Top 5 reasons how solar panels could save the world!

1. The research and development monies now going into solar energy are great enough to fuel innovation and bring down prices rapidly. First Solar expects solar generation manufacturing costs to fall from 63 cents a watt to 35 cents a watt from now through 2017!

2. Honda is experimenting with a zero-carbon home. It includes a direct DC recharger for an electric car so as to cut down on energy lost to heat during the DC to AC conversion. Charging would take only 2 hours, direct from sunlight.

The opening of Honda Smart Home US, showcasing technologies that enable zero net energy living and transportation

3. Thin-skin solar panels will be installed directly on the cars, and a canopy recharger will fill them back up, economical cars are the future (not the Prius)

4. Even poor countries of the global South like Pakistan are finding it affordable now to create enormous solar parks. Bahawalpur faces blackouts and a deficit of 4 gigawatts of electricity. It will soon get 1 gigawatt of electricity from solar and other renewables.

5. There are new technological advancements in Solar Power almost everyday and and a giant flow of ideas of how Solar can save the world which come as abundantly as the actual resource! Japan want to put a solar panel ring around the moon which can have the potential to power a 1/3, THIRD of the world's energy demands. MIT are researching  solar panels that can grow from bacteria making them more affordable. A group of scientists also want to build solar plants in our oceans as the solar energy is greater there. The amount of solar energy that hits our Earth in an hour is enough to power the world for a year. Surely we have to harness this great natural, renewable resource?!

6. Okay okay, I know I said 5 but TOP 6 doesn't have the same ring to it, sorry for lying my dear Sirs and Madams but this one is important! After seeing the way Russia is bullying Western Europe over opposition in Brussels to Russia grabbing Ukrainian territory, with Russia threatening to cut off natural gas, many countries will be encouraged to invest in renewable energy sources that cannot be cut off. Thailand is investing in 3 gigawatts of solar energy, not only because its government wants more electricity but because it wants more energy independence! The falling price of solar panels will give a further economic motive for going green, but tensions in the ASEAN countries over the possibility of gradually being reduced to Chinese puppets are real– something Obama is trying to address on his current trip to Japan and other countries of the far east. The alternative to solar, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to produce natural gas, is not affordable in many countries; it uses enormous amounts of precious water, damages the environment, and produces huge methane emissions that threaten deadly climate disruption. Solar gives both cost savings and security, as well as a brighter climate future.

This blog post was put up earlier today by our sister blogsite, Home Improvement Blog which can be found through this link: http://www.home-improvement-blog.co.uk/

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Top 5 reasons to install solar panels!

Solar power is more efficient, affordable, and easy to install and use than ever before. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should turn to solar energy.

Solar is Easy

Modern Solar systems make going solar virtually stress-free for the home-owner. Installation crews can usually install a residential system in less than a week, and most installation companies take care of the necessary permits as part of their service. Using solar energy is easy too. Once the system is installed, your home’s internal wiring and appliances all work the same as before.

Solar is Flexible

Solar systems work even in areas with less than perfect weather. While solar energy has always made sense in places like the south of England, modern panels generate power at reduced rates even on days with partial sunlight. If you live in a temperate climate with frequent days of partial sun like the North of Scotland, you can still get the benefits of a solar energy system by using a net meter to manage your power needs.

Net meters are utility meters that runs forward or backward depending on the situation. Net meters let you sell excess energy back to the utility company for credit when you produce more than you need, and buy back that power at night or during bad weather.

Solar is Independent

One of the best reasons to consider a solar system for your home is freedom. The idea of becoming energy independent has become a popular subject nationally over the past few years, and owners of solar systems begin their journey to energy independence by reducing their dependence on public utilities, especially with their sky-rocketing prices you don't want to be around for.

Solar is Environmentally Sound

Environmentally sound building practices are often more efficient than traditional methods, and solar energy is one of the best green investments you can make. Offering more than just panels and an inverter, some companies can install complete home energy management and solar energy systems that lower utility bills while reducing your carbon footprint.

Solar is Affordable

Government feed-in-tarrifs can help reduce the cost of your new system by selling back your excess energy back to the grid, earning up to £750 a year. Not to mention the new RHI that just launched (9th of April) means

Solar energy provides home owners with simple, secure, environmentally sound power, while tax credits and easy financing make energy independence a financially viable alternative to public utilities for more and more home-owners every day. Will you join them?

I apologise for the poor quality of this blog post. It was copied from our current, new and improved blog that is here. It is updated daily and more often than not features solar panel news. I know there are still a few stragglers reading this blog and I thank you but, if you want it recently and updated then Home Improvement Blog will be right up your street! However if you are afraid of change then  I will try to maintain this blog to the best of my ability although it will be irregular and late, I apologise in advance!

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Solar roof tiles (shingles)

To the majority the main reason why they won't install solar panels is that some can look well... ugly. Nobody wants to lose their curb appeal understandably BUT, you don't have to get panels. You can get solar roof tiles and they look just dandy!

What are they and how do they work? 

Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar cells designed to look like conventional asphalt shingles. There are several varieties of solar shingles, including shingle-sized solid panels that take the place of a number of conventional shingles in a strip, semi-rigid designs containing several silicon solar cells that are sized more like conventional shingles, and newer systems using various thin film solar cell technologies that match conventional shingles both in size and flexibility. Solar shingles are manufactured by several companies by now.

Solar shingles are photovoltaic cells, capturing sunlight and transforming it into electricity. Most solar shingles are 12 by 86 inches (300 by 2,180 mm) and can be stapled directly to the roofing cloth. When applied they have a 5 by 86 inches (130 by 2,180 mm) strip of exposed surface. Different models of shingles have different mounting requirements. Some can be applied directly onto roofing felt intermixed with regular asphalt shingles while others may need special installation.

Aren't they just dandy?!  There are all sorts of shapes and sizes that admittedly do aesthetically dance on the eyes more so than the panels!

Downside?

So it is a no-brainer then; fit solar tiles instead of panels unless you want to make a statement to your neighbours with your solar panels. Well – as is often the case – it is not as simple as that. The main issue is cost or, more to the point, return on investment. Solar tiles are more expensive – often double the price – and less efficient – typically 10 – 20% less than than solar panels. And as solar PV systems are being presented as an excellent investment with the Feed in Tariffs this will have an impact on their popularity and applicability.

Solar tiles still may have a part to play in the sustainable design of our buildings however. For those that view the appearance of their roof as paramount or for whom cost is not a concern may still want to make the extra investment. Also with new build homes, it may be practical to install solar tiles instead of conventional roof tiles which will offset some of the cost and look great; particularly if they cover the entire roof pitch.

I apologise for the poor quality of this blog post. It was copied from our current, new and improved blog that is here. It is updated daily and more often than not features solar panel news. I know there are still a few stragglers reading this blog and I thank you but, if you want it recently and updated then Home Improvement Blog will be right up your street! However if you are afraid of change then  I will try to maintain this blog to the best of my ability although it will be irregular and late, I apologise in advance!

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Solar Windows Power Your Home?

A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work. Scientists have demonstrated that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently harvest sunlight. Clever clogs.

Quantum dot LSC devices under ultraviolet illumination.

A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers in collaboration with scientists from University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB), Italy. Their project demonstrates that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently harvest sunlight.
"The key accomplishment is the demonstration of large-area luminescent solar concentrators that use a new generation of specially engineered quantum dots," said lead researcher Victor Klimov of the Centre for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP) at Los Alamos.Quantum dots are ultra-small bits of semiconductor matter that can be synthesized with nearly atomic precision via modern methods of colloidal chemistry. Their emission color can be tuned by simply varying their dimensions. Color tunability is combined with high emission efficiencies approaching 100 percent. These properties have recently become the basis of a new technology -- quantum dot displays -- employed, for example, in the newest generation of the Kindle Fire ™ e-reader.

Light-harvesting antennas

A luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) is a photon management device, representing a slab of transparent material that contains highly efficient emitters such as dye molecules or quantum dots. Sunlight absorbed in the slab is re-radiated at longer wavelengths and guided towards the slab edge equipped with a solar cell.Klimov explained, "The LSC serves as a light-harvesting antenna which concentrates solar radiation collected from a large area onto a much smaller solar cell, and this increases its power output.""LSCs are especially attractive because in addition to gains in efficiency, they can enable new interesting concepts such as photovoltaic windows that can transform house facades into large-area energy generation units," said Sergio Brovelli, who worked at Los Alamos until 2012 and is now a faculty member at UNIMIB.Because of highly efficient, color-tunable emission and solution processability, quantum dots are attractive materials for use in inexpensive, large-area LSCs. One challenge, however, is an overlap between emission and absorption bands in the dots, which leads to significant light losses due to the dots re-absorbing some of the light they produce.

"Giant" but still tiny, engineered dots

To overcome this problem the Los Alamos and UNIMIB researchers have developed LSCs based on quantum dots with artificially induced large separation between emission and absorption bands (called a large Stokes shift).These "Stokes-shift" engineered quantum dots represent cadmium selenide/cadmium sulfide (CdSe/CdS) structures in which light absorption is dominated by an ultra-thick outer shell of CdS, while emission occurs from the inner core of a narrower-gap CdSe. The separation of light-absorption and light-emission functions between the two different parts of the nanostructure results in a large spectral shift of emission with respect to absorption, which greatly reduces losses to re-absorption.

Concept of a Solar Window

To implement this concept, Los Alamos researchers created a series of thick-shell (so-called "giant") CdSe/CdS quantum dots, which were incorporated by their Italian partners into large slabs (sized in tens of centimeters) of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). While being large by quantum dot standards, the active particles are still tiny -- only about hundred angstroms across. For comparison, a human hair is about 500,000 angstroms wide."A key to the success of this project was the use of a modified industrial method of cell-casting, we developed at UNIMIB Materials Science Department" said Francesco Meinardi, professor of Physics at UNIMIB.
Despite their high transparency, the fabricated structures showed significant enhancement of solar flux with the concentration factor of more than four. These exciting results indicate that "Stokes-shift-engineered" quantum dots represent a promising materials platform. It may enable the creation of solution processable large-area LSCs with independently tunable emission and absorption spectra.
Sadly this all still just an idea and won't be in the mainstream market for a few more years. The idea though is  revolutionary. You could plug in your appliances into your WINDOW. Ideal for Kitchen windows, plug in your kettle and make a lovely cuppa powered by the sun, bliss. For more information on the Solar Window click here. Also there are many different companies trying to get their own spin on the Solar Window e.g. New Energy claim they are making a Solar Window that can out perform any commercial Solar Panel by 10 fold. Clearly in the foreseeable future not only will we see Solar Windows hitting the market but a whole range of them specially designed in their own unique ways!

Spectroscopic measurements indicated virtually no losses to re-absorption on distances of tens of centimetres  Further, tests using simulated solar radiation demonstrated high photon harvesting efficiencies of approximately 10% per absorbed photon achievable in nearly transparent samples, perfectly suited for utilization as photovoltaic windows.

I apologise for the poor quality of this blog post. It was copied from our current, new and improved blog that is here. It is updated daily and more often than not features solar panel news. I know there are still a few stragglers reading this blog and I thank you but, if you want it recently and updated then Home Improvement Blog will be right up your street! However if you are afraid of change then  I will endevour to maintain this blog to the best of my ability although it will be irregular and late, I apologise in advance!

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Are Ikea's solar panels a good deal?

Swedish home furniture giants Ikea are to begin selling solar panels in all 18 UK based stores within 10 months, following a successful trial period, but do they offer value for money and should you even consider buying solar panels from a furniture store?

Firstly, their price of £5,700 for a 3.36kW system, which is the size for a typical semi-detached property, is expensive. Comparing prices from accredited solar installers shows that a larger 4kW system can now be installed for under £5,000, and a 3kW system for as low as £4,000. Though Ikea have to start somewhere

On the plus side the investment figures still stack up, with Ikea's smaller 3.36kW system, on a south-facing roof in Southampton, forecast to earn £770 each year from the Government Feed-in-Tariff (guaranteed for 20 years) - meaning you can recoup the cost within just 7 years.

Though installing the same size system for a lower cost from an accredited solar installer makes more sense and will give you a shorter repayment period.

From a personal opinion, Ikea are making a smart move, they have seen the Solar Panel business on the rise and must be expecting a big boom soon like the rest of us. Hence the first UK solar advert airing last week and the noise Solar has been making in the news recently

Click here to compare solar panel prices for your home

RHI HAS LAUNCHED!

Earn £3,690 per year for heating your own home

After months of speculating and lengthy delays, the domestic RHI has launched in the UK TODAY, WHOOPIE - rewarding home-owners choosing to heat their homes with renewable technology with high tariff payments. This is great news for eco-green buffs as they will be rolling in money, waving their cash around like they just don't care!

What is RHI?

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the world’s first long-term financial support programme for renewable heat.

The RHI pays participants of the scheme that generate and use renewable energy to heat their buildings. By increasing the generation of heat from renewable energy sources (instead of fossil fuels), the RHI helps the UK reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet targets for reducing the effects of climate change.

Similar to the popular Feed-in-Tariff enjoyed by PV solar panels, the RHI will pay people for generating their own heat energy AND they get to heat their home efficiently - slashing their heating bills dramatically! I cannot convey the level of excitement I am currently in.

Speculations of an imminent launch rose considerably when the minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Greg Barker has announced via Twitter:
"Excellent progress on domestic RHI. All set now for launch by Easter."
This is excellent news for those that already have, or who are considering RHI approved renewable heating, as they will see annual earnings and savings (payable for 7 years) of:
- £3,690 for ground heat pumps
- £3,390 for biomass boilers
- £1,280 for air source heat pumps
- £600 for solar thermal systems

It's worth noting that currently, the hybrid solar panels (PV-T) that generate both electrivity AND hot water are not eligible for the RHI tariff.

Always check your system will be RHI eligible and use an MCS accredited installer.

Finally the government have got something right! The amazing thing about it is you will be independent, you won't have to rely on those energy providers with sky-rocketing prices and you will be paid for doing it!  Just think of what you could do with a couple of grand left over at the end of the year..

Popularity rise in Solar Power, why?

SOLAR POWER

Solar Power has grown incredibly in the recent years; with Britain now having 500,000 homes with Solar Panels, the business is booming! The general public are definitely opening their eyes to the brilliant benefits and opportunities that Solar Power has to offer.

Did you know Butterflies have Solar Panels on their wings? 

Financial benefits

Solar Panels obviously offer to cut down your electricity bills by becoming more dependent on solar power. The ever increasing prices of energy providers is clearly making people looking into Solar Power as it is an easy, cheap way of saving money. Also with the feed-in-tarrifs the government currently provides it makes it possible to earn up to £750 a year! Who doesn't want extra money in their back pocket? From the financial side of things, Solar panels are definitely a great benefit to home-owners looking to save money.

Feel good factor

Look how smug he is after his Solar Panel install

Solar Power is a clean, renewable energy which makes it GREEN! You can feel smug as you tell the world of how you produce clean energy which is potentially saving the Planet. Also speaking from personal opinion, there is nothing that makes you happier than seeing how much energy you're producing, and there is nothing that makes me look weirder than grinning insanely when I see that electric bill cut down to size!

The Buzz!

There is massive spike in the amount Solar Power is making into the media recently. Various government projects getting behind Solar Power like how the U.S. Navy plan to beam down energy from orbiting Solar Panels. Or even how one of Britain's biggest landmarks, Big Ben, could possibly be getting Solar Panels (Story here).

Mad Scientists

There is also gigantic leaps in the technological side of the Solar Panel world. With 'mad' scientists developing transparent solar panels, Solar panels that work better on cloudy days ! And even the revolutionary idea of the near possibility of being able to grow solar panels from BACTERIA. ITS ALIVE!!!

With all these contributing factors, it's no surprise that Solar Panels have been on the rise. There has never been a better time to get into the Solar Powered world, with so many people getting involved now, shouldn't you as well? If anything you have read has interested you in Solar Panels, visit this excellent site here for a FREE quote on Solar Panels ! 

Links:
All links to the stories can be found above. If none work I will post them down here too

• U.S. Navy story: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2014/03/space-solar/
• Big Ben story: http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/03/24/big-ben-might-go-green-get-solar-panels/?utm_content=buffer5584c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• Transparent Solar Panel story: http://tweepmag.com/GreenBizWorld/GreenBizWorld.php?a=1&r=80&rt=767018
• Cloudy day story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10701064/British-scientists-develop-solar-panels-which-work-better-on-a-cloudy-day.html
• Bacteria Solar Panel story: http://qz.com/191122/the-solar-panels-of-the-future-could-be-grown-from-bacteria/?utm_content=buffer90a48&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• FREE SOLAR PANEL QUOTE: http://www.solarpanelquoter.co.uk/?s_eng=Reactivated-20140324

How much can you earn from solar in your town?

From April 1st the Feed-in-Tariff, that pays you for generating your own electricity from solar panels (whether you use it yourself or not) will drop to 14.38p/kWh, but what does that mean in your area?
Based on the Energy Saving Trusts' calculations you can see how much you should expect to earn and save in your region each year:

• Scotland: £624
• North East: £635
• North West: £650
• Yorkshire: £643
• East Midlands: £655
• West Midlands: £661
• Wales: £667
• East of England: £672
• London: £688
• South East: £718
• South West: £742

Remember, these are estimates for a 4kW system, and the FiT is index-linked and should increase year upon year with inflation.


Not installed solar panels yet? Find prices here.

Ford see's glimmer of solar

Solar Knowledge reports that a 500 kilowatt solar system installed on their (Ford's) Michigan Assembly Plant has just started to go live.

When it's fully live, the installation will provide power to the assembly lines and electric vehicle charging stations.

The installation also boasts a 750 kilowatt energy storage facility - the batteries being capable of retaining 2 million watt-hours of energy for future use.

If the trial is successful, then Ford plans to incorporate similar installations at it's other plants.

This particular installation is quite fitting as the plant will be home to the production of an all electric Focus as well as two other hybrids.

A separate solar panel system will be tested, supplying the plants lighting.

photo credit: ellenm1

Using solar power to treat water

EP Online reports how using solar energy for water treatment amounts to more than just a drop in the proverbial ocean.

The report's based on an American study - the figures discussed are huge!

So what potential for the UK?

I'll quote this passage and leave you to read the rest in your own time...

"American Water set a goal to lower its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per volume of water produced by 16 percent by the year 2017. Considering that we treat, pump and deliver 1 billion gallons of water a day, the goal is significant."

"The system, which supplements 20 percent of the peak usage power needed to run the plant, reduces energy usage by 817,000 kilowatt-hours of AC a year. This prevents 1,875 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 3,927 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 1,115,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air. According to EPA and the U.S. Climate Technology Cooperation, this savings in carbon dioxide pollution is equivalent to planting 125 acres of tree seedlings or preserving 5.6 acres of land from deforestation."

Click here to read more. You see, when you set your mind to it, so much can be achieved with renewable energy.

Whilst using a rainwater collection system conserves water and saves drinking water for drinking use, (rainwater collection systems can be used to flush toilets with etc), the water still has to be treated at the other end. However, by using untreated water in the first place, that is saving energy and resources.

photo credit: alan cleaver

Two big renewable energy stories you may have missed last week

The UK signed up to Europe's first off-shore wind grid.

Nine countries including the UK signed up to develop an integrated offshore power grid in both the North and Irish Seas.

One of the issues regarding offshore wind farm development was the transporting of the power they generated and has long been seen as an obstacle to developing off-shore wind farms.

However, the new agreement secures £5m of grants for technology research and the proposed grid will make it easier to optimise offshore wind powered electricity production.

It will also help those european countries involved in the project meed their EU renewable energy targets for 2020.

read more here

Meanwhile, in America….

ABC Australia reported on a breakthrough in solar energy production.

The Georgia Institute of Technology has developed what they're calling the world's first 3-D solar panel system - solar cells that will work underground.

The system uses specially coated fibre-optics to produce electricity. Sunlight enters the end of a strand of fibre optic and as it travels the length of the cable, the energy is turned into electricity.

When the sunlight reaches the end of the strand, it travels back allowing more absorption of energy.

The system would mean solar 'cables' could be underground or within wall cavities so making production cheap as no exterior weather proofing would be required.

Whilst the present experiment is low on efficiency - about 3% conversion of sunlight to power (solar panels are normally 30% efficient), the scientists think they can increase the percentage to around 8%.

To give you some idea, a bundle of strands - about the same size as a handful of human hair - could power a 10-watt light bulb.

It's being hailed as a break-through in solar power generation and who knows, one day, solar panels may become a thing of the past or at least be complemented by their less-efficient fibre-optical counterparts.

read more at ABC Australia by clicking here.

photo credit: andy lawson

Space - The final Solar Power frontier

Japan, a country with few energy resources of its own, instead relying heavily on oil imports has already set ambitious co2 gas reduction targets this year but that is nothing compared to one of the boldest plans ever announced - the Space Solar Power System.

The idea is to place huge arrays of photovoltaic solar panels - several miles across - in space to collect the sun's rays. The energy would then be transmitted to the ground via clusters of microwaves or lasers. On the ground, huge antennae would be needed to collect the energy.

Researchers are hoping to build a 1GW system (equivalent to a medium sized atomic power plant) which would be able to produce electricity at around 5p per kilowatt-hour - 6 times cheaper than the current cost in Japan.

You can read the full details and see some pretty artist impressions of the project on Sky News website (click here).

We loved the last line "Jaxa (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) said the technology would be safe but conceded it might have to dispel fears of laser beams from above roasting birds or slicing up aircraft in mid-air". Great stuff.

photo credit: mightyohm

Great School DIY Project - Build a solar powered RC Car

After reading on a solar energy forum one users query into building a solar powered RC Car for his school science project, I came across this:

"This is my newly completed Solar RC Car. I built this car to spark interest in competing in a Solar Race in Summer 2009 in the U.S. This project used many off the shelf hobby parts and could be built by a R/C hobbyist with experience in kit building and soldering."

Read more by clicking here.

Now that's what I call an interesting school project.

Have you ever built a school project that used/involved solar energy? Tell us about it below.