Looking into macroeconomics issues when considering starting a Solar Panel contracting business, we must identify the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate. The price of energy and how use it is a determining factor on its GDP growth rate. Solar Panels are a lower cost energy source needed in today’s economy. Having affordable energy helps the economy as its facilities economic growth. The shares of energy in the U.S. has decreased, but it is still a component of the overall economy and the world share of energy. (Institute for Energy Research, 2010)…
In 1971, a husband and wife, Aden and Marjorie Meinel, patented an idea to produce solar panels in the Mojave Desert. The solar panels they proposed were to stretch through the Mojave Desert for 5,000 miles and would collect 1,000,000 megawatts of electrical power. The electrical energy would then be stored in a manufacturing facility locally so that the solar energy could be converted and used by millions of people. The Meinel’s proposal was dismissed in the 1970’s, but recently, solar panel plants have begun to sprout in the Mojave Desert. There are currently fourteen pending solar projects that have been proposed to be built in the Mojave Desert. There are also currently already four solar plants built there.…
Once upon a time, solar roof panels were cumbersome and expensive. Large arrays had to be bolted onto rooftops or installed in large fields in order to capture enough light to work. In 2005, the creation of photovoltaic roof tiles allowed thinner, smaller solar panels to be built directly into roof shingles. Unfortunately, this new technology was very expensive and cost prohibitive in most cases. Over time, the cost to produce and install these solar roof shingles decreased and the technology became much more affordable. As prices dropped, solar roof panel technology became more popular.…
The ideal system for homeowner is the grid connected system in which excess power can be produced than be sold back to the industry and reduces the immediate debt of the system, making it extremely convenient and satisfying for homeowners that are skeptical of investing in any of these solar-capturing devices, because of the potential for these devices to be effective and justifiable over time, however arranging for grid interconnection can be tedious and difficult. On the other hand with standalone systems, they are proven to be more cost efficient than power lines. However, with standalone, surplus power gained would be wasted or be preserved in a battery that the system runs on, following this further, standalone systems are also dependent on a battery source to operate during the night, and in standalone systems like the Hybrid we see the need for other and more additional sources of energy like wind or diesel, that ultimately defeat the purpose to the development and use of these solar capturing devices.…
Solar energy system that collects energy through the use of of mechanical devices like photovoltaic cells or flat-plate collectors…
However, the disadvantages of solar energy were neglected in the early phase of development. It isn’t always as reliable as other forms of power and tends to be expensive to install and maintain, because the devices rely on a steady supply of sunlight to generate power. The equipment is not that efficient, typically converting just 10% to 18% of the sun’s energy into electricity [3]. On top of the price of panels themselves, the cost of installing them varies greatly by location and climate. By most estimates, it takes at least six years for the initial costs to be repaid in saving from power generation under the best circumstances, and double that time under less ideal conditions [3]. Besides, the batteries and safety serve as potential problems. Since it is impossible to generate solar power 24 hours a day, batteries are needed for most systems to store excess power for use at night and rainy days. Unfortunately, these batteries can be expensive and have a shorter lifespan than solar…
Despite what any individual’s concerns are regarding energy, it has been generally accepted that the finite source generating the majority of our electricity is depleting at alarming rates. We need to find alternative sources for energy production. The most obvious and abundant source available is the sun. Advances in technology have enabled us to harvest the solar radiation which has been conducting the cycle of life for millions of years. There are two main categories when it comes to solar power, passive and active. The passive solar systems integrate the sun’s energy to heat living spaces and/or water in a building. These system are very simple consisting few moving parts, require negligible maintenance and no mechanical components (Passive Solar Design). Passive…
Solar energy is one of the most widely used energy resources throughout the world solar energy is the most promising renewable energy resources. It is widely available and easy for any one to use it is practical for individual use to power a single home or for a company facility such as bright sources solar facility in the Mojave Desert California. The facility can produce up to 377 megawatt. It uses three towers with mirrors surrounded by solar panels to reflect the light on to the solar panels to harness the suns energy. The benefits of solar much more out weigh the negatives solar can save billions of trillions of dollars for nations. The reliability of solar energy is great rising and setting of the sun is consistent while cloudy days are less predictable there are more than enough sunny days to power homes. “She…
For many years, solar energy has been the economic choice for use in many industries where power is required at remote locations without government subsidy, as the vast majority of systems used require little electrical power. Solar energy is frequently used to power transportation signals. For example, offshore navigation buoys, lighthouses, and at an increasing rate traffic warning signals are using solar power due to its power saving efficiency. Solar power’s greatest benefit here is that it is highly reliable and requires little maintenance so it is ideal to use in places that are hard to access.…
Currently, in 2013, the solar industry is a “$77 billion solar-energy industry and is forecast to expand the most since 2011” (Roca, 2013, p. 6). The industry relies heavily on technology to gain and retain customers. Because technology improves the actual…
Solar tracking system is used to track the position of sun in order to get the maximum energy by aligned the solar panel perpendicular to the incidence sunlight [1, 2, 3, 12, 13]. Solar panels need to move along with the direction of sunlight during the…
Renewable energy solutions are becoming increasingly popular. Photovoltaic (solar) systems are but one example. Maximizing power output from a solar system is desirable to increase efficiency. In order to maximize power output from the solar panels, one needs to keep the panels aligned with the sun. As such, a means of tracking the sun is required. This is a far more cost effective solution than purchasing additional solar panels. It has been estimated that the yield from solar panels can be increased by 30 to 60 percent by utilizing a tracking system instead of a stationary array [1]. This project develops an automatic tracking system which will keep the solar panels aligned with the sun in order to maximize efficiency. This paper begins with presenting background theory in light sensors and stepper motors as they apply to the project. The paper continues with specific design methodologies pertaining to photocells, stepper motors and drivers, microcontroller selection, voltage regulation, physical construction, and a software/system operation explanation. The paper concludes with a discussion of design results and…
Furthermore, renewable energy is a very niche market. It makes up only 8% of the total energy industry. SolarWorld’s practice, active solar technology, occupies just 1% of the total renewable energy due to its high cost and capital investment. This leaves a big hole for threat of substitutes such as coal, nuclear or natural gas energy, which are mostly the primary choice before renewable energy.…
Solar panels are an eco-friendly electric generator. Solar panels generate electrical power from the sun by converting sunlight to electricity with no moving parts, zero emissions, and no maintenance. The solar panel, the first component of a electric solar energy system, is a collection of individual silicon cells that generate electricity from sunlight.…
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy,” stated Thomas Edison. Many people, including Thomas Edison, understood the value of solar energy. The use of solar energy has dated back to 700 B.C. Expenses for solar energy products are exceedingly high. Maintenance of solar powered utilities is virtually nonexistent. Solar products tend to be efficient in their work to make a clean planet. The function of a solar panel is to transform light into electricity. Solar panels can be used to power several different pieces of equipment. Solar energy can help reduce pollutants and create a healthy environment for everyone to live in.…