Uses for Solar In Every Day Life

Solar energy is an important advance in the effort to save the environment. Perhaps the most easily usable and most convenient of the renewable energy sources (which also include wind and water), solar energy has been used since the beginning of time as a heating source. In the 1830's one of the other solar energy platforms was developed, as a solar energy cooker was used on a safari. Since then, many other solar energy applications have been formulated, and almost everyone can take advantage of one of these.

One of the most common of the solar energy application is to use it as a power source. Since the 1970's, many people have been putting solar collectors on their roofs and using the resulting collected power to run their households. While having enough solar collectors to obtain power that will run an entire house may not be common, it is becoming more so. Most of these types of solar powered homes run their appliances and other needs directly off the solar collectors' power during the day, and use power that was stored from the solar cells in batteries at night. In this way, the homeowner can avoid ever having to use power that was generated by a non-renewable resource.

Another of the common solar energy applications is to use solar power to heat your hot water. These systems can either use passive solar energy (in the case of heating a tank of water by leaving it out in the sun) or by using solar collectors with a heat transfer fluid. These systems require the homeowner to install solar panels, behind which run tubes filled with fluid. These tubes collect the heat from the sun and transfer it into the fluid – these tubes, filled with the heated fluid, then run around a water storage system, and the heat from the fluid is transferred into the water.  Another way is to have water running through the tubing and have it obtain the sun's heat directly -  this heated water is then pumped into swimming pools, so that pool owners don't need to run a pool heater to keep their water warm.

In the last 10 to 15 years, solar manufacturers have started to develop new, creative applications for solar power. One development is the portable solar panel, a popular product used on RVs by vacationers. On a smaller scale, there are solar panel packs that fold out like a small ledger and are used to power up anything from laptops to cell phones. As time passes, new products along this line are expected to continue to come on the market.

It doesn't matter which of the solar energy applications you choose to implement in your own home or life – even a small change to solar power over traditional power sources can help the environment. The more we can use solar energy, the less dependent we become on non-renewable resources, and the more we help the Earth.

The World Turns To Renewable Energy

When one thinks of the amount of energy needed to power the modern world, it is easy to get a headache. The sheer volume is so massive as to be difficult to picture. Now that we have awakened to environment, climate and societal problems associated with the continued use of fossil fuels, it is interesting to hear the politicians suddenly thinking green.

Ten years ago, who would have imagined the Terminator, now the Governator of California, driving around in a hybrid hummer? Well, he does. More so, Governor Schwarzenegger happens to arguably be the greenest politician in the Unites States when it comes to actually taking action. California, after all, has just instituted a 3 billion dollar solar energy plan.

Alas, the federal government falls on its face when it comes to energy issues. Beholden to big oil, there current administration simply refuses to acknowledge there is a problem, much less take action. For many in the country, this must give the impression that nothing is being done around the world. In fact, much is being done, but the U.S. simply is not taking part.

For example, give some thought to Victoria, Australia. This province has just committed itself to obtaining 60 percent of all of its energy from renewable sources by 2016. That is a staggering number.

How about Germany? The Germans lead the world in wind and solar technology. By 2020, a full 20 percent of the total German energy supply will come from renewable energy. If you have ever experienced the lights of Berlin at night, you know that is impressive.

How about Norway? The country is 99 percent reliant on renewable energy sources. Norway has no petroleum powered power plants. None! It imports no oil. In fact, it exports nearly all of its oil resources, making it the third biggest exporter in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. 

How about Brazil? The country is known for its “interesting” political situation, yet it has managed to turn itself into a clean energy giant in South America. The reason is the country has converted much of its transportation, public and private, to ethanol. By 2007, it is believed most transportation in Brazil will run on 100 percent ethanol, which is a biofuel made from sugar cane. The price per gallon of ethanol is half that of oil. If the United States was to take the same step, the savings on oil each year would be close to $2 trillion dollars. 

The above represent only a few samples of a world making a concerted clean energy effort. Unfortunately, the United States is both the biggest consumer of fossil fuels and emitter of greenhouse gases. Until we follow these changes, the process will be incomplete.

A Contest of a Different Sort

The solar decathlon is an interesting strategy for promoting research and development on solar technology by the Energy Department. The Department selects 20 teams from a bevy of applicants to take part.

To win the competition, the teams are given the goal of creating and manufacturing a home that runs completely on solar power. The home must function as a residence as well as a home-based business and all typical transportation needs typically found with a residential home. The teams are not only required to design and build the home, but they must construct the homes on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for all to see. The most energy efficient home wins the competition and the university is awarded $100,000 for research and development of solar technologies.

In 2005, the University of Colorado was the winner of the competition with Cornell and Cal Poly finishing second and third. It was the second win in a row for Colorado over such schools as MIT and Cal Poly. The teams for the 2007 competition have been selected and are currently working on their projects:

California Polytechnic State University

Carnegie Mellon University

Cornell University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Kansas State University

Lawrence Technological University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

New York Institute of Technology

Team Montreal

Technische Universität Darmstadt,

Texas A&M University

Pennsylvania State University

Universidad de Puerto Rico

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Maryland

University of Missouri-Rolla,

University of Texas at Austin

The teams are due to build their homes on the National Mall on October 7, 2007. With the new interest of the Bush Administration in solar power, perhaps the contest will get a Presidential visit.

 
 1. The Problem:

Traditional sources of electrical power generation are running out as production will peak in the next decade but demand will continue to rise. Energy prices will continue to rise at a higher rate as well as the number of outages during peak hours.  There is the obvious problem of the pollution we are causing to our environment.

From my perspective, the world's energy needs vary greatly; there is no clear single solution to the problem of supplying the world's energy.

All forms of energy production have issues associated with them, i. e. -

1. Coal - Pollution/Strip Mining
2. Natural Gas - Cost and Lack of Infrastructure
3. Hydro - Limited Availability/Environmental Concerns
4. Wind - Limited Site and Resource Availability
5. Solar PV - Higher Cost
6. Nuclear – Waste disposal
 
 2. The Solution:

Solar PV (Photovoltaic) systems effectively deliver three to five hours of peak power per day at roughly 10 Watts per square foot. Not one square inch of new land would be required to site PV. Theoretically, there are adequate residential, commercial, Government rooftops, and parking structures in California to power a substantial percentage of our State's electrical needs from solar.

In Southern California, solar produces a net energy gain in approximately three years. This means that within three years, PV systems begin producing more energy than the energy spent in producing the system and its raw materials. Best of all, the energy produced cost zero emissions.
At today's prices, a typical solar system costs approximately $8.00/watt, installed and has an operating life in excess of 25 years. For all intents and purposes, maintenance and operating costs are minimal.  Now there are systems available for rent.  Companies such as Citizenre at www.jointhesolution.com/rethink-solar allow you to create solar power of a unit that is installed, maintained and monitored by them.  You merely pay the monthly rental fee for you clean electricity which is the same price as you pay the electric company for you electricity.  Also they allow you to lock in a rate now for up to 25 years so you are paying the same price throughout the entire contract. 
  3. The Results:

Solar energy increases the diversity of power and adds stability to a fossil fuel favored energy structure, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  4. The Benefits:
-- Solar can be quickly deployed at the point of use, reducing the need for additional transmission and distribution infrastructure, and cost thereof.

-- Solar operates most efficiently at mid day, when grid demand is at its peak. By decreasing the strain during peak hours, the longevity of existing power plants and infrastructure is extended, lowering further the cost of energy production.

-- By deploying solar over time the cumulative effect of the installed base is impressive. Given its 25-year life, within 10 to 20 years, a respectable portion of California's energy could be supplied by solar.

-- Once installed, the cost is fixed. In comparison to traditional sources of energy, the fuel cost is nonexistent, and operational costs are limited. A solar system's cost is amortized over its life, there are no rate hikes due to fuel or operating cost increases.
 5. An Investment in the Future:

There are some negatives. Presently, solar costs more than traditional energy generation. Its efficient use is limited to daylight hours unless storage is employed. Admittedly, the solar industry today is not large enough to address all of our needs. The solar industry does not have the financial influence to compete with existing utilities, which typically oppose PV, within political circles. (Industry revenues globally represent only 3.0B/year). Globally, the industry has experienced an annual growth rate in excess of 18% in over a decade. This rate of growth is equivalent to that of semiconductor, telecommunications and computer industries.

Clearly, there is no easy solution to California's energy problem. No doubt, a variety of technologies and tools are needed to ensure California's energy independence and security.
  The Solar Industry Needs Your Support
For those interested in promoting a clean, safe and environmentally friendly source of energy, I urge you to write your representatives in the State and Federal Government. Make it clear you vote for representatives who support current legislation aimed at advancing the deployment of solar energy, such as the net metering law which allows the solar producer to feed surplus power onto the grid, causing the meter to spin backward, lowering the electric bill. Tax credits and deployment subsidies provide the revenues necessary to support research and development of more efficient solar systems.

Remember, in the 1970's the State of California enacted emission standards that surpassed the rest of the nation. The argument against these standards was the cost of such improvements. Almost 30 years later, the impact is in the air and reflected in the increased fuel economy of the vehicles we drive.

Solar energy is part of the solution and is a key to America's long-term energy supply. After all, fossil fuels have a long history of issues with respect to stability of supply and cost.
 The Outlook of Solar Power is Bright!
1. Solar will sustain its torrid growth, as costs continue to fall. The solar market has grown at ~40% per annum in recent years, and there are many reasons to think that it will sustain, if not exceed, that clip in 2008. Solar panel prices have followed a predictable experience curve since the 1970’s, with prices dropping by 20% with each doubling of manufacturing capacity. As the silicon-dominated industry moves to thinner and higher-efficiency wafers, increases manufacturing scale, improves wafer and cell processing technologies, sees polysilicon prices return to rational levels, and migrates production to lower-cost countries –- costs will continue to drive towards parity with grid rates, and solar will become increasingly more attractive. Companies have developed creative PPA (power-purchase agreement) financing models to reduce or eliminate upfront installation costs, which will make solar more accessible for a wider range of corporate and residential customers. The election year should also see more state subsidy support for solar and a renewal of the federal tax credit, which will further bolster growth.
2. Emerging startups that benefit from the polysilicon supply shortage will face increased pressure, as the poly-Si crunch begins to ease. Solar veterans can debate the timing endlessly, but many expect additional poly-Si supply to come online by late 2008. Startups that tout silicon-independent solar solutions, like concentrators and thin film (CIGS, a-Si, CdTe, etc.), will face pressure to come to market more quickly, as their cost/supply advantages erode with greater availability of poly-Si and a retreat from spot-pricing. E.g., none of the CIGS thin-film startups, which have collectively received hundreds of millions in investment in recent years, managed to reach mass commercialization this past year as many had projected. They will continue to be under pressure to reach market before the window of opportunity closes.
3. Entrepreneurs will increasingly look beyond cell and module production. As the technology-heavy areas of cell and module production get crowded, more and more entrepreneurs look to startup opportunities in the downstream balance-of-systems part of the value chain. This area has seen less attention to date, yet makes up ~50% of the total installed cost. Novel packaging techniques, distributed inverter / MPP tracking / power management technologies, systems monitoring solutions, streamlining of the installation process, and creative solar financing models — entrepreneurs increasingly recognize the ripe opportunity in this part of the solar business, and 2008 should see heightened startup activity in this area.
4. China and India will begin to emerge as strong domestic markets for solar. With a 500 MW coal-fired plant going up in China every week, the growth of greenhouse gas emissions has reached dizzying levels. China already “boasts” 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, with hundreds of thousands a year dying prematurely from such pollution. Many experts expect that the government will spend tens of billions of dollars in the next 5-10 years –- a significant portion going to solar -– to reach the mandate of 15% from renewables by 2020. In India, where the energy shortfall has reached 15% and domestic coal reserves will run out in ~50 years, the government is actively pursuing incentive policies and feed-in tariffs to help drive the use of solar and other renewables. 2008 should see further policy refinement in both countries, which will spur increased domestic adoption of solar.

 Few people doubt solar energy's potential, but many wonder when it will be reached. "In the long term, solar may well play an important role," Karg says. "I personally expect a contribution of 10 to 20% of the global electricity production, mainly in the form of grid-connected systems." However, he does not foresee that happening within the next 20 years.
Nevada Solar One
The sun sits high over the Nevada desert in the Eldorado Valley, gleaming off the upside down rows of mirrored parabolic trough collectors at the Nevada Solar One power plant.
At 64 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity, Nevada Solar One is the largest CSP plant to be built in 15 years. While the plant won't come online until April, its construction marks the revival of an industry that has seen almost no market growth in over a decade.

The plant was developed by Acciona Energy and Solargenix Energy -- two companies that have worked hard behind the scenes to get the CSP industry up and running again.

The plant uses parabolic trough collectors to generate electricity. The mirrored troughs face the sky and direct sunlight to a large metal and glass receiver in the middle of the trough that holds circulating oil. The oil travels to heat exchangers, which heat water and create steam to run a turbine. Parabolic troughs are one of three commercialized CSP technologies.

Further down the row of parabolic troughs, Plant Manager Bob Cable admires the impressive devices before him.

"I've been working with this technology for the last decade," Cable says. "I've seen some impressive gains in technological advancement, and now we're seeing more broad acceptance of the technology as the market becomes more attractive."

Indeed, after roughly a decade of little growth for the industry, CSP is coming back strong. And it's not just parabolic trough collectors that are experiencing a boom. Power towers, which use heliostats to focus solar energy on a central receiver to produce steam, and dish systems, which use reflectors to power a generator at the dish's focus point, are making great strides in technological capabilities, lower costs and market acceptance.

But according to Thomas Rueckert, Program Manager for CSP Management at the U.S. Department of Energy, parabolic troughs are the most advanced.

"Because of the track record [the parabolic trough industry] had in southern California with the 354 megawatts (MW) operating -- and actually improving in performance -- I think you're seeing the financial institutions more willing to embrace trough technology because it's proven and the risks are less," said Rueckert.

Rueckert was referring to the 354 MW of parabolic trough collectors installed in California's Mojave Desert between 1984 and 1990. Those plants are still operating today, currently producing energy at around $0.12-$0.14/ per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and proving the technology can provide clean, reliable energy to the grid.

The Nevada Solar One plant will produce electricity at around $0.15-$0.17/kWh. While those costs are double what area residents pay for electricity, Nevada Solar One will sell energy to two utilities through a power purchase agreement (PPA). The PPA will ensure a fixed cost for the electricity over a long period, making the solar power economical down the line.

Now that global investment in CSP is increasing, technology costs are decreasing and renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the U.S. are requiring more solar generation, project costs for all CSP technologies should come down significantly in the coming years, said DOE's Rueckert.

"All of those things have really opened the door," he said. "And it's interesting that all three technologies are pushing forward, which was kind of unexpected."

Back at Nevada Solar One, Acciona Solar's Cohen stands before the group of reporters and members of the solar industry who have come to witness the rebirth of CSP.

"The potential is huge. It was difficult to get the attention of the financial institutions in the U.S., but right now we have their attention. We get a lot of people asking us, 'how can we develop this technology?'"

Dr. Alex Marker, Research Fellow for Schott North America, Inc., stands to the side of Cohen, nodding his head. Schott is certainly feeling the positive impact of increased CSP development. To meet the demand for its glass receivers, the company brought a new receiver manufacturing facility online in Germany last summer and is developing another facility in Spain that will come online in early 2008.

"I think [the market] is going to grow drastically," says Marker, looking over at the receivers in the troughs. "We're happy to be a part of this new development."

Now that financial institutions are noticing CSP, companies like Acciona and Solargenix will be able to tap into the vast resource potential in the Southwestern U.S.

According to figures from DOE's Solar Lab, 20,000 MW of CSP capacity could come online in the U.S. by 2020 with the proper investment and technological capabilities. Rueckert seemed optimistic that a large amount of those resources will be tapped.

"When this plant comes online next month, it's going to be a great success," he said. "The market is exploding and things are really taking off."

Indeed, a solar panel for your home, whether brand new, second hand or rented, is definitely a wise choice as it helps you in minimizing your electric bills, helps the worlds growing energy needs and is especially an environmentally healthy and helpful choice.

If you're interested in getting more info on a free solar panel installation check out www.jointhesolution.com/rethink-solar

Also if your interested in joining the solution and becoming a Citizenre sales associate check out www.powur.net/rethink-solar

   Persons                8,479,562                       Decadal Growth 1991 - 2001:
   Males                   4,316,401                          Persons:   (+) 19.20 %                                      
   Females                4,163,161                         Males    :   (+) 17.47 %
                                                                      Females:   (+) 21.06 %                                
                                     Sex Ratio: 964
Population (0 - 6 years):
                                                       Decadal Growth 1991 - 2001:
   Persons                1,319,393          Persons   :       15.56 %
   Males                      692,272          Males      :       16.04 %
   Females                   627,121         Females   :      15.06 %
    
                                       Sex Ratio: 906

                          Total Geographical information

                                Total area: 51,125 km²
 
1. Hill Area                     : 92.57%
2. Plain Area                  : 7.43%
3. Area Covered By Forest: 63%
3. Longitude 77° 34' 27" East to 81° 02' 22" E
4. Latitude 28° 53' 24" North to 31° 27' 50" N
5. Male                       : % 51.91
6. Female                   : % 48.81
7. Rural Population     : 76.90 %
8. Urban Population    : 23.10 %
9. Literacy Rate         : 65%
10 .Villages               : 15620
11. Cities and Urban Areas: 81
                              Wild resources
(I)        Tiger        2003 245
(ii)        Leopard 2003 2090
(iii)       Elephant 2002 1582
(iv)       Chital  2001 35000
(v)        Musk Dear 2001 160
(vi)       Himalayan Black Bear   2001 375

          Major Peaks (height in m above sea level)
    
                          Gauri Parvat (6590)
                                Gangotri (6614)
                          Panch Chhuli (6910)
                            Nanda Devi (7816)
                              Nanda Kot (6861,
                                    Kamet (7756)
                               Badrinath (7140)
                                    Trishul (7120)
                           Chaukhamba (7138)
                                  Dunagiri (7066)

                             Major Passes
                               Mana (5450)
                            Nitipass (5070)
                           Lipulekh (5122)
                     LumpiaDhura (5650
                                 Water resources
1. The Ganga& its tributaries.
2. The Yamuna its tributaries. 
District Wise Distribution of Population:
Distt Total Population  Rural population  Urban Population  % of urban population
Almora  6,30,446 5,76,497 53,949 8.5
Bageshwar  2,49,453 2,41,650 7,803 3.1
Nanital  7,62,912 4,93,126 2,69,786 35.3
U.S. Nagar  12,34,548 8,31,407 4,03,141 32.6
Pithoragarh  4,62,149 4,06,025 56,124 12.1
Champawat  2,24,461 1,91,727 32,734 17.0
Uttarkashi  2,94,179 2,71,255 22,924 7.8
Chamoli 3,69,198 3,19,613 49,585 13.4
Rudrprayag  2,27,461 2,24,740 2,721 1.1
Tehri 6,04,608 5,46,133 58,475 9.6
Dehra Dun  12,79,083 6,01,965 6,77,118 52.9
Pauri  6,96,851 6,06,629 90,222 13.0
Haridwar  14,44,213 9,98,550 4,45,663 30.8
                                                                           Source: Directorate of Planning
All above information about state natural resources clearly indicating towards nature’s supported environment in all sphere of life in Uttranchal.  It was the part of one of largest Indian state Uttar Pradesh in that era it could not get its share in development as it’s deserved because than political power houses were in plains. But injustice done in past with this hilly land popularly called dev bhomi could be its future, unexplored hydro capacity, hydro-power &virgin pollution free environment, which will be the future high demands commodities in our world. The state has hydro initials of two Major Rivers of nation namely Ganges (Gangotri) and Yamuna (Yamunotri), which are being joined by their tributaries all across the state making this mountainous land, high rich in hydrological resources. In hydro power, it has potential to 15000 Mega watts out of this only 1248MW is explored to date. Pollution level in cities& towns are on high ends in all across the nation, people in future will find difficulty to get pollution free environment around them. Then virgin Uttranchal will be solace place for pollution’s hunted people of nation. To achieve that status in coming era Uttranchal needs followings.
1. Controlled population. As population table shows that 46.69%of Uttranchalis lived in three terrain districts: Haridwar, Dehradun &Uddam Singh nagar, which amounted 16.6% of total area of state. So development to all but little disturbance in natural harmony should be basis of state policies planners.   
2. Special industrials zones. It will limit the pollution prone area in state.
3. Multi levels mini environment friendly hydro power projects. To use threshold level of every natural water resources in the state.
4. Preservation of forests.
5. Keep rivers pollution free. This should be the main agendas of uttranchal for future status in water austerities world.
Uttranchal needs only stick to its rich environmental heritage and try to make all around development keeping coordination with nature, not running after urban centric & blind folded industrialization. The nature has created this holly land to serve special role in future polluted situations.
                                                                              Ms.Prabha                
                                                                     Senior correspondent
                                                                      abcnewsnetwork.com                                      
                                                               e-mail:prabhaabcnews@yahoo.co.in

The Concept of Solar Panels

Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels and the atoms that are present in these panels are excited by the action of the sun's energy. These atoms are present in a silicon layer that lies between two panels known as protector panels.

A formation of electric current takes place as a result of the action of the electrons from the aforementioned, excited atoms, and these are then used by a myriad of external devices. The history of solar panels dates back by hundreds of years, when their sole purpose was to heat the water for use in homes. Many-a-times specially shaped mirror is used for the concentration of light onto a tube of oil. Due to this action, there is a heating up of oil and as these heated oil travels through a vat of water, it instantly results in the boiling of this water. The steam that is a resultant of this process of boiling is used to turn a turbine for the generation of electricity.

The History of Solar Panels

It was in the year 1839 that the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Antoine – Cesar – Becquerel, a French physicist. His experiment in this regard involved the placement of an electrolyte cell in an electrolyte solution; two metal electrodes made up the electrolyte cell.

When this device was exposed to sunlight, Becquerel found that the generation of electricity saw a marked increase. It was in 1883 that Charles Fritts coated sheets of selenium with a thin layer of gold and built the first genuine solar cell. Over a period of time many experiment were conducted and discoveries were made when it came to solar cells. Albert Einstein also published his thesis on the photoelectric effect, during this time and also won the Nobel Prize for his research.

It was space satellites that made large scale use of solar electrical energy for the first time. By 1980, the United States of America, produced a solar cell which provided an efficiency of nearly twenty percent, this efficiency was increased to around twenty four percent in the next two decades and currently there are a few companies that are manufacturing solar cells that offer efficiency levels of nearly twenty eight percent

The Working of Solar Panels

Pure silicon forms the basic element of all solar panels as its makes for an ideal platform that aids transmission of electrons. This material is used on the plates that form a solar panel. Solar panels are also created by combining silicon panels with other elements, with negative or positive charges.

The Silicon atoms are exposed to the bombardment of photons when negative plates of solar cells are faced towards the sunlight. Once all free electrons are drawn away from the plates, enough electricity is generated to power various electronic appliances that do not require too much electricity to power them.

Features and Types of Solar Panels

Basically there are three types of solar panels, namely mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and amorphous solar panels. The life expectancy of solar panels depends on the type of solar panels selected by you; generally it’s around twenty years or so.

Solar panels do not require sustained maintenance for their upkeep although; if lead acid batteries are used then they must be checked every six months and topped up with distilled water if required. If you are looking for a solar panel for your needs and do not know what size to go for, then the best way would be to calculate your average consumption of electricity on a daily basis. This would give you a fair idea of what kind of solar panel to go for. In the long run, solar panels will reduce your electricity bill by a long way, and hence the option of using solar energy must be explored in a positive manner.

Sharp Solar – Solar Energy Manufacturer

Solar energy has become increasingly important in today’s world. With fuel prices skyrocketing and other forms of home energy being impractical, solar energy is the Earth's best solution to powering our lives. Solar products are a great way to collect energy from the sun and harness its power to run our households.

Sharp solar products are a great choice in the solar market place. Sharp is the number one manufacturer of solar cells, manufacturing more than its three nearest competitors combined. Sharp solar products are a convenient, safe and economical way to absorb solar energy and convert it into a usable form for household use. Sharp has led the solar industry for over 45 years now, and they have installed solar product systems everywhere from houses to office buildings to even on satellites.

There are four basic parts to the Sharp solar energy production system. The solar modules collect the sun’s rays in their solar cells and convert it into usable energy. The inverter converts the electrical current that s created from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current), which is the type of electricity used in homes. The Sharp monitor allows you to see how your system is doing in terms of output and performance. The final part of the system, the electric meter, shows you how much power you are using.

In 2003, Sharp introduced their residential solar systems for use in the United States. These systems, used throughout the world before coming to the US, have allowed Sharp to be named the number one solar cell producer in the world every year since 2000. Sharp solar products are now also being produced in a “clean” factory in Memphis, Tennessee, which represents an investment on the part of Sharp into the future of solar power.

Sharp offers their solar power systems for sale through their own Sharp Solar department, or through an independent Sharp Solar Certified Installer. The installers are able to come to your home and help you decide on your own solar energy needs. They then they can quote you a price on the amount of work and materials needed to make your house a solar powered one.

Whether you want to cut down on your energy costs or cut down on damage to the environment, Sharp solar products are a great way to achieve your goals. Solar products are cost effective and, once installed, easy to use and maintain. Solar energy is a great way to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels and other Earth-harming energy sources.

Many people use solar panels, which can be placed on a side of a roof to attract sunlight during the day to heat a small number of rooms and water. Solar panels can be purchased at a number of locations throughout the UK, as well as online. Panels do a great job of helping families and businesses to conserve energy. Hopefully, solar panels will become a part of daily life, in order to prevent the disappearance of natural resources and to maintain energy conservation. In the recent 2006 Budget announcement by Gorden Brown, millions of pounds have been allocated to helping homes and businesses take advantage of renewable energy and the benefits that it brings. This is a welcoming strategy by the government. More and more homes are also attaching mini-wind turbines to their homes to boost the electricity generated by solar panels, British Gas (Centrica) have recently been looking for volunteers to pilot this with.

Developing countries with sunny climates such as Africa are the perfect place to take advantage of this renewable energy especially in rural areas that are not connected to the national grid for electricity. There needs to be a commitment from the G8 and other government around the world in providing funds to achieve this.

The Initiative

As you undoubtedly know by now, the President George Bush announced it was time to start weaning ourselves from our oil addiction during his State of the Union speech. As with anything in politics, there is much gnashing of the teeth as to whether the President, an avowed oil man form an oil family in Texas, really means to do anything. The answer, of course, is really almost irrelevant if people would stop to consider the fact that solar power was even mentioned in such a speech. Clearly, a baby step has been taken, if not a giant leap. So, what is the President’s grand plan?

From an overall perspective, President Bush has issued an Advanced Energy Initiative to begin changing our energy habits to cleaner, non-foreign supply, based fuels. As is his habit, the President has a Solar America Initiative as part of the larger initiative. This is where we find the key solar components.

With the Solar America Initiative, the administration has set a goal of accelerating widespread acceptance of clean solar technologies throughout the U.S. by 2015. Yes, it is a bit murky in regards to the exact goal, but the Energy Department recently clarified matters. 
 
According to the Energy Department, the goal is to generate 5 to 10 megawatts of electricity in United States by 2015. While this may sound impressive, 10 megawatts of energy is barely enough to power two million homes. In comparison, California alone intends to put one million homes on solar in the next ten years. Put another way, the Solar America Initiative isn’t particularly impressive.

While the President appears to be paying lip service to solar energy in this Initiative, it should be noted that he is due more than a small bit of credit. First, he has put solar power and other clean energy on the political table. Second, the administration has taken major steps in other legislation to provide tax credits for solar power and renewable energy platforms. Those steps, not the Solar America Initiative, are going to make a major impact on the promotion of solar energy in the country. For that reason alone, the President should be applauded.

Historical Advances in Producing Electricity From the Sun

Solar electricity is simply energy produced by harnessing the sun. It comes in many forms including electricity production through panels, home heating through passive systems and mobile packets for powering devices like laptops and RVs to mention only a few platforms.

Historically, sunlight has been used by mankind to produce heat ever since we first built structures. Without electricity, mankind soon learned to orient structures to capture the heat of the sun during the day and store it in ceramic or mud materials much like a blacktop parking lot will radiate heat after the sun has gone down. Early Greek structures show a particular use of this solar strategy as do Egyptian structures. 

The production of electricity using sunlight is a much more recent phenomena. In 1901, Nicolas Tesla was the first person to receive a patent related to solar electricity, but he called it radiant heating. He sought a patent for a machine to capture the radiant heat, but nothing much came of the invention.

In 1904, some unknown physicist named Albert Einstein published a paper on the potential electricity production from sunlight. In 1913, William Coblentz received the first patent for a solar cell, but he could never make it work. In 1916, Robert Millikan was the first to produce electricity with the cell. For the next forty years or so, nobody made much progress because the cells were highly inefficient at converting sunlight to energy.

In the 1950s, Bell Labs got involved with NASA. Bell was charged with coming up with a solar platform to power spacecraft once they were in orbit. The solar industry would never be the same.

Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller started researching different areas related to solar, but not active parts of the NASA project. By luck, they meet and exchanged ideas. While their individual projects were failures, their combined efforts produce a much more efficient cell using crystallized silicon to convert sunlight into electricity. The efficiency rate of the cells was roughly 6 percent, a marked improvement over previous technology.  In 1958, NASA launched the Vanguard Spacecraft, which was powered by solar panels.

In the following years, solar technology grew in leaps and bounds. Solar panels today are roughly 15 percent efficient, but also much smaller than they use to be. More importantly, companies are abandoning the panel platform and coming out with amazing new products. The first are shingles that look exactly like regular roof shingles and perform as such. Nanotechnology is also offering amazing possibilities with quantum dots, which are essentially solar panels on the quantum level. Eventually, these dots will be incorporated in things such as paint. Yes, the paint on the walls of buildings and homes will eventually also produce all the electricity needed for the structures.

Man has used the power of the sun for heat for a very long time. Only now, however, are we starting to master the technology to turn it into large amounts of free electricity.