Every year electricity is becoming more and more expensive, not only this but to generate electricity you have to burn fossil fuels which pollutes the environment. This is why solar power is growing in popularity every single day. Fossil fuels are quickly running out, which means we are all forced to look for alternative sources of power. If you are trying to get power to your home, extending the power grid may be infeasible, however adding a solar panel may be the right solution.
For the last few years solar power has become very popular, it has commonly been used to provide power to equipment needing low power, including traffic signals and road lighting. Solar power is so popular because it allows you portability without having to lug about a huge generator.
Electricity is demanded all of the world, and so extending the power grid may not be possible. Adding solar panels to remotely located houses can provide power without having to be connected to the mains. Solar panels are also well suited to as they are easy to use.
Some people living in remote areas have no alternative other than to use solar panels. Electricity companies would e unwilling to extend their lines if they would only be serving one extra customer for example. A generator could be used by these houses to produce electricity, however it is often difficult to get a good supply of these fuels in remote areas, storing large amounts of fuel is also dangerous.
Technology Available But Still Expensive
Solar power is now suitable for use in a number of different situations, however they are still fairly expensive to install. This is surprising considering the amount of time solar power has been available. Solar power is only just starting to gain popularity, which means it could be some years before the costs are slashed.
Many people don't consider the savings that they would be making by installing their own solar panel. You would no longer have to pay a utility company to provide you with power, this means the returns are actually quite high even though you have to buy an expensive panel to start off with. Solar panels can last for a very long time which means they will have plenty of time to recoup their costs.
A number of different states are starting to use solar panels to provide power to school crossing lights and other similar road signals. These are much cheaper to install than routing new cabling through. Because these are fairly low powered appliances they are almost completely maintenance free.
From the first time I saw, first hand, a solar cell making electricity, I was hooked. It was magnetic. I was going to have one, making electricity for me, one day. I didn't get around to trying it, until about 1979. I ordered $400.00 worth of solar cells from a company in California. I made a makeshift solar panel with them, which worked for a while.
Much later, in 1993, I tracked down a company in Calgary, who sold solar panels. I bought 1 for about $500.00. It was about the size of a large beach towel. It was blue in color and was mounted inside an aluminium frame. My first attempt at making a solar power lighting system worked but wasn't very efficient. I used a little incandescent bulb from a reading lamp hooked up to a car battery, that was charged by the solar panel. I mounted the solar panel in the most sunny window I had to put it in. At that time there weren't compact florescent light bulbs. I liked that solar panel so much that I bought 3 more like it from the same company. Each panel made about 50 watts in direct sunlight.
A solar cell reacts with sunlight making a positive and negative charge. When you link the two charges by attaching a wire to both ends of the solar cell, charged electrons move along the wire, and an electric current flows. When the cells are joined together, to increase the voltage and amperage, you have made a solar panel. So all this makes the electricity your light uses.
Once you have the electricity, you have to store it somewhere, or use it right away. Since the whole point of a light is to use it in the dark, and solar panels only work in sunlight, you need a battery, to store the electricity until you are ready to turn the light on.
To keep the electricity in the battery while the solar panel is connected, a diode is used. A diode is an electronic device which only allows direct current to travel in one direction. If the current tries to go in the other direction, then the diode stops it. This happens when a big dark cloud moves in front of the sun. Your panel makes so little power the battery has more voltage push, than what is coming from the panel. So the voltage from the battery tries to send current out from the battery. We want the battery to charge, and not waste the electricity until we turn on the light.
To use the direct current electricity in a battery, to run an alternating current or household current compact florescent light, you need to convert the electricity from the battery, to the kind of electricity the light will use. This device is called an inverter. It makes AC electricity out of DC electricity. The inverter is connected to the battery and the power cord from the light is plugged into the inverter.
When you switch your light on, you are using the power from the sunlight captured during the day time. The advantage of using compact florescent light bulbs is that they are very energy efficient, using little electricity, and giving out the same amount of light used by a 60 watt regular light bulb. You make your own power and don't care if the power from the electric company goes off. Your lighting system will still work.
Both John Bakers & Michael Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Bakers has sinced written about articles on various topics from Car Rental, Sell Home and Bathroom Remodeling Ideas. John Bakers publishes predominantly for , a web publication with information about air compressors . His comments on. John Bakers's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Michael Russell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Celebrities, Dieting and Diabetes Treatment. Michael RussellYour Independent guide to . Michael Russell's top article generates over 2240000 views. to your Favourites.