PV Gap

Arthur Said:

The task at hand is to design a solar powered water pump for a 150 gallon aquarium.?

We Answered:

This isn't too hard of a DIY project. You need to figure out how many watts per day this pump would be using to know the amount of panels that you'd have to get. There are lots of good 12 volt water pumps for what you need to do and I don't think you'd need anything fancy for the panels either if it's just for the water pump.

I've written some articles on solar :
http://www.techienation.com/?p=21

This one is about figuring out how many solar panels you need :
http://www.techienation.com/?p=24

Most of what you need as far as the electrical side of this project should be on my site... As far as the aquarium design and choosing the pump, you're on your own. :)

Jared Said:

Anyone know where to find information on loans for upgrades for a more energy efficient home?

We Answered:

They are actually done through the power company, not everyone qualifies though. You contact them for an application. There are a few grants too, but again, not everyone quallifies.

Leslie Said:

What is the cleanest and most efficient energy source available for human consumption?

We Answered:

Given your criteria of "cleanest and most efficient" its nuclear energy. Commercial nuke plants only release a small amount of waste heat in the cooling waters and zero radiation. Their typical output is One Gigawatt compared to 14 Megawatts of an average wind generator.

Patsy Said:

multiple choice - Solar Incorporated wants to know which solar panel collects energy in the most efficient way?

We Answered:

experiment

Diane Said:

When solar cells are 10% efficient, is that only for the absorb-able wavelengths for the solar panel?

We Answered:

Hey T, you're quite right. Silicone based solar electric panels only make use of the photons, one of the particles that streams in with the sunlight. The photovoltiac effect makes use of the reaction of photons with 2 alloy types, silicone phosphorous and silicone boron. The reaction forces free electrons from one wafer onto the other and a voltage is created. Solar heating panels, used to heat water, air or an other medium make use of most of the wavelength, and the medium heats up using over 90% of the suns energy. This is primarily why solar water heaters are so much cheaper to build than solar electric panels, there is a large list of materials, like steel, aluminum, copper and even wood that can make the reaction occur.

There are schools and companies doing research with other types of solar electric panels, but so far nothing has made it off the test bench. The other way to capture the suns energy to make electricity is to focus sunlight on a boiler to create steam and turn a turbine. This works fine on an industrial scale, but you won't find many home sized systems that work this way. The newest ones heat oil to over 600 degrees, store it to boil water later so they can even make electricity at night to some degree. There are some great websites to learn more, I'll list a couple below. Take care, Rudydoo