PV Gap

Thelma Said:

If I put six 0.5 volt solar cells together in a series, can I power a 3 volt (or less) DC motor?

We Answered:

yes...Hooking the batteries in series will give you a voltage equal to the total voltage of all the batteries, but the amp hours and current carrying capacity of only one

Hooking batteries in parallel will give you the same voltage as a single battery, but with an amp hour and current carrying capacity equal to the sum of the capacities of all the batteries.

Derrick Said:

1 kilowatt system how much kwh per year should it produce? Anyone got figures?

We Answered:

When I was calculating the power requirement for an off grid house, I looked at all the constantly running appliances, then added the appliances. Multiply this answer by 1.2. This is how much power you should shoot for in battery back up. Now look at the average number of hours with full sunlight then subtract two standard deviations. Multiply this by .707.This the the real amount of sunlight available to the panels with 97% reliability if the panels are fixed, not rotating with the sun. If it rotates with the sun , use 0.9.
Look at the most consecutive days with less than average sunlight. This gives you how much battery you need.
Now you know how much consumption you have and how much reliable sunlight you have. This sets up your panel requirements. Take cost of the panels (amortized over the term and loan rate) and divide by the kilowatt hours. Take that and divide by the number of years in life expectancy of the panels. At 16 cents per Kilowatt hour you should be saving money with panels.

I would also look into a 20 KVA wind mill generator.

If you Have both systems wired into a Grid tie. Excess energy is sold back to the power company and you don't need batteries.

Deborah Said:

What are the possible alternative energy sources? (State with scientific reasons)?

We Answered:

stirling engines- find information on them at howstuffworks.com and Windstuffnow.com They need no outside fuel source, just a temperature difference as small as that of between your hand and the air.