Solar Energy

I want to build my own solar panels. Are homemade solar panels possible? Is there a good book on the subject with detailed instructions?

Yes, I’ve built them myself. I generate about 20% of my monthly power with homemade solar panels. I ordered a video and ebook I found online. I don’t remember the name of it but here is a review site that lists several different instructional guides for homemade solar panels.

http://www.homemadesolarpanelscheap.com

Has anyone had any experience building their own solar panels for home use? I have seen on the news lately that people are utilizing solar panels to power their hot water heaters to save on their power bill.

I found an interesting article that describes utilizing solar power in the home. You can read it here http://ezinearticles.com/?Make-Your-Own-Solar-Panels—Eliminate-Your-Power-Bill&id=3262731. It’s a pretty basic article that gives you the gist of it.

Unlike conventional flashlights, the Sherpa Flashlight uses both Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and mechanical energy to guarantee you light whenever you need it. Forget batteries, this flashlight uses a crank to power its cells! Features: Ultra-bright 7 cluster performance LEDs with 100,000 hour life 2 minutes of winding time provides 80 minutes of light With a 24hr charge (with a usb charger sold separately) provides up to 20 hrs of light Never worry about disposable batteries or changing bulbs Whether you keep it in your house, car, or with your camping supplies, this flashlight will always have power as long as you do. You’ll never have to worry about dead batteries again! Combine renewable power with the efficiency of powerful LEDs and you have a flashlight that will last you for years without needing any battery or light changes. LEDs have been proven to last for decades while still emitting the same strong light over and over again. The Sherpa Xray LED Flashlight uses every available technology to give you a dependable, luminous maintenance-free light for years to come. Weight: 13 ounces Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.4 x 2.1 inches

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Our flexible solar panels are specially designed to recharge AA, AAA, 6V and 12V batteries. They are easily integrated with devices for direct power or solar recharging. The flexible solar panels are thin and lightweight, making them perfect for use while traveling. These remarkable flexible solar panels are suitable for rigorous weather conditions, though optimal performance is in normal atmospheric conditions. Note: These flexible solar panels do not come with Blocking Diodes. If you are using this panel to charge batteries then you will need to attach a blocking (reverse) diode or disconnect the panel when sunlight is not hitting the panel. Output: 7.2V; 100 mA; 0.72 watts Dimensions: 10.6″ x 3

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Solar LED Christmas Lights are the next generation in solar holiday decorative lighting. With no wires to attach, these super bright 100 LED Solar Party String Lights can be installed very easily, anywhere you need them. Use these Solar LED Christmas String Lights as festive decor during the holidays, or whenever you feel like updating your fence or yard! Solar LED Christmas Lights are easy to install, just push stake into the ground to use. Includes pre-installed Ni-MH battery. Automatically turns on at night, and off at dawn to recharge. Avoid the limitations of needing to connect your solar string lights to an electrical outlet, which increases the risk of fires in your home. Our Solar LED Christmas String Lights are completed powered by solar energy and will not pose any fire hazards from electrical shorts. Whats Included: 100 LED string light Solar panel with pre-installed rechargeable batteries Ground stake The Solar LED Christmas Lights automatically illuminate at dusk and switch off at dawn to recharge in the sunlight. The solar party string lights can be turned on to solid mode or blinking mode. Specifications: String length: 37 ft LEDs: 100 LED light bulbs Battery type: Rechargeable Ni-MH Operating time: 8 hours Charge time: 2 4 hours Check out our wide selection of Solar Christmas Party String Lights . We have White Solar Christmas Lights , Blue Solar Christmas Lights , Red Solar Christmas Lights , Green Solar Christmas Lights , Amber Solar Christmas Lights and the very popular Multi-Colored Solar Christmas Lights

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Alright, we cannot drill, we cannot have nuclear power.

I wish I could take a leak into my car and make it run, but the technology is not there right now.
How long before we can make semi-trucks and airplanes that can run on renewable energy?

I’ve seen these vehicles with 30 batteries on them, but they can hold no more than a suitcase (if they have a trunk at all) and the waste from the batteries is more toxic than gasoline emissions. By they way, they cannot run at freeway speeds.

Most experts I’ve read are reluctant to even give a time table, since less than 1% of our total energy now comes from renewables. Richard Heinberg, author of "The Party’s Over," has this to say:

“An analysis of the current energy alternatives is not reassuring. Solar and wind are renewable, but we now get less than one percent of our national energy budget from them; rapid growth will be necessary if they are to replace even a significant fraction of the energy shortfall from post-peak oil. Nuclear power is dogged by the unsolved problem of radioactive waste disposal. Hydrogen is not an energy source at all, but an energy carrier: it takes more energy to produce a given quantity of hydrogen than the hydrogen itself will yield. Moreover, nearly all commercially produced hydrogen now comes from natural gas–whose production will peak only a few years after oil begins its historic decline.”

http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/party.htm

Given the lack of funding for research into renewable energy, the absence of urgency and political will to convert to cleaner sources of fuel, the overwhelming cost of a complete conversion, the huge technological and logistical problems associated with the deployment of new energy systems, and the fossil fuel industry’s stranglehold on energy policy, it will be a very long time before fossil fuel goes away — well over 50 years.

Oil depletion will probably have a bigger effect on the effort than concern over greenhouse gas emissions; that is, when the cheap oil is gone, we’ll be forced to turn to other sources of fuel. But it also takes a lot of energy to develop new technology and replace the old, and we’ll be doing this at a time when energy will already be scarce — something Heinberg talks about in his book.

How much does solar energy cost, using pounds, in the Uk? How much does it cost to set up and does it cause a lot of hassle?
Peter J I know its expensive, I want an actual figure!
No best answer!

The energy costs nothing. The equipment required to make it go, is really expensive. The equipment required to make it practical is obscenely expensive.

I was thinking on buying some solar panels but I wanted some real life first hand knowledge.

It really depends on your usage habits, and the size of the system installed. For instance, if I got a modest-sized solar array, then said, "Woo-hoo, now I can run the A/C all summer and electric heaters all winter!" then I might never turn the meter back.

Now for the data points. In August 2008, we had a net consumption of -214 kWh for our house (that is, the meter was turned back 214 kWh). That’s the summer, of course. In January 2008, the dead of winter, we used a net 331 kWh. Other months are between these two extremes. Over the course of a year, it balances out to about zero kWh used. But again, if we changed the size of the system only slightly, or altered our usage patterns only slightly (say, it was a very cold winter), the answers would be different.

If you want to see our bill in detail, send me an email.

*It can also mean the kind of renewable energy that is most seriously being developed.

Solar and wind, both are easy to tap into and bountiful. Read more on this topic at the Pacific Crest Transformers website. I’m sure it will be very educative.

I think the question pretty much explains itself. I’m looking for the leader and hopefully who’s the best in commerical and private solar panels.

Sharp Electronics Corp.