BUILDING GREEN !
SOLAR POWER
For A Cleaner & Brighter Tomorrow
What is Solar Power?Solar power is a form of energy that makes use of the world’s largest energy source: the sun. More than 99% of the world’s available renewable energy is in one way or the other related to solar energy. The sun provides us with 174 petawatts (174,000 terawatts) of energy, of which half (89 petawatts) reaches the Earth surface. Since humanity consumes ‘only’ an estimated 15 Terawatts (2005 figure) of power, we only need to convert a tiny fraction of this free solar energy (~0.00016%) in order to fulfill the energy needs of the global population. Due to increasing environmental and climate awareness, the use of solar power has been growing explosively the past few years. Solar power is now the fastest growing form of energy, far out pacing other renewable energy sources like wind and water. The advantages of solar power are many; it is renewable, silent, emission-free and consistently available. Solar power’s main disadvantage is its price; harnessing the power of the sun is still relatively expensive. It is however expected that technological and economical developments will within 10 years put the price of solar power on par with traditional energy sources.
What Is Solar Electricity and how does it works?
Solar Electricity is a great way to turn your house green that is for sure, plus it's an awesome way to save some money on the electric bill too. But how is solar energy converted into solar electricity? The technology is called Photovoltaic; it's a type of system that can switch solar energy into power to run appliances and other electrical equipment inside of your house. What makes up the Photovoltaic technology? There are two layers of material that is thin and is semi-conducting, usually this material is silicon. When the light hits the material it will generate electrical charges, and this is led away by metal contacts in a direct current or DC charge. Panels are formed of several small cells and enclosed inside of glass. This whole thing is known as PV, since this equipment is one solid article there is less maintenance then something that has a whole bunch of moving parts. The even better thing about solar power is that there are no greenhouse gas emissions that are produced when you use it.
What is Solar Hot Water and how does it works?
A solar hot water system is really quite simple. You're using the sun's energy to heat a solar collector full of solar fluid (or water, depending on which type of system you install), which then transfers that heat (or hot water) into your home's hot water tank.
(1) When there is sufficient heat to be drawn from the collectors, a controller automatically activates pumps. (2) Heated solar fluid is then circulated from the collector, (3) through a heat exchanger where its heat is transferred to (4) water in the storage tank. (5) The solar fluid is then pumped back to the collector to once again be reheated. This circulation loop will continue as long as there is heat to be drawn from the collector. During times when there is little or no sun, a backup heating system will be activated to provide adequate hot water.
Why Solar Power?
The advantages of solar are numerous:
- The environment: apart from production of the necessary equipment, solar power is completely emission-free. A 1 kilowatt peak solar PV system can save up to 450kg (992lbs) of emitted CO2 per year. Solar power is also completely silent.
- Your wallet: with solar power, you are effectively insuring yourself against rising gas and energy prices. The higher the energy price, the faster you redeem your investment. See solar power profitability for some example calculations. Through net metering, your electric meter will turn backwards if your PV system provides more power than you use at any given moment.
- Politics: the majority of the world’s oil and gas reserves are controlled by countries with less than noble leadership and morale. By reducing oil consumption, you are reducing the income and influence of these states.
- Home value: solar panels are a valued amenity. The increase in home value might well be higher than the price you pay for the installation!
- Independence: if a massive grid failure leaves you without power for an extended time, you can always consider hooking up your PV system to a set of batteries. In the case of solar water heating, you will have a limited supply of warm water even if the gas supply is interrupted.
SOLAR POWER
For A Cleaner & Brighter Tomorrow
