PV Gap

Stephanie Said:

Has anyone used portable solar panels for home use?

We Answered:

Most people think all one needs is some solar panels to make power. It doesn't usually work that way. On a boat it is easy because most boats use batteries and DC power.

If all you want to do is make DC power, you will need a battery to hook your portable unit / units to. You can then use the battery to supply power to something that uses battery power. You may need a voltage converter if the device is not 12 volt.

To use the power you get from solar panels for AC power like your house has, you need a regulator, inverter, and controller to change the DC output from the panel (s) to AC and then control the power into your electric system. You also need a unit from your electric company installed.

A decent minimal solar system for an average house may cost around $5000 - $10,000. It will take many, many years to pay back. For a full-use system with generator, it will probably take $30,000 - $40,000 IF you don't use it for air conditioning. If you live in an area where you have a lot of cloudy days, it will take many, many, many, many years to pay back.

The reason everyone isn't using solar power is because it is not cheap and has not been cost-effective for most situations. Most Americans would not like it's inconvenience at times. It is not new science. It is in use many places and well known. It is great for some applications and as fuel and electrical power cost increase it will be used more.

Don't believe the media and hollywood. They are not interested in truth. They are just interested in making you believe their way. Study and learn.

Earl Said:

how much maintenance is needed to power a home using solar panels?

We Answered:

The initial installation of a solar electric system is expensive. If it is a quality unit the regulator/converter unit will hold up for a long time with little or no maintenance. You will also have a bank of batteries which may require some maintenance depending on the type. The system will have to be matched to the expected load, in your case heat tape on the pipes. The panels on the roof will have to be cleaned and keep clear of snow and ice. For more specifics you should contact a solar contractor. The contractor will determine the system that best meets your needs and estimate the cost.

Dawn Said:

Solar Panels for home use?

We Answered:

Let me start off by saying we (my family and I) live completely, 100% “off of the grid and are completely self sufficient”

The house is built utilizing natures natural elements, in the shape of an octagon with 8ft wide arch doors on every wall to catch every angle of wind (typical 4 sided homes have half the chance as one with 8 sides. A circle being the most efficient design). Woodburning stoves, solar chimney, solar AC, solar heating, solar water heating (pool and home), solar stove, solar power, wind power, hydrogen powered back up generator, hydrogen back up water heater, hydrogen stove, 2 hydrogen powered trucks, 1 EV (electric vehicle) and satellite internet.

There are no utility lines, no water lines, no roads, tv, cell service, etc. on our ranch. EVERYTHING needed is produced here. All electricity comes from 27 solar panels, 2 main wind gens and a back hydrogen generator if needed (typically we can last 9 days with all luxuries of sunless windless weather, hasn't happened yet). Water is caught and storaged from the rain. Hot water is made with solar batch water heaters with an on-demand hydrogen hot water heater as backup. Even our vehicles use alternative energy (2 hydrogen trucks, 1 EV electric vehicle converted). Because of this we have no bills, no debt and no mortgage.

The fallowing steps were taking directly out of a DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their homes on solar power safely, reducing their monthly utility bills or even selling power back the the electrical companies. The entire guide is available at www agua-luna com. Its pretty simple but if you have any problems feel free to contact me directly I can walk you threw the process.

Materials you will need
A sheet of copper flashing from the hardware store. This normally costs about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a square foot.
Two alligator clip leads.
A sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small LCD multimeters that will do, but I used a small surplus meter with a needle.
An electric stove. My kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burners probably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets red hot.
A large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I used a 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glass jar will also work.
Table salt. We will want a couple tablespoons of salt.
Tap water.
Sand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill.
Sheet metal shears for cutting the copper sheet.

The first step is to cut a piece of the copper sheeting that is about the size of the burner on the stove. Wash your hands so they don't have any grease or oil on them. Then wash the copper sheet with soap or cleanser to get any oil or grease off of it. Use the sandpaper or wire brush to thoroughly clean the copper sheeting, so that any sulphide or other light corrosion is removed.
Next, place the cleaned and dried copper sheet on the burner and turn the burner to its highest setting.
As the copper starts to heat up, you will see beautiful oxidation patterns begin to form. Oranges, purples, and reds will cover the copper.
As the copper gets hotter, the colors are replaced with a black coating of cupric oxide. This is not the oxide we want, but it will flake off later, showing the reds, oranges, pinks, and purples of the cuprous oxide layer underneath.
The last bits of color disappear as the burner starts to glow red.
When the burner is glowing red-hot, the sheet of copper will be coated with a black cupric oxide coat. Let it cook for a half an hour, so the black coating will be thick. This is important, since a thick coating will flake off nicely, while a thin coat will stay stuck to the copper.
After the half hour of cooking, turn off the burner. Leave the hot copper on the burner to cool slowly. If you cool it too quickly, the black oxide will stay stuck to the copper.
As the copper cools, it shrinks. The black cupric oxide also shrinks. But they shrink at different rates, which makes the black cupric oxide flake off.
The little black flakes pop off the copper with enough force to make them fly a few inches. This means a little more cleaning effort around the stove, but it is fun to watch.
When the copper has cooled to room temperature (this takes about 20 minutes), most of the black oxide will be gone. A light scrubbing with your hands under running water will remove most of the small bits. Resist the temptation to remove all of the black spots by hard scrubbing or by flexing the soft copper. This might damage the delicate red cuprous oxide layer we need to make to solar cell work.
Cut another sheet of copper about the same size as the first one. Bend both pieces gently, so they will fit into the plastic bottle or jar without touching one another. The cuprous oxide coating that was facing up on the burner is usually the best side to face outwards in the jar, because it has the smoothest, cleanest surface.
Attach the two alligator clip leads, one to the new copper plate, and one to the cuprous oxide coated plate. Connect the lead from the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. Connect the lead from the cuprous oxide plate to the negative terminal of the meter.
Now mix a couple tablespoons of salt into some hot tap water. Stir the saltwater until all the salt is dissolved. Then carefully pour the saltwater into the jar, being careful not to get the clip leads wet. The saltwater should not completely cover the plates -- you should leave about an inch of plate above the water, so you can move the solar cell around without getting the clip leads wet.
now place in the sun with the magnefied on top.
The solar cell is a battery, even in the dark, and will usually show a few microamps of current.
That’s it it’s that simple. If you’d a more detailed process and some pics (ouldn’t put them here) it’s available along with some other DIY alternative energy projects at www agua-luna com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.


Dan Martin
Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:

www AGUA-LUNA com
Stop Global Warming!!!

Billy Said:

how to build a solar panel for home use?

We Answered:

Solar panel cannot be built at home...But you can of course buy one. Also if its your hobby and you are doing it just for fun, then forget it. Solar panels are very expensive and a small panel with an output of 1.5V will cost you around 15-20 AUD. Imagine how many you need to run a 240V fan. Also there are large commercially sold solar panels and you can get a GOVT. rebate (check website) if you buy from GOVT. registered resellers. You can get upto $8000 rebate. This is very expensive stuff to buy as you need batteries and a new electricity back up system installed at your place. BUT once installed with a very little maintenance, you can enjoy the benefits.

Hope this Info. Helps!!!!

Cheers

Penny Said:

Please tell me different sizes of solar panels for home use & tell me the actual estimate of it?

We Answered:

You either can buy the solar kits which are DIY type of self contained units which you need some technical and handyman lattitude to set up. These are considered small but need to be put on a structure with care and know how.

If I was as serious as you sound - I would start small by buying a small outdoor light one that usually has a spotlight and a 1 or 2 foot square panel that you put up on a pole or a tree or a high spot on your house. They have a wire that you can run to that spotlight. It will turn on when it gets dark and usually you have little control over it- as in no fancy switches or wiring.

The reason I suggest this is that it will get you started and will help you to understand how solar works. Check out these types of units at your local garden center/hardware store.

Try also look at the various ones they sell on ebay.
These will give you a good idea of how diverse the many kits that are out there. Try two searches "Solar panel kit" and try "solar panel" . You definitely want to do a "solar power" book that gives you a good overview. (Make sure you change the catagory to "books" otherwise you will bring up too many other solar items in your search result.) Its a little complicated and it can get costly and technical. Having read a good recently printed book would give you a good overview of what is involved and help you make your decisions.


In some places you can actually hook up multi panel kits up to the electric companies power grid and get credit on the solar power you sell to them (for when you're not home). You also can get considerable tax credits in some states and you also can get rebates from your electric company. I would suggest consulting a solar installer and even your town clerk in your town hall who might be able to steer you to people in government who would know what type of compensations you can get. Someone in your town (like a building inspector) may be able to recommend a company that has good reputation for installing high wattage solar panels for residential and businesses.