For those who want to use solar energy in their homes, the cost of setting up solar panels is the crucial question. It is often believed that the investment in a solar energy set up is determined by the size of the house. This is not true. Factors such as geographical location, exposure to the sun, and the level of energy consumption in the house determine how much it will cost to set up a solar panel system in a house.

So, if you want to calculate how many watts of solar panels do you need to install in your house, follow this simple method. Divide the number of kilowatt hours mentioned in your electricity bill by 30. This will provide you with the amount of average energy consumed in your house in a day. Divide your daily average by the total number of full sun hours you receive everyday. Multiply that number with 1.15 and you will be able to figure out how many watts of solar panels you need to install in your house.

For people who are already using solar energy in their homes, the best way to judge the effectiveness of a solar cell is to check its dollar/watt ratio. This is because, according to scientists, no two identical solar cells are capable of generating the same amount of energy. They say that apart from the size, various other factors affect the performance of a solar cell. These include the quality of the cells; the technology used to produce them, and the duration for which they have been functioning. The good news here is, that scientists the world over, are of the view that solar cells will become extremely affordable in the years to come. According to a report published by Prometheus Institute, the prices of a silicon-based solar panel are likely to fall from $3.66 per watt to $2.14 per watt by the year 2010. Also, the prices of the thin-film photovoltaic cells are likely to go from $2.96 per watt to $1.81 per watt.

In case you want to further reduce your energy bill, you can use scrap solar cells. Scrap solar cells are cells that break during the time of manufacture. Solar cell manufacturers often give away these cells at very low prices. It has been estimated that using scrap solar cells can help you generate electricity at a rate lower than $3 per watt.

Simply defined, a solar panel is a device that converts the sun’s rays into electricity. It is also referred to as ‘photovoltaic’ or PV cell, wherein photo stands for solar and voltaic means electricity. The electricity produced by these photovoltaic cells can be used for energy consumption in our daily lives. These panels are generally installed on rooftops. They are used both are a generator of electricity and a medium to heat water. Today, when energy sources like coal and petrol are becoming costlier, solar panels are a more viable, long-lasting option.

There are numerous advantages of using solar energy, both to us personally as well at a global level. Solar energy is a clean, pollution-free source of energy. This form of energy is capable of handling all the energy requirements of a household. It is cheaper than the power supplied by companies. In other words, solar panels can lead to major cuts in a house’s energy bills. This system is even endorsed by the governments. There are several nations that offer tax-rebates and other incentives to those who choose solar energy for their daily consumption. Solar panels are also long-lasting. One solar panel is likely to last as many as 30 years, with little maintenance. Therefore, installing this system only requires an initial investment. With do-it-yourself kits available in the markets, people can even save up on that initial investment now.

Using solar panels in your home reduces your dependence on other sources of energy. This again saves money. Most of these solar systems are extremely easy to install. Since they are usually installed on the rooftop, they do away with the wiring in the house, making it safer. Another benefit of using solar panels is the fact that sun’s energy is available in abundance. Therefore, there is no danger of this form of energy running out or depleting.

A solar panel converts the energy in sun’s rays into electricity. With the help of common items found in your house, you too can create a solar panel and generate electricity. The cleanest form of renewable energy available, solar energy will only help reduce your energy bill.

Here is a list of things you will require you create a solar panel:

One electric stove (at least 1000 watts)
½-foot square sheets of copper flashing
One 2-litre plastic bottle
One micro-ammeter
Three tablespoons of table salt
Sheet metal shears
Electric drill with sand paper
Two alligator clip leads
Safety goggles
Tap water

Steps to prepare a solar panel:

1.    First, clean the copper flashing thoroughly. If there is any corrosion on the flashing, remove it with sandpaper. With the help of the sheet metal shears, cut the copper flashing into size big enough to cover the electric stove burner.

2.    Now place the copper flashing on the electric stove burner and turn the stove on. The flashing should remain on the burner till a layer of black cupric oxide forms on it. This usually takes about 30 minutes.

3.    Once the layer of cupric oxide has formed on the flashing, allow it to cool down. Clean the flashing so that all the black cupric oxide is removed from its surface. However, make sure to leave the red cupric oxide formed in the process, as it is.

4.    Use the metal shears to cut another piece of copper flashing in the same size as the previous one. Take the 2-litre plastic bottle and cut its top off. Attach the two sheets of copper flashing to the insides of the plastic bottle using the alligator clips. The sheets have to be attached on the both sides of the insides of the bottle, and should not touch.

5.    Connect the lead of the alligator clip of the clean copper flashing to the positive terminal of the ammeter. Now connect the lead of the alligator clip of the red cupric oxide plate to the negative terminal of the ammeter.

6.    Take some hot tap water and dissolve the table salt in it. Now pour this salt solution into the plastic bottle. But make sure that the salt water solution only covers the bottom of the two copper flashings. It should not reach up to the level of the alligator clip leads.

7.    Now place this set-up in sunlight. Watch the ammeter to read the amount of electricity generated by this solar panel. While you set up your solar panel, be sure to wear your safety goggles all the time.

More and more people using solar energy are of the view that homebuilt solar panels are much more beneficial than the professionally manufactured ones. As a result, people are increasingly seeking to build their own solar panels rather than buy them in the market. In fact, even those harnessing the wind energy for electricity are choosing to build their own windmills now. This is mainly because of the steep energy as well as utility bills that people have to pay.

One of the foremost reasons for preferring homebuilt solar panels is because it is more cost-effective. Most of the things required to build a solar panel are easily available. One such do-it-yourself system, called ‘earth4energy’ is available on the Internet. This system encourages people to build their own solar panels. They equipments required in this process are generally sourced either from the house itself or can be found at the local hardware store. This system enables people to build solar panels for as less as $200 whereas a market-bought solar panel or windmill that is likely to cost around $5,000 or even more.

The earth4energy system even tells people where to source cheaper solar cells from. This results in the production of cheap solar panels, which in turn leads to faster returns on your initial investment. Another advantage of building your own solar panel is that you can customize it to suit the specific energy requirements of your home. The products available in the market have varying levels of power output that might not match your daily requirements.

Before you go green by installing a solar panel in your home, there are various aspects about this form of energy that you should be familiar with. This information will sure that you invest wisely and in the right thing, and that all your energy requirements are taken care of.

The first thing to do before you start using the solar energy is to determine your energy needs. You need to calculate the amount of energy required by your house on a daily basis. This will help you with your purchase of solar panel system, as different solar panels provide different levels of power output. Here, you will need to take into account the increased energy consumption during the winter season and the consumption during the summer months as well.

When you go out to purchase your solar panel, it will help if you do some research beforehand on the kinds of panels available in the market, their efficiencies, as well as their warranties. Ask your retailer or the manufacturer about the difference in various models of solar panels, and the power outputs they provide. You will have to decide whether to give more emphasis to the efficiency of the solar panel or to its warranty period. Also, check the power efficiency ratings of the product you are going to buy.

The second crucial decision you will have to make is about the kind of system that will supply the solar energy into your home. There are primarily three kinds of systems available in the market:

i.    Grid-tied system
ii.    Grid-tie with battery backup system
iii.    Stand-alone system

The grid-tied system is where the solar panels are tied into your current power meter. In this case, you will be using the electricity generated from the solar panels while the electricity supplied by your power company will act as a back up. In the grid-tie with battery back-up system, you will use the electricity generated by the solar panels. These panels will also charge the batteries kept for power emergencies, and any excess power will be returned to the power company through the power meter. The stand-alone system is similar to the grid-tie system except that here; there will be no batteries in case of an emergency.

Solar thermal system is a system where solar energy is used to generate thermal energy. In other words, it is a process where the energy from the sun is utilized for heating purposes, especially at home. An inexpensive system, solar thermal became popular in the US during the 1970s. During the 1970s, the fuel used for heating water became very scarce and therefore, extremely expensive. People then, started resorting to solar thermal systems as a way to get hot water.

As per the classifications made by the US Energy Information Administration, solar thermal systems have been divided into three categories, namely:

i.    Low-temperature collectors
ii.    Medium-temperature collectors
iii.    High-temperature collectors

Low-temperature collectors are solar thermal flat plates that are used to heat swimming pools. Medium-temperature solar thermal flat plates are for residential and commercial use, while the high-temperature flat plates ate used for electricity generation.

According to various energy-consumption studies in the US, it has been found that almost half of the energy used in American homes is for the purpose of heating, air-conditioning, and ventilation. Solar thermal systems can save a good part of this energy, and reduce escalating energy bills too. The solar thermal systems store solar energy during the day. They make use of this stored energy during the night or cooler times, such as a cloudy or a windy day. However, the efficacy of the solar thermal system will depend a lot on factors such as, the climate of the region, lighting during the day as well as the shading conditions.

Even within the category of residential use, solar thermal system can be divided into two kinds of systems:

i.    Active solar thermal system
ii.    Passive solar thermal system

Active solar thermal system collects the sun’s energy either through water or through mediums such as antifreeze solutions, absorption refrigeration or desiccant cycles. In this case, the heat is dispersed through the mediums. The passive solar thermal system collects solar energy in stored water. Here, the cold water flows inside a drain valve and hot water flows out in a storage tank. These systems can be afforded by an average household. They do not even require heavy maintenance. For instance, a Trombe wall is passive solar thermal system. It is a heating and ventilation system where there is an air channel between a window and a sin-facing thermal mass. For ventilation, the thermal mass stores the solar energy in itself. It then warms the air channel, and leads to circulation through vents located in the top and bottom of the wall. For heating purposes, the Trombe wall radiates stored heat.

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With the world’s ever-increasing demand of power being more than its supply, it is about time that we take concrete steps to save power. Aside from being conscious about the use of power and water at home, one can employ pollution-free and inexpensive power solutions at our houses. Solar power solutions are the a couple of the most efficient solutions that can replace the conventional power solutions employed at our homes.

These solutions can help you combat power outages, reduce your electricity bills, and also help the environment.

This article will explore the inexpensive wind power solution that you can employ at home.

Wind power solutions work best when the following conditions are met:
- you have a house or cottage spread over a gigantic area. Typically, wind power solutions are employed in areas that spread over an acre.
- The average wind speed in your area is around 11 miles per hour. If you stay in a place that has little wind flow, your system will not work. Consult an expert before installing the wind power solution at home.
- you must draw water from outside sources. You can install a wind power system even when you don’t have to draw water from outside. However, if you need to draw water from outside on a constant basis, a wind power system offers the best solution.
- your home wishes plenty of uninterrupted power supply. Combating those power outages is easy with the pollution-free wind power systems. You need no longer stress about a break in your work because of a power uncertainty.

A everyday wind power system comprises of a tower and 5 blades to churn out wind energy. The length of the wind tower varies depending on the location of your house. You might need a longer tower if you are in low-wind zone ; you can work with a shorter tower if you live by the beach. Using a wind turbine, this wind energy can be converted into useful energy to be employed at home for running various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more effective than convention power systems.

If you are confused with the wind power jargon, here’s a chunk of information for you. The terms, wind mills, wind turbines, and wind generators are used to refer to the same machine.

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If you have been bogged by the giant electricity bills you have been getting, it’s time to take some concrete steps. You can scale back your electricity bills by following very simple steps.

This article will list some simple, easy-to-do things to scale back your electricity bill.

Limited use: Start with the room you are sitting in. If you were to take a call in another room or join your folks at the dining table, would you simply step out of your room without any concern for the electrical appliances in the room? If you would, stop right there, and look round. Turn off all the appliances even if you would be back in 5 mins. Yes, even which will help. Each drop of water constitutes to the ocean.

Another thing to take care of here is what you perceive as an electronic appliance. Would you turn off the television set, turn off the fan, but not the light bulb? Yes, you need light, but not now when you are leaving the room. Looking after these tiny things will go a good way in reducing the scary giant electricity bills.

Smart investments : Make some smart power investments by replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. These bulbs are a great power-saving investment.

Buy the Power Save gadget. The gadget helps monitor the power supply to your home and uses the minimum that is needed.

Home appliance use : many of us complain that the electricity bill touches the sky because of the number of electrical appliances they have at home. However, the electricity bill isn’t directly in proportion to the number of gizmos you use but the way you use them. Let’s see how you to dodge the characteristic power-wasters.

- Use the washing machine only when there’s a full load of clothes.
- Keep the geyser on for the minimal quantity of time.
- Keep the air-conditioner at the minimum low or high temperature, only enough to keep you off the heat or the cold outside.
- Switch off the computer monitor even if you are taking an one-minute break. It takes merely a second to change on the monitor again!

Yeah, you need to stick to this strategy for living for power at home and for the world.

Remember, reducing your electricity bill is the same as saving power, therefore helping the world save power for its future generations.

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We all learned about the renewable and non-renewable sources of energy in faculty. However, we never paid much attention to the quick consumption of the non-renewable sources of energy till lately. The world is faced with severe energy crisis now and none of us remain untouched any more. Should we leave everything to the central authorities, or are we do something to save power? The solution is simple: we can.

Let us look at how you to save power at home.

Computer: more frequently than not, we do not switch off our monitors even after we’ve got shut down our computers. Keep the monitor and the computer switched off when you are not using them. Start practicing this even when at work. You will help save some more power for the world.

Light bulbs : You must have seen compact fluorescent light ( CFL ) bulbs being publicized all the time. You have to have even used them at times. As a power-saving measure, start using the CFL light bulbs as much as you can. If you are thinking they are dearer than the regular bulbs, the benefits of the CFL bulbs will prove much more cost-effective in the long turn by the quantity of power they can save.

Air Conditioner : Set the temperature at the minimum or maximum best you are comfortable with, depending on the season. Try not to set it at too high or too low temperatures. Setting the air conditioner at reasonable temperatures helps save a large amount of energy.

Washing Machines : Do you use your washing machine as often as you want? Do you use your washing machine even when there aren’t enough garments to wash? Minimize the amount of washes by washing full load of clothes each time.

Television : Take off the power plug of your television set when not using it. This will not sound a big thing but this little step will help save power.

Geysers : Keep the geyser thermostat at the minimum heat. You do not need to heat the water at a very high temperature or for too long.

Refrigerator: Bring hot food to room temperatures before placing it into the refrigerator. You can also save power by taking cold or frozen food out of the refrigerator much before the mealtime, thus saving power in heating it.

Car : For an air-conditioner provided vehicle, pull up the windows of your automobile before switching on the air-conditioner.

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Electrical energy was one of man’s greatest discoveries. It has helped build new civilizations. The large quantity of electricity produced has its source in fossil fuels, nuclear fission, water, and wind. This article will explore the different techniques of electricity production.

Electricity is pumped out by big turbines. These turbines need a support to be moved. There are several techniques of moving these turbines:

By burning fossil fuels: Electricity is produced when the blades of a turbine are moved by huge amounts of vapour. This vapour is generated by heating a large amount of water in great furnaces. The water is heated by burning fossil fuels like coal, petrol, and natural gas. This method releases big amounts of CO2 in the air, so severely polluting our atmosphere. It is important to turn to alternate systems of electricity production for long-term benefits.

By water : You must have heard how dams are constructed to provide electricity. A popular strategy to produce electricity, a water dams serves two purposes: restricting water bodies and manufacturing electricity. Water dams use the river water to move turbines, helping them produce electricity. Electricity generated this way helps control air pollution ; however, this method of electricity production negatively has effects on the ecosystem in the water bodies.

Water accounts for ninety % of the world’s electricity generated through renewable resources.

By wind: Electricity is produced when wind energy is converted to electrical energy. Wind mills or wind turbines are used to churn up massive amounts of wind energy which is then converted into electrical energy.

The latest in wind energy advancement tells us that wind energy is helping create conveyable cell telephone chargers.

By nuclear fission : Yes, nuclear fission does not only make atom bombs, but also helps produce electricity. Nuclear fission causes a chain reaction where the component Uranium is bombarded by neutrons causing it to split. Each time a Uranium nucleus is split, more neutrons are released, causing more splits in the already split Uranium nuclei. The resultant chain reaction generates a ton of heat which is used to heat water the vapour of which at last moves turbines to make electricity.

By bio-waste: With technological advancements, electricity is also being produced by bio-waste. Bio-gas is a typical way of generating electricity in rural areas in states like India. In fact, a new technology developed in the state of Bihar in India that uses human waste to generate electricity.

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