Archive for the ‘Solar Power’ Category
Criteria for Building a Passive House With Residential Solar Power
The passive house is a home that provides thermal comfort without the use of
“conventional” heating, ie the boiler and radiators, or similar systems. The energy needed to balance the heat of the building is typically provided with non-conventional systems (residential solar power or heat pump to heat the air of the energy recovery controlled ventilation).
The conventional heating system can be eliminated if the energy needed inside the house is very low, conventionally less than 5 kWh per square foot per year. These benefits are obtained with a very careful design, especially with regard to the sun, with the adoption of high-performance thermal insulation on outside walls, roof and glass walls and through the adoption of controlled ventilation systems for energy recovery and with solar panel installation.
Passive house has only three criteria:
- a frugal annual heating – cooling allowance of 4,733 BTU (British thermal unit, a traditional unit of energy equal to about 1,055 joules) per square foot
- an annual cap on primary energy of 11,1 kilowatt hours per square foot for all energy needs including heating and cooling, along with water heating, appliances, and other devices
- the building must be essentially airtight with 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals of pressure.
Each benchmark is many times lower than the targets set by current U.S. energy codes and guidelines.
Passive houses are born in Sweden and are used mainly in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands and in other northern European countries. The first certified passive house project in the Unites States was actually an educational building. Completed in 2006 the BioHaus was designed by architect Stephen Tanner for the Concordia Language Villages campus in Bemidji, Minnesota.
The cost to build or get built a passive house made of wood can vary enormously. It depends on the type of construction required, the quality of materials and assembly. It depends also if you choice environmentally friendly products like Residential Solar Power.
Few Reasons I Love Solar Energy
Protection of the environment is everybody’s responsibility. We the present
stewards hold it in trust for future generations. So that, whatever we do today will affect our children and their children. Development and economic growth have environmental implications. And under our watch, it is important that we adopt ways that will help protect our environment from bad and harmful elements. One way to contribute to environment protection is to be conscious with how the electricity being used is generated.
Energy-related activities are among the top pollutants of our surroundings. Oil and coal fed power generators emit carbon that contributes to global warming. On a personal level, one can help reduce carbon emission by using clean source of energy such as solar. It is an energy derived from sunlight, a very natural source. An environmental advantage of solar energy is, it does not emit materials harmful to living things and the surroundings. There are solar technologies fit for individual homes that are now available in the market.
Other advantages of solar energy are, it is renewable, its capture for electricity use can be done individually without need of facility and bulky equipment, and it reduces electricity bill. Being renewable and sourced from sunlight, it will be available as long as the sun shines. Unlike fossil oil, it is renewable on a regular basis and exists over an indefinite period of time. And now with the help of technological innovations, solar can be easily captured through the use of solar panels. Solar panels are made up of cells that covert sunlight into electricity. For houses that are not connected to the grid, solar energy could be a better option. Another advantage of Solar energy is it reduces bill because sunlight is a free commodity. And in some countries, there is a system where one can even sell the extra electricity generated from solar.
Starting Small and Going Green
Despite what major advertising would like you to believe, going green does not mean buying a hybrid. A green lifestyle does not require that consumers buy
recycled plastic. For that matter, a green lifestyle does not necessarily involve a garden, low-flow appliances, or even diy solar panels. Although these things really are positive steps forward, environmental awareness begins one small change at a time – starting with our very own habits.
Sure, riding the bus may not seem as attractive as going out and buying that new gasoline efficient vehicle, but nobody ever said that living the eco-friendly life was going to be glamorous! There are plenty of ways to use what we currently have to achieve the green dream. For instance, one easy change is to drive less and drive slower – every ten miles per hour over sixty is comparable to adding fifty cents to the price of each gallon of gas.
Replacing major fixtures with water-efficient varieties may not be an economical option for many environmentalists – but everybody can take the initiative to shut off the water while brushing to save up to five gallons a day. Keeping with the topic of water, you may be interested to know that daily showers do nothing to increase health and a proper diet will balance bodily oils to make sure that nobody finds out you skipped!
Going green also requires honing the art of avoidance. Practicing restraint when buying new products is half the battle – finding ways to reuse household junk is the other half. In many cases, the principal of “reduce and reuse” can eliminate many recurring purchases.
Small steps like these will ease the transition to a more sustainable future. Going green starts with you, and your actions can help to influence a whole new generation of responsible, environmentally-minded individuals! Using DIY solar panles is a great start.
Better To Light A Candle Than Curse The Darkness
Recessed deck lighting is quickly becoming the option of choice for outdoor
lighting. They function well not only on your deck but are becoming more common in driveways and patios. Not only do they increase safety and security, they add a certain “wow” effect to your property.
Outdoor deck lights can be installed directly into the floor of the deck. This allows people to walk directly over them with no threat of tripping. Recessed deck lights will also guide you and your guests to or from the house, which subtly moves them around the area.
These lights come in copper, iron and stainless steel. These choices should blend in well with any decor you choose. Being recessed, you also don’t need to worry about them being knocked over and broken, as many free-standing lights frequently are. They come in a variety of colors and shades so they can match any surroundings you desire.
Solar deck lights are becoming the option of choice due to their energy efficiency. Even on cloudy days most systems will conserve enough power to last several hours at night. With the rising cost of energy and the desire to go green as much as possible, solar lights are obviously the way to go.
Should you want to do the installation yourself, you will need to do some planning to achieve your desired results. Make sure to plot out the locations both in the day and night to insure that you will get the coverage you need. Installation kits are readily available and the tools required should be found in any tool kit.
Recessed outdoor deck lights will serve two functions. They will provide illumination and security. A properly installed system will give you years of satisfaction. So do your homework, install your Solar deck lights and increase the value of your home.
Review of Solar Powered Attic Fans
Solar powered attic fans are increasing in popularity. However not many people are familiar about its features. So through this article I hope to share with you some
general information about the features of this device that is generally known as solar attic fans. Typically these products are mounted on rooftops and designed to remove humidity and moisture from the attics of homes and buildings. This helps keep the home or building cooler during the summer months and reduce the cost of air conditioning. Thus the main advantage of these device is savings in energy costs and providing a more comfortable atmosphere within attics specifically, and homes in general.
Normally these fans are installed in the highest part of the roof. They have galvanized steel housing with steel flashing. This steel flashing prevents water from seeping in and also helps protect roofing shingles. Overall its installation is designed to look neat and fit well.
There is not much fixing or configuring involved when installing them. They work instantly when the solar panel is attached. The solar panel is not that big and don’t take much space. The size of the panel may vary but no bigger than a panel for a water fountain or garden feature. There is no additional wiring required with most devices you buy, just like a plug and play kind of consumer electronics device. Prices of solar powered attic fans vary from around $200 to $400 depending on the size and wattage. Good brands to checkout when buying them are Honeywell, Rand, and Sunrise Solar.
There are several ways to fix a solar powered attic fan. One way is to use a roof vent and mount the device on the flat top of the vent, on a pitched angle. But the more common way is to mount the frame and flashing flush directly on the roof. Both these ways are good as they don’t attract much attention than a vent for the heating system.
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LED Landscape Lighting Energy Sources
Most of us know about the energy efficiency of a LED landscape light. This is a very good advantage for everyone because the lights bulbs do not exactly consume so
much power. Since we are on the subject of power and how we can use it, there are actually three different sources of energy that we can apply for these bulbs. They are mentioned briefly in the following paragraphs.
1. Home Electrical Outlets
This is the common type of power source that everyone is familiar with. This is very simple to use because what you only need to do is to plug in the end of the lighting system into a nearby electrical outlet. You will not have problems with this type power source as long as all of your wires are well kept and insulated.
2. Solar energy
If you think that the first number is great, wait until you use solar for your lights. This alternative source is great for you because it totally relies on the sun for energy. You need to have some solar panels for this in order to harvest power and also a battery for energy storage. This is a good thing to have because it will not cost you anything at all except for the hardware materials.
3. Gas power
This is a relatively new system of energy and it involves the use of motors to create energy. These motors are being operated by natural gases and they give out great amounts of electricity. The people who have this system use it for their major home energy consumption and not only for landscape lighting.
All of these sources are great but if you would ask me, I would stick with the first option. You may think that you can save a lot of money with option number two and three but actually, acquiring the machineries and the hardware may be very expensive. You would be better off plugging your light bulbs into an outlet instead.
The Countless Advantages of Solar Energy
Our extreme dependence on fossil fuels and other harmful energy creation methods are to blame for the majority of the most severe environmental issues at hand
today. This situation is beginning to be addressed by the use of solar power technology to provide clean, free energy to homes and other locations. Promising environmental improvements, the advantages of solar energy also include a substantial savings for households previously buying electricity from their local utility supplier.
Solar energy cannot be referred to as “renewable” energy: it truly can never be depleted or even diminished. The sun will give free energy as long as it’s there. We can never use it up, and there is more than enough of it to meet the electricity needs of every human on this planet, at the same time, forever. Applying solar technology to harvest the sun’s clean, free energy contributes to a sustainable future for all. It will allow us to curb our dependence on harmful fuels and be confident that our energy needs will be met. This will begin to repair the extensive damage we’ve done to our planet.
No pollution is created by harvesting or using solar energy. One of the most beneficial advantages of solar power is that it does not release greenhouses gases into the atmosphere, nor does it produce any toxic waste or by-products of any kind. This will result in a reversal of the global warming effect. The processes of obtaining the oil, burning the oil, and regular oil spills continue to destroy our most vital ecosystems daily.
Minimal maintenance is required once a home solar power system is installed, and the systems commonly last for decades. When the initial price of a solar power system seems high, consider the fact that it will generally let you recoup your investment within less than a few years. After that time, all your energy needs are being met completely for free. Solar energy systems are also made to be easily expandable, so capacity can be increased to suit requirements. A very convenient advantage of solar energy is that it requires no connection to any kind of power grid, so it is an easy choice in remote areas.
Solar home energy system manufacturers provide an incredible array of options to suit almost any budget. Some may prefer to start with a small-scale solar installation initially, to be sure they actually want to invest in a complete system. Start by replacing you water heater with a solar model; just about any household appliance or gadget is available in a solar-charged model. Other easy options include solar landscape lighting, solar pool lights, or solar pool heaters. These products require next to no installation or complicated wiring.
It is a good idea to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy. This way you will feel completely comfortable with your investment. The advantages of solar energy, of course, are related to the environment and saving money. The disadvantages of solar energy are mainly the expense, and the insecurity of wondering where your electricity will come from at night or on cloudy days. Fortunately, all modern home solar power systems have a system of batteries to collect and store the energy that is harvested during the day, for use at any time.
The advantages of solar energy are too important to overlook, while the disadvantages of solar energy are minor and easily addressed. Solar home energy systems will continue to evolve, while becoming more common and less expensive. Solar energy technology is improving rapidly.
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Benefits of Using Solar Power for Homes
As the modern technologies are developing so rapidly, solar power solutions
become more affordable, popular and attractive trend. Today solar power is used for different purposes and while some products are still a way too expensive, others can be definitely called a cheap alternative to common electrical appliances. It is especially so when it comes to passive solar power for homes. In technical terms, passive solar power is a way to utilize solar energy without any additional appliances, thus you only need to invest into some engineering works to achieve the result. You can save much money on heating and cooling systems if you follow simple tips on passive solar power for homes when reconstructing or rebuilding your home.
Solar power solutions are especially effective in those locations where the number of hot sunny days outweighs the number of rainy days. But still you can use them even in winter to supplement other sources of heat. Thermal solar power for homes is a good option to save your money and to protect the nature against carbon dioxide emissions. You can use solar power heaters at home and office during daytime, but most likely you will need additional appliances to heat the space at night and in the morning. Another thermal solar power application is water heater. Depending on its capacity, solar powered water heater can produce up to 100 gallons of hot water at the maximum temperature is 180F or 82C.
The efficiency of photovoltaic technologies is still disputable. But scientists believe that no more than 29% of energy can be successfully converted into energy with a help of PV panels of the first generation. Nevertheless, PV panels are widely utilized for the purposes of air conditioning. Although there is still much to do to improve the output of thin film PV panels, today you can take the advantages of diy solar power for homes solutions to cool the space around you. Solar powered air conditioning appliances work incredibly effective at the sunniest and hottest days, and that is the time when you need them the most.
Despite the fact that solar power technologies are relatively new, scientists do everything they can to improve our lives. The level of pollution has reached threatening limits, and it is in our best interests to protect the nature from future destructions. Today it is possible to prevent environmental threats, to protect our families, and to improve our lifestyles with a help of Solar Power for Homes solutions, especially now that they become more and more affordable.
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Rechargeable Solar Batteries
Solar Batteries are yet another way people are saving some money and helping the
environment at the same. They do not need any electrical source to charge as they only use the sun. They maintain their own rechargeable batteries and can be used for your camera, ipod, cell phone, laptop, hearing aids and car battery along with most other commonly used equipment. Solar battery chargers work by collecting the suns rays through a PV solar panel and then transforming the energy into electricity and storing it in batteries.
There is quite a long list of advantages to using renewable forms of energy but we will just look at a few of the benefits of solar power here.
Though coal is a cheap way to generate electricity, it also contributes greatly to the sulfur dioxide in our air as well as to mercury pollution. In contrast, solar energy is very environmentally friendly and does not generate emissions, wastes or byproducts at all. Not to mention, the energy we get from the sun is completely free!
Considering that you can find sun pretty much anywhere in the world (during the day time anyway) a solar battery charger could be a great emergency back up. Most of us have had batteries die at some point when we really needed them and there was no electricity in sight. These work even on cloudy days though it will take it longer to charge.
Solar battery chargers come in many different styles and sizes. Most can be found in 6 and 12volt versions with 5, 10 or 20-watt power film solar panels. These can fold up, don’t weigh much and are great for outdoor activities. There are even DIY instructions that can be found for free on the Internet along with DIY solar panels for home but with so many on the market now it may not be worth your investment of time.