Does Solar Power Really Work?

Introduction

There may be some confusion about the term Solar Power because there are a number of systems that have been established for many years using the sun to heat water, heat ovens to cook food or heat your home either directly or indirectly. But what we are really interested in is the idea of producing electricity from the sun. That electricity can then be used for different purposes not just for heating water or rooms. Technically Solar Power is any system which is powered by the sun to produce useable energy.

Making electricity really isn’t that hard so I am told. The technology is now available to convert the sun’s light into electricity using Photovoltaic cells. One company I know has developed large scale photovoltaic plants in Southern Spain, where of course there is plenty of sunshine. Panels made up of photovoltaic cells can be installed on the roof or placed anywhere they will capture the sun. They are then connected to the electrical supply in the home and used to run the everyday appliances we depend on.

What Does Photovoltaic Mean?

Photovoltaic literally means light and electricity and the technology has been developed to convert solar energy into usable power. Basically the sun produces white light, which is just a different kind of energy; as I understand it, photovoltaic cells trap this light and turn the wavelengths into electricity. They do not need bright sunlight to operate so even on cloudy days electricity can be made due to the reflection of sunlight, and on days of light cloud energy yields are higher than in bright sunshine.

How Photovoltaic Cells Work

To make these cells produce energy you need two layers of semi-conductor material which has been adapted, so that one is positively charged and the other negatively charged. When light shines on the semi-conductor, electrons are released to produce electricity. The greater the intensity of light the more electricity is produced. The electrical field across the junctions between the layers causes electricity to flow as (DC) Direct Current. Photovoltaic cells are then joined together to make panels which are positioned strategically to capture as much sunlight as possible on or around the designated building. Once the photovoltaic cells are joined together they officially become Solar Panels.

Where to Install the Solar Panels

Once you decide to have solar panels then positioning them for optimum light and sunlight is a serious consideration. If you have a good roof space high enough and not shaded by trees, preferably facing south or south west, then you will probably have the ideal location. Because we live a bungalow there is a huge roof facing south on one side. Looking at the design of the roof we concluded we could have several panels facing South East, South and South West thereby capturing sunlight throughout the whole day.

Solar panels can be mounted on frames on a flat roof or the ground or even on the side of buildings. I would think the main criteria are that they are safe and stable so they won’t fall over or blow away in high winds. The solar panel we have installed for hot water is securely mounted on our roof with strong metal fixings.

Solar panels are produced in many shapes and sizes, some are even made as roof tiles, and there is some new technology on the horizon enabling solar panels to be incorporated into actual windows. Smaller portable solar panels can be taken on holiday when you go camping or caravanning.

There are a number of ebooks on DIY solar power making it easy to make your own solar panels to provide enough electricity for your own needs.

Why Would You Want to Install Your Own Solar Power System?

Green Energy - Well firstly there is the issue of ‘going green’ and avoiding using carbon producing energy. There has never been a better time to do your bit to save the planet. Carbon emissions are contributing to the erosion of the glaciers which provide much of the world with drinking water. Global warming is a huge concern and if a large proportion of the world population reduce their carbon footprint then the hope is that global warming will slow to its natural cycle in the evolution of the earth.

Cost - Then there is the cost of electricity today. Utility companies are charging far too much for power and today I read in the paper that one company is not going to reduce the bills now that the price or raw materials has gone down. They plan to use the profits for re-investment! So in fact we are paying twice for the cost of re-investment.

Prices in the UK have trebled in the last year and even with less sunlight in the UK than many other countries solar power is still worthwhile to reduce the bills. During this financial crisis anything that can be done to minimise costs is of benefit. Once your solar system is up and running any excess electricity you produce can be sold back to the national grid. So instead of bills you get paid by the electrical companies for producing more than you can use.

Freedom - When I am showering using the water from my solar heating system, I have this wonderful sense of it being free hot water. I know it is not really free because we have already paid for its installation. But now it is done, it looks after itself and on sunny days there is an abundance of hot water. It does not need electricity to make the water flow through the pipes so if there is a power cut we can still get hot water.

My policy over the last few years has been to put in systems that free us from the tyranny of the electricity companies and the oil barons. Without independent systems we have no choices if the powerful companies decide to put up prices or cut us off.

The most persuasive argument for me was when Russia decided to cut off gas supplies to the customers when they had a deal in place so that the people of those countries had no fuel to keep them warm during the coldest winter months. From my perspective is seemed it was all because ‘the powers that be’ wanted to flex their power muscles and increase prices to line their own pockets. None of us want to be in that position.

DIY Solar Panels and Installation

Now that we have a solar hot water heating system installed we are keen to get started on producing our own electricity. We use a great deal of electricity running 5 computers for our home based business and overheads have gone through the roof this year.

Building your own solar panels making use of solar panel kits can be rewarding and there are number of e-books with instructions on how to build your own power unit.

The marketing material on each website is persuasive and they claim that you can make these solar panels for $200 or £150 which is a great deal cheaper than they can be bought readymade. The books provide an easy step by step guide written in clear straightforward language with the complete novice in mind. People claim they are making these panels over a weekend and are overjoyed with the results.

So why would you want to make your own solar panels and then install them yourself? Wind and Solar power systems have been on the market for years but the costs are virtually prohibitive. The cost of commercial panels makes nonsense out of the whole idea of recovering the outlay within a few years. Then there is the satisfaction of producing something vital to maintain our way of life with your own hands.(Rather like growing your own vegetables)

As well as making these panels for yourself and when you have become more skillful at making them, there is the possibility of a lucrative business producing and installing solar systems starting with your friends and neighbours. Once they start telling their friends about the savings they are making you will find you have more orders than you can handle.

Future for our Children and Grandchildren

The ways we have used and misused our natural resources are creating a legacy for our children and grandchildren which will be, to say the least, challenging. The fossil fuels will run out in the next century and as resources become scarce and population increases there will be powerful competition for what is left. I don’t think the world is going to be an easy place to live in and our descendents will have to adapt to a life that could in many ways, be similar to the Middle Ages in Britain or the early settler days in the US.

I won’t dwell on the possibilities of what could be, but I do think anything we can do to help establish a system using renewable energy will be the best legacy we can bestow on future generations.

A wonderful example of natural resources running out is on Easter Island. From study and research of this uninhabited island it would seem there was once plenty of trees. In fact it was completely covered in forest. The inhabitants cut down these trees as a source of fuel but also for carving images which you can still see on the island. However when the trees became scarce, instead of planting and nurturing their valuable resource, they continued to cut down the trees until there were none left. Because there was no more wood they had used up their means of survival so they all died out or possibly left. To this day it is an uninhabited island with no trees. (In New Zealand there is an oral history of the Maori people canoeing from the pacific islands to find their new land of the long white cloud. They could well have been the ones from Easter Island)

Storing Electricity or Selling Back to the Grid.

Just having solar panels is not sufficient to provide you with electricity for your requirements. Once electricity is produced there has to be a scheme to convey the correct power to the appliances. For the most basic system after the solar panel, you will need a charge controller which regulates the flow of electricity to the battery. A battery is an essential item to maintain the supply when it is dark and an inverter which is essential to convert the direct current (DC) generated by the solar panel to alternating current (AC) for use with all appliances. However by DIY the system could pay for itself within a couple of months.

Once your solar power system is up and running you could choose to just provide electricity for your own use and store any excess in deep cycle batteries. You may however prefer to sell the excess back to the national grid to offset any usage you might need over and above the production of the solar panels installed.

Once you have solar power it is up to you to decide whether to just provide electricity for your own use and store any excess in deep cycle batteries or not.

Apparently there are ways of getting deep storage batteries for free in which to store electricity that you have produced, over and above your current consumption. A charge controller is advisable to monitor and control the charging of the battery and prevent it being overcharged. Careful use of the battery will extend its life and save having to replace it so often.

Selling electricity back to the national grid will require installation of several more items than the basic system uses and is a little more complicated to install. But if it offsets the cost of the electricity you do need, it might be a better system eventually.

Will it work in the UK?

Although sunlight hours are fewer in the UK than in other more sunny climates photovoltaic cells work with light, and as mentioned earlier, they work particularly well on partially cloudy days of which there are many. We already have several solar units in the garden and I have never known them to not have enough light to work, even in winter.

Will we run out of Raw Materials?

The semi-conductor material used in the construction of the solar cells is mostly silicon. Silicon is basically derived from sand and sand is the second most plentiful material in the Earth’s mass. So I think it is unlikely we shall run out of raw materials.

Conclusion

Hot water powered by the sun has been in use for many years in countries where there is a plentiful supply of sun and is known as passive energy. However the development of new technology whereby light can be converted to electricity is a important step in the evolution of civilisation.

What I don’t understand is why Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain don’t make more use of this technology as it is sunny there most of the time and the land is mainly sand. Now that oil supplies are dwindling maybe they will turn their attention to other forms of electricity production and use their vast wealth to invest further in the solar and wind technology. They could even be the ones who ultimately end up dominating the industry. I did read that there are plans to turn parts of the Sahara into solar power farms, and that the plan is to export a fair amount of the power produced, into Europe. This could be an excellent export opportunity for Africa.

To be completely free of electricity from the grid would be a huge bonus for me and there seems to be a small revolution going on with a ground swell of public opinion demanding the use of renewable sources to produce energy. People are getting fed up with being hostage to energy companies and are looking for ways to challenge the system.

It is a fact that solar power is one of the safest, easiest and cheapest ways to produce electricity for our homes. In an ever increasingly energy hungry planet, currently only 0.2% of energy comes from renewable sources and 93% comes from sources that will eventually run out. So now is the time to look for an alternative in the form of wind and solar energy to provide a very moral and ethical gift for the generations that follow

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Knowing the Right Methods for Assigning Houses and Assigning Real Estate

There are different meanings that people refer to for flipping. Some discuss it as actually purchasing a property, then quickly rehabbing it to resell it. This is a strategy you can do but there are also more financial risks that can be an issue, particularly in soft or lagging areas.

So while we discuss flipping, we are talking about controlling homes at a discount and then assigning (or flipping) them to another buyer for a speedy profit. So when, So while we mention real estate wholesaling, we are basically referring to finding houses at a discount and assigning them inexpensively to another person or rehabber; thus the term wholesaling. For more details on jargon, when you flip a home to another investor, this just means you are providing the right to them to buy the house directly from the property owner.

When you get a house under contract, you will have control. Then you can assign it to another person at a higher price or for a flat fee so they can buy it. They take your place in the contract, then purchase the house, handle renovating it and either keep it or sell it to an end buyer for full price. A program like the one developed by Matthew Sorensen for real estate investing is a great no issue way to create quick profits using little or no credit or other banking techniques.

Since you have neither of these limitations you can also do as a many as you want making real estate wholesaling a great cash flow option especially once you have a reliable revenue model working for your business!

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Wholesale Perfume

Perfumes invoke images of soft flowers, moonlight beaches and fruits in our minds. To buy our perfumes we can go to the department stores or perfume boutiques. We can also find places that sell wholesale perfumes for discount prices. One of the best places to find such wholesale perfumes may be a wholesale shop where you can buy lots of goods in bulk.

Now while you can not buy the expensive perfume bottles in wholesale style there are lots of other perfumes that are available for you to buy from these places. Wholesale perfumes can be the imitation type of perfumes that you see in your local drugstore. At these places you are sure to find lots of different perfume. Even though these perfumes are not designer originals you do have the opportunity of having wholesale perfumes that you can stock up on.

To make your selection of wholesale perfumes seem more special you can add one or two expensive perfumes to this collection. The many inexpensive perfumes that you can buy from perfume outlets on the internet will also let you see about getting wholesale perfumes that are available at low prices. This is not a feature that you will find in any of the department stores in your city.

When it is nearing time to give presents finding a place that has wholesale perfumes can be a great asset to you because instead of going to lots of places to buy your perfume presents all you have to do is go to just one place. Here you can find a vast selection of good quality perfumes that are sure to please just about everyone that you know of.

The other way that you can get your perfumes is to look into discount shops that sell lots of different discontinued perfumes. Here you can shop around looking at the different perfumes that they have for sale and see how they can deliver wholesale perfumes that you can get this way will be a great as gift items and also for your personal collection.

There is one other way that you can try to buy wholesale perfume products. With this method you contact a perfume company and ask if they have any perfumes that are the inexpensive version of their more popular brands. Depending upon their answer you can see about ordering at wholesale perfumes that will appeal to the many different people that you know.

Getting a large number of perfumes at once is usually not possible but if you are determined there are a number of different ways that you can get wholesale perfumes delivered straight to your door.

Drop Ship Products Can Be Found With The Right Strategy

One of the most innovative developments in the field of electronic commerce has been the development of drop ship products. Today, any business person can open a ecommerce website without the problems or upfront cost of having to warehouse a lot of products. Dropshipping simply means that you can sell items that you do not store yourself. When you get an order for merchandise, you simply purchase the hot-selling drop ship products from your supplier, and the supplier fulfills the order on your behalf.

Suppliers that offer drop ship services mail your client the item in either a unlabeled package, or along with a box that has your company’s name and information printed on the package. Your customer has no idea that their item actually is shipped from a drop ship products supplier. If you are skeptical that this type of business technique is not legitimate enough for a small entrepreneur, know that big websites like Amazon and Target also use third-party suppliers to send their orders. In a sense, they drop ship, also.

Finding a reliable provider of products that are allowed to be drop-shipped is always hard for newcomers. There are many ’scam’ sources that tell you they provide drop-ship services, but are actually middlemen that are simply selling you a service that you could find cheaper yourself. Remember, if your drop ship products directory does not give you the actual contact information of the actual firm that actually produces the items, they are not a reputable drop ship service, only a middleman.

A good way to find companies that drop ship is to use a drop ship source directory directory. There are many such services on the Internet, some good, some not so hot. So how do you find out the best directory to use? Simply check to see that the company you are buying from is the actual maker or producer of the product. A drop ship source directory that sends you to a distributor that sells many products from many vendors is generally a middleman. Avoid these kinds of services, or you’ll be paying more and getting less.

Once you have located a drop ship wholesaler service that is not a middleman, then you can contact them and establish an account with those firms. Drop shipping is one great method to get started in e-commerce, just be sure you are dealing direct; don’t’ use middlemen.