Comments on: Do I Only Need Solar Panels To Have Energy In Day And Through The Night?

By: sunpower

sunpower — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:29:13 +0000

Yes they store energy for the whole day. Some can store for a lot more. it replenishes itself constantly

By: Maxwell's Hammer

Maxwell's Hammer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:18:29 +0000

There is a new movement right now its the first to give residential customers the chance to use green energy in their home without the usual dilemma of upfront cost and maintenence . A photovoltaic (“PV”) array, inverters, and an exchange point (“XP”) are prepackaged to deliver energy to the customer or the utility from power generated at the home.
Our new program takes care of all the usual headaches: it provides hassle free installation, operation, and maintenance – and does so with the most attractive terms in the industry. Customers have the option to rent the system for either 1, 5 or 25 years.
With the convenience of net-metering, customers have the chance to adopt while still having the additional reliability of the grid. Solar panels produce electricity during the day and stores it on your grid for night use

By: Guneet K

Guneet K — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:37:02 +0000

No. Solar panels do not store energy. You need a lot of very big, expensive batteries for that.

By: JOHNNIE B

JOHNNIE B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:59:05 +0000

“Solar panel” describes two types of devices that collect energy from the sun:
Solar photovoltaic modules use solar cells to convert light from the sun into electricity.
Solar thermal collectors use the sun’s energy to heat water or another fluid such as oil or antifreeze.
but sometimes there are rainy days so we don’t totally depend on solar panels

By: Major Tom

Major Tom — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:12:57 +0000

U need large lead acid batteries to store the power for the night.U need to do a lot of research to decide that they are Too expensive to be practical.If U have plenty of money there will be no problem.I installed $20,000 worth in the ecuadorian jungle to have a storm blow it all away in about 2 months.

By: LasVegas

LasVegas — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:38:18 +0000

I’m sure you will need more than solar panels. I hate to burst your bubble, but solar power doesn’t have very dense output. You only get about 10-15 percent output with the technology we have. The energy isn’t able to be harnessed into chemical energy just yet. I’m not saying it’s impossible; I’m saying don’t put all your eggs into one basket. If I were you, I would look into getting a helical wind turbine because wind usually blows more at night. That’s how you’ll get base-load generation.

By: snorkwee

snorkwee — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:37:28 +0000

Unless you are independently wealthy, I’m pretty sure you will change your mind after you run the numbers.
For most households, this is not even anywhere close to an option. The size of the system that you will need, unless you have VERY low electrical needs, will be enormous.
Even off-grid houses in remote areas all have backup generators, for cloudy periods, or days when they have more than usual electrical needs… like laundry day.
Even with the best technology, biggest incentives, & highest local electrical costs, the payoff on a grid-tie PV system is about 20 years. For off grid, it never pays for itself, if you gauge it by commercial electrical rates.
Start with a solar hot water system.. and move up from there. The payoff on those can be less than five years, and you will be making a very big difference by installing one.
You have a lot to learn about solar energy. Here’s a good resource for practical applications, there are some great articles this month about just what you are asking. Good luck.http://www.homepower.com

By: Christian Sword

Christian Sword — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:45:23 +0000

solar panels don’t store energy, they only generate it. If you want to store energy you need a battery bank of some kind to get you through the night and anytime the sun isn’t shining.
If you have a little extra in the budget you might look at a geothermal system for your home’s heating and cooling needs. They’re highly efficient systems and you can supplement however you like.
Whatever you do, though I hope you have a good building envelope in place already. Solar panels are cool, but if you have a leaky house, you’re still not getting the best out of your panels. Do the more mundane stuff first. Insulation, windows, and weather-tight doors.

By: mindnmat

mindnmat — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:01:09 +0000

Solar panels do not store energy, so they require a battery system. Additionally, they produce DC (direct current) rather than standard AC (alternating current), so you will either need to do a total conversion (extremely expensive upfront) or add inverter equipment past your storage banks. Whether this is a viable option depends largely on where you live, since the amount of direct sun is a major factor in figuring your final efficiency versus installation cost. Check your local and state regulations to see if they have utility overproduction buy-back in place which can make your system not only pay your investment back sooner, it could eventually bring you a regular paycheck.

By: Melrose

Melrose — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Solar panels only convert sunlight into DC electricity; you would need to have the appropriate wire that carries the DC current to the inverter which in turns the current into AC power which is what we utilize. Most systems you see sold are designed to reduce your “on-peak” demand (which costs you the most) and are designated as a “grid tied” system. Grid tied systems are designed to feed any excess energy your array makes back into the regular electrical grid and it allows you to still get electricity from the grid if you need more than you produce. Going completely solar takes quite a bit of money and a complete lifestyle change as we are so used to using electricity without any thought. Battery systems are much more expensive and maintenance intensive.
http://www.azsolarguys.com
http://www.azsolarhotwater.com