Renewable Energy Source

Solar energy is a great alternative for heating your pool or for heating water for inside your home. The materials needed to create solar collection devices and solar panels are becoming increasingly inexpensive due to advances in technology.

If you are looking at a diagram of solar energy panels that can be used to build a water heating system, you may not be 100% clear on the function of each component in the system or how they all work together to produce usable hot water from the sun’s energy. This overview should help clarify things for you.

The basic principle behind a system of solar energy panels for heating water is the transfer of heat energy from available sunlight to the water. Building a system to do this is in effect harnessing the sun’s energy in the most efficient way for a practical purpose in your home (i.e., providing hot water for a pool, hot tub, or water heater).

When looking at a diagram of solar energy panels, here are the primary components you will see:

1. The solar collector is similar in some ways to a regular photovoltaic solar panel used to make electricity. However, instead of converting the sun’s photons into electricity, the solar collector is engineered to transfer as much heat as possible from the sun’s energy to the water that flows directly through it.

2. The cold water pipe is simply a pipe filled with tap water that feeds directly into the solar collector so that it can be heated up.

3. The hot water pipe is an extension of the cold water pipe, but it is the portion that comes out (the output) of the solar collector and contains hot water.

4. The boiler receives the hot water from the hot water pipe and transfers the heat from this water to water in the boiler’s tank. In other words, the hot water from the first pipe itself is not actually used in the water heater that supplies the home or pool. Rather, the heat energy from the hot water pipe is merely transferred from one to the other.

5. Finally, the controller is the mechanism that controls the pump that pushes the cold water through the cold water pipe to the solar collector. It can be manually adjusted depending upon energy needs.

Solar power systems are a great way to save money on energy usage while protecting the environment by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas.

You can build your own solar panels at home for less than $200 and save thousands in energy costs: http://www.dyi-solarpanel.info.

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Photovoltaic panels are the consumer’s choice.

With the price of carbon-based fuels on the rise, the power companies that rely on fuels such as coal and oil to generate the bulk of their electricity have been forced to raise their rates; subsequently, homeowners are now opting for solar power to satisfy their electricity needs. Photovoltaic systems are popular with homeowners because the energy is free and recent technological advances have reduced the initial cost of these systems.

Batteries require a steady charge.

Due to the intermittent nature of solar energy, it is not practical to connect appliances directly to a photovoltaic panel. Instead, the power absorbed by the panels during hours of sunshine charges batteries, where it is stored for use as needed. The output of photovoltaic panels depends on certain variables such as the location of the solar panels, the time of day, and the season. These factors all affect the angle of incidence of the sunlight striking the photovoltaic cells and consequently, the temperature of the cells. These dynamic conditions that cause fluctuations in the output power of the panels are not conducive to good battery health. As a general rule, batteries like to be charged at a current rate that is about 20% of their Amp-hour rating. For instance, a 10 Ampere charge would be ideal for a 50 Amp-hour battery. Since overcharging batteries can cause them to quickly fail, a solar charge controller is necessary in order to insure the proper charge current is maintained.

What is a solar charge controller and how does it work?

A solar charge controller is an electronic circuit that adjusts the output voltage and current of solar panels to match the needs of the batteries being charged. In order to charge a battery, your charger — or in this case your solar panel — must be at a higher potential than the battery being charged. In other words, the voltage of the panel must be greater than the opposing voltage of the battery under charge, in order to produce a positive current flow into the battery. But how much more should it be? The current flow can be calculated using Ohm’s law: E=I*R; where E is the voltage in expressed in volts, I is the current in Amperes, and R is equal to the resistance measured in ohm’s. The effective voltage in this circuit is the output voltage of the solar panel minus the opposing voltage of the battery. We can determine the difference in voltage necessary to cause our desired current flow by plugging our known values into the equation. Assuming a 12 volt battery with a 50 Amp-hour capacity, our target charge rate should be about 10 Amps. There is no resistor in this circuit except for the internal impedance of the battery, which is a fraction of an ohm. In this case we will approximate it to be 0.2 ohms. Using Ohm’s law we multiply 10 Amps by 0.2 ohms and we get 2 volts as a result. This means that our solar panel must be 2 volts higher than our battery voltage to maintain our target charge rate. This example is meant to show that the rated output voltage of your solar panel must be greater than the battery being charged for your solar charge controller to work. As discussed earlier, the actual values are dynamic and thus the need for a charge controller. There are some very sophisticated solar charge controllers available today, which use maximum power point tracking, or MPPT, allowing them to adapt to different battery and panel combinations such as 24v, 36v, 48v, etc. These controllers use DC-DC converters to match the voltage and use digital circuitry to measure actual parameters many times a second to adjust the output current accordingly.

The proper charge controller is necessary.

As you can see, a solar charge controller is an absolutely essential component of any photovoltaic system. Although it is true that a simple functional charge circuit can be built with a few parts obtained from your local electronics part store, this option is not recommended for the average person. With so many variables associated with solar power, the use of a solar charge controller that has the ability to track all the pertinent parameters and provide the optimum charge for your batteries is recommended instead. The use of a quality solar charge controller will ensure that you enjoy the maximum life from your batteries and the most from your photovoltaic system.

For more information and quality solar charge controllers, please visit http://mymainesource.com/

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Charge controllers are one of the most important parts in your entire RV solar panel system.

There are three main functions a charge controller does:

1. It keeps your batteries fully charged
2. It prevents your batteries from being overcharged
3. It prevents your batteries from being excessively discharged

Batteries are a key component in your RV solar powered energy system. Without batteries, you can only use the power your solar panels generate when the sun is out and you won’t have any power at night when you could really use it. 

Since RV solar panel systems almost always gather power and store it in batteries, nearly every system is going to require a charge controller. A solar charge controller is designed to protect your batteries from being overcharged by your solar panels and it will block any reverse current (from the batteries) as well.

Solar panel charge controllers are specified by both amperage and voltage. For example, if one module in your 12 volt system produces 3. 5 amps and you’ve got four modules then you’re producing 14 amps of current at 12 volts. Because of light reflection and the edge of cloud effect, power output can spike above expectations. For this reason you need to increase the controller amperage by at least of 25% making the minimum rating your controller to 18 amps.

Don’t worry about ever getting a charge controller that is rated 2 or more times higher than your solar panel array. It’s not in any way a bad thing. In fact it’s actually better for two reasons: 

• Your system will always be protected
• You can add more solar panels in the future without having to change your controller.

To discover more great things about generating free power for your RV, check out all the cool information at the RV Solar Panel website.

Jason Watts travels the country 6 months of the year in his rolling computerized RV office which gets it’s complete electrical needs met strictly by RV Solar Panels

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A recent evening of conversation over a few cups of coffee with several like minded survivalists prompt me to attempt to devise an economical solar charging system. My goals in this project are to decrease my current electric bill by employing an alternative means of providing necessary lighting for my home.

When I originally began thinking about this project I considered one of two sources as a means of generating this required electricity. One source was by use of wind while the other was with solar cells. Wind power was desirable for the fact that it would provide charging ability even in the dark of even. However, due to the lack of an abundance of wind in our area I made my decision in favor of solar power. Perhaps in the future I will consider a wind generator for supplemental winter use.

After making up my mind to build a solar powered generator system I laid out the basic framework for a small system along with a rough process for achieving my desired end results. I figured a cost of about approximately $300 to $350 for a small functioning unit. When I say a small system I am not kidding you. If the proposed 20 watt solar panel were to receive 5 good hours of sun per day it would generate 100 watt-hours of electrical energy. Now, suppose you are using a 12 Watt CFL light bulb. That would provide you with the capacity of 8 hours of light. The brighter 25 watt units would last you for 4 hours only. Since we use batteries to store the solar energy we would be effectively storing about 400 watts at a time.

Solar panels can be picked up at just about bargain prices these days. A 12 volt solar panel can be had for approximately $150 to $175 dollars. Along with the panel you will need a charge controller. An effective one would be the SunGuard 4 ampere unit. These are readily available around the internet at a low cost of $25 dollars or less.

Let’s take a few minutes to talk about batteries. A 32 amp-hour battery similar to those found in our automobile could run $60 or so, however, if you are trying to build an efficient system you may wish to consider the higher quality deep cycle batteries. Although they may initially cost you upwards of $250 dollars each they will long outlast the usual car battery.

Your next item of interest will be a DC to AC power inverter. A simple one with a capacity of 175W would be sufficient. You will likely spend about $30 dollars for this type of inverter. If you are considering DC lighting only you may not even want to include this in your list of parts.

Don’t forget an inexpensive voltage meter so that you can monitor the load that is being placed on the solar generator. This is not an absolute essential however, it is highly recommended.

You have finally assembled all the parts that you will need to build the unit and it now becomes necessary to consider where you will place them. I would suggest a small dog house type structure or a shed where you can store the batteries and monitor their activities. Batteries will require weekly maintenance at any rate and it’s always nice to have everything arranged neatly in its own place. Naturally the panels will be mounted on the roof of your home.

Use the wiring diagrams that is supplied with your solar panel for the manufacturer knows best in this regards. Make certain that your solar panel is wired accordingly to match the nominal voltage rating of the solar charge controller as well as your batteries. Don’t try to save a few dollars by eliminating the charge controller. This unit automatically prevents overcharging of the battery and acts as a safety device. When connecting your system together make certain you observe the proper polarities at all times. You will destroy the controller if it is hooked up incorrectly.

After laying out these plans for a homemade system, I chanced upon a kit that is slightly more powerful and costs approximately the same amount. The kit does not include batteries however. The kit of which I speak is the Sunforce 50044. This is a 60-Watt kit that has everything already included for you. The kit is designed for use in cabins or homes as a backup power source. When assembly is completed the unit can withstand winds of up to 50 miles per hour. Included in the kit are four of the company’s 15 watt panels complete with a mounting frame, a 200 watt inverter, the 7 Amp charge controller and all the associated writing and installation hardware.

Incidentally it doesn’t matter which you use, whether you create your own from scratch or purchase the kit both are well capable of operating a laptop or one of many small appliances and not just light bulbs.

Since this will be an ongoing experimental project I plan to initially start out with recording my daily electrical consumption for light bulbs. I will track what wattage is being used and when they are turned on and off. This will give me a usage figure. In many cases the wattage of bulb being used is usually too large and results in a waste of energy. I will follow up with another ongoing report next month.

Copyright @Joseph Parish

www.survival-training.info

For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info

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If you are building your own solar panel system, this step is usually reserved for an experience electrician. Connecting the solar panels directly to a junction box or direct home wiring should be left to a trained and licensed electrician.

Here are the materials that are needed:

-Completed solar module

-Polarizing plug

-DC array disconnect

-Charge Controller

-Battery (Deep Cycle)

-System Meter

-Inverter

-Generator

The thing you will want to determine is how integrated do you want your system to be with the rest of your household. This can range from powering a couple of lights in a shed to integrating your entire array to power all the appliances in your home or business. Next, decide whether you want to connect the wires carrying the charge to a Jones plug. Wire the mating plug to the next piece of equipment. This wire can then be connected to a DC array disconnect. The reason why you would want these components is that it will make it easier to disconnect for yearly maintenance.

Next, connect your system to a charge controller. The charge controller protects the battery by reducing the flow of electricity when the battery reaches capacity. This keeps current from going backward in the system. More sophisticated charge controllers keep the system from disconnecting on cloudy days or at night.

After the charge controller, the system will be connected to a deep cycle battery for energy storage. Unlike a car battery, deep cycle batteries provide consistent charge to anything its powering. At this point, you can connect a meter to monitor how much electricity is going to the battery.

Lastly, an inverter will be connected which converts the direct current to alternating current (AC). AC is used in most home appliances.

Again, consult an experienced electrician if you do plan to wire your entire household with solar power. You do not want any problems with outages in your home. It can cost more in the long run if you need to repair what you have damaged.

Get Your FREE Ebook On Solar Panel How To

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We are always getting asked questions about how solar panels are actually integrated into the home to supplement your electricity usage or to replace your energy provider.

Here are a few typical questions and our answers.

Question: Why are commercially available panels so expensive?

There are lots of reasons but principally it’s because the market is still quite small and there isn’t yet a really competitive marketplace. Government solar rebates help reduce costs.

Question: How do I connect my panel into my home wiring?

Unfortunately it’s not quite that simple. Never attempt to connect the solar panel into your home wiring yourself unless you are a currently registered electrician. The solar panel is part of a system consisting of a controller, batteries and an inverter. You are generally allowed to wire up everything to the batteries but an electrician is needed for the rest.

Question: What do I need a controller, batteries and an inverter for?

A solar panel generates direct current not the alternating current used in your home. Further, the level of current generated varies in accordance with the amount of energy being converted by the photovoltaic cells in the panel. The controller regulates the power from the solar panel to the batteries so as to increase battery life or damage.

The batteries are the storage medium. You store energy during peak periods of sun light and consume the electricity from the batteries as you require 24 x 7.

The inverter is required to convert the direct current from the battery into alternating current at the correct voltage for use in your home.

Question: What does the controller really do?

The controller’s job is to control the amount of energy going into your batteries so they don’t over-charge or over-discharge. It’s just like the voltage regulator in your car. As the battery approaches full charge, the controller slows down the rate of charge and significantly increases battery life. Without one you will need to manually watch the voltage on your batteries and connect and disconnect them from the solar panel manually.

Controllers are reasonably cheap to buy and there are plenty of DIY panel designs on the web. Just Google solar panel controller.

A basic controller simply monitors the battery voltage and opens the circuit and stops the charge when the battery voltage reaches a certain level. More complex controllers control the power applied to the batteries as the batteries get closer to full charge, so extending battery life. They can keep batteries in a fully charged state indefinitely.

The controller can also detect when no energy is coming from the solar panels and disconnect the panels to stop reverse current flow.

Question: Why do I need batteries?

Basically, they are the storage device to store energy from your solar panel until you actually need it. As the amount of energy converted by the solar panel varies during the day and night, the battery input charge varies. But the power stored in the battery is available to be used at any time, 24 x 7.

Question: Do I need special batteries?

Yes. Most solar panels require 12 or 24 volt batteries similar to what you find in cars.

You need batteries which can handle the deep cycle from fully charge to heavily discharge repeatedly over a short period of time. Car batteries are easily damaged if they discharge too deeply as they are designed to deliver a quick burst of power to start the engine. There are plenty of deep cycle batteries available on the market AND if your eligible for a solar power rebate, you may be able to include them as well.

Question: Why do I need an inverter?

Your home uses 110v (or 240v) alternating current. Remember this from your school days?

Appliances won’t run off a battery as it is direct current. The inverter does the conversion for you.

Inverters are readily available on the web. Google solar panel inverter.

The inverter is powered by the battery as well but they are very efficient devices these days.

It is illegal for you to connect an inverter to you house wiring unless you are a currently registered electrician. And, your inverter must be an approved device so we don’t recommend you make your own.

Question: Can I sell my excess electricity back to the electricity company?

The short answer is yes. The electricity company will change your power meter for a two way device which measures electricity being used by you as well as any electricity being sent to the grid.

But, we suggest you concentrate on reducing you consumption and saving yourself money that way.

There are some issues with selling back to the electricity company. They sell to you at retail prices but buy back at wholesale. So don’t expect high prices. AND, the electricity you sell back must meet their standards which mean you may need special inverters and switchgear.

If you have any further questions check out our FREE newsletter on solar panels and building your own solar panels. We’ve done the research and our information is free – no catches!

If you are at all interested in harnessing solar energy and you have read this far so we think you are! you should check out http://www.ubuildsolarpanel.com and you will be able to receive a series of newsletters FREE. These will help you understand how solar energy can be harnessed and assist you in deciding if making your own solar panel is for you. We’ve done the hard work and analyzed the available market for DIY solar panel information. So come on – give it a go – http://www.ubuildsolarpanel.com

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Technorati Tags: solar panel controller, Solar Panels For Home Use