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August 2009

Build Solar Panels At Home : Light-Up Your House In Clean And Environmentally Friendly Way


As we know electricity has become essential commodity to drive this world forward. The growing demand for energy is increasing as the population is rising every year by year. Without energy it is very difficult for industrial development of any country. Presently our energy production is mainly from coal, hydro and gas. Now a day these energy producers are becoming rare on the earth and the situation is warning for searching alternative energy resources. Scientists have found a way towards non-conventional energy sources like bio-gas, wind and solar energy. This article is mainly deals with solar energy.

The biggest achievement for mankind is conversion of sun light into useful energy form i.e., electricity. Sun light is abundant on earth and can be used as raw material for the production of electricity. Also you need not spend any dime for buying this raw material. More over unlike conventional energy sources, this solar energy will be long lasting in future for many years and your chief raw material is continuously available for without any additional cost. Now it is wise decision to utilize this free sun light energy to meet our daily energy requirements without depending on state electricity boards. But how can we achieve this and reduce the Nation’s worry for power demand. Yes, it is quite simple, you can produce electricity at your own place and glow your house using energy produced by you. You can build solar panels at home and conveniently utilize the power to your regular needs.

Solar panels are consisting of solar cells. The function of solar cells is simple. These are the photo voltaic cells that generate electricity when light energy is absorbed from a light source. The principle of photo electric effect is responsible for the generation of electricity. These entire cells are joined for charge transfer from one end to another. Depends up on the load requirement, you can install these solar panels for an individual house or for many houses in an apartment complex.

There are many advantages using solar panels. It is free and non-polluting and gives environmentally clean energy. It reduces dependency on oil, water and coal as these reserves are fast depleting. The basic raw material required for production of electricity using solar panels is abundantly available. Finally solar panel operation and maintenance costs are very less.

The only major disadvantage is that it is completely dependent on sun energy and if whether becomes cloudy, rainy and dim light conditions, it becomes very less intensive in the production of electricity. Of late lot of research has been done to off-set the dis-advantages of solar power for use in nights and monsoon conditions is to use dry-cell batteries, storing in the form of heat etc. You also can lit-up your house entirely by solar power by using build solar panels at home.

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Solar Panel


Warnings have already been sounded to clearly indicate that the globe, which was once rich with energy resources, is now experiencing its worst energy crisis. Some areas of the world are said to be on there knees when it comes to the energy supply. The demand for energy in the world today has risen to heights that no one could have predicted in the past. The energy supply from available resources is low below what is required to keep the wheels of the world running. Research reveals that majority of operation directly deep on energy driven performance capacity. The two most popular sources of energy in the world have been oil and electricity. These two sources have kept the world going for ages now but it seems that they are running out from the face of the globe.

Later in the road to modernity, the nuclear energy came to being, but unfortunately due to the complexity and vulnerability of its development, nuclear energy remains limited to only a few lucky people residing in first world. The other source of energy is now in use as a better option, is the solar energy. Solar energy technology is fairly simple to develop and quite economical. The simplest way to tap solar energy for immediate use is by use of a solar panel. Solar panel can be used to tap solar energy that can be used to run solar powered products, like solar chargers.

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Build Solar Panels At Home : Necessary Precautions Required To Protect Solar Panels


Now technology has improved and you can convert sun energy into electrical energy by using build solar panels at home. You might have heard about photo-voltaic cells, which gather sun energy and convert it to electrical energy. If you closely try to understand its technology, you will feel it is a very big great deal to built such complex things, in fact it is not so. All solar panel are having many photo voltaic cells integrated depends up on the size of the panel. The wiring method which binds these entire components together is called field element. Metal, fiberglass or plastic are used to cover the photo voltaic cells in solar panels.

Before making solar panel to work effectively, you have to ascertain some important settings. The first and foremost important setting is linking all cells existing in the solar panels to each other for their complete electrical connectivity. Another important setting is guarding these solar panels from environmental climatic conditions. Solar cells are extremely sensitive to wind and rain. Thus, it is essential to shield these solar panels from severe wind, rain, snow. Also, sometimes, even hail also can cause damage to the solar panels if you could not coat these with material that can prevent damage. If unprotected, then leads to serious damage to water based silicon cells which break very easily. Hence, selection of material for building solar panels is the critical parameter to be considered before proceeding to build solar panels at home.

To avoid humidity, coating solar panels with insulator wrapper can prolong the functioning and life of solar panel. Also, if you are protecting your panels from the metal rust, it will add some more life to it. If thin film cells are used as in the case of modules, it will easily crack, so that you need to consider the kind of component structure. It is mandatory requirement that you should not allow solar panels cells getting heated up excessively. Incorporation of diodes into the composition of the solar panel will help to stabilize its hot temperature automatically. You must keen on ventilation of the building where you have erected solar panels. If ventilation is poor, make sure you add special ventilation system in the building.

Lenses and mirrors are used in the solar panels to converge light energy on to its cells. This way the cost of energy creation is reduced. The happiest thing is that the technology in the manufacturing solar panels also evolving due to its highest demand. Everyone understood the need for a green energy source. You can use solar panel to power 80% of heat and electricity requirement of your house.

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Solar Energy : How Easy Making Solar Panels At Home?


Did you see any time building solar panels or do you know how to build solar panels? Have you ever thought that making it by yourself in your home is quite easy? Indeed it is very easy and hopefully like a fun sport making it in your home. If you browse internet, you will find a lot of information on solar panel and how to build solar panels at home by yourself.

If you are making your own solar panel, then your expenditure load on energy requirement will be drastically reduced. One more important thing is that you are directly helping environment and saving it from pollution. Using eco friendly devices provide healthy environment to the future generation. If you are certain, then you can construct solar panels by purchasing solar cells.

Solar cells are preassembled cells and are used only to convert sunlight energy into electrical energy. Whereas, photovoltaic cells are capable of converting light energy from different sources into electrical energy. You can purchase all parts required for constructing solar panels from a reputed solar cells supplier.

A good literature on how to make solar cells will guide you in making solar cells easily. There are silicon-based and copper-based photovoltaic cells. We can use the copper based as it is having superconducting photovoltaic properties. The cuprous oxide is heated to a high degree until the oxide layer is fully decomposed and converted into red copper and this metallic copper is used in the preparation of cells.

If you are able to build you own solar panels, then it becomes a source for you to earn money. Many companies are in need of energy for their growth in the industrial sector. If you are capable of producing surplus energy; many companies will approach you for buying the energy. In this way also you can gain financial gain apart from reducing your energy bills. This is the right choice to get award or appreciation for your full effort in making solar energy panels at home. Many of your neighbors will be aware of these things and know the clear benefits of renewable energy source and start to build solar panels at home.

If you are tired of spending so much money on energy bills then you will be willing to cut the cost of your electric bill and have an alternative energy system which will save you thousands of dollars in the future. Than you have to build solar panels at home to accomplish your desired goals.

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Solar Panels from Armageddon Energy Make Solar


Power a DYI Project

Armageddon Energy’s prefabricated solar panels advance electricity from sunshine on the rooftop one step closer to feasibility for the average homeowner.

Unlike traditional solar panels with complex mounting systems, the Armageddon panels connect with via a simple tab and slot system into “clovers” that can provide up to 400 watts of power. Once assembled, the clover simply needs to be aimed at the sun, secured to the structure, and plugged into the existing home power system. The manufacturer estimates this will take only a few minutes, even for do-it-yourselfer homeowners.

The panels use Teflon instead of glass as the protective coating, which yields a much lighter panel than the standard 40 pound silicon-panels now in widespread use. The panels are economical, too, costing only $6 per watt. That’s one dollar less than the cost of conventional solar panel systems.

Armageddon has recently started testing prototype panels. The company is at work on a beta testing program, and expects to being producing the panels commercially in about a year. By the time Armageddon brings this product to the public, they won’t be the only ones in the prefabricated panel marketplace. Veranda Solar is working on a panel that requires only a screwdriver and a standard power socket.

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How to Produce a Useable Solar Oven


There have been quite a few innovative solar oven styles designed, and they are both affordable and simple to construct and is very different to learning about how to build homemade solar panels. Use MDF to make a box for the cooker. I find tiny veneer pins to be extraordinarily helpful as they can be hammered smartly into the end grain of thin MDF without splitting the wood.

For this application they’re completely strong enough.

Next, take the measurements of the dimensions of the cube inside your lined, polystyrene container. You need to cut the mirror plastic to this size, and further line the box with it. Duck tape is just right for reinforcing every connection and holding any attachments together as strongly as needed. We now need to chop the mirrored reflectors. Use a bandsaw to cut a 2 foot wide strip of mirror plastic.

Score starting at the long side of the mirror over to the corner of it, a line that forms an angle of 67 degrees, making a right-angled triangle in the fragment of plastic. You must now score out a string of trapeziums down the length of the mirror, where the shortest side is equal to the length of the inside of the cooker box. Now take the mirrored reflectors, and on the non-reflective side, use Duck Tape to join them together to form the reflector that may sit on the top. Using Duck Tape permits you to make flexible hinges, which permit the reflector to be folded and stored out of the way. Take the stove to a sunny area to use. Situating the rods sustaining the reflectors can be a lot simpler if you have someone to hang on to the reflector at the right angle as you arrange and glue the support rod.

For practical, efficient cooking, heat needs to be captured and retained in the cooker to build up adequately to appropriate levels. If you don’t cover it up, all the hot air will escape. Oven cook-sacks are both reasonably priced and easy to figure out. One option is double pane glass. The glass should be barely wider and longer than the smaller box, but small enough so you can simply remove it from the inner box. Using specular film instead of tin foil for the outside reflectors is an alternative way to make the stove better. This may not be used inside your oven since it is unable to withstand the high temperature. If you don’t have any other option, you could warm up pre-cooked items such as canned goods using a pair of zip lock sacks. Put the food in a tiny zip lock bag and put the little zip lock bag in a giant zip lock bag.

If available set these on a reflector like an inside out chip bag or auto window reflector. Of course solar ovens will not generate electricity, to do this you will need to learn how to build homemade solar panels.

Wish to take a hot bath while on a camping trip or power outage? Fill up some large soft drink containers with water, and set them on your car’s dash in direct sunlight. Shut your car doors and windows to trap the heat. Take a bath when the sun is at its highest. If you need the warmth for nighttime bathing, store the preheated containers in an insulated thermo box. Alternatively you can learn how do you build a solar panel to power your appliances

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What is Concentrated Solar Power?


“CSP” stands for “Concentrated Solar Power.” The term refers to the type of solar power which is created by concentrating sunlight onto a small area, thus creating an intense light and heat which can in turn generate power and electricity. Concentrated Solar Power is one of several technologies which have been developed in order to harness the energy emitted by the sun and turn it into useble electricity.

The main difference between concentrated solar power (CSP) energy systems and other solar power systems (such as photovoltaics and solar heating), is that concentrated solar power uses mirrors and reflectors in order to focus concentrated sunlight on a specific location.

How Concentrated Solar Power Systems Work

A simple but accurate comparison to CSP solar energy is the use of a magnifying lens to focus sunlight on a specific area. But the target of a CSP system is to heat fluids, not ants or other luckless insects.

The fluids heated by this concentrated solar energy are then turned into steam. The steam is in turn forced through a fan, and is used to drive a regular steam turbine, which uses its turning motion to generate electricity through electromagnetic means.

One of the advantages of concentrated solar power is that it is completely compatible with the contemporary power generators which are used in conventional power plants. But in the case of CSP solar energy, the “fuel” used to generate steam is sunlight, not fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

You may be surprised to learn that in the USA, several CSP power plants are already up and running – and that they have performed reliably for the past fifteen years.

At the time of this writing, the least expensive method of using solar power to produce electricity is the to use concentrated solar power systems.

Research and development projects are underway, with the aim of reducing costs even further, so that the cost of producing electricity with solar power can eventually compete with the costs of energy production in modern conventional power plants.

CSP Solar Energy is just one of many methods of generating solar power and alternative energy on a broad scale. Another example of broad scale solar power production is the use of solar power towers, which use an assortment of moving mirrors (called heliostats) to continuously reflect sunlight into a central area at the top of the tower. These heliostats are set up so that they follow the movement of the sun, thus maintaining the strongest reflecting power possible.

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Anna Williams is a webmaster and a blogger, who helps others understand solar power and clean energy solutions. Visit her website to learn more about Concentrated Solar Energy, and to find a lot more information on Solar Energy Products and Technologies.

Article originally published at Concentrated Solar Power

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Solar Products


The requirement for green globe merchandises for houses and business constitutions has been on a steady raise. It really shouldn’t be a surprisal. The recent papers on the decay of the oil provision accustomed by light companies to yield and distribute electrical energy to millions of constitutions throughout the Earth has induced power companies to start bearing down greater charges for the electrical energy used up.

While the position has induced a lot of homes and business establishments to bring down on their energy expenditure in order to lesser their each month electrical charges, the current fiscal crisis that overcame the nation has induced the position to turn more immoral. The economical position has induced the costs of even the most basal commodities to increment.

As a consequence, a lot of folks are anticipating for methods and way to acquire the crucial matters they require, while still being capable to bring down on prices. This has led to a lot of green merchandises, such as solar powered lighting, to turn exceedingly fashionable and in a invariant requirement.

Solar powered illuminating fixes exercise in much the same fashion as the formal lighting we ascertain in houses and places of business. What makes these illuminations dissimilar is the reservoir of electrical energy they efficaciously tap into. Rather than employing formal electrical energy furnished by electrical enterprises, solar powered lighting fixes tap into the sun’s energy for their reservoir of electrical energy.

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Pantech C600 Cell Phone Review


One the newest editions to the Pantech lines of cellular phone is a Mexican release, Pantech C600. Also available as an Unlocked Cell Phones. Now that 3G communication services are available in Mexico, it opens a new potential for cell phone companies like Pantech to tap into the Mexican market. Although this is Pantech’s first entry into the Mexican market, it plans to sell more 3G phones in the growing Mexican market in the future. The C600 includes an MP3 player, dual camera, movie player and other customized features for the average Mexican consumer.

Before they released this phone in Mexico Pantech researched the needs of the Mexican consumers. This allowed them to determine what they were seeking with the popularity of 3G technology before them. This is a great phone on Pantech’s part and the first of many 3G phones that Pantech tends to release in Mexico. The popularity of this phone makes it inevitable that many more 3G phones with similar capabilities will be released in Mexico throughout the rest of 2008 and into 2009 as well. As Mexican consumers join the rest of the world in wanting a phone with camera, music and video capabilities, Pantech will need to keep an eye on the market so it can keep on top of what consumers want.

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Solar Chargers for your USB Devices


In this era, people are making every effort to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and batteries to power their portable electronic devices. So where are these people going to obtain the power for their portable electronic devices? These people are making every effort to increase their dependence on solar energy. After all, in some form or fashion, solar energy is the root of all energy on earth. As such, it only makes sense to try to obtain electricity directly from the sun.

To help with those efforts in obtaining electricity directly from the sun, it is quite possible for you to build a solar charger for your USB devices. Although the chargers themselves are products that are not yet available in the market, it is possible for you to build a solar charger from materials that widely available.

The materials that you need to build your own solar charger for your USB devices are solar powered garden lamps, some wires, a female USB connector, and a baseball card sleeve. First you should remove the solar cells from the garden lamps then wire them together. Next you should take the USB connector, leave only the wires for a positive and negative connection exposed, and connect the USB wire to your solar cell array. Then you should use the baseball card sleeve to hold the solar cells and secure the sleeve with clear tape.

This homemade solar charger is powerful enough to not only charge your portable electronic device, but you can also use your portable electronic devices while they are being charged on the solar charger. This is especially useful if you are far from civilization and you need to charge your cell phone.

With this solar charger, you will be able to take one more step to fossil fuel independence.

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