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Solar power works by converting sunlight directly into electricity, which we can use to power our homes and cities. But this amazing feat does not happen by magic. It takes...
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The efficiency of solar power, or more specifically a solar panel,
depends on the materials used to make each solar cell. A solar cell is
that portion of a solar panel in...
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Solar power has few disadvantages. It offers the promise of free, clean, reliable energy, as well as a slew of other advantages on a larger social and economic scale. However,...
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Solar power has plenty of advantages over other types of energy. It has viable applications, from the smallest home solar power systems to large, centralized power plants....
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On
a residential scale, solar power is much more feasible than wind power.
Unless you have a lot of land in a very windy place, wind turbines are
very unlikely to be cost-effective...
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In
the future, fossil fuel power plants - namely coal plants in the United
States - will be replaced with clean, renewable sources of energy.
Solar energy will play a major...
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Solar
power is chock-full of benefits, especially given our current
environmental and economic woes. All renewable energy sources have some
inherent benefits, including...
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Every hour, the sun beams down enough solar energy to power the entire globe for one year. Simply put, solar power is the process of harnessing that energy. The most common...
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The number of solar panels it takes to power a home varies from one home to the next. Several factors influence the final number of panels. The most significant among these...
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As
of yet, no energy source is perfect. Be it oil, coal or solar power,
there are drawbacks to be found. Solar power has some very valuable
advantages over its conventional,...
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Solar
power is a very energetic resource with many uses. Solar power is most
famous for its ability to create electricity to power our homes and
businesses, but its usefulness...
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In
some way, shape or form, probably every state uses solar power, whether
it's used by the citizenry, business world or government. There are,
however, some states that...
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According to the Energy Information Administration
(EIA), renewable energy accounted for 7 percent of U.S. energy
consumption in 2008. Solar power accounted for only one...
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Left
to its own devices, solar power is today still too expensive for most
homeowners. However, our growing need for fast, reliable and clean
energy sources has inspired...
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Solar
power is used in many countries, and the number is rapidly increasing.
There are leaders and slackers, but most countries are coming around to
clean, effective and...
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Converting
your home to solar power is a process. It can start and end with having
a solar system installed and "plugged in" (a process in itself), but
it's usually best...
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It's
difficult to put a number on exactly how many people use solar power.
Millions around the world are either creating their own solar power or
receiving a portion of...
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Solar
power is being used in a wide variety of ways. Solar heat, captured by
solar thermal power, is used to heat water, homes, swimming pools and
even cook food. Solar...
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The
economics of solar power are difficult to pinpoint due to the
variability of sunlight from place to place. Therefore, any average
cost given will have a large margin...
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The
drill is probably the most important power tool in today's home. It
performs any number of tasks, from installing a switch plate to laying
down deck boards. It sure...
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The
cost of solar power varies by location, due primarily to the
availability of tax incentives and rebates from utilities and state and
local governments. But incentives...
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Increasing
the output of your solar power system is best done by adding more solar
power panels. Each panel has its own rated output, which is the amount
of electricity...
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You use solar power
in more ways than you know. The sun is the life force of the earth and
humans are no exception. Even our own bodies use solar energy to
collect Vitamin...
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There are several approaches to solar heating your home. If you have electric heat, a solar power system can provide the electricity to run the heater. A more common and direct...
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Yes,
they do. Solar energy systems not only work, but they work for you and
for a long time. While the intimate physics of solar cells can be very
complex, the actual process...
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Solar
generators provide valuable, gas-free backup power for homes in the
event of a blackout. They are ideal for remote locations, such as
cabins, summer homes, RVs and...
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Not only do solar panels
work to power a home fountain, but they are the cheaper, eco-friendly
and overall the best option. After the initial cost of the solar panel
and...
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Determining how many batteries you'll need to run your solar home
is a matter of basic mathematics, as well as a little study of your
electric bills. A battery will have...
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Thermal energy has everything to do with heat. Therefore, solar thermal energy,
which involves the capture of heat from the sun, provides our most
common uses for thermal...
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Thermal energy is produced by collecting heat from the sun or the earth's crust. Solar thermal energy
is produced by using mirrors to focus solar radiation onto a liquid,
which...
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The word thermal signifies anything of or relating to heat. Thermal energy is the energy created from that heat. Solar thermal energy
involves the heat created by the sun...
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Thermal energy
is created by the addition of heat to a substance. Thermal energy that
humans use to provide heat or electricity is harnessed in three ways: from the sun,...
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Thermal energy can escape from a home in several ways. Every time heat escapes through an open or poorly sealed door or window, thermal energy is lost. It passes right through...
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Thermal energy travels as heat through convection, conduction and radiation. Convection is the transfer of heat by a liquid or gas, such as water and air, respectively....
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James Prescott Joule was the first scientist to discover that heat is a type of energy. While studying the relationship between heat, work and temperature, he was experimenting...
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Thermal
energy measures the movement of atoms or molecules within a substance.
It is considered less a measurement and more a process or an amount of
internal energy. Thermal...
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Thermal energy
is at the root of how electrical energy is made. Steam, which is a form
of thermal energy, is used to drive a turbine. That turbine drives a
generator (mechanical...
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The total output per day of a solar power system depends on the size of that system and the amount of direct sunlight it receives. A 4-kilowatt (kW) system will produce...
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The ways in which solar power has a positive effect on the environment are varied and many. Solar energy is renewable, requires no combustion of fossil fuels, emits zero...
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Solar energy is a diverse resource that can be harnessed for many purposes. The sun sends solar radiation to earth in the form of thermal energy. Solar thermal power captures...
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Solar power is a renewable resource, but it is not without its limits, at least presently. As far as how much of our energy needs can be satisfied by solar power, the limits...
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The term "dummy cell" refers to a non-functioning, or fake, solar cell. While it may seem strange to put non-working solar cells in a solar system, there are reasons to...
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Solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal power are both viable routes for creating solar electricity. PV converts sunlight directly to electric current using solar cells...
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A solar cell is to a solar power system what the atom is to a molecule. Each solar cell in a module is its own photovoltaic power producer, collecting sunlight and converting...
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As with any invention in history, it is a score of scientists' work that leads up to the product we know today. As for the solar cell, in 1839, Alexandre Edmond Becquerel...
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Choosing between monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells is not easy. Both are made from crystalline silicon, the most efficient semiconductor material on the market...
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We
recently received an excellent question from one of our friendly
readers to the north. Hailing from Calgary, the question is a common
one among residents of Canada and...
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Solar-powered cars are simply electric cars that draw their power from the sun. Solar cells are mounted on the exterior of the car. These photovoltaic (PV) devices capture...
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The primary cost drivers in solar cell marketing are materials and manufacturing processes. Most solar cells in use today use silicon as the semiconductor that enables...
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Silicon is the material backbone of the current solar industry. Silicon is vital to solar PV cells because it is the semiconductor material that enables the photoelectric...
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Temperature does have an adverse effect on solar panel performance, primarily on the cells' open-circuit voltage. Voltage reductions in solar cells increase linearly as temperature...
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It is estimated that enough solar energy hits the earth in one single hour to power the entire globe for a full year. In other words, there is no shortage of solar energy...
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Solar energy is by far the most abundant resource available on Earth. Without the sun, the planet could not survive. With it, we can not only stay warm and grow food, but...
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While working on his PhD thesis at the University of Copenhagen, Martin Aagesen discovered a new solar cell material with a perfect crystalline structure. That material has...
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Over a long period of time, solar panels do wear out in the sense that they become less efficient at converting solar energy into usable electricity. The panel structure...
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Pool cover solar panels are probably not your best option in home heating. Similar systems, which typically consist of small tubes through which pool water circulates,...
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Buying used solar panels has its pros and cons. On the one hand, you save money, you know that solar panels last at least 25 years and possibly more than 50, and anything...
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Yes, there are several solar-powered portable air conditioners on the market. Solar air conditioning may sound strange - using the hot sun to cool your home - but it also...
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Not only could plastic help produce cheaper solar power, but many researchers expect it to. Plastic offers a less complicated way to manufacture solar cells, and given...
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Insulation is so vital to home energy efficiency that governments are offering some significant rebates for insulation upgrades. The hope is to reduce our energy consumption,...
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It seems strange that environmentalists would oppose the construction of new solar power plants. Yet that very oddity has become the most talked-about issue facing the...
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We received the following question from one of our readers, which we found relevant enough to reprint and answer here in our Solar Q&A section. Permitting has become a...
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