The Basics of Solar Power For Your Home

Solar power is an alternative energy source with tremendous economic and environmental benefits. If you’re considering it for your home, here are the basics.

Sunning Your Home

Put simply, solar power works by converting free sunlight into usable energy. This process involves using photovoltaic tiles or platforms to capture the energy inherent in sunlight. The photovoltaic materials consist of positive and negative slices of material, often silicone, that react to the sun. As the sunlight hits these cells, the energy “slices” off negatively charged ions. This creates a magnetic field, a form of energy. The energy is then captured in small wires, which forms an electric current. The wires are connected to an inverter. The inverter converts the energy into a usable power source.

The beauty of solar power is it is a free source of energy. Historically, the cost of capturing and maintaining solar power wasn’t cheap, but this has changed dramatically in the last ten years. Systems are now much more efficient, with the total cost usually involved in the purchase and installation. Depending on the system, there is almost no maintenance cost and most systems have a 40 or 50 year life span. Not bad, eh?

Going solar is also more attractive now because of laws passed by numerous states. Initially, homeowners can get a tax rebate for installing solar. On top of this, more than half of the states now mandate a concept known as “net metering.”

Net metering is all about saving tons of money on your utilities. Essentially, you are now allowed to “sell” power back to the utility companies at the same price they charge you. With solar power, this means you can simply feed your system into the utility grid during the day and then use regular energy at night. Since your utility meter runs backwards, this effectively means you will dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, your electricity bills. This process alone can save you thousands of dollars a year and $40,000 to $100,000 over the life of the system, depending on your typical monthly bills. With such savings, you can see why solar power is becoming more attractive.

When it comes to solar power, the question isn’t whether you should use it. The real question is why you aren’t using it already!

Making Your Home Solar Powered

Many Americans have decided to become more energy independent, and want to play a part in avoiding a very foreseeable energy crisis. They’ve decided to go solar. Creating a solar powered home is an endeavor that requires an initial investment, but the costs are being lowered everyday. Solar power provides long term benefits. Not just for the home owner, but the environment too.

Now that solar power is more efficient, you can reduce or even eliminate your electric bill, increase your home’s value and contribute to a cleaner environment, all at the same time. It’s a great time to join the move to renewable energy resources, and the perfect time to take advantage of the generous government and local utility financial incentives that can cut thousands of dollars off the price. And now that solar power is becoming even more main stream, it is growing in accessibility. Manufacturers of solar powered products have realized the potential for a solar age, and are creating new options for those who are considering a solar powered lifestyle. If you are ready to step into the solar age, you are probably wondering how and where to begin. Below is a list of ways to make your home a solar one.

Solar Attic Fans- Solar attic fans are a great example of a simple way to make your home more energy efficient without spending a lot of money. The need for air conditioning is reduced by venting hot air out of your attic. Installing a solar attic fan may also increase the life of your roof materials by keeping them at a lower temperature which also reduces moisture buildup in your attic. This prevents mold and rot in your home, and can also reduce allergens and pollution.

Solar Heating- Solar heating systems are composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to move the heat to its point of usage, and a reservoir for heat storage. The systems may be used to heat domestic hot water, swimming pool water, or for space heating. If you live in the southern half of the United States or in an equally sunny area you could potentially save between 50% and 80% on your water heating by implementing a solar hot water heater. The initial cost is hefty, but depending on how you use it, the system may pay for itself in as little as five years. The return is greater when you factor in rebates and incentives offered by states and local governments.

Solar Pumps- Depending on where you live, especially in remote areas, the cost of traditional water piping may be exorbitant. Unless you install a solar water pump. A solar power panel collects solar energy and powers a battery which can keep a consistent and plentiful water supply.

Solar Paneling-The most obvious way to break in to the solar age is to install solar panel cells on your roof. Solar cells, also known as PV cells, or Photovoltaics, come in many sizes, colors, and performance characteristics, made to fit a variety of homes and lifestyles. Another important factor to consider is that when PV panels are used in conjunction with energy efficient appliances, not as many panels may be needed to power your home! Large scale home improvement stores, as well as smaller, independent energy groups, offer installation. But if you are a savvy do-it-yourselfer, you may decide to undertake the project on your own!

But don’t bust out the screwdriver just yet. Whether you do it yourself, or hire someone to do it for you, there are a couple of technicalities to be seen to before solarizing your home. Such as building permits. In order to legally install renewable energy sources in your home, you must contact your city or county building permit agency to obtain permission. You will be able to learn about requirements specific to your neighborhood. Don’t forget about property and sales taxes. Depending on what state you live in, you may or may not be exempt from these when it comes to the purchase of your renewable energy system.

Although it is not difficult to keep up your solar systems, frequency of replacement should be considered. Solar thermal systems need valves replaced every 3-5 years and storage tanks replaced every 10 years. Luckily, solar PV systems typically do not require maintenance, other than a yearly cleaning of the solar panels. PV panel life is typically 25 years.

What is a Solar Cooker and how to use them

A solar cooker or a solar oven is a simple way of using the sun’s power to cook your food. The simplest solar oven is formed by a metal box. A set of large mirrors or lens can also be added, this is to focus the sunlight to a single point and increase the efficiency of the cooker.

A cooker can be used anywhere, all you need is the sun, because of this many organizations are trying to get them used in area’s where deforestation caused by the need for firewood for cooking fires. You could use the oven while out in the backcountry, because they require no fuel and are environmentally friendly.

On a sunny day a black baking tray or cooking pot can convert thousands of watts of light directly into heat to cook your food. Temperatures in the oven can reach 400 degrees F (200°C). Remember with these sort of temperatures there is a fire risk. Actually using the cooker is no different to your cooker in the kitchen.

 

Rainwater Collectors, help you save on your water bills

Collecting rainwater was widely used in agriculture before well drilling and treated municipal water supplies became available. In many parts of the world, rainwater collectors still provides the majority of the water needed to meet agricultural requirements and, in some cases, drinking water as well

Most rainwater collection systems are designed to capture rainwater from the roofs of buildings. The water is then transported through gutters and other pipes into cisterns or tanks, where it is stored until needed. The water collected can be used for irrigation, laundry, hygiene, or even drinking water, depending upon the materials used and the treatment undertaken by the homeowner.

A typical rainwater collection system consists of the following:
A collection area (usually the roof)
A method of conveying the water (gutters, downspouts, and piping)
A filtering device
A storage tank or cistern
A system to distribute the water as needed

Provided the rainwater is for non-drinking water purposes, virtually any materials can be used in the collection system. However, if the rainwater will also be used to meet the potable water needs of a home’s residents, it is important that the homeowner use care in selecting materials and coatings which will come into contact with the water as it is collected, since some impurities can be picked up by the rainwater as it travels through the collection system

 

What is Passive Solar

Passive solar systems use architectural elements in buildings to take advantage of natural cycles of sunlight and other elements in order to reduce the costs of building heating and cooling, without using mechanical elements. If mechanical elements are used, then the system is termedactive solar.

It has these main elements:

Building orientation: The building is oriented as close to a north-south-east-west axis as possible, usually with the long axis of the building running east-west for maximum exposure towards the south (in the northern hemisphere; towards the north in the southern hemisphere).

Window placement: Windows are minimized on the north side of the building, which in a northern temperate zone receives no direct sunlight from the fall equinox to the spring equinox. Windows on the south side (in the northern hemisphere) are made large in order to receive maximal sunlight during the winter. Windows must be carefully sized for the site and size of building. In northern latitudes excessively large, south-facing windows can become uncomfortably bright at certain times of the year and can accelerate fading of furnishings. Large windows can also make a room gain too much heat during the day and lose too much at night.

Shade: Overhang projections are provided over southern, and sometimes eastern and western, windows to shade them during summer months. Because the sun is at a lower angle in the sky during winter days than summer days, such structures can provide shade during the summer yet allow the sun to shine in through windows in the winter. Landscaping may also play a part in this: deciduous trees may be planted on the window side. In summer, these trees will shade the house, cooling it, while in winter when they do not have leaves they will not greatly obscure the influx of sunlight. Trellises with plants that only grow in summer can provide shade in the summer while allowing light through the winter. The trellis pieces can be angled to increase winter light.

Thermal mass: Dense building materials are used where the winter sun will shine on them inside the windows, to capture the sun’s heat and re-radiate it through the night. A trombe wall is one such structure. Water filled trombe walls are more efficient absorbers and re-radiators of stored energy so they store more energy in a thinner wall. A seamless panel which stores water between studs of south facing walls performs quiet well. A reliable means of deploying significant quantities of water is daunting. Another approach developed in the 1970s placed concrete blocks under the main slab, using the holes in the blocks as ducts to treble the heat exchange area (the below-grade ducts must be drained). This technique has fallen out of favor due to difficulties in keeping the ducts free of mold. Passive solar buildings often use massive materials such as stone, concrete, straw bales, and adobe.

Daylight: Windows and internal reflecting areas are placed so that they can maximize the sun’s light for interior lighting during the day.

 

Home Solar Power, how to use the free power from the sun around your home

There are many ways to use solar power around your home. Home solar power can be broken down into 2 areas, using the sun to create electricity or using the solar energy to heat your house and the water you use.

You would use a solar panels, withphotoelectric cells to convert the suns light into electricity. These can be mounted on your roof, as panels or you can get solar roof tiles. The panels could also be put in your yard, and set to track the sun all day long.

Using solar power for heat can either be in the design of your home, a simple example would be having large windows facing south this is called passive solar. The other form active solar, is used to heat up water or a fluid, by passing the water/fluid through small pipes that are heated by the sun. This hot water could then be used around your home for heating or another example would be to heat your pool.

Other simple ways to use solar power around your home would include solar lights or a solar fountain in the garden.

 

Install a Solar Attic Fan, to save you money

A Solar Attic Fan is a simple and environmentally sensible solution that can save you money. Powered completely by free solar energy, they are compact and quiet. Fully operational right from the box, it installs easily, with no electrical wiring, no expensive electrician and no permits. You can place it wherever you need improved circulation such as attic, lofts, workshops, storage sheds, garages even barns.

Keeping fresh air circulation can help in extending the life of your roof and also in reducing the load on your air conditioning system, by cooling it. Air circulating will also help in reducing excess moisture in the attic.

 

What is meant by Active Solar

Active solar is a term which refers to the use of solar energy to “actively” convert the energy in sunlight into other forms. It is contrasted to passive solar which refers to certain architectural design elements by which buildings make use of the sun’s energy for heating, and/or cooling.

Typical solar systems include:

• Solar cells: For the generation of electricity directly from the Sun.
• Solar space heating: Using solar-generated heat for heating buildings
• Solar water heating: Using solar-generated heat for heating water

The term is sometimes extended to include other renewable energy systems whose ultimate energy source is the Sun, such as:

• Wind energy: Using wind currents to generate electricity or do other work
• Hydroelectric: Using the energy of flowing water to generate electricity
• Biomass: Using organic materials directly to burn for heat or to generate biofuels to burn

 

Solar Power in your Home

Solar power is the foundation for all life on earth!  Solar heating has been used for thousands of years to warm just about everything—well, everything the light touches anyway. But solar electricity is a very new business.  One of the new parts of the business to power things is through solar panels.

Solar technologies use reflective materials such as mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy. This concentrated heat energy is then transformed into electricity.

Solar panels have no moving parts at all.  You just sit them out in the sun; hook up the wires, collect power and without adding fuel or replacing worn-out parts for many, many years.   It’s amazing that nobody has any idea for sure how long a solar panel will last.  That’s because many of the very first solar panels are still producing power today.

Used solar panels produce less power per square foot than new panels do, obviously.  A modern solar panel might produce twice as much power as an old one of the same size–but will cost more than twice as much because of how the market is increasing. So what you can do is compare dollars per watt. The best current deal as of now on a new 50 watt solar panels is about $4.25 a watt–$212 for a 50 watt panel, in quantity.  Other new panels of about the same size can create 120 watts, but cost $700–$5.83 per watt.  The only difference is size–unless you have limited mounting space (rarely a problem), panels that cost the least dollars per watt are the best deal around.  You just put up more of them and bam! You’re done!

It is popular alternative because people all over are just now starting to realize all the benefits that come with it. Rather than paying large electric bills in the summer and even bigger gas bills in the winter, with solar energy through paneling, it is the same low price all year round. It is clean; you don’t ever have to worry about there being a shortage causing your power to go out.

Homes designed for passive solar and day lighting put together design features such as large south-facing windows and home materials that absorb and slowly release the sun’s heat. No mechanical means are used in passive solar heating. Using passive solar designs can reduce heating bills as much as 50 percent. Passive solar designs can also include natural ventilation systems for cooling.

 

Solar Heating in your Home

There are two ways to heat your home with solar energy, these are an “active” or a “passive” system. An example of a passive solar heating system would be building a an effective “sunspace” or “solar greenhouse” on the south side of your house. A passive system requires no mechanical parts so are simpler, but you may not be able to construct an effective “sunspace” onto your building.

An active heating system is made up of a collector, that captures the suns heat, and electric fans or pumps to move the heat around your home, in the form of liquid or air. They normally will have some type of storage system to store the heat when the sun is not shining.

An active solar system may be more flexible than a passive system in terms of placement and installation. Remember that local covenants may restrict your options, homeowner associations may not allow you to install solar collectors on certain parts of your house. If unsure contact a local specialist/engineer who will be able to help you.

You can also you use the heat from the sun to heat your pool and if you use a solar pool cover help to conserve this heat

 

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