Geg Dialogue - Eco Ideas

Cost of Photovoltaic Solar Panels

noreply@blogger.com (ECOIDEAS) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Photovoltaic panels have revolutionized the idea of renewable energy by harnessing the photons from solar radiation and generating usable electricity for a variety of purposes. With no harmful impact on the environment or any by products requiring waste management, pv solar panel technology is a promising alternative power option. The only draw back of photovoltaic panels is the cost. The cost of photovoltaic panel systems in the UK has proven to be too expensive for most households and businesses to consider. Although the energy savings can be huge in the long term, the initial cost of purchasing and installing photovoltaic solar panel systems, has not made it a priority to most households and businesses. The market is changing and now it is possible to find affordable solutions and to compare solar panel prices from certified industry suppliers. More government intervention could make the switch to photovoltaic solar systems easier and rebate systems have started in the UK, albeit in a small way.

A Photovoltaic Array

The configuration of several solar or photovoltaic panels will be determined by the required Kilowatts per hour of the installation site and the available ?sun hours? per day of the location. Available sun hours per day are calculated by working out how many hours of sunlight produce usable solar energy for a desired output of a photovoltaic panel system over a particular time frame, per area or geographical location. Photovoltaic panels do not require any mechanical parts, make no noise and have zero emissions, making them an excellent choice for a renewable energy source.

Photovoltaic Configuration and Cost

The cost of a photovoltaic solar panel system will depend on the power output requirements and the geographical location of the installation. For example, 10 hours of sunlight in Mombasa, Kenya, may produce 8 hours of usable solar energy for photovoltaic cells to produce a desired output over a 24 hour period. This would provide a value called ?insolation? and would be an insolation value of 8 or 8 ?sun hours? for Mombasa. The same power output requirements for Stockholm in Sweden during the month of January may produce an insolation value of 2. This would mean that more powerful (and more expensive) photovoltaic panels would be required to generate the same power output as a Mombasa installation, over the same time frame. When several photovoltaic panels are configured together they are referred to as a photovoltaic array.

Photovoltaic Panels Cost Considerations

Before deciding on the configuration of photovoltaic solar panel system, it is advisable to maximize energy efficiencies by cutting out wasteful practices within the current power consumption model to ensure the maximum benefits of the photovoltaic panel system. Photovoltaic panel costs can start from as little as £30 for a simple, low power output to recharge a mobile phone, right up to and above £30,000 for a residential or commercial photovoltaic system used for powering heating or electricity systems.

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Cheap Solar Panels

Solar panel technology has been a successful way of producing power using energy that does not impact on the environment and has long term cost benefits. Using the photovoltaic effect of certain materials solar panels are able to harness solar radiation and convert it into usable power. Cheap solar panels are now available across the UK and around the world for residential and commercial uses. Solar panel technology offers a great clean way to provide alternative energy sources, but due to the low short term profitability and lack of government investment, solar power systems have remained too expensive for many households to comfortably afford.

Photovoltaic Array

Solar panels are arranged into photovoltaic arrays in a configuration to produce the required amount of power and must be placed at particular angles to achieve the maximum solar energy extraction. Many commercial photovoltaic (PV) solar panel systems are able to track the movement of the sun to absorb the maximum amount of photons during daylight hours. Photovoltaic arrays utilize materials such as mono crystalline silicone and cadmium telluride that act as semiconductors within the solar panels.

The Best Solar Panels

Cheap solar panels may not necessarily be the best choice of solar panel for a particular installation. Solar panels offer a considerable energy cost saving in the long term if the right specification of pv solar panel system is chosen. Buying cheap alternative systems on price alone may not achieve the desired results and could become a redundant system and a waste of money. Using a reputable supplier is the best way to find a reliable solar panel system for the cheapest price.

Cheap Solar Panel Suppliers

Cheap solar panels can be found by purchasing used solar panels or if they are new and still cheap, details of the warranty need to be confirmed. A cheap solar panel could become expensive if the warranty demands that the purchaser must arrange shipment to and from their premises in the case of a faulty unit. Cheap solar panel suppliers should offer a warranty that includes the collection of faulty units and a replacement if possible. When considering on buying a cheap solar panel system from a supplier one should find a supplier that can also install the system correctly. Be sure to seek references of past work carried out and feel free to make contact with the past customers for feedback regarding the service that they received and their satisfaction level.

The Best Eco Products

noreply@blogger.com (ECOIDEAS) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:42:00 +0000

Best Eco Products

The word 'Eco' comes from the Greek word 'oikos' meaning 'house'; or the Latin 'oeco' meaning 'household'. The term 'Eco' is mostly used as a prefix and is added to an existing word to create another word with new meaning, to suggest that a product is less damaging to the environment. The way we live our lives affects our environment. So, simply put, being an environmental or eco-friendly means not wasting precious resources and choosing goods and products considered to have a lower impact on the environment.

What is the need for protecting the environment?
Not only are fossil fuel supply decreasing, but the by-products and emissions from burning fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, and have been associated with global warming theory. Lately, the effects of climate change have affected us, with warmer winters and hotter summers. And if we are not careful it will get even worse. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the main culprits that causes climate change. Lots of energy we use at home, everyday emit CO2. By reducing our personal CO2 emissions, we can all play an important part in helping to prevent climate change. Although car emissions are a huge problem, the fact is that more CO₂ comes from the energy we use at home - that's changing our climate and damaging the environment.

There a number of ways to reduce consumption of energy generated from fossil fuels, and to help protect the environment as the modern humanity undergoes the transition from non-renewable to renewable energy. Let's have a look at some of the eco products we can use to reduce our CO2 emission at home-

Solar Panels:
The utilisation of solar panels is a great way to generate clean and renewable electricity at home. Solar panels provide clean, renewable energy from the sun while generating electricity from sunlight, and produce virtually no pollution as opposed to burning fossil fuels releasing large quantities of toxic gases into the atmosphere. Solar Panels work by using arrays of solar photovoltaic cells to convert photons into usable electricity.

Ground Source Heat-pumps: Ground Source Heat Pumps(GSHP) go by many names. From a geo-thermal heat pump to geo-exchange, earth-coupled, earth energy or water-source heat pumps. Whatever the name, Ground source heat pump is a heating system that uses solar energy naturally stored in soil, bedrock and groundwater as a heat source. It uses the earth as a heat source (in the winter) or a heat sink (in the summer). They do require electricity to operate, but typically produce 3 to 4 times as much heat energy for every unit of electricity they use. And the benefits of ground source heat pumps are lots - since no fuel deliveries are required, it means carbon footprint can be reduced, needs little maintenance and can lower fuel bills.

Wind Turbines:The use of wind turbines is another great way of providing a source of clean and renewable energy for the home. Wind turbines work by utilising the power of the wind to generate electricity. Unlike fossil fuels, wind power is a renewable energy resource that never runs out. If the wind system is connected to the National Grid, one can make money by selling any generated electricity to an electricity supply company. However, if the turbine is not connected to the electricity grid, the unused electricity can be stored in a battery for use when there is no wind. The advantages of wind turbines are many, least of all the rising energy costs today. Not only does wind turbines cut fuel bills, it also help in reducing the harmful CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change.