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Alternative sources of energy – Facts, review and user feedback

With the recent rise in energy costs many people have been looking to alternative sources of energy. One of the greatest energy sources (our sun) is readily available for the taking. We just need to be able to harness it’s power. For those interested, below is a brief history of how solar power came to be.

The history of photovoltaic energy (aka. solar cells) started way back in 1876. William Grylls Adams along with a student of his, Richard Day, discovered that when selenium was exposed to light, it produced electricity. An electricity expert, Werner von Siemens, stated that the discovery was “scientifically of the most far-reaching importance”. The selenium cells were not efficient, but it was proved that light, without heat or moving parts, could be converted into electricity.

In 1953, Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearson, and Daryl Chapin, discovered the silicon solar cell. This cell actually produced enough electricity and was efficient enough to run small electrical devices. The New York Times stated that this discovery was “the beginning of a new era, leading eventually to the realization of harnessing the almost limitless energy of the sun for the uses of civilization.” The year is 1956, and the first solar cells are available commercially. The cost however is far from the reach of everyday people. At $300 for a 1 watt solar cell, the expense was far beyond anyone’s means. 1956 started showing us the first solar cells used in toys and radios. These novelty items were the first item to have solar cells available to consumers.

.In the late 1950′s and early 1960′s satellites in the USA’s and Soviet’s space program were powered by solar cells and in the late 1960′s solar power was basically the standard for powering space bound satellites.

In the early 1970′s a way to lower to cost of solar cells was discovered. This brought the price down from $100 per watt to around $20 per watt. This research was spearheaded by Exxon. Most off-shore oil rigs used the solar cells to power the waning lights on the top of the rigs. The period from the 1970′s to the 1990′s saw quite a change in the usage of solar cells. They began showing up on railroad crossings, in remote places to power homes, Australia used solar cells in their microwave towers to expand their telecommunication capabilities. Even desert regions saw solar power bring water to the soil where line fed power was not an option!

Today we see solar cells in a wide variety of places. You may see solar powered cars. There is even a solar powered aircraft that has flown higher than any other aircraft with the exception of the Blackbird. With the cost of solar cells well within everyone’s budget, solar power has never looked so tempting.

Recently new technology has given us screen printed solar cells, and a solar fabric that can be used to side a house, even solar shingles that install on our roofs. International markets have opened up and solar panel manufacturers are now playing a key role in the solar power industry.

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Using Climate Change To Your Advantage

Rather than worry about climate change and the affects it could have on mankind in general and yourself in particular, how about using it to your advantage? The summer of 2009/2010 in Perth was the second hottest on record. It seems that many areas in Australia are getting hotter weather now than they did years ago, even though other countries are suffering through much colder winters than they’ve experienced for years.

If Australia’s weather is destined to be hot or hotter, you can take advantage of that by installing solar power not only for your hot water needs, but for other uses as well. You can even cook and run an air conditioner using solar power. Hot summer weather will only make solar power more efficient.

It could be that you will have more solar power than you can actually use, so you can then sell it back to the electricity commission in your area – if they have such a plan in place – and make money instead of having to spend it all the time. That is certainly using climate change to your advantage.

If you are a new home builder, the extra warmth of climate change can be used to your advantage by the way you site your home. This cannot always be done due to limitations of the block, but if you can situate your home so that the living area faces north – if you live south of the equator – then you will get lots of winter sun into your room to warm it.

In summer, the sun is higher in the sky, so it will not shine into these rooms and make them too hot. If the slope of your roof faces the north, then that is the ideal place to site solar panels as they will get the full force of the sun.

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How to Build a Perpetual Magnetic Generator

Save your hands up, the cost will. I mean, a lot of money. The kind of money that could make a real difference to your life. Well, who would not. Imagine you are cutting your electricity bill by up to 60% only for a few hours, taking some simple DIY tasks. Are you still interested? Get the Best Solar Panel and Wind Turbine Guide

Well, you should be, because thanks to the amazing magnetic generator these promises and much more can now be realized. Magnetic generators were first developed almost 10 years in Australia and have been present as a real competitor for the crown of the best alternative energy, look next to competitors like the wind turbine and solar panels. But the early prototypes, while they were working to build fiendishly complicated and difficult. This means that very few people ever have to work too.

But that changed thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people worldwide, and its now possible to buy DIY guides who can show you how to make your own magnetic generator working within a few days with the most important tools and a little practical skill.

Need Solar Panel and Wind Turbine Guide?

A magnetic generator operates on the same line as a wind turbine, but it uses against the force of the magnet to the wind. The magnets are arranged on a flywheel and, as any student can attest, the repulsive and attractive forces, it can generate the wheel spin. This rotary motion is then in a turbine, which is rotated to transfer to generate electricity. A simple change of the DC to alternating current, which can then be used, one of the devices around your home and power.

The best thing about these devices is that the power source, magnet, estimated at an incredibly slow. In fact, it is estimated that a magnetic generator approximately 400 years worth of power before the magnets, which may need to be changed.

So if you fancy spending a few hundred dollars building a magnetic generator, you can expect to gain substantial savings over the next few (hundred) years!

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Types of Renewable Energy That Occur Naturally

You ask what is renewable energy? Well it is energy that comes from natural resources like wind, rain, sunlight and tides, which are all Types of Renewable Energy and can be harnessed to generate power. Everyone anywhere has natural resources around them so it is a perfect opportunity to utilize these resources. You can live anywhere in the country wether it’s rural or even in the city & still have access to your own renewable energy and not even know it. There are many way’s to do this by using solar panels, solar hot water systems, wind generation & even stand alone solar systems which are a combination of several of these Types of Renewable Energy.

 

Why pay the electricity company’s to supply your power when you can have your own renewable energy source to power your home.  I was always dreading my power bill every 3 months now I don’t get a power bill & am saving money just from having my own solar system. We had a rebate from the government when we put our solar system in, so we benefited & so did the environment & so could you.

 

Everyone is looking to help the environment & to reduce greenhouse gas emissions & what better way to achieve this than with renewable energy. The Australian government wants by 2020 that 20 per cent of our Electricity supply to come from Renewable Types of Energy.

 

In Australia you can get paid to put power back into the mains power supply grid so not only are you helping the environment, also the electricity company is paying you for putting power back into the grid so this is very beneficial for you. To do this is by using solar panels on you roof so that the sunlight produces electricity through the panels that you have. They require little maintenance & can last 20 years or more.

 

There are many Types of Renewable Energy that you can use around your home for 1 there is solar hot water systems. Why not have hot water anytime of the day without having to worry about how much it is costing you. You just have to jump in have a shower & when you get your next electricity bill compare & have a look to see how much you have saved. These day’s the government gives rebates on solar hot water system’s so check with your government & see if you can receive these rebates now.

 

 

Another way that you can use Types of Renewable Energy is by using wind turbines & this is done by the wind turning the propellers to make electricity & it can be put into your battery bank. These are very good if you have a place with a lot of wind & are usually used in the stand-alone systems.

 

So using any of these ideas will reduce greenhouse gas emissions & help our environment. 

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Types of Renewable Energy and How I Use Them

These days there is so much more information on Types of Renewable Energy that you would be crazy not to have a look into it. With so many company’s and households changing to solar energy systems to save money and the environment, times are a changing. With so many choices that you can have with the solar that you can change 1 thing in your home or lots. With all of these products they have 1 thing in common they are run by natural occurring sources. Everyone no matter where you are in the world you have these natural resources at their hand. Why not use these natural resources that are there every day and help the environment and your pocket.

I know for myself that it has changed our lives for the better, as we have been able to save money and use the natural resources that are around us. On our property we have a stand-alone system to run our house and we have no means of mains power at all so we rely on our system for all of our electrical supply and it works terrific for us.

We have a 1 kilowatt wind turbine that works really well as it is windy all the time here. The wind turbine is driven by the wind to turn the propellers and then the energy generated is stored into our battery banks to use at a later time.

We also have fifteen 175-watt solar panels on our shed roof to catch the solar energy. Our solar panels have sun all times of the day as we positioned them facing to the north so we can achieve the best result. The more sun they have the better it is. We can run our house with these 2 products and now we no longer have a power bill. It is that easy to do and now we are helping the environment and reducing the greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere.

You always here that people and the government want to help reduce the greenhouse gases and the environment and these days even the government are helping you to help the cause. You should contact your government to find out if you can get a rebate to change to a solar system that would suit your needs. I know from experience that the government from Australia help with rebates as we received a rebate on our stand-alone set up and it became more affordable for our family to do.

You can also use different Types of Renewable Energy on a much smaller scale for other things around your homes like garden lighting and small irrigation systems. These smaller systems are great if you are starting out with renewable energy as you can do it yourself and will learn how it all works before you jump into the big systems to run your homes. Camping is becoming more popular with the renewable energy craze as a lot of camp sites now will not allow generators to be run so nearly all the caravans and motor homes are fitted with solar systems to power fridges and lights and whatever the may need to run on electricity.

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The guide to renewable Energy!! – Facts, review and user feedback

Half a lifetime ago, when my wife and I first got a taste for remote RV living, we decided very early on that solar power had to be the way to go. Despite rapid advances in solar technology — even way back then — many fellow travelers were surprised when they learned our RV was “solar powered”.

Granted, that tiny house-on-wheels was getting on in years, and there was still a general belief among caravanners and motorhomers that solar power was “too expensive” and “too technical”. But whatever their reasons, I’m here to tell you that solar-charged 12 volt battery power was then, and still is, worthy of serious consideration — regardless of the size or age of your traveling rig.

In fact, even the most basic system — such as ours was then — provides not only a significant boost in self-sufficiency, it also saves enough money to recover your outlay in under three months. Even today.

For example, a 30-watt, self-regulating solar panel costs around $280 to $350 here in Australia. If you then factor in a no-maintenance, deep-cycle battery of at least 75 amp-hour capacity — to be installed in the RV — at maybe $180, plus suitable cabling, a salable plastic battery box (vented to the outside), and miscellaneous hardware for, say, $50 more, your total outlay shouldn’t be much over $600.

After that, every night you make use of your on-board power, on a “no hook-ups” campsite, you stand to save between $15 and $25 on tourist park fees. Sometimes more. On those figures, the whole set-up pays for itself in maybe 30 nights or less!

True, sufficient power would normally be available from your towing vehicle’s standard battery over one or two nights, but if the vehicle doesn’t move for two or three days the engine will almost certainly need a run for an hour or more to “top up” the charge taken out of the battery. And with single-battery set-ups, there is always a risk of over-using your power, resulting in a flat battery!

On the other hand, if you prefer the overnight security and companionship of a tourist park, an unpowered site — those nice, quiet spots down the back — saves maybe $3 – $8 per night. Which means you could still have your investment back in the bank within six months.

No matter how you look at it, solar was — and is — the way of the future. It’s clean, efficient, silent, and requires almost zero maintenance. And once the initial outlay has been covered, basic power needs from that point on are free.

However, there is a downside. (Isn’t there always?) A fixed solar array — on the RV roof, for instance — needs to be receiving the sun’s rays long and strong to adequately replenish the battery’s charge. Parked too long in the shade, or suffering through a lengthy stretch of rain-filled skies, can knock out a single-battery power supply in two or three days, even with judicious use. For that reason, some travelers have an additional, portable solar panel that can be constantly repositioned to catch the sun’s most direct rays, for as long as possible.

Nevertheless, in the four years we owned that well-traveled little van we had very few problems. (Mind you, we have always carried “conventional” backup in the form of a small petrol generator, and our vehicle has always been dual-battery equipped to share the campsite power needs.)

And about that tricky technology? Well, if a techno-slouch like me can have the whole system installed and operational in under two hours, anybody can! What we did was: (1) mount the solar panel directly onto the RV roof (with sealant carefully applied in and around the screw holes), then (2) run the panel’s cabling down into the van (through the corner of the all-seasons hatch) into a cupboard. Being a self-regulating solar panel, a regulator was not necessary between panel and battery, so the cables were fixed directly onto the battery. The battery was housed in a robust plastic storage bin with a close-fitting lid, which I further sealed with silicone. Two lengths of 6 mm plastic hose vented the box to the outside through the caravan floor (inside the cupboard). Battery terminals were fitted with heavy-duty extension straps that passed through the side of the box to the outside to facilitate normal connection via alligator clips, a portable 12 volt socket, or sometimes a low capacity inverter. All holes in the floor and the battery box were fully sealed (both sides) with silicone sealant.

As for maintenance, all that’s required is an occasional wipe-down of the solar panel, and a general examination of wiring and seals from time to time. I also put a multimeter across the battery terminals every so often to see how it was tracking. (Of course, this reading is only accurate after the battery has “rested” for a half hour or so, i.e, no charge in or out.)

OK, we’ve learned a bit more about solar power since then, so we did some things differently second time around. But these differences were, essentially, because our fulltime travel now needs more than twice the power, with quite a lot more in reserve. So gizmos and gadgets are scattered throughout. But when we think back on that tiny, “drag-it-anywhere” caravan, with its most basic, D.I.Y. solar power set-up, we still get to feeling warm and fuzzy. (Self-sufficiency in the bush will do that!)

For our money, solar power and RVs are made for each other; it’s impossible to imagine a wandering life without either.

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Solar Wind Power ? Exclusively Revealed Why This Is A Worldwide Opportunity

Solar wind power is probably the most common form of alternative, renewable energy available anywhere. There are lots of reasons as for why it’s such a popular alternative and maybe you have already researched the fantastic benefits renewable energy has to offer. If you haven’t looked into these benefits, you would be well advised to. However, it would appear that many people believe they can only benefit from solar wind power if they live within the United States but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s certainly true to say that most of the home DIY manuals and guides are generally sourced from the US and the general trend seems to be that these are utilized mainly by people who live here. However, that should not mean that solar wind power is out of the reach of other countries and no matter where in the world you live, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why you cannot reap the great rewards that homemade solar wind power has to offer you.

If you look at the basic build requirements for a solar power panel or a windmill generator, they all consist of items which are readily available in most countries. There is nothing which you require in the US that you cannot get in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, China, South Africa and so on. In the unlikely event that you do become stuck, don’t also forget that you can use the internet and you can order small parts from almost anywhere in the world if required.

Since the biggest number of DIY guides are produced in the US, they are all written in English and the best produced, high quality systems will often include short video tutorials which again will be spoken in English. This hopefully shouldn’t be too much of a problem as most of the bigger countries in particular have English as either their first or second language. There are also many free programmes available on the internet today which will easily convert any text document into any language of your choice!

One point to be aware of is that the electrical systems in many countries are different to those of the US. However, this again should not be a major problem. The basic principles of solar wind energy are such that it can still be built and utilized absolutely anywhere in the world in the same way as it would be in the US. In addition to this, if you are looking to install a solar power panel or windmill generator in your home, there would be no harm in taking the advice of a local qualified electrician before the installation process just to be safe.

We are all reminded almost on a daily basis of how there is a major energy crisis and that energy prices will get higher and higher. For this one reason alone there has never been a better time to explore alternative renewable and natural sources of power for our homes. Regardless of where in the world you live, solar wind power is a great option which is cheap to implement and will provide your home with hour’s worth of free, renewable energy for years to come.

It is easily within reach of anyone, anywhere in the world!

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Solar Powered Air Conditioner

Over using Air Conditioning is not that great especially living in a country like Australia.

With Rolling blackouts in our cities are now more a common occurrence,when in a summer afternoon for example you are back from work and everyone all wants electricity at once.

In addition the Potent greenhouse gas used in a standard air-conditioner are more potent than carbon dioxide.Evenmore distressing is when we dispose of our air-conditioner there is no safe method.

That is why making a safe Solar Powered Air Conditioner is so important.

The idea is simple and clever!

Imagine an electrical compressor in a conventional air-conditioner with a solar powered air conditioner.

With No electricity , the solar power is providing the form of heat from solar water heater panels.

Imagine a system that provides Hot water All year round and heat in winter.

Ready to be installed and cheap to manufacture this will mean jobs and great export opportunities for Australia.

Using more solar powered appliances is a great way to get our electricity bill down and suits most places on this planet that are dry and hot.

Large compressors in Air conditioners require electricity.

A Solar Powered Air Conditioner replaces a large compressor with a refrigerant expander in the form of a thermal heat exchanger.

Effect is the same in refrigerant pressure but without the use of electricity to operate the compressor.Savings of up to 50% on energy bills.

The system still needs electricity to operate electrical components; however, large savings can be made by reducing the size of the compressor and expanding the gas instead.

With the addition of a solar thermal panel mounted next to the condenser, the systems visually look the same.

PV solar power systems require direct solar radiation but our Solar Powered Air conditioner relies on ambient temperature and does not have to be in direct sunlight!

Energy Efficiency Ratio or EER is the most accurate measurement of air-conditioning performance.

It is simply a ratio of the maximum thermal energy (cooling), divided by the maximum electrical energy (electricity), and required to operate the system.The average EER for solar thermal systems is 3.88 compared with the full power continuous output EER of conventional systems of around 2.4.

Relief to the electricity grid at peak usage times and savings in electricity provide a financial benefit.

As the system is economical to run it can be operated 24hrs per day.

This eliminates the inefficient operation of systems set to maximum power to quickly cool a home which has been heated all day.This also eliminates the associated peak in the electricity demand when consumers arrive home from work.

How about you?

Would you give a solar-powered air-conditioner a go?

Solar Powered Air Conditioner.

Make sense now to secure a solar powered air conditioner.

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Is Solar Energy Popular? Just How Big Is It?

Japan, Germany and USA
These three countries have the most residential and industrial photovoltaic units worldwide, due to having the world’s largest governmental incentives used for renewable energy systems. In Japan and Germany, the most popular are grid-tied units, while in the US – the off-grid ones. Japan and Germany lead in terms of panels installed per person.

Germany has around 1,500 MW of PV units installed throughout the country, which equals around 1% of the total electricity produced in the country. This number is predicted to reach 25% by 2050.

China
China produces 30% of the world’s solar. Right now, the capacity of installed panels in China is around 50 MW. The government is planning to increase these numbers to 20 GW by the year 2020 (renewable energy is predicted to produce 15% of the country’s total energy in the next decade).

Australia
Australia currently produces over 100 MW of PV generated energy (that’s merely 0.1% of the country’s total electric production). Australia is perfect for photovoltaic installations, so why isn’t’ solar energy popular here? This is because these systems are very costly here. The country plans to build one of the largest solar plants, which will produce 450 MW of power, enough to power 45,000 homes.

Canada
Canada uses PV energy mainly for space heating and water heating. It has over 15,000 residential and over 300 industrial solar water heating systems. Canada mainly uses standalone off-grid units.

Israel
Israel has no oil and strained relations with the neighbors that do. They are searching for renewable energy solutions to become independent. The country has lots of sunshine and uses the suns energy mainly for water heaters.

Kenya
Solar energy is also widely used in developing countries. For example, there is a large market for photovoltaic units in Kenya, where customer use entry-level modules for their needs.

India
India uses both – grid-tied and off-grid systems. India also employs the power of the sun in solar cookers, water heaters, water pumps, and off-grid sun-powered street lighting systems. Most of the country doesn’t have access to an electric grid, making solar power here very practical. Over 16,000 PV home systems were financed for homes in rural areas.

Bangladesh
This Asian country uses domestic PV systems, especially in the homes that don’t have access to regular electricity. There are special programs that subsidize “solar home systems” in this country. These systems employ a panel mounted on the rooftop and can power several lights, TV, radio and a cell phone, and provide about 50 W of electricity in direct sunlight.

Pakistan
Pakistan has 10 hours of sunlight per day on average, making the use of solar energy popular here as well. The country already has some sun powered plants, and is a perfect place for the photovoltaic technology to expand.

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Grid Connection Solar Systems-Renewable Types of Energy

With respect to the current economic situation in the world today families are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. For most people one of the biggest expenses that they have is the dreaded power bill most suppliers only read the meter once every 3 months and for the average family the bill could be several hundred dollars and for some could even creep into the thousands. There is a huge advancement in Australia in the use of different Renewable Types of Energy to help people try and take the pressure of the hip pocket that also has a double-edged advantage with helping to reduce the production of green house gases.

Learn how to make your own Solar Energy

More and more people are installing Grid Connection Solar Systems to the homes. A Grid Connection System is a series of Photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof of your home that is connected through an inverter and a meter to the main power grid.

These grid connection systems can be sized in one of two ways, based on your electricity used or on your available budget or if you are fortunate a combination of both. The minimum size system is 1.5 kilowatt and can go as big as your need or can afford, in fact I know of a 60-kilowatt unit that is installed on an industrial shed near where I work. Sure there is a substantial outlay of capital to start with to give you some idea a 1.5 Kilowatt installation would mean roughly an out of pocket to you of around $3000 dollars after the generous government rebate.

$3000 you might say is a lot of money and it is but if you consider the amount that your power bill is reduced each quarter it is not that bad. For a 1.5-kilowatt system it would not be too much to expect that your bill would be reduced by around $100 per quarter that would mean a saving of $400 per year. So at that rate your Grid connection System would have paid for itself in less than ten years and with bigger systems it would be much quicker. At the rate that electricity is going up I am sure the initial outlay will be well worth it.

The use of renewable types of energy are becoming nearly a way of life these days and most local councils are making it compulsory for new houses built in their shires are installing either grids connection units and or solar water heaters. As technology advances these systems will become more efficient and generate more and more electricity for the rated size, which will increase the return to you and will also become cheaper to install therefore pay themselves off much sooner.

In my opinion I think that the direction that we are heading with using Renewable Types of Energy is a great advantage to the future and we should utilize it to its potential.

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