| Energy Conservation Tips: Homemade Solar Panels That Make Money |
| Written by Energy Conservation | |
| Wednesday, 25 February 2009 | |
|
Is an energy-independent home a myth or reality? Many households are looking for opportunities to implement energy conservation tips, which decrease overall dependence on fossil fuels while trying to reduce the monthly cost of electricity. Solar panels can achieve these goals while providing a fun project for the Do-It-Yourselfer.
Is an energy-independent home a myth or reality? Many households are looking for opportunities to implement energy conservation tips, which decrease overall dependence on fossil fuels while trying to reduce the monthly cost of electricity. Solar panels can achieve these goals while providing a fun project for the Do-It-Yourselfer. The fundamental unit of every solar panel is the photovoltaic or PV cell. Although panels can be a pricey investment if you have someone obtain and install them for you. For those of us on a budget, substantial cost savings can be obtained using kits, building them from components, or even refurbishing broken panels. Building the number of solar panels can actually generate enough power for you to sell energy back to the grid. While more sophisticated systems require a greater number of components, there are four key elements of a homemade solar panel system, which include: Solar panel; Charge controller or regulator; Battery; and Inverter. Solar panel: The fundamental and essential component of a solar energy system is the solar panel, which consists of a series of PV cells. These cells are combined to generate an electrical current, which can be used in real time or stored in a battery. The total voltage is the sum of all of the photovoltaic cells connected in the system. Charge controller or regulator: This unit controls the charging of the battery so as to prevent overcharging. It also tracks the battery discharge status during the evening. By doing this, the charge regulator maximizes the life of each battery, thereby maximizing the efficiency of your solar energy system. Battery: The electricity not immediately used is stored by a battery or series of batteries. Deep-cycle or marine batteries are preferable to automobile batteries because they are capable of storing all or virtually all of the electricity generated by the solar panels, thus minimizing waste. Inverter: Solar panels generate and store electricity as DC or Direct Current, whereas our appliances utilize AC or Alternating Current. The job of the inverter is to convert DC to AC to meet our household needs. If a solar panel system is designed with the intent of generating enough electricity to "sell back" to the Grid, then the components will include the AC Breaker Panel, and the Kilowatt-per-Hour Indicator are required. The KW per Hour indicator, for example is necessary to track how much current is provided to and from the grid to determine the charge or credit that appears on your monthly electric bill. We should also not forget the obvious energy saving tips including the shutting off of lights in unused rooms and the use of Energy-saver fluorescent bulbs. Our plan to implement energy conservation tips can include the use of homemade solar panels. Money can be saved through making solar panels from kits or assembling them from individual components. The Article Author: For a wealth of free information on alternative energy check out the OnlyEnergyConservation website. There is a lot of great information about clean alternative energy sources. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
