If you are interested in the idea of using free, environmental friendly energy to power your household, and you want to have a solar panel array installed, one of the most basic requirements you need to keep track of is the number of solar panels that you need.
There
are many factors that would determine just how many you would need to
use, and how many you will actually be able to buy. Some of these
include the results of your energy consumption target calculations (how
much energy your household appliances and devices need in order to
function properly), the budget you have at your disposal and the type of
solar panel you are using.
Also, depending on whether you are
considering the purchase of a high-tech solar array or you're thinking
of building your own panels yourself out of cheaper materials, the
prices may vary. Therefore, the number of solar panels you can put
together in an array may be different, and their quality might also have
to be assessed.
Calculating Energy Consumption
If
you want to determine precisely how many solar panels you need, it is
essential to measure the amount of energy that a solar panel can offer,
and compare it with the value that you require. Considering that a
normal household consumes about 8000 - 9000 kwh on a yearly basis, and
the fact that a $300 solar panel of good quality can only provide about
100 - 200 watts of energy, the number of panels you need to power your
entire home may be quite substantial.
Of course, depending on your
needs, you might not always have to use up so much energy on a regular
basis. Especially if you are an environmental enthusiast, and you know
how to choose appliances that provide better functionality, while
consuming less energy, you might actually be able to reduce that number
to half, or even less.
Also, if you want to build your own solar
panel, you might find that the manufacturing costs can effectively be
reduced to under $200 for a standard 36 cell solar panel. Depending on
the quality of your homemade solar array, you only need about 30 or 40
panels to provide enough power for your entire home.
This number
may still be too large, but it can be reduced if you wish to use an
additional type of energy, such as wind power. This can offer you more
energy on cloudy and rainy days, when solar panels don't operate as
well, and reduce the need for panels to half or even less.
Use
caution, as different types of solar cells will provide a varying amount
of energy. You can calculate the energy output easily, however: after
you build your DIY solar panel, measure the current and voltage it
produces, and multiply them to obtain the watt value. As a result, a
small, 6 ampere solar panel that produces 12 volts, for instance, will
offer about 72 watts.
Now, such a weak solar panel may not provide
you with too much energy, but the good news is that there are many
inexpensive panels on the market that can offer two or more times as
much power, and you don't have to pay more than 300 to 400 dollars for
one. A solar array made of 10 to 20 of these panels would, therefore,
represent a viable option when it comes to powering a large number of
low energy appliances or gadgets.
Different Solar Panel Types
The
rate and efficiency with which solar cells are able to transform solar
energy into electricity also plays a part in determining how many solar
panels you will need.
In the case of panels using monocrystalline
solar cells, for example, the amount of sunlight needed for generating a
specific amount of energy is far less than in the case of thin film or
polycrystalline cells.
In 2010, a company that produces high
quality monocrystalline solar panels was able to break the world record
for solar energy efficiency, producing solar cells that could transform
more than 24 % of the sun's rays into usable electrical power.
Some
researchers even consider that, in a few years, it may be possible to
create monocrystalline solar cells that are able to go beyond the 30 %
or even the 40 % mark, significantly increasing the efficiency rating of
these types of solar cells, and that of solar energy in general.
A
good example of the energy efficiency that these solar panels can offer
would be that a solar panel using a total of 36 monocrystalline cells
can generally produce around 100 to 130 watts. This practically means
that if you want to get 1 kw (1000 watts), you will need about 10 of
these panels. Depending on the quality and brand of the panel, pricing
can range between $3000 and $5000 for this plan.
In contrast with
these results, technologies using polycrystalline cells are barely able
to get close to the 20 % limit today, while thin film based technologies
hardly provide about 15 to 17 % efficiency.
These numbers may
conclude the technological superiority of monocrystalline PV cells, but
they do not prove that the best decision is to buy such panels. It's
true that you will not need as many panels to reach a general output of
about 1 to 3 kw in this case, but the problem is that the more
monocrystalline solar panels you buy, the greater the price difference
becomes.
You may also opt for less energy efficiency and a better
pricing option in order to save money. In this regard, polycrystalline
cells are far better, as they are not as weak as thin film-based
technologies, and are somewhat less expensive than monocrystalline solar
cells.
Budget Issues
Now, everyone is
usually thinking about budget issues when it comes to buying or
manufacturing a solar panel. DIY solar panels are obviously cheaper,
however, the quality differences can be great, not to mention that you
will need to put a lot of work into it, if you want your new panels to
perform properly.
If you decide to buy a solar panel, on the other
hand, you will already have all the numbers necessary regarding how
many watts it produces, and how stable it is. By using some simple math,
you can then calculate exactly how many of these devices you need in
order to meet your energy target.
The main problem here is that
there are many brands focusing on offering different types of solar
panels based on a large number of different technologies. As a result,
you may have a hard time choosing between them, and you will have to
look around on numerous websites to find out what past buyers think
about any particular product.
Most people would believe that about
$3000 to $8000 would be enough for a viable solar panel array; however,
the numbers might double depending on your needs and the technology you
want to use. Fortunately, most manufacturers are already starting to
develop better technologies that allow people to buy more efficient
solar arrays at a considerably lower price.
You have to take all
the options into account, however, and avoid clinging to some brands
simply because they have a "catchier" marketing agenda. Ultimately, the
numbers will show you everything you need to know, and you can make up
your own mind regarding which types of panels you should buy, and how
many of them you will need.
Summary
You
will often find that the company you do business with may actually
provide you with a viable plan when it comes to dealing with energy
consumption and solar panel numbers. Based on your budget and the
proficiency of the solar power array you require, they can often give
you a precise estimate of how much energy you can get from your
purchase.
Use caution, however, since various brands may at times
come up with new technologies that are cheaper and more effective, and
would make the designs of other companies seemingly obsolete. You might
actually realize then that new opportunities can appear at every step of
the way.
So, if you are thoroughly informed about the factors
that determine the quality of the technology used for manufacturing
panels, you will find that you are in a much better position to
establish how many of them you need yourself, without having to worry
about any unknown factors.
To find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy go to http://advantagesanddisadvantagessolarenergy.com
You'll discover...
Learn how to cheaply make your own solar panels with your own copy of "Home Made Energy"
Please email any questions to support@advantagesanddisadvantagessolarenergy.com
You'll discover...
- The facts about solar energy
- Exactly how solar energy works
- The price of installing solar energy
- Solar energy for home and business
- How to build a solar energy system
- How to make a solar oven
Learn how to cheaply make your own solar panels with your own copy of "Home Made Energy"
If you can find a
high-quality manual, you will start enjoying the benefits of DIY solar
panels within 2 weeks, because the manual should be able to teach you to
build homemade solar energy panels in just a weekend.
If you've enjoyed all the exciting information you read here about Homemade solar panels you'll love everything else you find at DIY Solar Panels.
Please email any questions to support@advantagesanddisadvantagessolarenergy.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_A_George
No comments:
Post a Comment