PV Gap

Vernon Said:

solar power being used in homes in pa. Where do I find info.?

We Answered:

winkipedia.com

Anthony Said:

anyone tell me info about solar power?

We Answered:

I live completely off solar panels (properly called photo-voltaic panels or PV for short), so I think I'm qualified to answer.

The good things are:
1) they generate electricity without polluting the earth
2) they have no moving parts to break
3) they should last a very long time (25+ years), many PV panels have been in operation over 30 years


The bad things are:
1) they don't work at night or on very cloudy days, so the amount of time they generate electricity is limited. So you need to store the energy during the day for use at night or on cloudy days. This usually means that you have to use batteries to store that energy. Battery technology is not as advanced as PV panels are yet.
2) It is not cost efficient yet to just rely on solar panels and batteries. You will often see a system designed with a backup generator (diesel or propane). Another option is to use a wind turbine because on cloudy rainy days, it is often windy.
3) The advances in the efficiency of PV panels has not moved forward very quickly. Commonly available PV panels are only about 14%-20% efficient. A doubling of this efficiency would make a huge difference it their affordability. The best solar cell in the world (link below) is now 40.7% efficient.

Julian Said:

what would it take to run my well on solar power?

We Answered:

I went looking and found:

http://www.solarpanelstore.com/

This would be a good place to start. It looks like you will need the solar panel(s) and a voltage inverter so that you will have the AC current to run your pump. Contact them (with the current requirements of your pump) and let them tell you what all you'll need and the pricing.

Gerald Said:

to do j where did you get your info on google on solar power systems.?

We Answered:

Not sure what you mean by "j", but I usually start with these folks -
http://homepower.com/home/