Just like in any other purchase, there are multiple considerations that come into play while selecting the best solar outdoors. Taking care of such factors ensures durability, efficiency, and excellence in service rendered by the outdoor solar lights.LED Considerations LED light chosen by the user should have ultra bright light emitting diodes. Conventional light bulbs give lower illuminations and therefore it is always better to have ultra...more
Component CostsLet me start out by saying that I do not think its a good idea to go out and try to build a system from individual components yourself. Unless you have experience in electrical work or are already a solar professional, this can over complicate what is already a complicated process. I also get calls from people who have inherited some solar panels or bought an inverter on eBay. You can certainly cobble a system together with used...more
Solar Panels and FilmOf course the most obvious part of the system is the panel. But there are several types of panels to consider.Crystalline panels: these are the blue-ish black solar panels that are encased in aluminum and tempered glass to protect them from weather. These are the most common panels and generally the easiest to find. Their advantage is that they can be mounted to nearly any surface and they have the highest efficiency.Solar film: these cells look more like rolls of roofing materials than photovoltaic materials. This is probably the future of solar as these are much cheaper to produce. Currently the only solar film that is available has to be stuck to a metal roof. This will definitely change in the coming months and years as this technology advances.InvertersSolar power makes direct current, or DC power, and your home uses alternating current, or AC, power. An inverter can turn steady stream DC power into wavy AC power. There are several different kinds of inverters and they differ in the kind of wave they create.Modified sine wave inverters: create current that resembles connected up and down stair cases, as the inverter creates steps in the current.Pure sine...more
1. Ridiculously Easy to InstallYou've probably dealt with hanging Christmas lights around your home before. One of the hardest part of doing this is running extension cords all over the place to power the lights. Well what if there was a way to have all the lights you want and not run power to them? Welcome to the power of solar! Solar Christmas...more
Tax reform, ethics reform, welfare reform, and a host of alternative reforms keep politicians spinning. Now they are in the ultimate stages of the holy grail of reforms - healthcare. When government reforms anything the results are bigger costs and additional difficult processes. These results will be horrifying to the healthcare system. There must...more
For homeowners around the world, the idea of reducing their power bills and helping the planet is pretty enticing. The problem now as it always has been is money. Solar can be expensive, and even with government rebates the cost can scare some people away. If you are a do-it-yourselfer you've probably wondered if you can tackle a solar project. Let's walk through a typical design and installation process and see if its right for you and your home.Location Selection BasicsWell you're probably smart enough to figure out that you'll need A) a sunny region and B) a sunny place to install the system. The more sun you get, the quicker your systems will pay for itself, its that simple. There are some nice tools to determine where exactly you should put the system. The solar pathfinder is one of easiest and most affordable ways to find the best location for panels. This ingenious device works by showing you a reflection of the sky and the sun's path for all four seasons in your area. Using this you can see exactly what will shade your panels throughout the course of the year.You also want solar panels installed fairly close to your home and power meter. Since photovoltaic power is DC, the...more
Usually putting up the solar spot lights will involve decision on the part of the user about where to put it. One of the aspects involved in the decision making is to ensure that the solar spot lights installed do not come in the way of any other...more
Determining UsageAs with any electrical installation, you first need to decide just how much power is needed. This is especially critical with PV since it most likely will be the only power source. We'll need a conservative estimate of the amperage,...more
When charging the Toshiba satellite l200 battery for the first time your device may indicate that charging is complete after just 10 minutes or 15. This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable batteries. Simply remove the battery from the computer...more
Where Do You Live?Obviously there are good and bad areas of the country for solar panels.The sunny southwest, From Texas to Southern California, has the best sun exposure in the US.Other great places are the Rocky Mountain state of Utah, Colorado,...more
Rapid changes in the solar power sector are fueling a green energy revolution. With so much emphasis on solving the global warming puzzle, technology in solar is advancing very quickly and may be the answer we've been looking for. Let's take a look...more
With escalating power bills and so much talk of renewable energy millions of people are thinking about solar power these days. Harnessing the sun's energy makes sense because it is clean, green, and saves money in the long run. But the reality is...more