N Jamal asked:


Do you want to know how to make solar power panels? Is the monthly spending on electric bills driving you crazy? If it is, I bet you would want to know how to make solar power panels. Millions worldwide are switching from conventional power to solar power, reason being its free of course and it helps in preserving the environment alike other non renewable sources of energy like fossil fuels that is a major contributor of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are threatening the survival of life on this beautiful planet, due to the looming fear of global warming.

You can either buy one of these solar power panels for your home which would leave you poorer by anything within $1000-$1500 or else you can decide to make solar power panels for yourself for …. Drumroll please … less than $200! Yes, you can do the same job that a professional would do for an amount that will not burn a hole in your pocket. Gone are the days when only government organizations and big companies could afford it, now every person can afford to make solar power panels.

To make power panel you need some raw materials that can be easily picked up at the local hardware store and found around your household surrounds. Copper wire, Solar cells, plywood, glass sheets and some wooden boards is all you need to build a frame can be made into a solar power panel that can generate adequate energy that can power your entire home and business.

To begin on the right footing and get a head start, you will need a good guide that shows even the smallest details about the required stuff about how to make solar power panels, do’s and don’ts. Go for a guide which has step by step videos included, free updates for life and a free access to member forums where other DIY enthusiast can chat will be an added benefit.



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Ross G. asked:


My dad is retiring in a few years, and he is looking into this. I know that this is what one of my teachers did when he retired, but I don’t really want to ask him how it’s been goin
So, what are the pros and cons of buying solar power for a house?

P.S. I live in Canada and I live on the bay, so it is only sunny like 50-60% of the time.

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Jim Martin asked:


Solar Power History: DISCOVER How Solar Power Came to Be in This Article

Solar power is a story that stretches back over centuries. This is often surprising to people who think this is purely a phenomenon that has arisen over the last 50 years or so. In fact generating power from the sun’s rays had come to the attention of scientists many years before.

Mouchout in France created a solar engine in 1860. It was a modest start and worked with solar energy being reflected on to an iron vessel containing water. The effect was multiplied by having a number of reflectors around the vessel. When the water heated it produced steam and the steam pressure then operated a rudimentary steam turbine. This invention was simply the culmination of the realization by many people that the sun could be a source of energy to illuminate their homes and that this energy could also be put to other uses as well.

Mouchout’s solar engine was then notably enhanced by inventors such Charles Tellier, John Ericsson, Henry E. Willsie Eneas and Shuman. William Adams one of the inventors who succeeded Mouchout made a version of the solar engine with 72 mirrors or reflectors. This enhancement alone boosted the power output by a factor of three. Yet the problem remained that the coal-fired engines that were available at the time were more convenient and less expensive to use.

The Tennessee Valley Authority started to set the direction however in the first half of the twentieth century by encouraging the use of hydroelectric power plants. In the Netherlands windmills began to be used more and more for pumping water. At the same time many people came to understand that fossil fuel was not a renewable source of energy and that alternative sources would need to be explored.

Alternative energy sources were still being researched when the mass market for motorcars exploded. The intensive use of motorcars exhausted it even the local crude oil supplies in the United States. This was a problem of crude oil being a victim of its own success. The initial process for extracting and refining food petroleum had been perfected by colonel Edwin Drake in Pennsylvania who had been able to produce a range of derivatives including kerosene and basic petroleum by feeding the crude oil into a fractional column. The U.S. started to import crude oil from the Arab world where it seemed at the time that there was no limit to the amount of oil in these lands. However amongst Arabs sheikhs, wars and also internal feuding threatened the stability of supply of crude oil and encouraged efforts to be stepped up on the search for alternative power sources. Public opinion started to move in the direction of pushing for alternative power sources and their introduction in the market.

The first silicon solar cell that was able to produce a real electric current simply by sitting in the sun, was developed by Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin and Calvin Fuller. Their work as scientists at the Bell Laboratories in 1953 constituted the first major advance in solar energy cell generation. Their inventions however needed to face and resolve a number of technical and business challenges.

For one thing, the solar PV (photovoltaic) cells were in the initial stages much too expensive to produce. They did not give the required output either. This however changed as the invention became mass-produced thanks to initiatives taken mainly by the German and Japanese governments. The growth in the production of photovoltaic cells has since then achieved an astounding rate of growth. The market for photovoltaic energy cells using solar power is currently increasing at a staggering 30 percent per annum. Japan has already begun to make hybrid cars that use both classical fuel as well as solar power, and in the U.S. solar panels operate for many homes and workplaces to provide heating.

Solar power should therefore increase in use throughout the world . We can also expect it to become less and less expensive. This is a natural consequence of leveraging a renewable source of energy provided by nature and also has the benefit of reducing pollution.



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dasa751 asked:


I’m doing research on portable solar equipment, and there are a lot of companies out there that I’ve found. Anyone have any ideas as to what brands will hold up for long periods of hiking and driving? It would need to be able to power batteries for laptops, camcorders, and probably some smaller equipment like cell phones, iPods, etc.

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N Jamal asked:


Have you ever thought about generating affordable solar power? If not, then it’s just about time that you seriously take it into consideration as affordable solar power systems are now within the reach of the masses. Gone are the days when only governments and big companies had the resources to invest in generating solar power. With the advent of technology it’s very much possible and affordable for the common man to generate solar power and save heaps, by slashing down the electric bills up to 80% without reducing the usage.

With dwindling resources such as fossil fuel, which is the primary contributor in production of commercially available energy and increasing supply v/s demand ratio, the energy prices are sky-rocketing and will always continue to rise. Energy prices have shot up sharply and are enough to burn a hole in one’s pocket. The big question is, how much are you prepared to pay?

The most common myth that is prevalent in society and the primary reason why people shy away from generating solar power is due to a misconception that is, solar power is expensive to generate. Well, sure it is, if you decide to buy a readymade solar power kit from market it would leave you poorer by anything within $1000-$10000. However what you don’t know is that an affordable solar power kit can be made by you using raw materials which are easily available at the local hardware store for less than….drumroll please…… $200! And also if you choose to make one for yourself, it would only take half a weekend to setup and have a solar power system up and running.

Now taking into consideration that you can build your own affordable solar power system for less then $200 and the fact that solar power systems are maintenance free and have an average life span of 30-35 years, for such a small investment you will be saving thousands of dollars in the long run. Detailed procedure for setting these affordable solar power systems can be found in several DIY guides that show the minutest details ranging from what all raw material you require to make an affordable solar power kit to setting them up. Try to go for a DIY guide that has videos included and if they have an online forum where you can chat with other DIY enthusiasts, it would be a great added bonus.



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KDSD asked:


I just recently bought a Gshock G2300B-1V watch on ebay.
How can i test that my watch is really solar power or not?
Is there a good way to test it instead of leaving my watch in sun light or putting it in a dark room for long time?

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Adam Kingston asked:


Solar power is one of the most used unconventional sources of energy today. Not only does it generate energy for free, it’s clean and virtually maintenance free. Want to know just how solar power works? Here is some information that will help to understand how to set up, use and maintain a solar power unit. If you’ve ever thought about wanting to cut energy bills, solar power may be the answer you’re looking for.

What To Do To Get Solar Power

The electricity from solar panels is the same as from burning fossil fuels. Because the energy comes from the sun, there is no pollution like with regular power plants. The sun produces an almost infinite amount of energy for free. Just like regular electricity, you can use it any way you like, to power any item you like.

If you want to build your own system, you’ll need to get some background info first. Search the internet and you’ll see there are many step-by-step manuals on how to build your own. These kits give you everything you need to get up and running in not time. These manuals explain exactly how solar power works and how you can use it best.

Electricity is generated when the panels collect the light from the sun and convert it into useable energy. This is how solar power works. It’s really easy to maintain a system and the costs are minimal. The electricity bills are cut down as you pay nothing for what you use.

Solar Panels And Solar Panel Kits

It is a very simple task to set up a solar power unit using the solar panel kits. They come with enough set up information, and if you still think you need to know more, you can do a bit of research on the internet on how solar power works. Compared to a professional system, the savings are huge. Install it yourself, or with a friend, and the whole thing can cost you less than $200. Most people can get them built in an afternoon, or a day, maximum.

Using solar power you’ll soon notice the savings, even though you can power everything as normal.

Now that technology has developed so much, it’s the perfect time to start saving on your energy bills. The sun produces a huge amount of energy - over 1KW per square yard on the Earth’s surface. Start using solar energy to power your home safe in the knowledge that you’ll be saving money and helping the environment.



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Wolf Miller asked:


Only fifty years ago, the idea of a solar powered home would have sounded like something straight out of a science fiction novel. Today, however, the technologies and materials exist for entire neighborhoods of residential homes with solar power to exist.

It must be understood that there are three types of solar panels in existence, and the most costly of the three – the monocrystalline – are also the most effective. The other two types are polycrystalline and thin film panels. While these are also highly effective in creating a solar powered home, they do not yet have the capacities of the monocrystalline panels.

Residential homes with solar power may not be entirely operated by the sun. They might have domestic hot water created by solar collectors, or they may receive a large portion of their electricity through their solar panels. For example, a modern solar powered home will usually have a supply of batteries that store energy throughout the day, and which become active in the evening hours once the sun has set.

Because of the need for more and more homes to rely on solar power instead of non-renewable energy, solar technologies are expanding and becoming more readily available and affordable. There are even some specialty manufacturers who sell standard household appliances that are crafted to work best within a solar powered home.

The standard equipment required in a solar powered home includes a few solar panels. These contain the photovoltaic cells that harness the sunlight and convert it into solar energy. There are also residential homes with solar power delivered through roofing shingles rather than the huge panels mounted on the yard or rooftop.

A really great bit of news is the fact that homeowners who decide to upgrade or install such energy efficient systems can gain some tax advantages by doing so. This is an excellent way to make such equipment “pay for itself” in a very short period of time.

Alternately, there are also “net metering” options for those with a solar powered home. This is a way to sell unused electricity to the suppliers and receive either a credit on a monthly bill or even a check.

More and more residential homes with solar power are appearing each year. They are the result of growing awareness of the need to be far less reliant on fossil fuels and also to protect the environment from the damages and destruction created by traditional forms of energy production.

 



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Cathie asked:


For my science project
I need a list of good things about solar power engery and a list of bad things.

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N Jamal asked:


Want to know about the advantages and disadvantages of solar power? Well, there are a lot of advantages of solar energy. I’m going to first tell you about the advantages of solar energy over that of energy generated from oil.

Advantages Of Solar Power

Solar power is a renewable energy source. Despite the fact that we cannot make use of sun’s power during night, or on days when there is no sunlight available, we can count on the next day being sunny, when there will be sunlight to give us more energy and light. As long as we have the sun we can generate solar energy from it (and it’s a no brainer that when we no longer have sun in existence, we won’t find ourselves alive, either!). When compared to solar energy, oil is non-renewable source of energy. Once it finishes, it is gone forever. We might find a different source of energy but that might finish off one day as well. So its just about time that we start looking for other renewable sources of energy to end the power crisis and the answer is- Solar Power Solar cells are totally silent. They create energy from sun without making any noise. Now think over the noise made by huge drilling machines that pump oil Solar cells/panels need no maintenance (as they do not have any moving parts within them, so there is no wear and tear that need replacement) The most important advantage of solar energy as compared to oil is that the solar energy is non-polluting, whereas oil when burnt releases harmful toxic, greenhouse gases and carcinogens in air. Although the initial setup of solar panel or solar lights might be pricey but in the long run saves us a lot of money, as we will never have to pay the electric bill again! On the other hand we all are aware of the increasing prices of oil and thus the generated electricity worldwide. Solar powered products and lights are very simple and easy to install.

Evidently, there are many advantages of solar power. The advantages of solar power range from benefiting in reducing to completely eliminating the cost of your monthly electric bills to benefiting the environment.

Disadvantages of solar power



Just for the records…..

Solar cells/panels can be expensive at times specially when you order them to be made or buy them. Solar energy can not be created during night.

Evidently when we look at the advantages and disadbvantages of solar power and compare them, its advantages greatly outnumber the disadvantages. Also the current disadvantages are the things that are always worked upon to improve as technology advances



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