What total solar cell area would you need to provide energy needs? Mastering Physics problem?

Solar cells convert the energy of incoming light to electric energy; a good quality cell operates at an efficiency of 15%. Each person in the United States uses energy (for lighting, heating, transportation, etc.) at an average rate of 11 kilowatts . Although sunlight varies with season and time of day, solar energy falls on the United States at an average intensity of 200 W/m^2.

Assuming you live in an average location, what total solar-cell area would you need to provide all of your energy needs with energy from the sun?

The correct rate is 11kWhr per day. 11kw would be a horrendous amount of power.(maybe Al Gore uses it at this rate)

I will calc it at your rate for problem sake. (this is not real life by the way, there are lots more variables, length of day, etc)

200W/m^2 * 15% = 30w/meter

11kw / 30w/meter = 366m^2

On a side note I think mastering physics is a crappy program, made for lazy physics teacher that dont ever care about application of knowledge.

Solar energy- does anyone know of a DIY way to make a solar collector and transfer that energy to batteries?

I would like to learn about solar energy and how I can make some panels for my home, of course with in a reasonable budget. My goal is to be able to run a refrigerator and fan off of battery. Any ideas out there?

If your goal is to save money, it will be hard to do that with solar electricity. You can come out ahead under some circumstances, but powering a refrigerator and a fan is an unlikely one. However, if your goal is to learn about this kind of setup, you could get a kit from (say) Harbor Freight for a few hundred dollars, which will (barely) charge a car battery over a period of a couple weeks. The energy you collect could power a fan for several hours.

You could also learn about solar electricity just by searching the web. That way, you don’t need to spend any money at all. Our solar setup is documented at

http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html

That said, there are ways you can save money on energy. A solar hot water heater usually pays for itself over time, depending on where you live. You can buy a kit to retrofit your existing water heater for perhaps $2000 or so.

Also, if your refrigerator is old, just changing to a new, extremely efficient model can save 1/3, maybe even 2/3 of the energy.

What would it take to convert a housing community from fossil fuels to solar energy in the home?

Serious discussion here.

How feasible is the idea of communities, towns, even whole cities being powered by solar energy? At the most, how about these communities being fractionally powered by solar energy; 40% Solar/ 60% Fossil fuels?

We’re not getting all George Jetson, here. We have practical means by which to make something like this happen. My research has lead me to believe the problem comes in with the initial setup.

If this is so, what would it take to materialize the dollars? Should each State solicit a ‘solar energy’ tax; money dedicated to fund R&D solutions for citizens? Is it something that can be solicited to big business in exchange for free plugins; Staples invests in a solar power grid in Downtown Los Angeles… and calls it ‘The Staples Power Center".

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power#Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_Solar_power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_ponds

First of all, look for existing incentives from the federal and state government. Federally, there is a 30% tax credit and some states offer as much as $5.00 per Watt rebates. You can get more information here: http://www.desireusa.org

Secondly, there are some up and coming technologies that will offer better economics than PV panels in the near future. Check out http://www.infiniacorp.com/
http://www.sandia.gov and http://www.nrel.gov

Third, for the kind of project you describe, it really comes down to financing. This will be easiest if you are planning to build a new community. Find a lender (bank or government) that will allow home-buyers to roll the solar energy system into their mortgage. This practice, along with a healthy rebate, helped to make Japan the PV capital of the world a few years back.

On a larger scale, many states are enacting renewable portfolio standards which legally require utilities to generate a certain fraction of power from solar, wind or biomass. RPS programs are also described on the DSIRE website listed above.

Facts About Solar Energy

Solar energy consists of the light and heat emitted by the sun, in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

With today’s technology, we are able to capture this radiation and turn it into usable forms of solar energy – such as heating or electricity.

Although one could go into technical dissertations on the subject of electromagnetic radiation, how it is converted into solar energy, and the exact qualities of its electromagnetic rays, this is not something the average person needs or wants to know.

But in order to be able to benefit from the use of solar energy, there are a few facts you should know. Knowing these facts can assist you to make sound decisions, when looking at the use of solar power as a clean energy source for your home, RV, or whatever the case may be.

Environmental Facts about Solar Energy 

All life on earth is dependent upon solar energy. In fact, without solar energy, there would be no life at all. Even the lowest life forms, such as plankton and microbes, need solar energy (in the form of sunlight) in order to survive.

Solar energy is completely environmental friendly, producing absolutely no carbon emissions or other harmful byproducts whatsoever.

Solar energy can be used successfully and cost-effectively just about anywhere on the planet. You do not need to live in a tropical or desert climate in order to benefit from the use of solar energy. Solar power has been used successfully in many cold climates and even in the polar regions.

Every area of the United States of America receives enough sunlight to benefit from and make use of solar energy and solar technology.

Currently, the cheapest and most effective way of using solar energy in your home is through the use of solar water heating systems. In fact, solar water heating systems have been commercially available in the United States for over a 100 years.

Solar energy can be used for heating homes effectively in cold climates, as well as in warm climates. In fact, for decades now, solar heating has been in use several cold-climate northern European countries.

Solar energy technology has advanced to the point where it can be now be a viable and cost-effective replacement for regular grid-electricity.

Solar energy is rapidly increasing in popularity – so much so that the demand for solar-powered gadgets is currently greater than the supply.

Facts about Solar Energy Usage

Solar energy can be used to provide electricity, heating and hot water for homes.

Solar energy can also be used to heat swimming pools. Many pools in Scandinavia and Europe are in fact heated with solar energy.

Solar Energy can be used to power vehicles, such as solar powered cars, and even a solar powered airplanes. NASA has successfully designed, built, and tested an airplane which is powered wholly by solar energy.

A few examples are: solar battery chargers, solar flashlights, solar calculators, solar radios, solar-powered attic fans, solar power backpacks (to recharge batteries for small devices), hybrid solar chargers (for cell phones, satellite phones, and more), solar-powered garden lights … and much, much more.

Technorati Tags: about, energy, facts, solar

How can I make a career in the solar heating / energy field?

I’m working in IT Helpdesk field and no longer interested in this kind of work. I can’t stand sitting at a desk in an office answering phones, e-mails and helping others with their technical problems.

I am very good with technology/computers and want to start a career in the solar energy field, preferably as a technician working with solar heating and energy.

How can I make this start?

What kind of salary would I be making?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090326171405AAE6JTP

Why isn’t the federal government willing to subsidize solar energy panels for homes?

Some states like TX and NJ will subsidize solar energy 40% worth.
But the technology to date has been quite costly in spite of these states’ subsidizing the cost. However, solar energy is starting to turn the corner cost-effectively in the past year or two.
Why is there no serious encouragement from the federal gov’t to encourage homeowners to install solar energy panels by offerering subsidies or rebates for installing it?
Would this be a good idea?

great idea…but the time hasent come yet. I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

What are some bad aspects of solar energy?

I need some information for my negative debate speech. The subject is "Should the American goverment support solar energy?" If you could help it would greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Keep in mind I like solar energy, but I’ll give you some points.

1) It costs more
2) panels degrade faster than other energy sources equipment
3) They consume arable land
4) they consume natural habitat to set up
5) They can be unsightly (visual pollution)
6) Higher upkeep costs
7) Can be a hazard in high winds
transimssion issues getting energy from collection point to use point
9) energy only available in good weather
10) seasonality to its generation makes it an irregular energy source

There are good arguments in reply to all these points, but you wanted some negative debate points.

I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

How do I trap Solar energy with the help of batteries?

I have a small panel of solar cells, i wish to save this energy for lighting my study lamp, how do i do it?
How much energy will it hold? How do i convert it to light?
Please help friends.
Thanks

You will need a way to store the energy gained my solar panel.

Way 1, 12 volt battery. to store this way, I suggest a regulator to prevent your battery overloading, though this is not always needed. This is the most common way.

Way 2, wire up a capacitor. this is a type of temporary battery, as it stores electrical charge and releases it on its full capacity. This way is good if you want lighting in a cellar during daytime

Way 3, use the electric you gain to pump water to a high point and then use gravity to create hydro electric whenever you need it. This way works, but you lose energy.

If you want to run lights off a battery, you will need some 12 volt bulbs, as these work of different electricity than normal household bulbs. You can cheat and use car head light bulbs, or go for the real things and buy proper 12 volt bulbs to fit a lamp-stand.

Unless you disconnect your household light circuit from the mains, you will need an extra set of wiring.

In short, the most simple way, if you put your panel in the window, lead the two wires to your battery, ensuring you connect each wire to the correct terminal (the panel will instruct which is which). From the battery, take a wire off each terminal and fix to the light bulb holder, and an extra wire from the negative battery terminal to an earth source, such as a copper water pipe. Don’t worry, it wont electrocute you – there isn’t enough power for that.

Simplifying it, wiring a light bulb is just like wiring a car. The same applies to both. The only difference being that you charge your battery via a solar panel instead of an alternator.

How long your light will stay on will depend on a multitude of things, such as the condition of your battery, the power output of your panel, how many lights you run and for how long. The amount of sun that hits your panel will also affect the charge rate of your battery. ?And there are many different types of battery. I personally recommendd the armed forces surplus alkaline type, as they can be depleted of charge without damage, though if you cannot get one of these, get a long life leisure battery.

It all sounds complicated, but it’s not really. Contact me if you need more help…

How efficiently do plants use solar energy when compared to solar panels?

How does the amount of chemical energy stored in plants compare to the electrical energy stored by solar panel/batteries?

Most plants are around 1% efficient at turning sunlight into a useful form of energy it can use. Bamboo is probably somewhat higher. Solar panels are somewhere around 20% efficient now I think. Trees are much cheaper to use for collecting solar energy if you have the land area though.

I came accross a new, proven and tested home made wind power system and solar power system which eliminates our electricity bills. It was written by a Renewable energy enthusiasts Michael Harvey the diy called Earth4energy. You can get your copy to save energy and help environment while eliminating your power bills. Get it from here:

http://how-to-build-cheap-solar-energy.blogspot.com/

What education would i need to get a job in solar energy or wind energy after graduating high school?

Im fresh out of high school and am not sure what education i should be seeking next. I have heard that renewable energy is a fast growing field and would like to know what education a good job in that field would require. By a good job i mean anything from installing solar panels or repairing wind turbines. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Look into electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. I would say the best thing that anyone could tell you is to stay versatile. Things are changing so fast in the green industry that by the time you learn one thing very well, it has become obsolete, or close to it.

If you are a self help type of person and are really interested in installing or consulting, check out a program ‘RETScreen’. This is a program that the Canadian government has put out to help consultants and estimaters plan for renewable energy conversions