PV Gap

Bobbie Said:

If you buy solar panels and the sun isn't shining how will you get electricity?

We Answered:

Beats me why you would think you would not have power if he sun was not shining? Did you not know there are other sources of power to fill in the holes?

My system is an off grid system. The sun is not shining at night and we play on the Internet with two computers and watch a large screen TV. We have lights and even take hot showers and make coffee in an electric coffee maker. We cook in a microwave and on an electric range and my lady uses her 1850 watt hair dryer. There are many many others that are setup the same way. And a lot of people that are complety off grid don't even have a wind mill and make it just fine. We don't have one.

Then there are the grid tie systems which are even better. You can have battery backup for when the grid goes down if you want it.
The idea is to back feed the public utility during the day and the months that have a lot of sun and then take it back when you need it like at night or rainy days.

If everyone in the USA had a 1 kWh solar power system (about 8000 dollars USD) on their home there is a good chance we would not need any coal or nuke plants.

In the summer in the USA there is only about 6 hours of night time. So why can't hydro and wind power take care of that low use time? Maybe we might need a few coal plants but not many and for sure no nuke plants will be needed.

You really should try solar before you talk it down. Meaning if you don't know anything about it keep your mouth shut and learn something. Then you have the right to talk but besure you bring your proof with you. But maybe you don't believe in global warming? But if you are in your 30s it won't matter right? you will be gone before it gets too bad anyway.. Right?

Teresa Said:

what is the best brand or kind of solar panels to buy?

We Answered:

The ones that NASA uses in space are by far the best ones. But they have a very high price tag.

Or you can buy the cheaper stuff. I have seen some solar panels that only put out 5 watts but are bigger then a 24 watt panel.

Your best bet would be to stick with brands like Sharp, Sanyo, SunWize and a few other comon brands. They are standard brands because they are the standard. If you got the extra money you could buy the stuff nasa uses or maybe the cheapies you find at harbor freight if you have a lot of room.

It is up to you. toss your coin.

Troy Said:

If I buy solar panels, what's gonna happen when it snows?

We Answered:

Notice how the satellite dishes in Canada point practically at the horizon? Solar panels in Canada would be similarly mounted to maximize the energy density from the sun so they would present an almost vertical surface which should remain mostly clear of snow. Aside from that, it may be necessary to have a heating system or a mechanical wiper system to keep the panels clear of snow. The panels themselves tend to heat up as they only turn a small percentage of the incident light into electricity, the rest becomes heat so a wiper system only has to expose a portion of the panel and the sun will clear the rest.

Perhaps if you combine it with an evacuated tube solar thermal collector for hot water, you can use the heat from that system to melt the snow off the panels. As long as some light gets through the snow, the evacuated tubes should still build up heat plus there should be enough heat stored up or available from a backup heat source to clear the panels.

Suzanne Said:

Can one buy wind deflectors for solar panels?

We Answered:

Go to a farm supply store and buy some "snow fencing", rolls of four foot long wooden slats connected with wire, and put it up all around your solar panels. Any blown snow will be trapped by the snow fence, and the only snow on your panels will have fallen on them directly from above. Unless you get very heavy snow, the heat from the solar panels should melt snow that falls them directly, and it should mostly slide off by itself.

Marilyn Said:

where to buy solar panels?

We Answered:

If you're not looking for a DIY type of project go to http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/
They have a network of installers they work with around the country so they should be able connect you with someone locally.
If you visit their site they'll provide you with a free solar quote, a break-even analysis, estimated IRR, cash flow analysis, annual savings, and all the incentives you are eligible to receive. Basically, they'll provide you with all the info you need to make a smart decision (if you're looking into a residential scale project of course).

Lawrence Said:

Where can I buy shattered solar panels?

We Answered:

Hey Mike,

I googled "broken solar panels" and found a couple links to ebay where people are selling them. plus I found a few other places. Hope this helps!

Priscilla Said:

Should we buy solar panels now or later?

We Answered:

There's nothing on the horizon that will cause any major price break (of course tomorrow Monsanto, etc. may come up with some miracle breakthrough, but it would a few years to get it to the commercial market) (and no, I don't "know" anything -- that was just a pure speculative example)

Bottom line: buy now, but shop around for the best deal.

The only other thing that would drive the price down is if demand were to drop, and I don't see that happening either.

I am an EE and I keep up with the latest stuff (like 5 years ahead of what's commercially available), and I haven't seen or heard of any major breakthroughs in solar cell efficiency that are commercially viable.


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