Environmental Aspects

Solar energy comes in many forms. The majority of us are most familiar with solar cells, but there are actually many different ways to create and store solar energy. Here are a few of those ways:

· Solar Cells – Most of us have seen solar cells used on calculators with LCDs. But they have also been used in many other ways. Solar cells use semiconductors (oftentimes, silicon) to generate electricity, directly from the sunlight.

· Solar Fibers – This is also a photovoltaic device (like the solar cells), only it does not use silicon. Rather, it has a solar tape that is made with titanium dioxide. This tape could actually be combined with building materials or even clothing.

· Solar Ponds – A solar pond is made of three layers: the top layer as low salt content. The middle layer is an insulating layer with salt, and it prevents natural convection in the water (which would normally cause heat exchange). The bottom layer as a very high salt content, and this layer can approach high temperatures. Because of all the densities in salt of the different layers, there are no convection currents (which normally transfer heat to the surface and then the air). The heat that gets trapped in the bottom layer can be used to heat buildings, generate electricity, or in industrial processes.

· Solar Chemicals – There are a number of different solar energy processes that absorb sunlight in a chemical reaction to create that solar energy. More research is needed on solar chemical energy before we can apply it practically. Much of this research is on photoelectrolysis of water.

· Solar Updraft Towers – This is a type of solar energy plant in which air passes under an agricultural glass house, gets heated by the sun, and is then channel up toward a convection tower. It is used to drive turbines which generate electricity.

· Energy Towers – This tower uses water, unfortunately, but it is also a good design and works in a similar way to the solar updraft tower. Water is sprayed at the top of the water. The water evaporates which causes a downdraft by cooling the air. This coolness increases the density of the air and then drives turbines that are at the bottom of the tower.

These are just a few ways in which solar energy has been and is being created. Perhaps the most common household type of solar energy is that created by solar cells. Nonetheless, these other types are very promising and certainly have their place.

You can harness the power of the sun too, and you dont have spend $40,000 to buy an entire solar panel system outright for your home. Please consider renting your solar panels. We offer the entire system with zero up-front cost and you can lock in your current electricity rates for up to 25 years, making inflation a thing of the past.

Go Solar Today and Do Your Part To Stop Global Warming!

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Solar power is a renewable energy source that is extremely popular, but has a cost problem. Net metering is a concept the government is currently using to offset this problem.

Solar power works by converting sunlight into electricity. With the abundant amount of sunlight hitting the planet each and every day, the potential of converting to solar power is massive. Ah, but there is one problem. Solar energy platforms are not very efficient. Solar cells currently only convert sunlight to energy at roughly 8 to 13 percent depending on the system. This lack of efficiency means you must buy large, bulky, expensive solar panel systems to meet your energy needs. Much research is being done in the field of nanotechnology solar cells to improve this problem, but the answer is a few years off. So, what can you do to deal with the cost issue today?

The government tries to promote certain conduct in two ways. First it makes things illegal such as drug use. Second, it creates financial incentives and penalties to try to guide our conduct. Taxes on cigarettes, for instance, are high and try to motivate us not to smoke. Tax credits offered for the purchase of hybrid cars is an example of using incentives to promote an activity.

When it comes to solar energy, the government realizes that there is a cost problem. It tries to resolve this in a number of ways. The first is to offer tax credits for buying solar panel systems. Tax credits are a tremendous financial benefit. They work by reducing the tax you owe dollar for dollar. For instance, you might figure out your taxes for this year and find out you owe the IRS $5,000. If you can claim a tax credit for $2,000, you would end up owing the government $3,000. In short, the credit is much more powerful than a mere tax deduction.

Another area where financial incentives are offered on solar is net metering. Net metering is simply the concept of selling energy back to a utility company at the same rate it sells it to you. This concept goes a long way to making solar energy competitive. Here’s how it works.

Assume you buy a solar panel system for your home. Your high energy needs tend to happen early in the morning and later in the afternoon. During the week, you have nominal energy needs during the day when you are at work. So, what happens to the energy being produced by the solar panels during the day? Well, you can sell it back to the utility company. This is called being “on grid”, with the grid being the platform the utility uses to deliver energy to communities. With net metering, the energy produced by your panels is fed back into the grid. Your utility meter literally spins backwards. You are selling electricity to the utility during the day. At night, you draw energy off the grid. The end result is you owe little or nothing to the utility company at the end of the month. This will save you a thousand dollars or so each year.

Net metering is currently a state concept. While over 40 states have laws on the books requiring utilities to allow net metering, there is no federal standard. That may be about to change. Federal law now requires all states to consider whether they wish to enact net metering legislation by 2008. Most are expected to pass such laws. When this occurs, net metering will be a cost cutting solution to the solar power energy problem, making it a more viable energy source for you and me.

Another option fpr people living in a states wich allows net metering is to rent a solar panel system. A company recently brought this idea to fruition and now solar power is within reach of any home owner. Some of the benifits of renting instead of buying include:

If this sounds like something you are interested in, and you are ready to do your part, then find out more Here!

About The Author:

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies.