Solar societies

	Putting the sun to work for us by producing energy is catching on around the world.


		Home in southern Germany with nine solar arrays on the roof, 2002.
variety \| ingenuity \| versatility of imagination \| an arrays is? \| thin film \| money \| action

Solar kitchens:

Solar cookers for food preparation relieve the need to use wood or charcoal that can lead to deforestation.

Transport

Solar panels generate electricity to fuel plug-in vehicles for travel and transportation.

Solar societies

From one concept . . .

…entire communities are capable of being reborn.

A design for a solar city in Novato, Marin County, California.

From Turkey to India and from Japan to Brazil, there are so many places I travel where you can see solar hot water heaters and solar electrical facilities. In 1989 All over Greece I saw hot water heaters. More recently I have seen numerous solar electric generating arrays called PV (pv), which is short for, photovoltaic arrays.

Around the world people are getting the message, the sun can do a lot more than heat up the earth, and increase your risk of skin cancer!

The sun can, with the correct tools, installed properly, generate electricity and heat water, while providing a reliable and efficient means of reducing heat trapping gas pollution of the air and water.

Scientists have know this since the 1830s, so what are you waiting for?

Finance is everywhere a problem --except in Germany-- associated with the expense of installing solar electrical equipment. One, is because it is costly to make, deliver and install the solar electrical panels. Two, because utilities require certain standards of operation that increase these existing technical costs. Three, because utilities are not required to buy the electricity you generate from the system on your property -- each state has different rules.

But does money, the commercial marketing of solar, need to be the problem that it has become? Not entirely, since the cost of solar is artificially high and the means to make it more affordable –and hence widely available– have little or nothing to do with its performance, reliability and service.

Ways to finance solar are still daunting. ( A loan, is expensive, but not compared to rising fuel prices, unstable sources of oil, or strip mining Wyoming for your coal! ) The final problem is habituation.

That means we are in the habit of buying something based on the cost of producing and selling that product instead of thinking about the cost of operating that product or appliance over the life of its service to us. Since we pay for the service monthly, as opposed to buying the appliance -- we say the up front cost is more important to our expense accounts than the service fee over time. That is true even as the price of fuel for cars or appliances steadily increases. Thus the cost of using a refrigerator for a dozen years does not come into the equation we use to factor in our ability to buy an appliance. The sticker reveals the immediate and not the long-term operating and disposal costs.

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value discussed | ecological design principles | living well

PV Cells, Modules, & Arrays

Photovoltaic cells are connected electrically in series

and/or parallel circuits to produce higher voltages, currents and power levels. Photovoltaic modules consist of PV cell circuits sealed in an environmentally protective laminate, and are the fundamental building block of PV systems. Photovoltaic panels include one or more PV modules assembled as a pre-wired, field-installable unit. A photovoltaic array is the complete power-generating unit, consisting of any number of PV modules and panels.

The more orange or red the map, the greater the amount of solar insolation; yet Germany with the solar irradiance annually equivalent to Alaska, is investing ten times as much as the US in solar electrical technology!

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Figure 2. Photovoltaic cells are solar electricity generating modules of panels placed in an array or arrays to capture, convert and transmit sunlight as an electrical current.

The performance of PV modules and arrays are generally rated according to their maximum DC power output (watts) under Standard Test Conditions (STC). Standard Test Conditions are defined by a module (cell) operating temperature of 25? C (77 F), and incident solar irradiance level of 1000 W/square meter and under Air Mass 1.5 spectral distribution. Since these conditions are not always typical of how PV modules and arrays operate in the field, actual performance is usually 85 to 90 percent of the STC rating.

At Rollins we are now monitoring the performance of a 1 to 2 kilowatt system to better determine the investment return on performance generated data since the 10 module, solar array system was installed in February, 2007.

Today’s photovoltaic modules are extremely safe and reliable products, with minimal failure rates and projected service lifetimes of 20 to 30 years. Most major manufacturers offer warranties of twenty or more years for maintaining a high percentage of initial rated power output. When selecting PV modules, look for the product listing (UL), qualification testing and warranty information in the module manufacturer’s specifications.

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/pvt/pvbasics/

MIT has a stand alone system to monitor weather conditions in Cambridge.

Size

PV array installations are on the order of 8 to 12 square meters (86 to 129 square feet) per kilowatt of installed peak array capacity.

But not all systems operate at the peak of their potential since their position, sun angle, clouds and temperature all affect the level of the current. Instead of the best a system can generate in terms of kilowatts, such as a 2 kw array, consumes should be informed about the average performance and the minimal output on the shortest day of the year.

Roof Shingles roof shingles, and photovoltaic shingles

Shingles that look and install just like ordinary shingles, but allow your roof to evolve from mere protection from weather, to a source of solar electric power. These shingles have been honored with the Popular Science Grand Award, "Best of What's New," and with Discover magazine's "Technological Innovation Award."

Roof Shingles roof shingles, or photovoltaic shingles are solar electric power solutions as examples of solar power or electricity that can provide service for telecommunications, navigation, water pumping, traffic lights, cathodic protection, buoys, off-grid power needs or even small refrigeration units.

Roof Shingles™ are shingles made or thin film solar technology. These shingles–or roofing materials– provide photovoltaic or electrical current while serving as weather protection for a structure as do conventional shingles, they can do two things at once when the sun shines –protect the dwelling and generate electricity to use.

SYSTEM BENEFITS

* Attractive style
* Fully integrated shingle roof
* Lower electric bill
* Free electricity
* Pollution-free power
* Increased home value
* Manufacturer backed warranty
* Protects the environment
* Exceptionally durable
* Great investment
* Significant state rebates available

SYSTEM FEATURES

* Architecturally pleasing systems that do not distract
from the natural lines of the home
* Complete design freedom
* Solar shingles are structurally and aesthetically
integrated roofing elements
* Capable of withstanding 80 mph wind loads
* No support structures needed
* UL Listed as prepared roofing cover
* Modules and inverters UL listed
* Wind and water tight roof
* Suitable both for renovation and for new construction
* 20-year power output and 5-year system warranty
* Direct nailing on wood decks with fire-resistant under pinning materials
* No back-ventilation of solar shingles necessary
* Easy to transport and install
* Lightweight shingles are easy to handle and can be
placed directly on fire-resistant roofing underlying material.

Photovoltaic --or solar electric-- shingles serve as a conventional shingle for weather protection, while generating clean solar electricity to commercial and residential buildings. SHR17.

PV SHINGLES (SHR)

Combining solar innovation with award winning design, the flexible SHR assumes the pattern of traditional asphalt shingles. The new PV shingle enables roofs of residential or commercial buildings to become sources of electricity as well as protection from the elements. The PV shingle face is textured to blend and complement the granular surface of conventional surrounding shingles. Each shingle is 12 inches (30.48 cm) wide by 86.5 inches (219.71 cm) long and nailed in place on roof decking over 30 lb. felt sheeting. Electrical lead wires, #18AWG, extend 12 inches (30.48 cm) from underside of each shingle and pass through the roof deck allowing interior roof space connections. Once in place, the sun’s warmth helps bond shingles together forming a weather-resistant seal. Cell exposure 5.0 inches (12.7 cm) x 86.4 inches (219.46 cm). Array size depends on power demands.

See: http://www.oksolar.com/roof/

So see the light? Get in synchrony with the world and go solar today.

1. install a solar thermal water heater.

2. install a solar electric generating array.

Places with Solar Energy working to make electricity:

University of California Santa Barbara since 1998

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of South Florida since 2000

University of Wisconsin

California State University Hayward

star Rollins College star

http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/solar-intl.html

The Florida Solar Energy Center

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Updated on August 22, 2006; Last Updated Jan. 18, 2009.

By Joseph Siry

Writing | Interviews | Free Writing