PV Gap

Delores Said:

Alternate power solutions , any ? other than Hydro, solar, thermal and wind?

We Answered:

Yes, there are other alternate power sources as well. The first that comes to my mind is BioMass and Nuclear. When you generate power from plant materials or methane gas, it's termed as BioMass power. It can be economically very cheap and can produce a good amount of power. Advanced countries like the USA uses Biomass power supply for some areas. Nuclear power is generated from elements like uranium, plutonium, etc. It's thought to be the best power source available to mankind.

I have included a link below for some more information about alternative energy.

Phyllis Said:

I want to trickle charge my motorbike over the winter with solar power.?

We Answered:

1. "The self-discharge rate is a measure of how much lead-acid batteries discharge on their own.

The Self-Discharge rate is governed by the construction of the battery and the metallurgy of the lead used inside.

For instance, flooded-cell lead-acid batteries typically self-discharge at a rate to 8-40% per month.

The self-discharge of Gel and AGM batteries is only 2-10% per month and thus these batteries need less maintenance to keep them happy."

2. If your battery self-discharges in less than 1 month, then I suspect there's a leakage path. The alarm, for example, may be drawing excessive current when the ignition switch is "off". If so, one solution would be to use a separate battery to power the alarm -- or install an alarm system that draws much less current (my car alarm won't discharge my battery, even after several months).

3. It appears that an easy solution would be to ride your bike at least once per month, to keep the battery fully charged. Also, you will want to replace the battery as soon as cold-weather starting becomes more difficult.

4. If you wish to install a solar-cell array, you will need sufficient sunlight, as the voltage is too low during cloudy weather. Install a series diode to prevent discharge back through the solar-cell array.

However, the solar-cell-array solution is certainly more expensive and requires more labor than other solutions.

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Denise Said:

How does everyday energy effect us and how good is solar power for the solution??????????????????????????????…

We Answered:

Solar power is quite weak compared to oil or nuclear power. A gasoline generator much smaller than a car and costing a few thousand dollars can produce as much energy an acre of solar panels costing a million dollars. And solar power is not available at night, so the added cost of batteries or other storage devices would have to be added. Solar power would be good if the cost of solar cells were low enough to allow every house to have the roof covered with them. That would be good, but it would still not be enough to meet our needs. Sunlight is just too dilute a power source. We really need nuclear power, preferably the yet to be developed fusion power, to replace fossil fuel power generation completely.

Colleen Said:

Solar power dealers in Saudi Arabia?

We Answered:

Assalam alaikum

Sorry don't know but Saudia Arabia looks destined to become a solar power centre:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssOilGa…
http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2008/08/…
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm…
Not sure how that would impact on those wanting to embark on small scale operations, including the individual consumer.