Solar Power -The Future Energy For The Home

Solar energy for residential houses is nothing new. When man first started building homes, sunlight played an influence in the design. As a matter of fact, for the Ancient Chinese and Greeks, the orientation of the buildings is directed towards where it could capture the most sunlight.

The ancients might not be as intellectually sophisticated then to use catch phrases as passive solar and thermal mass but when they build, they were building in compact proportion, employing overhangs, and building in manners that direct the airflow within the structure and producing well lit, well ventilated spaces using the relative position of the sun to the orientation of their structures.

Nowadays, with the conventional sources of energy became more expensive, homeowners are once again turning to the sun for energy requirements.

Since the fifties, harnessing the sun’s rays has been evolving and today the solar cell technology has achieved very efficient levels that modern (so-called green house) designs implement the sun’s power to provide energy for the home.

Although solar energy is free, the device that will convert it to run our appliances is not. To provide solar energy for the home, solar cells called photovoltaic made from semi-conducting materials to produce electricity. To heat water, a systems generally composed of solar thermal collectors is use.

These solar panels are mounted on rooftops, yards or open spaces where it can capture the maximum amount of sunlight. Whenever possible, the panels were installed facing south to get the most out of the sunlight.

In spite of all the development in solar energy, the use of this technology is not enough to provide power to the whole house. The best method so far can only fulfill about 80% of a households power needs. The employment of solar energy for the home will still require the use of the conventional power distribution method.

Powering the homes by solar means will still, for a while be augmented by a local power distribution agency. To many, this is already a good starting point. Homeowners that feel that the high cost of powering their houses through solar power, is justified when compared to the price that is now being paid for conventional method where horrendous amounts of CO2 are being dumped into the atmosphere just to generate a pitiful amount of electricity.

However, due in part to the rising costs of energy, the technology for solar energy has been undergoing rapid phases of development. Experts are confident that powering the home through the solar method will be made widely available for those who prefer it as its sole energy source.

World’s Largest Solar Plant to be Build In Ordos, China

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Arizona-based First Solar plans to construct the world’s largest solar plant in Ordos, China. When finished in 2019, the 2,000 megawatt Ordos solar farm will produce enough power to provide for 3 million homes. It’s a development that makes China, one of the biggest players in the solar energy game.

The Ordos solar farm is an especially big – the 25 square mile, multi-billion dollar plant makes other solar projects look petite by comparison. The Ordos Solar Plant, which is scheduled to begin the first of its four phases of construction in 2010, when completed. it could easily become the world’s biggest renewable energy consumer. read more here

The Solar Century: The Past, Present and World-changing Future

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Clean, silent, renewable and climate-friendly…solar power is the holy grail of energy. And there’s no shortage of sunlight out there: enough falls on the surface of the planet each day to power human society many thousands of times ov (more…)

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Sustainable Energy System Engineering

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The only complete design resource for sustainable energy systems geared towards engineers This highly visual resource goes beyond theory and provides solid, hands-on mechanical and electrical engineering information on the design an (more…)

Nonimaging Optics in Solar Energy

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Nonimaging optics is a subdiscipline of optics whose development over the last 35–40 years was led by scientists from the University of Chicago and other cooperating individuals and institutions. The approach provides a formalism that (more…)

The Kids’ Solar Energy Book even grown-ups understand

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Review
This remarkable bit of invention achieves the near impossible feat of being funny while discussing solar power. –The New Yorker

Review”This remarkable bit of invention achieves the near impossible feat of being funny while dis (more…)

Solar Revolution: Transformation of Global Energy

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“Solar Revolution is an essential read because it analyzes the transformation of the global energy economy. The market will drive the new energy economy, and solar is already a growing and influential player. This is a positive vi (more…)

Xantrex Technologies 852-2071 Xpower

From the Manufacturer
The XPower Powerpack Solar is the first portable power pack that incorporates solar power in a compact, portable power source. It’s completely self-renewing, which means the detachable 5-watt solar panel has the a (more…)

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Practical Photovoltaics: Electricity from Solar Cells

Practical Photovoltaics, the now-classic reference on solar electricity, offers a unique combination of technical discussion and practical advice. Physicist, lecturer, and solar-home dweller Richard Komp explains the “how” and the “how- (more…)

Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual (Paperback)

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Producing electricity from the sun using photovoltaic (PV) systems has become a major industry worldwide. But designing, installing and maintaining such systems requires knowledge and training, and there have been few easily accessible, co energy-International/dp/0865715203/ref=sr_1_8/188-4266598-7152719?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248193174&sr=8-8?ie=UTF8&tag=heagrelivtod-20" title="More at Amazon">(more…)

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