Homemade Solar Cell

Having a good lighting in the yard is one of those things that every homeowner must do at some point, either for a social function or for basic navigation. What’s changed is how it’s being done, with solar lights becoming a lot more popular, and not just for outdoor lighting, but for indoor lighting as well. Better yet, if your memory of solar lights was of something that was a bit ungainly or downright ugly, that’s changed as well – they’ve gotten much smaller and less obtrusive.

How do they function? They are lights that are powered by solar cells; most of them will use a low energy lighting element, like an LED or a compact fluorescent, to let the light run from the battery for as long as possible. What sizes have you seen lately? They’re maybe the size of a coffee cup for the entire unit, including the photovoltaic collector on the top. They’ve also come down in price as making them more affordable than ever before.

Do you know that most solar lights are all weather ready, they have the lighting element itself (the bulb, etc) which is in a weather tight container, such as clear plastic or a glass dome. Somewhere on it will be a photovoltaic collector that should be put up in the direction of the sun. A closer inspection of the unit reveals the casing of a converter and battery assembly; depending on how much sunlight these get, they can run for 5 or more hours after a full day’s charge, and more expensive models can run for more than that.

Why are they flying off the shelves? The reasons for buying these boil down to long term costs. Many of them – especially with those that have LED lighting elements – will last for many, many years, and what’s more, they don’t pull power from the house’s the electric grid. The buying cost for these effectively becomes free after the first year that they’re in your garden. This also leaves more power for things like air conditioning, which can be inevitable in the summer especially to many people with health worries.

Have you taking a look at your neighbors homes at night lately? People’s homes are looking more tasteful with the new solar lights nowadays. Another drive in the minds of buyers is the stated fact that they aren’t as big or bulky as they use to be. They also look a lot better cosmetically and can blend in with almost any scenery. They come in a many defferent colors and compliment gardens, and the flower arrangements very well. They also work well with porches and decks.

If you like creativity, then you are in for a treat with solar lights. Due to their variety, flexibility and utility, they’ve inspired a lot of creative light displays and setups. They can be used to highlight a garden for night parties, marking walk ways. They have also done well as security devices when hooked up to a motion sensor.

Considering the fact that home improvement budgets have been slashed with the current economic downturn, these lights have proven to be the exception to the rule – they are beautiful, elegant, affordable and, flexible. Moreover, they allow home owners to express their creativity on a tight budget. They also don’t have recurring costs in the form of ongoing electric bills. Many home owner have considered them to be the harbinger of things to come for self powered home improvement.

Indeed, Solar lights are a great cost effective way to add charm to the look of your home and garden. They’re small, affordable, and can be bought in stages to improve the house, and they’re low maintenance and unobtrusive. They also look elegant when used with complementary backgrounds.

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Let’s turn to financing in this edition of Green Products. Why financing? To go green, someone has to pay the initial costs, and sometimes these costs are high. With some of the current economic challenges, here are some thoughts

First, how is the seller/manufacturer of green products affected during a downturn? Businesses that produce alternative energy/green products are facing the same (if not more) pressure than the average consumer. This means that most alternative energy businesses will be more willing than ever to negotiate price, and may have discounts or incentives in place.

Second, what effect has the American Recovery and Re-investment Act of 2009 had on renewable energy? One area of focus covered by the new law is renewable energy and the development of new technologies and green products. It improves the 2008 tax credit already in place and removes “cost caps”.

With this new law in effect you can realize a 30% tax credit when you install an alternative energy source in your home or business. If you own a small business, you also have an option to get cash in the form of cash grants instead of the tax credit.

One of the great things about all this is the money that you will save for years after your initial investment is recapture using green products. For example, solar energy is passive and requires little maintenance unless you use a battery store (then all you have to do is schedule the replacement of batteries every five years).

At last count, 30+ states offer tax incentives, rebates and cash-back programs. The cash back programs require the utilities to reimburse you when you generate more electricity than you use.

This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. You get cheap electricity, the local business get installation contracts, the manufacturers sell a great product, the government gets payroll taxes and doesn’t have to pay for unemployment, and the environmental impact has been reduced with the use of green products.

Michael

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The Beatles rejoiced at the sight of the sun and sang, ‘Here comes the sun”. Indeed, the sun has been spreading joy and warmth all over the world since time immemorial. The best thing about the sun is that it is free to enjoy. Irrespective of religion and nationality, the sun shines upon all of us in all its glory. And now, man has the knowledge and know-how of harnessing a part of the tremendous energy contained in the sun and putting it to various uses.

Think about solar energy and the first image that springs to the mind is that of those arrays of shiny photovoltaic panels adorning the rooftops and the countryside. Indeed, photovoltaic cells still remain the most popular way of generating solar power. Solar power, for one thing, is not cheap. However, even though the initial set up costs can be quite high, the long-term financial benefits of using solar power are too strong to deny.

Did you know that solar energy can actually give you the unique advantage of not only generating enough power for ourselves, but also sell off any surplus to the local utility company or the grid at a profit through what is known as the “Net-metering Scheme”. It is really a very simple process, requiring no raw materials and having no running cost. All one needs to do is connect the system to the local power grid and send back the excess power generated by him to the local company. An example will make things clearer. Say, your monthly electricity consumption is X number of units or A amount of dollars. Now, if you install a solar panel at your home that can produce 6X number of units per month that is equivalent to $5A and you draw 2X number of units from the utility for night time consumption, you are still left with 6X minus 3X or 3X number of units equivalent to $5A minus $A or $4A in your hand. Selling off surplus power seems like the only sensible and smart choice because you cannot store this power for use on rainy days. If left unused, it will usually go to waste. Therefore, the smart decision is to sell it back and make a neat stash.

Before you make up your mind to go ’solar’, there is one very important consideration viz. the return on investment. It is worth remembering that solar systems do not come cheap. In fact the initial investment can be fairly high by most standards, even though most states will extend financial aids to you for the cause because solar energy is eco-friendly and a clean renewable form of energy that does not pollute the environment. However, you can always find out the break-even point by subtracting the value of the annual sale of electricity from the initial investment made by you. Take a look below for a typical example.

Initial investment $30,000 Annual sale value of solar electricity $ 5,000 Number of years to reach break-even point 6years From the 7th year onward everything is free

The ecological benefits of using solar energy are just too many to enumerate. First and foremost, there is the tremendous environmental edge that comes from its clean, renewable, non-fossil fuel oriented and sustainable nature. Unlike other conventional modes of energy production solar energy production does not cause air pollution simply because there is no discharge of sulfur dioxide (SO), carbon dioxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO) or mercury. And for the same reason, solar energy does not contribute to the contemporary problem of global warming or greenhouse effect. What’s more, with solar energy you never need to worry about smog or acid rain in the area where it is utilized. Indeed, it’s easy to see why the entire world is raving about alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.

Another big advantage of using solar energy comes from the fact that it is virtually free and requires very little maintenance.

Solar power setups are self-sustained and an independent means of energy production. This distinctiveness of operation helps installation of units anywhere under the sun, irrespective of whether other facilities are available or not. In other words, it may be said that solar energy really sets you free. Nowadays, owing to the latest developments, it doesn’t take much to set up a fully functional solar power unit near your own house and start generating your own electricity. Moreover, solar power offers excellent portability. Powerful Solar energy units mounted on trailers, complete with control panel, converters, battery banks and switches are now in use in such remote areas like the South African Game Reserves where scientists are busy checking the genes of large animals like the rhinoceros or the giraffe. Independent solar energy operated units help light up their camp sites while powering their laptops for research work and other equipment and tools.

There is a general concern all around the globe over our dwindling natural reserves of fossil fuels. Solar power has effectively reduced the dependence on Middle Eastern countries whose oil supplies had so far been responsible for fossil fuel generated electric power. In fact, considering the pace at which mankind is adopting solar power in homes and workplaces, the day is not too far away when diesel and petrol powered generators would become extinct.

All said and done, let us now take a look at some of the disadvantages that accompany solar energy uses. A disturbing factor is the present high cost of installation of a solar panel. Though efforts are underway to improve their affordability (there are many government schemes that extend financial help to those willing to install a solar power unit), the picture is still far from encouraging.

You must be all set to switch to solar power by now. But don’t get started all alone. What you need is a training guide – a manual, that will let you learn how to install a system. You will also need to know a few other things such as what is the best place to set up the system, where to buy the parts, how to get free batteries, safety precautions and also wiring the system. Get informed and you are ready to install solar system in your home. This is easily the best way to ensure a quick, successful installation, without hurdles or unpleasant surprises.

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