What are your experiences with solar power?
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Wow I want To eventually go solar. I have done a bit of research online and I say go for it. http://www.care2connect.com has alot of areas of useful info and plenty of groups of people living the dream. check it out!
HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THE LIGHT YET LOL
Love my solar calculator. But I doubt that helps you much. ;0)
Check out "earthships" on Yahoo! search. most are off grid and they are pretty artsy
I just got my first Solar lamps and they work good. I think I will be getting some more.
As a whole home thing I think that I would go with wind
I've had early experiences and recommend you take a wait and see attitude. If you put something on your roof, then what happens when you need to repair a leak in your roof? You may invest a lot of money in solar and not reap the rewards you expected.
my experience with solar power was first introduced to me by my science teacher.. it was a solar oven that melted cheese over tacos... yummy...
i have solar panels at home to heat the water for the kitchen, bathroom and pool they are very good and last long the only problem i found was that they are not that efficient when there's no sun... lol
other wise solar power is perfect for anything!
its a little expensive at first but the benefits are worth it
Depends on where you live. Solar cells are extremely expensive if you want to go completely off grid, plus they are not a one time purchase. They need to be replace every 5 to 10 years as they wear out.
Well i got my XBOX360 on Sol Po cose my mom keeps tripping bout the electricity bill lol
a good option is a solar heater,you can use a solar cooker(but it is really slow)dont rely totally on the sun,search other options as well
I lived for 3 years off the grid. I loved it! Keep everything as simple as you can, the more complex the system, the more possibilities there are for something to go wrong.
You can use power inverters to run 120vac appliances off of 12vdc power but at a net loss of power in the conversion.
Using 12vdc appliances is easier. They can be found at most major truck stops, or you can search the web for them.
It is important to remember that you should limit your electrical usage off the grid. That is, use a gas refrigerator and a gas or wood stove. A single 12 or 15 watt 12 volt lightbulb puts out enough light to read comfortably when your batteries are full. You can spend some time listening to music, watching tv, or charging your laptop, but you must account for that usage with the appropriate recharging time.
The proper name for a solar panel that produces electricity is 'photovoltaic panel'. A 'solar panel' has come to mean a solar powered water heater. If you do some yahoo searches, you can find books on living off the grid, as well as instructions on how to build many solar powered appliances.
I enjoyed my time off the grid. I hope you do, too.
Try http://www.wikipedia.org!
nOT ENPOUH EXPERIANCE WITH IT TO GIVE YOU AN HONEST ANSWER.
solar power is a really good way to save energy, although it can be pretty pricey. i have a solar powered fountain and lamp and it both works great. people should start thinking about ways to save energy including wind power and perhaps wave power.
In California the Government pays half the expense.
The Panels have to be cleaned a lot.
It's so fun.
In my garden i have solar powered lights, i bought them for about £15.00 about 3 years ago and everynoight my garden is lit up extremely well by these 10 solar powered lights
solar power sucks you might as well not have any power at all
HGTV.com has a very good article on that.
I personally like the idea but not the tech till now.
I've had a few experiences with solar power. To start, I had to do a school project by building a form of transportation that utilized solar energy. I designed and built a car. Whoever's project succeeded the testing, it was entered into a scientific project that was a possibility to actually be considered by engineers as a prototype for actual road travel. Well, I had my entered after two years of dabbling in this science and after keeping on track with the project - (through my science teacher that is), I received word that my prototype had eventually failed due mainly in part to the fact of there wasn;t enough energy that could be stored in a solar compartment that would drive an automobile far enough on days that were cloudy, rainy, etc. The whole idea about solar power is dependent on what your method of solar energy you are seeking. Whether it is for a car, a house, or even to power a ship, plane, military vehicle or even a missile. Houses store solar energy much like a solar-powered car, yet has various ways of storing for other uses. Unlike cars, homes have more space and can utilize solar energy much better. Until science can figure out a way to completely utilize solar power and hybrid energy, we are stuck.
I've installed them for a building in Long Island. Good luck going off grid. Better be energy conservative
very good i hope it takes off
I live in a solar powered home. We have a generator for when we don't get enough solar that is hooked up to an inverter when the generator isn't running the invereter works as a charger using solar power to charge the batterys. The only things that can not be on solar power are the hot water heater, oven, and fridge which draw to much power and are ran off of propane. Our heat is wood so all we have to pay for is gas. We run our tv, washer,lights,computer,phones,... and everything else completly off the grid! hope that helped if you have questions please ask
While I lived in Arizona it worked really well. My friends and I were renting a house and felt a bit uncomfortable but it was a great neighborhood and great deal. About the second day it seemed that the solar power is the same as electricity. And the bill is so inexpensive. I'm a big promoter of using solar energy. At first it may be awkward because its unusual still but it works just as well if not better than electricity. There was a server thunderstorm and the area lost power except those that had solar power.
absolutely none. sorry. but we do have some stop signs in my town where they have little solar panels on them and they have little blinking lights you you can see them better...those are really cool.
It really depends on your area, and how much you use. There's a significant silicon shortage right now, which is not supposed to clear up until 2007, so you might want to wait a while.
We have a 1kw array, and it provides a little under a quarter of our power use with an electric dryer and an electric stove. Your milage may vary.
You can use solar cells, like the ones on your solar calc. or in some toys. Most of the man made satellites run their systems whit solar power only. Other options are to use mirrors / lenses to aim the solar light to heat something, like a tank, and this way get a solar powered steam turbine. O a piston powered steam engine (like those of the old railroads) In Europe (Spain) there were plenty of this machines during XlX century. This lenses / mirrors contraption can be used to melt metals, or like a oven
My Graduation Project was about Solar Energy, Named :(Sun Tracker System), its a Solar cell follows the sun along a day depends on the equation of the sun's motion, to get the maximum energy from the sun.
Solar power has got to be a very good idea, but i cannot get my head around 'solar powered garden night lights' how is this possible?
We looked at solar electric panels; too expensive and not very efficient. There is a scientist in Pasadena working on a parabolic dish for electrical production. Check back issues of Mother Earth Magazine for help.
i have had limited ecperience but learing more everyday
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