Photvoltaics – Affordable Renewable Energy?

Photovoltaic cells have definitely moved to the next generation, and I predict that the new plastic photovoltaic cells are within months of being in mass production, and where the silicon photovoltaic’s cost around $2.40 per watt, the new plastic variety are mooted to cost only around 1 cent per watt. This will put solar power within the affordable reach of everybody. I say everybody, because even the areas of the world that are still under development, will benefit through the aid of charities, that will now be able do divert resources to the implementation of solar energy.

I do have another blog post on the same subject, but looking at the information on the web, there are more and more companies delving into the technology of thin film plastic Photovoltaic’s. I say plastic, but as you will see from the YouTube footage below, the cells, or strip, is made up of plastic that is sprayed with compounds in layers, with each layer reacting to a different light frequency, so making these photovoltaic’s truly versatile.

Watch the YouTube video’s, and be as excited as I am at the prospect, of cheap, truly renewable energy, that will be available to us all in the very near future.

Renewable Energy – Organic Photovoltaic Revolution

There is something very exciting on the near horizon in the Renewable energy field, namely Organic Photovoltaic cells, which are essentially plastic, fully recyclable and not least, much cheaper than the old silicon based cell technology.

Organic Photovoltaic’s are a relatively new innovation, and should, if the prices are allowed to be realistic, make, making your home fully self sufficient in renewable power a real and viable proposition. I know most of us would dearly love to be totally green in our power consumption, but at this moment the cost of that is prohibitive. Hopefully in the next couple of years all that will change, and the payback time for the installation of solar energy system will be down from 15 years to a mere 2 or 3 years, or less.

It will be hard for this new green technology to disappear without trace, when every concern from governments down, need to be seen to be green. Even the Chinese are getting in on the act, and in Russia, in some areas, they’re into green energy in a big way, so much so that it puts some of us Western countries to shame.

So folks, I’ll leave you with the usual selection of YouTube video’s which will give you a bit more of an insight into Organic Photovoltaic Cell technology.

Solar Cell Technology

This is an interesting article on solar cells, and shows how they may shape up for the future. Thin film photo voltaics, whilst being the newest contender in the renewable energy solar field, may overtake the more traditional solar cell designs, by eventually being more efficient, and cost effective, than the established heavyweight and costly cell arrays that are currently available. In fact, my article ‘Renewable Energy Solar Cell Roof’, shows a vid of a canadian company that is already using thin film solar cells. So the technology is with us.

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The Technologies For Harnessing Solar Energy
By Thomas Metscher

In a time when renewable energy resources are being developed in a world-wide effort to reduce the harmful effects we are having on our planet, solar energy is a very popular resource being captured in many forms to reduce our dependency upon electricity. Solar power is concentrated in four major technologies which are competing for supremacy in its applications throughout the world. These solar advances include Solar thermal, Concentrated photovoltaic, Thin-film photo voltaics, and Crystalline photo voltaics. Each has great potential and certain limitations but their boundaries are widening as their respective technology advances.

Solar Thermal involves the use of panels to collect solar energy to an intense level that can heat water to boiling point. The resulting steam is then used to drive turbines. A primary disadvantage of solar energy is the consistent supply of sunlight to the grid. Night fall and cloud cover reduces solar supply, meaning that even in the sunniest regions there’s no guarantee of solar energy supply.

Solar thermal technologies have advanced to bypass this limitation by: 1) Using molten salt to store the sun’s heat overnight, then converting it to steam then powering the turbines long after the sun has set, or 2) through integration of a biomass or even fossil fuel generator to power the turbines when weather conditions are not optimal to be solar generated. Solar thermal energy enthusiasts also insist that despite high overhead and equipment costs, desert solar thermal farms promise to be far more cost effective than PV systems.

Concentrated Photo Voltaic is a newer technology using mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays on to PV cells. Supporters claim it has a high field durability and about 25 per cent efficiency. This format is ideal for regions with plenty of sunlight and higher temperatures such as desert regions. On the down side, it is inefficient at converting indirect light into energy and thus not suitable for areas commonly used to plenty of cloud cover. Concentrator panels consist mainly of aluminum and glass, while the PV cells can be gallium indium-based so construction of the technology is not necessarily reliant on currently stretched silicon supplies. Supporters claim it is already relatively cost competitive, creating energy at less than 15 US cents per watt. This technology also does not utilize water, also making it attractive for desert climates.

Crystalline Photo Voltaics The most cost efficient and widespread use of solar energy is arguably through the development and use of Crystalline PV panels. These panels are commonly used for decentralized installations, home generation, and are commonly seen in commercial and residential rooftop installations. These silicon-based crystalline solar panels remain the most popular solar application, although newer technologies are quickly developing and gaining ground. The manufacturing costs of the PV panels remain lower than newer technologies despite concerns regarding the supply of silicon that may drive up costs in the future. Field experts indicate otherwise stating that manufacturers are maneuvering to maintain control over their silicon supply chains and combined with advancing manufacturing techniques, believe prices should continue to fall in the long term.

The panels, appearing as uniform black squares, are most preferred for rooftop installations. They are reliable for about 20 years and are becoming a popular commercial and residential application. They are more space efficient than their thin-film solar panel counterparts and their supporters insist that if installed in the right position and climate, they offer payback periods over five years. This application has been available for over 30 years and production costs continue to reduce.

Thin-film Photo Voltaics Thin film is a modernized solar technology, but many experts believe it may indicate the future of solar energy. WIthin the next 5 years they may account for a third of PV panels.

A variety of thin-film technologies are now available, anywhere from more traditional silicon and glass systems to the innovative copper indium gallium solenide cells. These thin-film cells are spectacular at converting indirect sun light. Solar calculators and other small instruments are examples of this technology and thus are best applied in areas with more cloud cover.

Thin-film cells can also be produced through the use of printing press-style manufacturing techniques, meaning that they could be produced more efficiently and in a more cost-effective manner than their more established rivals. Meanwhile, the flexible and lighter nature of thin-film types indicates that they are more likely to be applied in many applications, ranging anywhere from solar windows to solar clothing. Right now thin film may be relatively expensive and not yet efficient, but millions of dollars are being invested in firms who intend to mainstream this promising technology.

My name is Thomas Metscher, owner of http://www.solarselectives.com We provide eco-friendly solar lights and rechargeable lights from Gama Sonic. Our lights are of the highest quality and durability in the industry. A single day’s charge will illuminate our powerful solar lights, available in five colorful LEDs, for up to ten hours once the sun goes down. Our rechargeable products accessorize your home’s interior with colorful light changing products such as our atmosphere vase and atmosphere bowl. These products recharge quickly and easily and operate while charging. Come by http://www.solarselectives.com and view our solar lights now on sale at a rate 25% or more below retail price.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Metscher

Video, Plug And Play Solar Panel Iverter.

This inverter is a neat piece of kit, which can be run from a solar system, with or without batteries, and just connects to your system and then plugs straight into any socket outlet in your house, into which it feeds power directly from your solar system batteries, or direct from your solar system. Very pricey, but as with all new technology, the price will come down eventually. It certainly saves a lot of wiring hassle, and you don’t need an electrician in to fit it.

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GRID TIE INVERTER SOLAR POWER EASY SOLAR SOLUTION POWER INVERTERS

Video, DIY Solar Panel.

Nice instructonal video, on how to make your own solar panels. If you have the time, it’s not that difficult, but don’t try it if you have that morning after feeling, because you need a clear head, and a steady hand.

h2>Solar System Charge Controller

To combat higher energy prices, and to lessen the damage to our environment, many people are opting for renewable energy in the form of solar or wind power. If you are thinking of going green with your energy, and choosing the solar panel route, you may need to know about charge controllers.
Solar panel systems can be split into two categories; with batteries, and without batteries. If you go on grid, feeding your power to the local grid, with no need for batteries, you don’t need to read the rest of this article. If you are going to use batteries and go off grid, supplying power from your system directly to your house circuit, then you need to read on.
A modern solar panel, (photo voltaic), system, supplies power so long as there is daylight, so you have free energy come rain or shine, ever day. The only problem with this is, if your batteries are fed power constantly, they will overcharge, overheat, and expire long before their normal useful life span. Batteries used for solar systems can be expensive, so to protect them, and to get the maximum life span from them, the amount of power fed to them must be controlled. To save your batteries, you need to have a charge controller, the sole function of which is to prevent your solar panels from overcharging the batteries. The importance of the charge controller cannot be overstated.
Charge controllers these days are much more sophisticated than their earlier mechanical cousins. They can analyze systems and even produce data logs, if you really want to go techie. You must be sure to buy a charge controller that matches the voltage of your solar system, though most controllers nowadays are multi voltage, but check before you buy.
Most people opt to go on grid with their solar systems, it’s much cheaper, (no batteries), and any excess power can be sold back to the utility supplier, which is a bonus when you are not home, and your system just keeps feeding the grid.
But don’t forget, if for whatever reason, usually location, you do need to go off grid, and use batteries for your renewable energy system, a charge controller is a must.

Another very interesting video about solar roof panels.
So why all houses can’t be built with solar cell roofs is a mystery. I should think that 2kw would run most of the electrical appliances in most house holds, depending on whether your heating is by gas or not.

Some Facts About Solar Cells.
Another interesting video, courtesy of UTube. So it is possible to power your home on solar cells alone. The cells in this video certainly look the business, and certainly cost it as well. There is no reason why, with a bit of practice on some smaller DIY solar cells, an array [...]

DIY Solar Panel Review

I was was doing some research for future blog posts concerning Renewable DIY Energy, and I came accross the article below, which I thought you might be interested in reading, concerning DIY Solar Panels.

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Why Install Solar Panels in Your Home?

Everyday in the news it seems to be that we are confronted with more doom and gloom. If it isn’t about the state of the economy then it is about the global rise in fuel prices and the approaching energy crisis.

When all about us seems to be falling into disarray then I think the best course of action is to actually focus on what you can personally do and how you can guard against any future energy shortages of drastic rises in energy costs.

One way to do this it to seek out energy sources for your home that are both low in cost and a form of sustainable energy, which basically means that you are not taking anything from the planet and nor are you emitting anything that will cause harm going forward. One such form of energy is solar power, which is not only green, clean but also sustainable. As far as we can all hope the sun will remain on high up there and thus continue to meet our energy needs far into the future.

Solar panels also mean much lower power bills as the energy from the sun is converted into electricity, a very low cost way of both heating and lighting your home.

When it comes to installing solar panels initially the costs can be much higher, however one way of overcoming this is to go down the DIY route and build and install the panels yourself. At one time this would have been quite difficult however there are now a number of guides available as to how you can achieve installation both cheaply and easily. So if you want to install solar panels in your home the cheapest method is definitely the DIY route, one that will save you money and worry about energy shortages for years to come.
For further information on solar power and low cost installation head over to DIY Solar Panel Review.
http://www.diy-solar-panel-review.com/
Alison Wood

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Wood