Active solar technology – Green Energy WA

Living in Nevada, the sun is an almost constant companion. This gives Nevadans a unique opportunity to use solar radiation powers for good. In April, a tour of southern Nevada homes shed some light on the subject of solar powered homes. Hosted by the American Solar Energy Society, this Nevada branch of the National Solar Tour explored homes that used both passive and active solar power, thermal hot water systems, and other environmentally features. However, unless you’re a green technologies expert, or took the tour, you may not know the difference between passive and active solar, or how thermal hot water is different than average. Let me help you understand!

Active solar technology is the one that most people may be familiar with. It involves having a solar panel that collects the sun’s energy and converts it into electricity. These have a battery where energy is stored, so electricity can still be used at night, and, to a certain extent, on cloudy days. Solar panels are an excellent way to make electricity, especially in remote areas. While they are moderately costly to set up, and do require some maintenance, they provide reliable and free electricity, even in climates far less sunny than Nevada’s.

Passive solar technologies are far older than active ones, and involve utilising the natural heat and light the sun creates, without converting it in any other way. Have you ever noticed that after a long, hot day, south-facing rocks, pavement or brick and adobe buildings will radiate warmth? They have spent the day passively collecting solar energy, and are releasing it. Some materials are better at absorbing and storing that heat energy than others. For example, wood insulates, meaning it will block temperatures, whereas stone will absorb and release temperatures. Homes that are built to take advantage of passive solar are often constructed of brick, adobe or concrete. Cob is another passive-solar-friendly and ancient building material that is going through a revival of sorts. It is made of sand, clay and straw, similar ingredients as adobe, but adobe is baked into bricks and stacked, whereas cob structures are free-formed while the material is wet. Passive solar homes usually have a lot of windows lining their south walls, and less so their east and west walls, with little to no windows on the colder north sides. These windows do two things. First, they provide natural light inside the home, one aspect of passive solar. Second, they allow heat to come into the home. If the home has a stone tile floor and even walls, that tile will absorb the heat, releasing it later when the outside temperature drops.

Passive solar homes can be designed to be cool in summer while using the sun to warm them in winter. For example, if shutters are closed during summer months, the home will remain much cooler. Also, the height and angle of overhang can be considered to maximise the windows exposure to low winter sun, but minimise exposure to the high summer sun. Alternatively, I saw an interesting example of someone planting deciduous trees on the south side of their home. In the winter, the trees had no leaves and so let in a lot of light and heat. In the summer, their thick greenery provided shade that kept the house cool.

So that is the major difference between active and passive solar technologies. Since passive solar is essentially free, it would be wise for any architect or home designer to take it into consideration when building new homes. Well designed passive solar homes can greatly reduce their electrical energy needs. And while active solar is brilliant technology, it still takes many resources to create. Plus, it may be superfluous in an area with an existing electrical source.

As for thermal water heating, it too is a very simple concept. Home made thermal water heaters can be as simple as an outdoor water tank painted black, but that’s a little crude for most tastes. However, there are a variety of styles out there. Some have panels that are metal painted black and enclosed with glass, with copper pipes filled with water running through them. This water will heat, and is then pushed by gravity into an insulated storage tank. Some solar water heaters use a similar set-up but with tubes filled with anti-freeze that are then hooked up to a heat transfer loop, where water in a storage tank is heated. Whatever system you use, thermal water heating is surprisingly affective.

There are a lot of ways to take advantage of the sun and use less electricity. Check out next year’s National Solar Tour to see them for yourself.

 

Article presented by www.gewa.com.au – Green Energy WA

Blogger: Green Energy Solar News and Energy Information Centre

In the solar Gemasolar central, a cloudy sky is no reason for depression: thanks to the aunique technology, the energy stored during the sun shines is used to produce electricity at night or on rainy days.

The site has been operational since May 2011, has not gone unnoticed in the plains of Andalusia, in southern Spain.

From the motorway between Seville and Cordoba, you can observe the tower within which 2650 solar panels of 120 square meters each lit up, arranged in a huge circle of 195 hectares.

“This is the first plant in the world who works 24/24, a solar power plant that operates day and night!” says Santiago Arias, technical director of Torresol Energy, which manages the facility.

“Its mechanism is very easy to explain,” he promises, “the panels that reflect the sun’s rays towards the tower generate an amount of energy that’s equivalent to 1000 times of what we have on the ground.”

The energy is stored in a tank filled with molten salt at a temperature greater than 500 degrees. Salts are used to produce steam to turn a turbine and produce electricity as well as in a conventional thermal plant.

Basma – International Green Energy Correspondent – 06/04/2012

Green Energy Solar News and Energy Information Centre WA: French Urban Solar Parc

The Largest French Urban

 Solar Parc, Coming Soon…


In May, the city of Bordeaux will have the largest solar energy park in France located in the urban areas. With its 61,500 solar panels and its 20 hectares of surface, the central Bordeaux-Lac saves 1,700 tons of CO2 emissions.

Solar Panels Covering 7,000 Parking Spaces
This park  is installed in the parking lot of the Exhibition of the city of Bordeaux. It thus covers 7,000 parking spaces. In general, there are 78,500 m2 of installed panels. This project, which lasted 10 months will cost a whopping € 55 million, all financed by EDF EN.

A Production Of 13,000 Mwh Per Year
The solar panels will produce 13 000 MWh per year which is an average power generation for 5000 homes. Ultimately, the goal of the city of Bordeaux is to use 23


Basma – International Green Energy Correspondent – 06/04/2012

Green Energy Solar News and Energy Information Centre WA: USA Student create solar car

 American students were able to make a car that can go for 322 km with only 3.78 liters. This successful performance is the result of installing solar panels on the hood of the vehicle. The “Lost Solar Racing” won the “Shell Eco-marathon” in Houston over the weekend.

This solar car is currently a developing prototype; but the idea to eventually produce cars for general public is there. Currently, this vehicle would cost 76,500 euros.

Basma – International Green Energy Correspondent – 06/04/2012

An Untapped Source Of Eternal Energy: What Is Solar Energy?

The most exact definition of Solar Energy is plainly “the energy from the sun”. It is a term used to classify the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun and intercepted by the Earth. It is the world’s most permanent and reliable source of energy and the most copious.

The uses of solar energy on earth include solar heating for buildings, solar heat for manufacturing or industry and electricity production. So what is solar energy? How does it affect us?

Solar energy is responsible for weather systems and ocean currents. It provides light, heat, and energy to all living things on Earth. It has many uses. It supplies electricity; it can be used to power cars.

Solar energy is also used as a power for satellites in space and in space shuttles. It could also power boats, generators during emergencies, toys, and even security systems.

The amount of solar energy that the earth receives is about 770 trillion kilowatts (kW), an amount 5,000 times bigger than the sum of all other energy, may it be terrestrial nuclear energy, geothermal energy or gravitational energy.

There are two types of solar energy. These are:

1. Thermal Energy
2. Electric Energy

What is the difference between the two types energy?

Thermal energy is kinetic energy. It is everywhere. It makes the earth hot and even heats up our homes. It helps us to dry our clothes. It is used as well to heat up water for household use or even pools. That is why thermal energy is called the heat energy because it is stored in the centre of the earth as well.

Electric energy is widely known to us as the electricity. It is an essential part of nature and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy. This uses sunlight to power ordinary electrical equipment, such as household appliances, computers, and lighting.

Most applications of solar energy depend on systems including collectors, storage and controls. Storage is needed for a reason that solar energy is only available at daylight hours, but the demand for energy is needed both day and night. Controls are used to guarantee that the storage system works safely and efficiently.

The accessibility of solar energy is determined by three factors:

The location is usually measured by latitude, longitude and altitude.
The time.
The weather.

Aside from knowing that solar energy is a free energy still, you have to realise that it also has advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages are:

Solar energy is almost limitless; it will be available for as long as there are still humans in the earth.
It is abundant. You will not worry of running out of it.
It could provide more power than all known fossil fuel reserves.
Solar energy is available during the day when electricity usage is really important.
It is the most inexhaustible, renewable source of energy known to man.
Solar energy can be absorbed, reflected, transmitted, and insulated.
It can be collected and stored in batteries.

The disadvantages are:

It is not suitable in cloudy areas.
It is not available at night time.
And it may require large land areas.

As a reminder, solar energy levels are lesser the farther north the site. Considering geography, season is an important determinant of solar energy levels because the Sun’s position and the weather vary greatly from summer to winter.

31-3-12 Information on stand alone solar systems

Some interesting facts from Green Energy WA

Solar panels hold a wealth of benefits, both for individuals and for the world at large. Economically, solar panels promise to lower the cost of electrical power. Environmentally, solar panels can give us cleaner power, sustainable power that will not require further damage to the environment. Solar power can reach remote areas. It can carry education, or urgently needed medical information.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel, though, might diminish those and other pro…

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Solar panels hold a wealth of benefits, both for individuals and for the world at large. Economically, solar panels promise to lower the cost of electrical power. Environmentally, solar panels can give us cleaner power, sustainable power that will not require further damage to the environment. Solar power can reach remote areas. It can carry education, or urgently needed medical information.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel, though, might diminish those and other promising benefits.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel might make it far less efficient in certain parts of the world and at certain seasons.

 

For that reason, people who are considering solar panels for their homes are often heard to ask: will clouds affect my solar panels?

Will Clouds Affect My Solar Panels?

Clouds do affect solar panels. The amount of power your solar panels can produce is directly dependent on the level of light they receive.

In full, bright sunlight, solar panels receive maximum levels of light. During those “peak” sunlight hours, your solar panels will produce power at their maximum capacity.

When clouds cover the sun, light levels are reduced. This does not shut down power production, however. If there is enough light to cast a shadow, in spite of the clouds, your solar panels should operate at about half of their full capacity. Thicker cloud cover will reduce operations further. Eventually, with heavy cloud cover, solar panels will produce very little useful power.

The Good News!

The effects of clouds on a solar panel can be surprising good, however. Incredibly, your solar panels will put out their ultimate amount of peak power during cloudy weather!

As the sun moves into a hole between the clouds, your solar panels will see something wonderful. They will see full direct sunlight “plus” reflected light from the clouds! They will drink in more energy than they could on a cloudless day!

The effects of clouds on a solar panel could then produce peaks at or above 50 percent more than its direct-sun output!

Meeting the Challenge

There are ways to meet the cloud challenge.

1. If you often have clouds in the afternoon, but mornings are clear, aim your solar panels slightly toward the east.

2. Be sure you use a large enough battery system to maximize the amount of power stored for use when the clouds arrive.

3. Make sure your controller has plenty of headroom over the rated panel output power so that it can absorb the surges when the sun reflects off the clouds.

Those tricks and more are practiced in cloudy regions of the world where people have sprinted far ahead of the United States in their use of solar panel energy.

 

Effects of Clouds on a Solar Panels in Germany

Germany is typically a very cloudy country. Read about the climate of Germany, and you will find that it is “temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind” according to Nation Master’s website.

In spite of its cloudy climate, though, Germany is by far the world’s biggest user of solar panels. If you lived in Germany, you could sell back to the main power grid all of the excess electricity produced by your solar panels. Why would I even care in such a cloudy climate? If clouds affect my solar panels too much, I would not worry about selling back to the main grid.

In 2006, Germany opened the largest solar park in the world. Germany also has Europe’s most modern solar housing project a solar village of 50 solar houses that produce more energy than they use!

Will clouds affect my solar panels? Even if I lived in Germany, the effect would not be enough to forego solar power.

Tip: There are few places that are so consistently cloudy that solar power is out of the question. Improvements are being made constantly, and even solar panels small enough to fold into a briefcase can produce helpful amounts of power.

 

Come and see our range at www.gewa.com.au - We are the solar experts

Green Energy WA – The Natural Power Alternative

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Why go anywhere else?

So for your perfect solar set ups and desltop provides, contact your Solar power power Hot Water and Solar power power Power Professional.

Why Natural Energy? What is a inescapable fact is, no one program can be right for everyone. Everyone has unique needs and requirements from their concerns methods. At Natural Power, what you get is option. As opposed to most ‘exclusive’ or ‘restricted’ investors we offer a huge broad variety and costs and can offer you open sincere assistance on each program, making sure you get what works, rather than only what the company can offer. We can also organize maintenance on all the confirmed items and more, so if you have the need, you need Natural Power WA. We are able of doing to a options, we are able of doing to a need or both, the option is yours! Natural Power WA is a Western Contemporary modern australia managed company. In a ice area? No problem, Natural Power has a lot of solutions available to you. Call today!

Solar Helmet Hits The Scene

The Fraunhofer Institute team is probably the first to make a helmet that can harness energy from the sun to generate green electricity. The helmet is currently at the prototype stage. A solar panel curved in the shape of the helmet is installed. The device embeds a lithium polymer and acts as a charger for the skier’s portable devices such as a mobile phones or an MP3 player for example.

 

 

 

 

In a second step, the team will transform the helmet into communication equipment. In other words, it will connect the smartphone via Bluetooth and will act as a handsfree set. The helmet will be equipped with a microphone and an earphone. A glove equipped with high-tech buttons and OLED display goes with the helmet and can control it.

The project is in collaboration with a German company named TEXSYS. The helmet looks promising, especially in its final version.
Basma Jalloul – Green Energy International Correspondent – 24/03/2012

 

 

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Recharge your smartphone with a Sunflower Solar!

Recharge your phone or mp3 player with solar energy! Awaken your green gut with this device that does not lack originality and that wouldn’t wither if you don’t have a green thumb!

The Sunflower, which is well known for its ability to capture sun’s rays regardless of their direction, has become a high-tech object, more precisely, a USB charger. I present to you your new green best friend: the XD Design Solar Sunflower! This small flower pot decorated with a sunflower in white plastic can charge any object with possessing USB or mini USB ports through photovoltaic solar energy. On your desktop, bedside table or conservatory, this little ecological gadget that weighs 0.39 kg and heights 23 cm can be literally placed anywhere! Producing up to 5 volts with rechargeable lithium 2500 mAh battery (2500 milliamp/hour), it will light if your battery is low or needs charging.

 

Basma Jalloul – Green Energy International Correspondent – 24/03/2012

 

Renewable Energy Discounts For Schools

In Germany, many schools have solar panels to cover part of their energy costs. However, their operation and use are rarely integrated into the curriculum. The Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) has decided to develop this educational potential by offering “solar support packs” which include an array of real-time display of energy produced by the panels as well as a recording device that transmits data to the computer network of the school, thereby making them accessible to students. These technical installations and other measuring devices installed by the German Society for Solar Energy (DGS eV), are accompanied by educational materials designed by experts from the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU eV) of Berlin.

 

The Minister pointed in his speech that “the turning point energy is a community and a generational prject: with programs like this, it is possible to wake up the interest and the enthusiasm for the potential of renewable energy” . With these facilities, students can indeed receive more concretely the energy from the sun.

 

Already 600 schools and training institutions in Germany have been equipped with boards that integrate science courses to the data received. At the end of the project, one tenth of schools with solar panels should be provided with the complete package.

 

The project is part of the “Climate protection in schools and training institutions” action program and is funded by the National Initiative for Climate Protection.

 

Basma Jalloul – Green Energy International Correspondent – 24/03/2012