Primary Sources. Scott Rickerson Interview. Secondary Sources. Unbiased. Alternative Energy Answers. Biased. Maryland Clean Energy Center. Why Solar? How Do Solar Electrical Systems Work? Will Solar Work Well at My Home? How Much Do Solar Electrical Systems Cost? What Will I Save on My Electrical Bill? Why Solar? Nearly every homeowner can benefit from solar power - and incentives make it more accessible than ever. Solar energy is Maryland’s largest energy resource - it is available everywhere in the state, can be readily deployed, and can be easily added to our existing energy system without the need for expensive transmission lines or lengthy environmental impact hearings.
Solar is a growing source of jobs in Maryland - over 1,000 professionals are employed by the solar industry in Maryland. How Do Solar Electrical Systems Work? Solar electrical is the direct conversion of solar energy radiation into electrical energy, creating a voltage and current to deliver power. PV systems capture energy and then its modules transform it into direct current (DC). Solar electrical systems can also be used to provide: Federal State Local. Common cents solar - powered by neighborhood energy. EcoMyths: Is Solar Power Practical Yet for Homeowners? My home faces south with tons of windows, so we get really warm on a typical sunny day.
Does that mean I am harnessing solar power? If I wanted to install solar panels, would it save me energy and money? On Worldview today, host Jerome McDonnell and I explored these very questions with Dick Co, managing director of the Solar Fuels Institute and environmental chemistry professor at Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center. Dick walked us through the basics of solar power for homeowners as well as some truly “cool” solar-harnessing technology to make fuel (yes, liquid fuel) for practical use in the near future.
Dick confirmed that my house benefits from passive solar home design, which can be done a lot more effectively if the home is intentionally designed to absorb sunlight during the day and release the heat at night. (PRNewsFoto/Gaiam, inc.) Gaiam has solarized more homes throughout the U.S. than any other company; 60,000 to date. Top of Green Energy Charts. Chicago to make it faster, cheaper to add solar power. October 21, 2013|By Julie Wernau | Tribune reporter Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce, stands outside the company's new building, which uses solar panels for power, in a 2011 file photo. (Alex Garcia/Tribune) Chicago is getting a new, streamlined process for solar installations that policymakers hope will lead to more panels on more roofs.
City officials say the reforms -- developed with a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy -- will slash wait times for solar permits for small projects from 30 days to one and cut fees by 25 percent, to $275. The DOE's SunShot Rooftop Solar Challenge is a national initiative to make solar power cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. Chicago launched a web site Monday – solar.cityofchicago.org – it says is a “one-stop shop” for getting rooftop solar approved, installed and connected. Solar-Panel-Technology-Advancements. It Keeps Getting Cheaper To Install Solar Panels In The U.S.
CREDIT: (Credit: Shutterstock) Americans who want to install solar panels on their houses are having to pay less than ever before, a new report has found. The installed prices for solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems fell by a range of 6 to 14 percent, or $0.30 per watt to $0.90 per watt, from 2011 to 2012 according to the sixth edition of “Tracking the Sun,” an annual PV cost-tracking report published this week by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report looked at a 208,529-unit sample of residential and commercial solar installations that “represents 72% of all cumulative grid-connected PV capacity installed in the United States through 2012.” The researchers looked at the median installed price of solar panels in three system size groupings. In 2012, this median installed price ranged from $5.3 per watt for small systems, down to $4.6 per watt for systems larger than 100 kilowatts: However, module prices are established based on supply and demand.
Researchers Just Hit A New World Record In Solar Cell Efficiency. By Katie Valentine "Researchers Just Hit A New World Record In Solar Cell Efficiency" CREDIT: Shutterstock German researchers just hit a new world record for solar efficiency. After three years of study, researchers at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have created a solar cell that’s 44.7 percent efficient, meaning it converts 44.7 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. The new record isn’t much higher than the previous record of 44 percent, set in December 2012, but as TreeHugger notes, it brings the solar industry closer to achieving 50 percent efficiency. The researchers used a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells to achieve the high rate of efficiency. These levels of output seem small compared to other renewable energy sources: wind energy (on land) produces about 30 percent of its theoretical maximum output over the course of the year, while hydropwer is capable of achieving 90 percent efficiency.
The Truth About Solar Energy. There’s a lot of debate these days about the future of solar power. Certain news media outlets who must not be named have brought renewed attention to the issue, likely confusing the public further. I’m here to tell you that solar IS our future. Why? In addition to being an important part of fighting climate change, solar makes financial sense, creates jobs, is abundant, and enjoys widespread popular support. Solar makes financial sense “Wait,” I hear you say, “Isn’t solar just too expensive?” The price of solar has been plummeting, to the tune of 30% in the past two years.
Former Energy Secretary Steven Chu agrees -- in fact, he believes solar is close to being as cheap as any other power source: “This is not something that’s going to happen 20-30 years from today. Solar benefits all utility customers Utilities still aren’t convinced, and a major conflict is brewing with them. However, it’s likely that the utilities are reacting out of fear of losing profits. Solar creates jobs. Wind Turbines vs Solar Panels. Written by Michael Boxwell I am often asked which is better - wind turbines, or solar modules. The answer, of course, is that it isn't as simple as stating which technology is better - both have their benefits and drawbacks and which technology is best depends very much on the application and the location of the system.
For large scale applications - such as for commercial scale power production for the national grid - wind turbines are the most obvious solution. Large scale wind turbines are efficient and effective, and can be installed in a variety of locations - including far out to sea - comparatively quickly. Unlike the early large turbines, modern turbines are virtually silent and the largest systems can generate in the region of 2 megawatts of power - enough to power over 2,000 homes. Small wind turbines do have disadvantages however, and are very site specific. The UK DIY chain, B&Q, found this to their cost when they started selling their own 1kW turbine system in 2006.
The homeowner's guide to solar power. By David Whitford, editor-at-large The author's home, in Massachusetts. FORTUNE -- American homeowners added more solar power generating capacity during the third quarter of 2013 than ever before, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association: 186 megawatts, up nearly 50% year over year. A tiny part of that -- 0.002% -- was recently installed on the gently sloping, south-facing roof over my kitchen in suburban Boston.
Mine is a 15-panel, 3.75 kilowatt system, designed to replace about 80% of what my family would normally draw from the grid. If it produces as promised for at least 25 years, we'll cut our household carbon footprint by 62 tons and save $25,000 in utility bills. I love my new power plant. MORE; Q&A with Susan Hunt Stevens, founder and CEO, Practically Green That said, I've learned a few things over the past several months that I probably should have known going in.
The hassles Those are one-time offers. The grid Not so. MORE: Why San Francisco's tech shuttles should pay.