Welcome to Solar Power Guide
Solar Power Groups Australia Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Exploring Residential Solar Power
from: The options for residential solar power range rather greatly from small systems to large, fully self-contained units. How much or how little power a homeowner desires a system to generate will impact the amount of space required for installation and the associated costs. No matter their size or the expense involved, residential solar power units all tend to operate using the same general principles.Residential solar power systems require a few basic components. They include:
• Solar cells or panels – Solar panels are basically the driving force behind a home solar power system. These are the devices that are required to absorb the sun’s photon energy and begin the process that will turn it into usable electrical power. In most cases, residential solar systems are designed with a panel array that affixes to a roof. In certain circumstances, however, solar dishes might be used or small solar cell systems that are meant to only power a small, singular device.
• Inverters – The inverter is traditionally one of the most expensive pieces in a residential solar power system. Inverters take the direct current energy created by solar panels and turn it into alternating current. AC power is what is required by most major electrical appliances. The efficiency of an inverter can greatly impact the output of a solar power system.
• Batteries – Batteries are an import part of a residential solar power system. These are used to store AC power for use by electrical appliances or systems. Even in a solar power system that is designed to provide juice for an outdoor lighting system, batteries will be included in the mix.
Residential solar power systems do vary rather greatly in size, capacity and function. Some of the options for home use include:
• Single, small device systems – Some homeowners use solar power systems that are self-contained to provide needed electricity for certain appliances. Outdoor lighting systems, for example, are widely available using solar energy mechanisms. Sold in kits, this type of lighting enables homeowners to illuminate their yards without taxing the electrical grid. Other similar devices include garden fountains, solar energy systems for security cameras and more. In this case, the devices are designed strictly to power the piece of electronic equipment in question.
• Larger systems – Solar arrays can be used to help power certain appliances within a home. Depending on the capacity of a system, it is possible for homeowners to offset electrical use for heating water, running a refrigerator and so on. Some roof designed systems, however, are capable of providing all of the electricity a homeowner might need.
Residential solar power systems are gaining in popularity for good reason. Even smaller systems designed to power a single device, such as outdoor lighting, can help offset energy consumption and electrical bills. In turn, these systems give homeowners the satisfaction of not only saving money, but also helping the environment.
Solar Power Groups Australia News
Barnett defends Collier over solar panels bungle
Premier Colin Barnett has defended his Energy Minister, declaring his confidence in Peter Collier while seeking to explain the blowout in the State Government's household solar subsidy scheme.
Read more...Americans Are Willing to Pay More for Clean Energy
Opponents of renewable energy often attack solar and wind power for being more expensive, believing that coal and natural gas are simply too cheap not to burn. But a new study shows that not only do most Americans support clean energy, they’re willing to pay $162 more each year in electricity bills if it means more of the country’s power comes from wind and solar power plants. The germ of this ...
Read more...Robot sailors leave Hawaii in cross-ocean voyage
Four robotic ships have sailed from Hawaii on a trans-Pacific journey that aims to set a new world record for the longest voyage by an unmanned ocean-going vehicle.
Read more...New tricks to reduce rising power bills
LOCAL conservationists, unions, churches and social groups have banded together to promote low-carbon living in WA.
Read more...USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: Economic Effects of the Revised Military Buildup in Guam
By Nick Leonard In December 2002, the US–Japan Security Consultative Committee began a series of conversations about strategic military alignment in the Pacific and how to protect their associated countries in “today’s rapidly changing global security environment.” [Guam Buildup EIS, 2010] This three-and-a-half-year conversation evolved into what has been know as the Defense Policy and [...]
Read more...