Affordable Solar & Wind

The Basics of Solar Power

Solar power is all about turning the energy of the Sun into other forms of energy for instance electricity or heat.

The Power of the Sun

The Sun is powered by a process known as nuclear fusion.  At very high temperatures, hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium fuse together to form helium atoms. This forms large amounts of energy along with the emission of neutrons. The Sun emits electromagnetic waves which travel towards the earth at the speed of light, that's around 300,000km per second and taking just eight minutes to reach us. It is estimated that the amount of energy from the sun reaching Earth every minute is more than the total energy used by the world in terms of fossil fuel use every year.

Different forms of solar power

Solar Thermal Heating

Solar Thermal Heating can be formed by creating a box with a glass cover with a dark or black back plate which is attached to pipes containing water. The glass lets light in and then traps the heat which is transferred to the back plate and in turn heats the pipes containing the water. The heated water is then pumped to a heat exchanger for use as hot water and heating.

Solar Thermal Engines

Curved mirrors can be used to focus the energy of the Sun onto a central area to heat water into steam which is in turn used to drive turbines and generate electricity.Solar Tube Water HeatingSolar tubes consist of an outer glass tube, a vacuum and an inner glass tube which has a fluid inside. The outer clear glass tube allows light in which then traps heat because of the vacuum and heats up the fluid in the inner tube which normally has a dark coating. As the fluid in the inner tube gets hot, it turns into a gas which rises to the top of the tube to in turn heat another pipe containing fluid. This pipe is then connected to a water tank where it transfers its heat to heat the water for residential use.

Solar Towers

Solar Towers are made up of many mirrors which focus sunlight onto a central tower. The sunlight heats salts to a very high temperature and this liquid molten salt is then used to heat water into steam to power turbines creating electricity. Concentrated Solar PowerIn concentrated solar power plants (CSP) curved mirrors are used to focus sunlight on a central pipe. Typically the sunlight can be concentrated to create temperatures of around 400 degrees centigrade in concentrated solar power troughs. The power troughs are designed to track the sun's position throughout the day to give the optimal power.

Passive Solar heating for buildings

By positioning buildings to face the sun in a particular direction and by using glass and thick insulating walls the Sun can be used to heat the interiors of buildings and reduce the need for conventional oil or gas heating systems.

Solar Furnace

A solar furnace using many moving mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight onto a huge curved mirror. The curved mirror then focuses the sunlight onto a liquid filled collector. The liquid reaches temperatures of around 3800 degrees centigrade. This hot liquid in then pumped and the heat stored until it is need to heat water to create steam and drive turbines to create electricity.

Solar Cells

Solar cells generate electrical energy from light energy- the photovoltaic effect. Solar cells are made from tiny slivers of silicon coated with a chemical dope.  The surface of solar cells are designed to reflect as little light as possible and appear dark blue or black. Solar cells are connected together in series to create solar panel modules.

Solar cells create electricity since the sunlight causes electrons to jump from a positive layer in the panel to a negative layer – p-n junctions. When a circuit is created ,this causes a flow of electricity.  To generate enough electricity to provide the annual power needs of an average UK house you would need solar panels taking up around 9 square metres on a south facing roof.

 

About the Author

Team at Totally Solar

Save the Uranium-233, Explore Space, Save Lives

ATC Transformer Style Aluminum Bumper Case for Iphone 4 4S --- Rose--- Metal Chromed iphone 4 case + Stylus Pen +2 LCD Protectors+Microfiber Cloth+ Application Card $7.99 The Package Includes: 1 x Chrome Aluminum Hard Back Case Cover for iPhone 4 4S 4G 1 x Stylus Pen 1 x FRONT + BACK Clear LCD Protectors 1 x Microfiber Cloth for iPhone 4G 4S 1 x Application Card for iPhone 4G 4S Features: 1.100% brand new and high quality hard back case for iPhone 4/4S. 2.Made by high quality material Plastic, with Steel & Aluminum decoration to make your case like Transformers ...

ATC Specially-designed Barely There Acrylic Case for iPhone 4G/4 --- Red $7.99 Package Including: 1 x Acrylic Hard Back Case Cover for iPhone 4 4S 4G Features: 1. This model is compatible: Hard case for iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S 2. Protect your phone from scratches, dirt and bumps 3. Easy to install and remove 4. The case is made of high quality 5. Accessory only, iPhone 4 is NOT INCLUDED 6. Material: Plastic + Acrylic 7. Specail & amazing picture design 8. Precise openings o...

Thermarest Ridge Rest Solar Sleeping Pad $39.95 223486 Features: Your body heat is reflected back at you by an aluminized surface that makes the mattress 13% warmer than similar mattresses with an R value increase from 26 to 35 Save weight with light closed-cell foam to aluminized surface creates no increase in weight Warm air is trapped by the ridges that create air-pooling channels Specifications:...

A Photovoltaic System of Solar Cells $24.99 Stocktrek Images A Photovoltaic System of Solar Cells - Photographic Print

Sliver $179.99 Sliver - Framed Art Print

NonUniformities in ThinFilm Solar Cells and Modules $157.72 Thinfilm PV technology due to its fast production line, large area panels and low material usage, is one of the most promising lowcost technologies. Due to their granular structure, thinfilm solar cells are inherently nonuniform. Fluctuations inevitably occur during the multistep deposition process of large area thinfilm solar panels and specific manufacturing procedures. Furthermore, non uniformities can become more severe, or increase in size during the solarpanels life cycle. Non uniformities reduce the overall efficiency of solar cells and modules, and their effects therefore need to be well understood. This manuscript focuses on the analysis of the effect of nonuniformities on small size solar cells and modules with the help of numerical simulations. Even though the 2D model developed here can analyze the effect of nonuniformities of any nature, only two specific types of microscopic nonuniformities were addressed here: shunts and weakdiodes. One type of macroscopic nonuniformity, partial shading, was also addressed. The circuit model developed here is a network of diodes, currentsources, and transparentconductiveoxide resistors. Author: Koishiyev, Galymzhan Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 168 Publication Date: 2011/04/27 Language: French Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.39 inches

Ginsberg Scientific 718492 Solar Cells Demonstration $48.3 This is a great desktop item and attentiongetter. Four powerful solar cells are mounted on a revolving disk and motor. This in turn is mounted to a plastic stand and base. Watch as the entire disk solar cells included begin to whirl around when the unit is placed in the sun. Instructions provided. American Educational Products have a lead ship time of 21 days.

Thin Film Solar Cells $779.05 Author: Chopra, Kasturi L./ Das, Suhit Ranjan/ Chopra, K. L. Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 624 Publication Date: 1983/07/31 Language: English Dimensions: 9.62 x 6.52 x 1.62 inches

The Physics of Solar Cells By Nelson, Jenny $77.82 Author: Nelson, Jenny Publication Date: 2003/07/01 Number of Pages: 384 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 0.75 Width: 6.00 Height: 9.00

Sliver of a House $24.99 Sliver of a House - Photographic Print

Solar Shingles $90.81 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are photovoltaic cells designed to look like conventional asphalt shingles. There are several varieties of solar shingles, including shinglesized solid panels that take the place of a number of conventional shingles in a strip, semirigid designs containing several silicon solar cells that are sized more like conventional shingles, and newer systems using various thin film solar cell technologies that match conventional shingles both in size and flexibility. Solar shingles are manufactured by companies including SunPower Corporation, Solar Components Corporation, Atlantis Energy Systems, and Dow Chemical. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Timpledon, Miriam T./ Marseken, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 148 Publication Date: 2010/07/14 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.34 inches

JanSport Sliver Shoulder Pack $47.95 JanSport Sliver Shoulder Pack