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| Solar Energy - Green Lifestyle for You |
| Learn about solar energy history and modern solar power technologies. Find solar applications for your home and cool solar gadgets for you. Solar power is an excellant source of clean renewable energy and a perfect "green" choice for your home and your daily needs. |
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| Total Unique Visitors: 142932 |
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| Solar Water Heaters Types |
| 2008-09-15 12:11:29 |
Active indirect solar water heating systemImage credit: www.southface.orgSolar water heaters are also known as solar domestic hot water systems or residential solar water heaters. There are different types of solar water heaters and the choice depends on the temperature required and the climate. Basically, solar water heaters can be either active or passive. Active systems use electric pumps, controls, and other such equipment to circulate water or heat-transfer fluids through the collectors. They also require electric power to activate pumps and/or controls. Passive solar water heating systems require no moving parts and rely on thermodynamics rather than electric power to circulate the household water or a heat-transfer fluid through the system. Passive solar water heaters are the simple...
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| Going Green with a Solar Water Heater |
| 2008-08-24 11:48:47 |
Utilizing energy of the sun to heat water is one of the oldest forms of solar technology available. The first commercial solar hot water heater was patented by Baltimore inventor Clarence Kemp in 1891 (he called his solar water heater the Climax), and since then improvements in performance, design, and level of complexity have made solar water heaters the perfect choice for homeowners looking to go green and create more sustainable home. There are several different types solar water heaters, including those with pumps and those that work passively. Basically, solar water heating systems have two main parts: a hot water storage tank and some type of collector that absorbs solar energy. The most modern solar water heaters mount flush with a home's roof and resemble skylights. Geographic loca...
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| China - a World Leader in the Solar Water Heating Market |
| 2008-08-23 19:07:16 |
A roof-mounted solar water heaterPhoto credit: www.bcsea.orgChina is by far the world's largest producer and consumer of solar water heaters. A basic models of solar water heaters in China are very cheap, starting at around 1,500 yuan (US$190). By 2006, the cumulative installed area of water heating collectors in China hit 100 million square meters, and that is roughly 80 percent of the global solar thermal capacity installed worldwide. But this number corresponds only to 78 sqm of collector surface installed for every 1000 inhabitants, which implies a large margin of market potential. So, although China is the biggest solar thermal producer and market in the world, per capita installations of solar hot water systems are st...
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| "Green Olympics" - Beijing 2008 |
| 2008-08-23 19:02:49 |
Beijing National Stadium - 'Bird's Nest'Photo credit: Guo Lei/XinhuaThe 2008 Summer Olympics in China are in their apogee and they are drawing a lot of attention. Taking into account a massive global audience, the Beijing Olympic organizers are hoping to focus our attention to climate changes and popularize the idea of using eco-friendly technologies. The "Green Olympics" may help change peoples attitudes and set standards for future building projects in China and around the world.The Olympic organizers are trying to make the Olympic Games environmentally friendly and Beijing a model city for using green technologies, zero net emissions and sustainable architecture. As a part of these efforts, more than a quarter of the energy used at Olympic venues is co...
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| Solar-Powered Umbrella - Unique Light for your Patio or Backyard Area |
| 2008-08-11 08:36:25 |
Solar-powered umbrella is an excellent idea and a really cool summer gadget that already exist on the market and you can buy one for your patio, backyard, or garden. This item is great for providing shade during the day and lights for your patio or backyard area at night without adding to your energy bill. During the day, it utilizes and stores energy from the sun in a solar panel located on top of the umbrella. When the sun goes down, the solar patio umbrella lights automatically turn on, proving sophisticated, gentle illumination. It is perfect for those outdoor summer gatherings and romantic dinners. Solar-powered umbrella has a hi-tech solar panel attaches at the finial (top) of the umbrella to power the white LED'...
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| Solar Energy from Saharan Sun Could Power Europe |
| 2008-07-30 09:28:33 |
| Solar thermal parabolic trough power plant;Source: Solar Millennium, TRECAccording to an article published recently in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, EU scientists are working on an ambitious plan to harvest the sun in the Sahara desert in Africa to provide electricity for Europe. Europe needs a lot of electricity, but gets little sun. Vast solar power farms in the Sahara desert could provide clean electricity for the whole of Europe. The EU scientists are calling for the creation of a series of huge solar farms - producing electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the sun's heat to boil water and drive turbines - as part of a plan to share Europe's renewable energy
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| Rotating Skyscraper Powered by Wind and Sun in Dubai |
| 2008-07-30 08:55:24 |
The Italian architect David Fisher said he is ready to start construction on a "Dynamic Tower" skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion". The modern construction, which would be energy self sufficient and cost about 700 million dollars to build, will represent an 80-storey tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape. The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile central column, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the city's skyline and the Persian Gulf. Each floor will rotate independently at different speeds. It will take between one and three hours for the floors to make a complete rotation.Rotating floors are just one of several futuristic fe...
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| Disclaimer |
| 2008-07-25 07:15:01 |
This blog is a personal project and its purpose is to provide and share information regarding solar energy. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within SolarEnergyGreenLifestyleForYou.com is accurate and up to date, no guarantee is offered nor liability accepted for any errors or omissions. SolarEnergyGreenLifestyleForYou.com shall not be held liable, nor be responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this blog. All information is provided 'as is' without express or implied warranty of any kind. If legal or expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Links to other sites are provided as a means ...
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| Solar-powered Tech Chair on the Beach |
| 2008-07-22 07:39:32 |
The solar-powered Tech Chair is definitely an interesting idea thought up by experts from the UK-based computer retailer PC World. It may easily become the summer favorite possession especially for the geeks as it boasts all the essential ports for various gadgets to hook up to while you're lying on the beach and tanning under the summer sun. Keep in mind, however, that you should place all your gadgets in a shaded area or under an umbrella, since the direct exposure to sunlight is incompatible with electronics. The major feature of the chair is that it is solar-powered, harnessing energy from the sun so you can plug in all your gadgets. The overhead shade maker is equipped with solar cells to power the docks for your phone,...
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| Mandatory solar panels in German town of Marburg |
| 2008-06-28 18:47:09 |
The central German town of Marburg is the first in German to make solar panels mandatory for almost all rooftops of private and commercial buildings. The controversial new law requires a solar panel for every new building and every old building that is being renovated. The historical buildings such as the Marburg Castle, Marburg's City Hall, and the Elisabeth Church will be exempt from the requirement. The solar law was approved by the town's council on June 20, and will take effect Oct. 1. According to the law, a 1 square meter (10 square feet) panel must be installed for every 20 square meters (200 square feet) of surface area. Installing the panels could cost homeowners up to €5,000 ($7...
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| Applications of Photovoltaic PV Power Today |
| 2008-06-16 17:53:33 |
PV power, definitely, is not just the energy of the future. Thousands of PV systems are used in the world today for a variety of applications because they can be easily adapted to suit any requirement - large or small. Virtually any power need can be met with photovoltaics, although some are more cost - effective than others. PV cells have been used for many years in our daily lives to power small applications such as watches and pocket calculators. Today there are available numerous small, medium and large-scale PV applications for residential and industrial purposes. This includes PV power plants, stand-alone PV arrays, building-integrated PV systems, PV solar lighting applications, PV water pumps, solar powered cel...
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| First Solar-Powered Speedboat |
| 2008-06-15 12:59:42 |
The world’s first solar-powered speedboat Czeers Credit: CzeersRecently was announced that two Dutch researchers at the Technical University of Delft - Nils Beers and David Czap managed to develop the world's first solar-powered speedboat Czeers MK1. (a combination of their last names makes Czeers, pronounced "Cheers").The speedboat was made from 100% black carbon fiber and covered with 150 square feet (14 square meters) of solar cells. The solar vehicle can approximately reach a top speed of 30 knots (about 35 miles / hour or 55.5 km/ph). The solar powered motor allows the boat to operate quite gentle. The whole décor is luxurious: the boat has a LCD touch-screen control system and a fine leather interior. The approximate price is seven hundred ...
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| What Does Solar Energy Mean? |
| 2008-06-13 07:01:02 |
Let's begin with some basic information about solar energy. Solar energy is one of the three main renewable sources of energy along with hidropower and wind energy. The word “Solar” is the Latin word for “sun”. Solar energy means energy that comes from the sun - heat and light. The sun is our nearest star and like other stars it is a giant gas ball made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. The sun generates energy in its core in a process called nuclear fusion. During nuclear fusion, the sun's extremely high pressure and hot temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei to fuse or combine. Hydrogen nuclei (protons) fuse to create helium-4 atom. But the helium atom is less massive than the proto...
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| Solar Energy: from Sun to Earth |
| 2008-06-13 07:00:44 |
It takes millions of years for the energy in the sun's core to make its way to the solar surface, and then just a little over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles (149,596,000 km) to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth primarily in the form of electromagnetic radiation similar to radio waves, but in a different frequency range.The amount of energy from the sun that reaches Earth each day is enormous. But only a small portion of the energy radiated by the sun into space strikes the earth. About 15 percent of the sun's energy is reflected into space before reaching the earth's surface. Another 30 percent of the energy is used in the planet's heat cycle, evaporation of w...
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| Solar Energy and the Ancient World |
| 2008-06-13 07:00:26 |
Energy from the sun has been used by people for centuries. As early as the 7th century B.C., ancient people used simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they would cause wood to catch fire. The Greeks and Romans use magnifying glasses to burn the sails of enemy ships. It was first applied to use in 212 B.C., by the Greek scientist Archimedes. Solar energy was used to defend the habor of Syracuse (Sicily) against the Roman fleet. Archimedes used a mirror or "burning mirror" as they had called it, to set fire to Rome's wooden ships while standing on shore.From ancient time people have also used solar energy for drying, cooking, heating baths a...
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| Passive Solar, Active Solar and Photovoltaics |
| 2008-06-13 07:00:02 |
There are three different ways to harness the sun's energy: passive solar, using architectural design and natural materials to absorb the sun's energy; active solar, utilizing the sun's heat by means of solar collectors; and a third way in which solar energy can be harnessed is through the use of photovoltaic systems.Passive solar is the capturing and storing the suns' energy - light and heat - without the use of any mechanical devices. As the solar radiation strikes floors, walls, and other objects within the room it is converted to heat. A good example of a passive solar energy system is a greenhouse. Active solar uses devices to collect, store, and circulate heat produced from solar energy. Active solar energy technologies convert sunlight into heat by using a particular energy transfer...
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| Solar Heating Systems |
| 2008-06-13 06:59:36 |
Solar heating can be used to heat the space in homes and buildings or to heat the water. There are two basic types of solar heating systems: passive solar heating and active solar heating. The appropriate use of windows along with building design is called passive solar heating. The buildings can be designed to make the best use of the sun in winter while keeping the heat out in summer. South-facing, large windows, building materials that absorb and retain heat (such as stones and bricks), and efficient airflow are among the design features of a home that takes advantage of passive solar. Active solar heating systems use mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans, to increase the usable heat in a system. The heat is primarily used for heating water in h...
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| Passive Solar Space Heating |
| 2008-06-13 06:59:14 |
Picture: westernwashingtonsolar.comSpace heating means heating the space inside a building. Passive solar space heating relies on incorporating building features that absorb heat and then release it slowly to maintain the temperature within the home. These building features, known as thermal mass, may include large windows, brick walls, and stone flooring. Passive solar heating techniques generally fall into one of three categories: direct gain, indirect gain, and isolated gain. Direct gain is solar radiation that directly passes through the home's windows and is traped in the living space. Direct gain uses classic passive solar design strategy - the sunlight falls directly into the space and is absorbed by an abundance of thermal mass materials. Indirect g...
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| Active Solar Heating |
| 2008-06-13 06:58:52 |
Diagram of a house with a combined solar domestic hot water and space heating system ("combisystem") (www.estif.org)Active solar energy is more complex and requires mechanical devices to capture, store and convert the solar power into other useful forms of energy.Active solar heating generates much more heat than passive systems do. Active solar heating relies strongly on three components: a solar collector to absorb the solar energy, a solar storage system, and a heat transfer system to disperse the heat to the appropriate places in your home. Liquid-based heating systems use a liquid to collect the energy in the solar collector; whereas air-based heating systems absorb the energy through the air. Active solar technologies are used to convert solar energy into useable heat and cause air m...
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| Photovoltaic Cells |
| 2008-06-13 06:57:45 |
Picture: DOE/EEREPhotovoltaic cells (PVs) (also known as "solar cells") work by transforming light that comes from the sun directly into electricity without an intermediate mechanical device or thermal process. The term photovoltaic is derived by combining the Greek word for light, "phos", with the word "voltaic". The term "volt" is a measure of electricity named for Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), a pioneer in the study of electricity. Photovoltaics literally means light-electricity. The basic building unit of PV technology is the photovoltaic cell (PV cell). PV cells are made of a semiconductor material, typically silicon, which is treated chemically. When light hits the cell, a field of electricity is created within the layers causing the electricity to fl...
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| European Solar Days |
| 2008-06-13 06:57:29 |
The First European Solar Days will be celebrated on the 16th and 17th May 2008 with more than 4000 events and will reach thousands of European citizens throughout Europe.The 'Tag der Sonne' was first celebrated in Austria in 2002, and the idea has already been adopted by Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands. In the case of Germany a whole week is dedicated to the campaign. This wonderful idea is now for the first time extended to more countries: France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Norway. In 2009 other countries are expected to join the initiative and the event is planned to be ex-tended throughout Europe in the future. The European Solar Days will bring together major players from the solar thermal and solar photovoltaic electrici...
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| Photovoltaic (PV) History - the Beginning |
| 2008-06-13 06:57:04 |
The effect of light on the electric properties of certain materials was observed way back even before electricity became generally available.In 1839 the nineteen-year-old French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel observed the photovoltaic effect for the first time. Experimenting with metal electrodes in a weak electrolyte or conducting solution (such as salt water) exposed to sunlight, he discovered the appearance of small amounts of electric current.However, Becquerel's discovery couldn't find any practical use and was limited being tagged as an observed phenomenon. The photo conductivity of an element, selenium, was noted by the English electrical engineer Willoughby Smith in 1873 while he was working with Selenium. In 1876 William Grylls Adams* and his student Richard Day, discovered...
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| Photovoltaic History - Key Milestones in the 1900s |
| 2008-06-13 06:56:39 |
Bell Labs engineer testing solar battery in 1954 Credit: Bell Labs website1904 - Albert Einstein published his paper on the photoelectric effect (along with a paper on his theory of relativity). Wilhelm Hallwachs makes a semiconductor-junction solar cell (copper and copper oxide).1914 - The existence of a barrier layer in photovoltaic devices was noted.1916 - Robert Millikan provided experimental proof of the photoelectric effect.1918 - Polish scientist Jan Czochralski developed a way to grow single-crystalsilicon. 1921 - Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize for his theories explaining the photoelectric effect.1932 - Audobert and Stora discover the photovoltaic effect in Cadmium selenide (CdSe), a photovoltaic material still used today.1954 - Bell Labs announces the invention of the ...
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| Photovoltaics and the Space Industry |
| 2008-06-13 06:55:39 |
The International Space Station in December, 2001. Credit: the crew of STS-108, NASAStarting in the 1950s and 60s, the space industry was the first market for photovoltaics. Photovoltaics were light and the "fuel" is both weightless and free for the taking. The high costs were never an issue since money was never a problem with the space industry.In 1954 Bell Laboratories built the first photovoltaic module. It was billed as a solar battery and was mostly just a curiosity as it was too expensive to gain widespread use. Bell Labs used a new process called the Czochralski process to develop the first crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell with an efficiency of about 4 percent. The new technology got the first major commercia...
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| Bringing PV Cells from Space back down to Earth |
| 2008-06-13 06:55:13 |
During the 1960s and early 1970s the use of solar cells in space flourished but down on Earth electricity from the sun seemed not very perspective option. The high costs of the PV cells made them uneconomical for use on the earth where low price is the main factor. In the early 1970's a way to lower to cost of solar cells was discovered. Dr. Elliot Berman, with financial help from Exxon Corporation, designed a significantly less costly solar cell by using a poorer grade of silicon and packaging the cells with cheaper materials. This brought the price down from $100 per watt to around $20 per watt.The energy crises of the 1970s led to a worldwide push for alternative renewable sources of energ...
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| More Key Steps in Photovoltaic History |
| 2008-06-13 06:54:51 |
The world’s most advanced solar-powered airplane Icare Credit: University of Stuttgart, GermanyIn 1955, the first solar-powered automobile was publicly demonstrated in Chicago. It was a 15-inch Sunmobile built by William G. Cobb of the General Motors Corporation. Light energy falling on 12 selenium photoelectric cells created electric current to power a tiny electric motor. The solar automobile was one of 253 free exhibits of the General Motors Powerama, Chicago, Illinois.In 1976 NASA’s Lewis Research Center starts the installation of 83 PV power systems on every continent except Australia.In 1978 was installed the world's first village PV system at Papago Indian Reservation, Schuchuli, Arizona.In 1980 ARCO Solar is the first company to produce more than 1 MW of PV modules in one year....
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| The Flight of Solar-Powered Aircraft Helios |
| 2008-06-13 06:52:25 |
Here is a video showing compilation of test flights of the solar-powered, remotely piloted NASA's Helios aircraft.Helios set out from Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands before 9:00 AM on Monday, August 13, 2001. Just over seven hours later, it reached 96,500 feet. Flying at about 25 miles an hour, the mission lasted nearly 17 hours, landing at 1:43 a.m. August 14, 2001This was the first time a non-rocket powered aircraft has maintained flight this far above the earth. At this altitude above ground the sky is almost black, stars shine in the daytime, and the horizon looks curved.Helios was an ultralight flying wing built by AeroVironment Inc, as a part of NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) pr...
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| Dream Big: Solar Future |
| 2008-06-13 06:51:42 |
Solar energy has captured the human imagination and the news like the previous one about building solar-powered speedboat shows that high quality solar technology exists here and now. The story sounds somewhat distant from the everyday life of the average person since only a few very rich people can afford such a pricey water vehicle. However, I think that all news concerning solar energy are important and they worth to be published not just out of curiosity. Solar-powered aircrafts, solar-powered boats, solar-powered cars, or solar-powered houses - maybe all this still sounds unrealistic, or utopic, or futuristic for many people. But I believe that one day (not so far in the future!), it could be an real and affordable option for all of us. Or at least......
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| Privacy Policy for Solar Energy - Green Lifestyle for You |
| 2008-06-05 06:47:14 |
We respect your privacy and we are committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at our blog addressed http://www.solarenergygreenlifestyleforyou.com/. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Web site.Log FilesLike most standard Web site servers we use log files. This includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses, etc. are not linked to personally identifiable info...
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