cle explains the fundamental terms related to sunlight and residential solar energy systems. You will learn about units of measure, forms of solar radiation, spectral distribution, energy distribution, and solar position.

Germany and Japan are often cloudy or foggy but is where most solar panels now sold in the United States are produced. Because of the way solar modules produce power from direct, diffused and reflected light it works great in these conditions. A very high performing solar array can be found on a foggy beach in California.

Measuring Light and How Solar Panels Use It

The following terms related to different aspects of light and their characteristics as they come in contact with different physical formations on Earth. The definitions below will help explain how some residential solar energy systems seemingly in areas with poor sun quality can actually achieve respectable power output.

Irradiance - The rate of solar radiation falling on a given area at a moment in time. Irradiance is measured in units of kW/m2 (read kilowatts per square meter).

Irradiation - The amount of solar energy over time. Irradiation is measured in units of kWh/m2/day and read kilowatt-hours per square meter per day. Different locations through the United States (and the World) have different levels of irradiation. As in previous articles, you can find many maps on the Internet that will show the average annual solar irradiation throughout the United States.

Light Characteristics and Solar Fundamentals

Deflection - The amount of light lost when the solar panels aren't facing the sun squarely as the sun moves across the sky. This loss of light is called deflection. Even though solar cells are etched on the surface into little pyramids to collect light from all angles, coated with a light diffusing coating, and protected with light diffusing glass, more light is deflected when the sun is not directly in front of the panels.

Spectral distribution - The bulk of the solar light spectrum which reaches the Earth's surface is ideally suited for conversion by solar (PV) cells into electrical energy.

The Sun's Position as It Relates to Solar Energy Systems

Two coordinates describe the position of the sun at any given time. The orientation provide the information to home solar installers to figure out and orientate the solar energy system to collect and convert as much sun energy as possible into residential electricity.

Azimuth - Describes the direction from east to west in degrees (°). North is 0 degrees. East is 90 degrees. South is 180 degrees. West is 270 degrees. The layout of this grid is not unlike the face of a compass. The markings are in degrees indicated on the face.

Altitude - Is the measurement in degrees, like on a compass, that the sun is from the horizon. Altitude is measured in degrees as well. Altitude is the point in the sky where it is located right over head often referred to it's highest point in the sky. Just like a plane has an altitude that it travels at across the sky as it is measured above the horizon. So does the sun.

Irradiation Example for a Solar Energy System

In the coast area of California, residential solar energy systems are sized using an average of 5.5 sun hours per day. More often than not, most people think or comment that their house gets more like 8 to 15 hours of sunlight per day. This is true but sunlight is different than solar sun hours per day.

The sun hour numbers take into account things like fog, rain, night and, most importantly, deflection. The sun hour ratings listed for different places throughout the United States is the amount of solar irradiation available to be converted into electricity by a fixed mounted solar array facing true south at the optimal tilt angle. A solar module produces its full rated power only when in direct sunlight, so when the sun is to the East or the West of the module it is not at full production.

reThinking the Economics of Residential Solar Energy

Doing your part to choose green, solar power can be a bit confusing and complex at times. There are many terms, aspects of the installation, and details about your sun light hours per day that all influence decisions to upgrade your home to solar energy. A very interesting and attractive option currently development in the solar market is the option to rent a residential solar energy system versus having to pay out up to $40,000 for your own solar panels and related equipment.

The economics of residential solar power have changed. Every American homeowner can decide to upgrade to solar energy and avoid large purchase of a solar energy system. New rental programs are now available that give homeowners the chance to adopt residential solar energy without having to make a huge investment.

In the early days of solar power there were huge installations necessary to make use of this energy source. The solar panels that were needed were larger than the average full grown man. This made the collection of solar power a bit of a challenge. Therefore making use of solar power was not suitable of everyone. It was expensive and a bit of a chore as well.

These huge solar panels still exist in solar power plants, which produce energy for certain parts of the world. But over the years technological advancements have made solar power affordable and portable enough so common people can use it for their everyday lives. Nowadays solar panels have become so small that pocket calculators use these as an alternative power source to the usual single cell batteries.

But the use of portable solar power did not stop with the use of pocket calculators. Numerous inventions have made use of portable solar power and some of these are available all over the world. Let's take of look at 5 affordable uses of portable solar power.

1) BRUNTON BATTJACK Batteries and Chargers

The charger comes with the SolarPort 4.4, wall transformer and 12V car cord to charge batteries from AC or in a vehicle. The charger can hold 4 AA or AAA rechargeable batteries. The kit has 4 1500 mAh NiMH AA battery cells. The charger will switch to trickle charge when the batteries are fully charged. It also has a discharge option for maintaining NiCad batteries. This will cost $30.

Batteries are NiMH AA dry cells, have a 1500 mAh capacity, can recharge for hundreds of times, and come in a package of 4 AA batteries. These cost $14.

2) SS-PVSMALL Power System

This portable solar power system from Silicon Solar Inc is easy to use and needs no assembly. Included in each system is an inverter/battery carrying case and 8.5 or 17-watt solar panel/charge.

This system can power a laptop computer, portable audio devices, small coloured TV, and most devices that need less than 140 watts AC 110-120v, and 60Hz input. Power time can range from 30 minutes to 56 hours, depending on the equipment being powered up.

The system is also used for indoor/outdoor lighting, and is lightweight. The system also includes inverters, cables, battery box, and sealed gel cell battery. The system comes with a 1-year warranty. The system costs $149.95.

3) UNI-KIT

The Uni-Kit system is a portable, durable, solar powered lighting system that can provide extended lighting hours to its users. This is powerful enough to let even a 12-volt radio or TV operate, and easy to install. The Uni-Kit system also comes with a basic power controller that maximizes battery life of its 12-Volt Deep Cycle SLA Battery by controlling its charging and load use, and protects the system from overcharging and excessive discharging.

Uni-Kit can be used in the garage, tool sheds, remote homes, isolated buildings, surveying sites, construction sites, camp sites, and even during water pumping operations.

Uni-Kit comes with an 11-watt fluorescent lamp that has a 1-year warranty. The 15-watt solar panel has a 20 year warranty. You can add up to 4 lamps to increase the system's illumination capacity. The default kit weighs 10 pounds and can be purchased for $249.95 from Silicon Solar Inc. If you have additional 4 lamps, all 4 will cost an extra $235.

4) BRUNTON Portable Solar Panels

Brunton has portable CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) solar array panels that are thin and lightweight to save weight for backpackers. These panels produce standard 12volts outputs, and come with basic 12V vehicle socket, 4 different jack plugs, and battery clips. Solar array panels come in a 6 and 12 foldable, and 14 roll able series. Prices of these panels range from $129 to $399.

5) EN-R-PAK AC/DC Backup Power Supply

The EN-R-PAK backup power supply 200 series are compact solar power backup supplies that have built-in electronics that store, control, and produce energy from the sun, wind, or flowing water. The system can accept additional solar panels, wind turbines, or water turbines. These power supply systems use renewable stored energy to produce 115 volts and 12 volts DC. A 230-volt unit is also available for international use.

The EN-R-PAK can provide emergency power for a home or office, remote areas, a cabin or cottage, for communications, wherever and whenever you need power! This system has no parts that wear out, is environment friendly, quiet, does not emit harmful fumes, easy to operate, requires no assembly, needs almost no maintenance, and is designed to survive rugged weather conditions. These can also power energy efficient lights, a laptop computer, a small TV, rechargeable power tools, and other electrical equipment.

The EN-R-PAK has a 1-year system warranty, 20-year solar panel warranty, 2-year battery warranty, and is built to conform to UL, NEC, and CSA electrical standards.

EN-R-PAK 50-watt solar panels are liquid-proof and shatter proof. These also come with a blocking diode, 30 feet of cable with a connection plug. Wind turbines are also configured to the EN-R-PAK so changes to the power centre are not needed.

The basic system will cost $1500. Additions to the system will make the cost reach a maximum of $2950.

This sums up the possibilities for portable solar power. As time and knowledge progress other devices and possibilities will be available on the market. The prices mentioned here can give you an idea, but are by no means accurate.

ve energy is a decision many home owners are making. These same home owners are either looking to reduce their utility bills or just wanting to make the earth a better place to live. Whatever the reason you have for using solar power, An important point is to remember that solar power will provide you with long term effects. One such effect is a savings to the home owner of up to 80% on their electric bill. How would you like to save 80% of your utility bill?

Solar power for the home owner has become more practical over the years; It will make the value of your home appreciate, support the cause for a better, cleaner environment. Because solar power for homes is becoming more main stream the accessibility to solar power is also increasing. There are many ways to start your home off to becoming a solar powered house but first it's important to understand what solar power is and how solar power will work for your home.

Solar power has two main types: solar photovoltaic and solar thermal. Solar photovoltaic is the converting of sun light into electrical energy and solar thermal uses the sun lights infrared energy to heat liquids that will later release its own stored heat. Solar panels are the most used type of solar power for homes. This method is utilized when you see those black panels mounted on the roof of a solar powered home.

One the biggest benefits of solar power for homes is that your home will now be free of the use of fuel which will drastically cut your monthly utilities bills. The fact is, Solar power is a never ending source and you will not have to worry about depleting the the sun. It is an unlimited source of solar power for your home. Not to mention that solar panels offer no moving parts so there is little to no maintenance required with solar power for homes. There is also the added benefit that most manufactures of solar panels include warranties with their products. Manufactures may have a warranty that is good for up to 25 years.

Solar power for homes can be done simply and effortlessly and provide you and your family many years free from electricity bills and unwanted gas bills. With your unlimited supply of solar power you can choose to start off small and just convert your heating to solar power or you can decide to power your entire home with the unlimited supply of solar power.

Nowadays many home owners are in search of alternate power source for their home. This is because of increasing electricity shortage, to reduce power and utility bills and make our earth pollution free. When searching for alternate power source, one has to consider the renewable source of energy like solar power. This could also be a wise decision to power your home with solar panels. Solar power for home has many benefits for its owners. Though it is little expensive, it is a one time investment that’s going to serve you for years free of cost. Solar energy is a never ending power source in other words it is an unlimited power source for your home.

Solar power for home can be generated with the help of solar power panels. There are different types of home solar panels that one can install at home.

• Polycrystalline Solar Panels – The home solar panels that are made out of polycrystalline cells are the cheapest and the most common type of solar panel used at home. Polycrystalline panels are composed of many crystallites of different size and orientation, are mostly available in blue color. The polycrystalline cells are cut into square shapes as they give the best power production for your home. The polycrystalline cells pick up the radiation from the sun from various angles and give fantastic results even in high temperatures.

• Amorphous Solar panels – The other option of solar power panels for home available in the market are the amorphous solar panels that are made from non crystalline cells and are in blue color. These panels are the most flexible ones and their wiring enhances their performance in shaded conditions.

• Monocrystalline Solar panels – The final option of home power solar panels is the monocrystalline solar panels that are of a rigid construction and they do not fill up the entire panel area. These panels are black in color. They are able to radiate the sun rays only when they are aimed correctly towards the side of the sun. They are very durable in nature but perform lesser than the polycrystalline panels in excessive heat.

In order to make the most out of your solar power panel you have to remember some points in mind during its installation.

The home solar panels need to be positioned and places in the right manner in order to be effective. The best direction to place a home solar panel would be on a roof that is south-facing as it would get the maximum amount of sunlight all round the year.

A roof that is tilted between 40 and 60 degrees is the right medium to guarantee getting most of the sun rays. This can be useful when you are constructing a new house, you can have your roof made in such a way that you could benefit the most from your solar power panel for home. Having a tilt in the roof can keep the panels away from dust and snow throughout the year. Choose the home solar panels based on the amount of electricity that you need for your home. These panels come in different sizes that are available to take care of different types of electricity needs for you home. Solar power for home could be the ultimate solution to power up your home.

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When the electrical utility bill is increasing each and every month you can do a few things. You can cry and pull out your hair; refuse to pay and get cut off and have no utilities; you could work harder and more hours each month to keep up the rising costs; or you could invest in other alternative sources of energy to cut the electrical utility bill. One of these alternative sources of energy is solar energy. And indeed, you will need to invest that means putting in your own (or borrowed) money, but the investment can make a huge difference for now and many years to come.

Solar energy is derived from the power emitted by the sun to produce energy. The sun emits enough energy on the Earth in one day to supply the needs of the world for one year. The amount of solar power that the Earth receives from the sun is estimated to be 770 trillion kilowatts or an amount 5,000 times bigger than the sum of all energy resources we are using, may it be nuclear, geothermal, or gravitational energy. The estimated remaining life of the sun is around 4.5 billion years.

Solar power is produced primarily through the use of photovoltaic cells, or commonly known as the solar cells. The process of converting solar power into electricity is as follows: The solar cells are placed under direct sunlight. The rays of the sun hits the cells initiating a chemical reaction that creates an electric current. This current is later turned into electricity.

There are two classification of solar power: passive solar and active solar. The first classification does not make use of panel systems or other moving mechanisms to produce solar power. Instead, it involves planning a structure in such a way that it can capture the rays of the sun with windows, tanks, and other permanent structure. This system can be used to provide heat to houses, water, and so on.

The second classification involves the solar panels or the group of solar cells. These panels are placed in such away that its exposure to the sunlight is maximized. It will convert sunlight to electricity, which is transformed later on from direct current (DC) electricity to alternate current (AC) electricity, and consumed it immediately or store it in batteries. It may be also fed into the grid system of the local utility.

The Pros and Cons of Solar Power

There are some disadvantages of using solar power. These are the following:

Initial costs on installation of solar power systems can be quite expensive. Cloudy weather condition can be a problem in collecting solar power for some systems. If you live in area where there is little sun shine this will be a problem. Solar power can not be produced at night.

There are numerous advantages of using solar power. These are enumerated in the following items:

Solar power is almost limitless. Remember that the remaining life span of the sun is estimated to be 4.5 billion years. It is relatively abundant. It can be absorbed, reflected, transmitted, and insulated. It can be stored in batteries for night time use.

Using solar power is not only a solid investment for years to come it also saves the environment. Thus this investment is not doesn't only saves you money but you making this world a better place to live in for years to come. Investing in solar power is worth your money, don't overlook the potential.

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Today,due to subprime mortgage crisis,A lot of families are trying to save money.Installing solar energy is an excellent option for them.You can kiss the electric company good-bye.With homemade solar power system you can potentially cut your electricity costs by 85%, and in some cases even completely eliminate them.

Home solar power is one area we can make use of the unlimited energy from the sky, by building our own solar power system and feed it into our electric power system.You can easily build a home solar power system with professional guides.You no longer need a service professional coming to your home for design and installation of the whole system.With about 5 hours spent on it and $170 invested, You will have your own solar power system.

It has been seen that three ways of effectively using solar power at home can be sought out:

1 Solar power being a non-conventional power source and moreover, derived directly from the sun is relatively cheaper than all other power sources.As long as we can keep the one time installation cost low, we can easily recover it and get the return in 60-85% saving in monthly electric bill.

2 Solar power is important source of green, renewable energy. With your homemade solar power system you will be able to produce your own environmentally friendly home made electricity.

3. Good education for our community on environmental conservation- When we start   doing it, our neighbour will start to see the benefit, and they will follow too.   More and more people will do the same and this is going to have a big effect,   while everybody just doing a small part.

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For those who still don't believe Americans should build their own solar panels using solar power kits, here is an alarming statistic: oil prices could reach as high as $250 a barrel, according to Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian energy group Gazprom. Miller, who had first made this prediction last year, reiterated it as oil prices recently hit a 2009 high of $71 per barrel in the wake of revelations that proven oil reserves had dropped for the first time in a decade. The escalating price of oil makes do-it-yourself (DIY) solar power a necessity for families seeking protection from skyrocketing energy rates.

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Changing to solar energy is also a must if America is to achieve energy security. The country can no longer afford to remain dependent on imported sources of oil, and for its long-term energy security must develop alternatives. Solar kits can help the country achieve this goal by allowing individual households to reach a certain measure of energy independence, thus lessening power utilities' consumption of costly imported oil.

Environmental concerns should also be a factor in promoting the increased use of solar energy. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for global warming, a growing threat to the environment. But global warming could be mitigated by increasing the use of solar energy. Solar power kits make the technology much more affordable and therefore available to a  greater number of people and thus encourage its use.

But if you are still not convinced by the above factors, then perhaps simple self-interest will persuade you. Solar power kits can show you how to build homemade solar panels for as little as $200, in return for which youcan save hundreds, of not thousands of dollars on your total annual electricity bill. Given that simple fact, DIY solar power must be looking pretty good.

So if you want to enjoy these benefits or if you would like to learn more about DIY Solar Power options click the following link to learn more about building your own homemade solar panel

 

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In these days of high electricity consumption, it has become possible to save money on electric bills as well as increase the value of one's home and also make the world a little bit cleaner by using a home solar energy system to meet the electricity needs of the home.

It involves setting solar modules on or near the home to collect free and clean as well as safe energy from the sun and converting the sunlight into electricity which is instantaneous in the case of the home solar power system, since there are no mechanical parts involved.

To convert the DC power into AC power one would need an inverter and the home solar power system sends excess electricity to the local utility for credit and the home electricity meter actually reverses when the home solar energy system generates more electricity than is consumed by the home.

Reputed manufacturers are selling their own home solar energy systems and finding one should not be a problem what with big names such as BP making such products. Using such systems means that the solar power system is automatic - very much like the savings it affects.

Sunwize Residential Grid-Tie Systems

This home solar energy system supplies reliable power for the home using top quality UL listed products and includes solar modules, UniRac SolarMount mounting structure, inverters, cables as well as all necessary hardware and electrical components. These systems are modular and so one can combine multiple units together and the SunWize grid-tie systems are NEC code requirement compliant that meet US safety standards and come with a twenty year warranty on power output as well as a five year system warranty.

Before deciding on a home solar energy system, one should determine beforehand how much power is required to be used in the home and for this one may need to list all the loads that are planned to be run, along with the amount of voltage and the daily hours of operations.

Once these parameters have been arrived at and quantified they can be compared with the different home solar power systems to determine which would be most suitable.

Using a home solar power system would greatly reduce the power bills as well as help in keeping the environment free of pollutants and very often, it helps in generating excess electricity that exceeds the electricity needs of a home and is thus an economical solution to high priced utility services.

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Home built solar power is an excellent and viable renewable energy solution that is fast gaining popularity. Although you can get solar panels professional installed (at a hefty cost), you can do it yourself at a fraction of the cost. And the best thing is, it doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to do so.

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The Appeal Of Solar Energy

Among all the renewable energy sources, solar energy is the most popular, for a simple fact that it is massively abundant. It is a highly dependable source of energy, and is typically available all year round, even during winter.

Solar power can be used by almost anyone to either supplement your home energy needs, or even go completely off-grid. What you require are some basic parts and components, which you can buy and install at low cost, if you choose to build your own solar panel system.

Home Built Solar Power

To build your own solar panels, I'd advise that you get an instructional guide that shows you exactly what to do, and what materials you need, including batteries and invertors at very low cost. Most guides also provide details on how to install and configure your homemade energy source to be used before switching to your conventional home power supply.

A DIY solar panel guide is really an excellent option especially for folks on a budget and hard pressed to spend a fortune to engage local contractors to install solar panels.

You can start small, by creating a small panel that can power simple appliances such as TV, radio or small lighting. Once you're familiar with the basics, you can scale up the system to power more equipment. You can continue expanding the network until you eventually power your home entirely on solar energy.

Home built solar power is a highly affordable energy solution that all households can take advantage off and start realizing savings on their monthly energy bills.

Want to build your own home solar panels but don't know where to start?

Fret not! Many people just like you have successfully built these on their own to DRASTICALLY cut their monthly electricity consumption. They are already shaving $1000s off their energy bills every year. If you need STEP-BY-STEP guidance in installing one, I have reviewed the Best Online Guides on Home Built Solar Power for your convenience. These highly recommended guides provide EASY-TO-FOLLOW instructions that will help you save money in no time.

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Here are some basic facts about solar energy for the home.

A home solar power system has several standard components they are as follows:

PV Modules or solar panels (to turn solar energy into electricity)

A charge controller (this is an electrical device that prevents batteries from overcharging and from power running from the batteries into the solar panels).

Batteries, to store the electricity for night time usage.

An inverter (an device which changes the electricity created by the solar panels into electricity ready for use in your regular household wall sockets). Solar panels create Direct Current DC and a household runs on A/C Alternating Current.

In the case of a hybrid home solar system, an automatic switch to get current from the electrical grid, or some other power source such as a generator would be included as well. The advantage of using a hybrid system is that you will not be dependent upon solar energy alone.

A 1-kilowatt home solar system is sufficient for most households. A 1-kilowatt home solar system will provide roughly 1,600 kilowatts per year in a sunny climate (receiving 5.5 hrs of sunlight each day) and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in cloudy climates (receiving 2.5 hours of sunlight each day). A 1-kilowatt home solar system is uses about 10-12 solar panels, and requires about 100 square feet of installation area (which could be the roof of your home or a section of land on your property). A 1-kilowatt home solar system reduces waste and pollution by about 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and 105 gallons of water from being consumed each month! A big step toward protecting our environment, in other words. With battery back up, a solar energy system can provide electricity day and night, no matter what the weather conditions. Other options, which include back-up generators and grid-tie systems, provide total security. On average a 1-kilowatt home solar system takes about 1-2 days to install and costs around US$10,000 (though prices are coming down), but can vary greatly and does not take into account any tax incentives offered by the government for reducing carbon emissions. Most systems come with a 5-year warranty, although the solar panels are warranted for 20, and as technology advances some are even coming out with a 30 year warranty.

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