Energy Section

How I Recycled Some Used Solar Panels

Submitted by cactii on August 28, 2010 - 8:47pm
Recycled Solar Panels

I came across some used solar panels but I didn't know where they came from and they didn't have any markings on them to tell me what they were. The price was right even though I didn't know the wattage or the voltage - I took a chance and bought them anyways.

There were six of them in all, mounted on a fiberglass backing and covered in a silicone or rubbery substance to hold everything in place. I put them in the sun and pulled out my multi-meter to see what I had bought. Read the full article »

Climate and Weather Data for Renewable Energy Installations

Submitted by cactii on July 24, 2010 - 11:37pm

When planning your renewable energy installation you'll need to have some accurate weather data to give you a starting point on how you're going to size your system. If you're planning a solar panel installation you'll want to know how many hours of good sunlight you'll get a day in your location, and, if you're planning a wind turbine installation you'll want to know the average wind speed in your area. Read the full article »

Another Great Deal on Solar Panels

Submitted by cactii on May 26, 2010 - 10:28pm

Awhile back I informed you all about a great deal on some solar panels that I found on Amazon.com and as I said the deal wouldn't last. It seems that their 85 watt solar panels are all out of stock so I started looking for another great deal on panels.

I encountered another great deal on solar panels, these ones are going for about $2.34 a watt.

Now that's a great deal and again I have to warn you that it might not last long. Read the full article »

Solar Panels That Everybody Can Afford

Submitted by cactii on February 21, 2010 - 12:24am

I like to keep an eye out for great deals on stuff like solar panels, wind turbines and other green products.

Usually solar panels are running in the high 4 dollar and up per watt range for pricing. Sometimes they'll even get up there to over $7 a watt. So solar panels are not really cheap and it's a good idea to look for deals!

You can imagine my surprise when I was checking out some prices and stumbled across some solar panels that were running at UNDER $3 a watt! Read the full article »

Europe Takes Green Responsibility With Their Supergrid

Submitted by cactii on February 1, 2010 - 7:00pm

I was reading an article on CNN.com the other day on Europe and their idea of creating a supergrid.

The supergrid addresses some very important concerns when dealing with renewable green energy sources. The usual concerns are: What happens when the sun doesn't shine? or What happens when the wind isn't blowing?

The concerns that people have need to be addressed, and they shouldn't be taken lightly. No sun to a solar array is about the same as having no coal to fire the generator. Read the full article »

Why Solar Panels Are Still Too Expensive

Submitted by cactii on December 23, 2009 - 9:37am

I'm the kind of person who buys things way before I need them. I hold onto it until I need it because I know it's not going to go bad and when I want it then it'll be there when I do.

I was thinking about buying a solar panel here and a solar panel there and just holding onto them until I get around to finishing my house and I can actually put them to use. But I'm starting to think that It'd be a lot better if I hold off on this purchase in the hopes that the prices will go down a little bit in the time it takes me to be ready for them.

Solar panels are still really expensive, market price is about $5 a watt right now and this, to me, is a crazy price to have to pay to generate your own electricity from the sun. Read the full article »

This Probably Won't Save You Money But It Will Reduce Your Energy Footprint

Submitted by cactii on November 30, 2009 - 9:01am

Tea or hot chocolate just doesn't cut it for me, I need my java and I need a lot of it.

Since I drink so much coffee I realized that the heater on my coffee maker was almost constantly on and that I could probably do something about this power consumption.

I started looking into alternatives to my normal coffee maker - something a little more energy conscious. I found these thermal carafe coffee makers and they seemed to make a lot of sense. Read the full article »

Innovative Clean Energy Product Tied to the Same Old Business Model?

Submitted by cactii on November 11, 2009 - 8:58am
Infinia Solar System 360 View

Infinia seems to have developed one of the most innovative electricity producing products to appear in the Green Energy sector in a long time.

The solar energy system Infinia produces is based around the Stirling engine that was conceived almost 200 years ago by Robert Stirling,

Calling the Stirling engine an engine almost implies that there's some internal combustion happening, but a Stirling engine has nothing to do with burning fossil fuels. Stirling engines utilize the change in volume of a gas at different temperatures in a closed loop system to produce mechanical motion. Read the full article »

Calculating Solar Panel Requirements

Submitted by cactii on October 17, 2009 - 2:38pm
Solar Panel Detail

There are so many solar panel calculators on the internet that ask you all sorts of questions about your appliances and ask you to fill in confusing forms that we've decided to try and make it a little easier for everybody.

We're going to take the "How Much Electricity are You Currently Consuming" approach so that you can get an idea of what you'd need for solar panels to generate your current level of electrical usage. Read the full article »