PV Gap

Martha Said:

how to built a solar power system in my home?

We Answered:

ahmed,

without photovoltaic cells you are going to have a hard time generating electricity. solar energy requires a lot of initial cost - a typical home installation in the US costs around $20,000.

the simplest kind of solar heating is to use the sun to heat water for the house instead of using energy to heat the water. that will save you some money.

another thing you could do without PV cells is to build a solar concentrator -basically a large curved mirror or mirror array that will focus the sunlight to a single spot. this focused sunlight can be used to power a device called a stirling engine, which can be used to turn heat into mechanical energy. it's a mechanical device - if you are an engineer you could probably build one and then attach it to an alternator scrounged from an old car or truck.

you should keep in mind that anything home-built is going to be pretty inefficient. even a 100W solar panel is about a half-meter square. i'm not sure what "hard circumstances" means, but if you don't have very much money to spend your best bet is probably something like wind power generation instead of solar. solar is great and you have lots of sun in iraq, but the technology is expensive and not very good at this point.

at any rate, best of luck and stay safe.

Darlene Said:

Malaysia government can approve citizen for fully using the solar power system at home?

We Answered:

I wasn't aware the government anywhere could stop anyone from using
solar power, the entire earth is energized by the sun, one of nature's many gifts to sustain life on this planet.

Daisy Said:

what is the best solar power system to power a large family home?

We Answered:

There is a bunch of systems out there. Take a look at this. http://bit.ly/afxqXNsolar

Danny Said:

How much solar system setup for running power a home might cost ?

We Answered:

I don't know about companies in India, but what you might do is look around for someone who has a system, then ask where they got it. If you have trouble finding anyone with a system, maybe it's not a very good deal.

If the home is in a less-developed area, and all you would be powering is a light, and a radio or TV at night, then you might get by with the kind of system they use in some parts of Africa. It has a 40 or 80-watt panel, and basically a car battery. The appliances run right off the battery, and no charger or other devices are used. This sort of system costs $200-300 when implemented by a nonprofit organization - I don't know what the cost if you were to try to set it up, yourself.

On the other hand, it sounds like you're already connected to a power grid, and maybe already have a heavy appetite for energy in your house. A solar system with batteries tends to cost about $15 a watt in the USA, when hundreds or thousands of watts are involved. A system for a modest off-grid cabin will cost anywhere from $5000 to $30000, depending on the size.

Erika Said:

I want to buy Solar power system for my home, What are the recommendation? If somebody has used it?

We Answered:

Well it all depends on where you live, if you're out in the country, wind power may make more sense for you, if you're in the city solar is the way to go. With a solar electric system there are no moving parts so it lasts a long time, it pays for itself depending on where you live i have heard of getting money back in three years. If you finance it very often the payments are less than your electric bill. The only maintenance is hosing it down once in a while. I also recommend looking into geothermal, especially if you have a decent sized backyard, its actually the cheapest option, and if you have plenty of space out back its even cheaper. Depending on where you live the payback differs, in the US, we happily now all receive a 30% tax credit, that helps cut the price. there are also other programs pretty much in every state by now. Out here in California, its state mandated for the utility companies to offer a rebate.