New Metering" look into installing a grid-tie system. You won’t need to rely on batteries storing the energy your panels produce and if you produce more energy than you consume one month the utility company will actually credit your account for that surplus. I would recommend Global Solar Center as a good starting point (http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/). They will provide you with a free solar quote and inform you of all the incentives you’ll be eligible for, your estimated annual savings, payback period etc… They’ll provide you with all the info you’ll need to make a smart decision. Whether or not the system powers your entire central units consumption, at the end of the day you will be saving on your monthly utility bill. Your location will be a major factor as far as feasibility goes but you should definitely start by visiting that site.
References :
http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by redbird

redbird — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:08:59 +0000

check this out, http://solarpanelsbook.com/types-solar-panels.htm

http://www.solaruniverse.com/residential
References :

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by Tiffany

Tiffany — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:30:59 +0000

It would probably be best to call a business that installs solar power and gives free in-home energy analysis’. You could try Sungate Energy Solutions. 1 (888) 9Sungate
References :
http://www.thesungate.com/contact_sungate_energy_solutions/index.cfm

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by briggs451

briggs451 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:05:59 +0000

You would need about 5.5kW to power a small central a/c which translates into about 350 square feet of panels. You would also need a battery with around 85 kwh capacity or more, an inverter to convert to alternating current, and a transformer to step the voltage up to 220v.
References :

Comment on How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit? by fuzzykjun

fuzzykjun — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:25:59 +0000

8 amps?? what a laugh,,, try closer to 20 and more when it suges on,,,,they do not a large panel like that,, you have to combine several together to get the juice required,, and you need a regulator plus a bunch of expensive batteries and then a converter to change the DC to AC
References :

Comment on How do I make solar panels for free? by Bravo

Bravo — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:33:59 +0000

Actually you could. Homemade solar panel is much cheaper than buying one.
Try the link below to build your very own solar panel.
References :
http://bestreviewonly.com/solar-panel-guide/

Comment on How do I make solar panels for free? by garyrockzzz

garyrockzzz — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:56:59 +0000

Its not easy to make a solar panel for free offcourse. You will definitely need few things which may cost you few bucks. But you can concentrate on building cheap solar panels which work. You can find many guides on the internet which shows you how to make solar panels easily.

Here is a guide Earth4Energy that offers a lot of fantastic home made solar solutions on their site, which can be built easily, for the low cost of less than $200.
For more info :http://solarpanels-for-home.blogspot.com
References :

Comment on How do I make solar panels for free? by kbtrumpeteer

kbtrumpeteer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:20:59 +0000

You can't really. Even if you managed to get your hands on ALL the materials without too much hassle or getting thrown into jail, you'll still need a clean-room.
References :