Installing a solar power system isn’t as hard as many people may think, however we have made a few solar panels so far and this article is an overview of how to do it properly at the lowest cost. Below are some of the things you need to focus on if you’re looking to make your own solar panel all by yourself.

If you’re a novice in this field you might end up being overwhelmed by all the information that lays everywhere on the Internet. You will need a solid manual that teaches you step-by-step how to put a solar system together without failing, in fact some guides will give you the information you need but aren’t as detailed as they should be. Look for one that contains illustrated diagrams that are easy to comprehend. Some proven records are essential as well as they only reflect the fact that even a DIY novice is able to build their own solar panel with ease without having to get any headaches or even worse give up.

Long story short — lets have a look at what you need to know even before deciding to install a fully functional solar power system that will suit your needs:

1. Understanding how a solar power system works. Even before you go about purchasing all the required parts for your DIY project you need to have a clear overall picture of how a solar power system works and what each part is supposed to do. That is why a solid DIY guide will be necessary, that you can read through to get the main idea before going to your local power parts supplier.

2. Where to buy all the necessary components. Most people might think that building a solar panel is quite costly however not anymore since all the necessary parts don’t cost you more than two hundred dollars. There’s nothing to worry about because a proper guide will not only teach you how to properly install the power system but where to get the best components you’ll need at the lowest price.

3. Installing the power system. This part can only be achieved by following a blueprint. (A guide that has proven to work for others). You need to look for one that has a tech support as well just in case of any troubleshooting. Seriously we were a bit skeptical when we’ve built our first solar panels but it can be done with ease even by a novice and it doesn’t take weeks either.

4. Additional components. Lastly when your system is put in place you’ll need a charge controller to check the amount of electricity that your system is generating and not only but a few storage batteries for the electricity that is not consumed. Everyone should know that a system is incomplete without these two elements (they don’t cost much either)

Now you have an overview of how to install a proper power system that can drastically reduce your energy bills. You might want to find a guide that explains every step in detail including how to generate electricity using wind turbines in the cloudy days right in your own backyard.

Installing a solar power system isn’t as hard as many people may think, however we have made a few solar panels so far and this article is an overview of how to do it properly at the lowest cost. Below are some of the things you need to focus on if you’re looking to make your own solar panel all by yourself.

If you’re a novice in this field you might end up being overwhelmed by all the information that lays everywhere on the Internet. You will need a solid manual that teaches you step-by-step how to put a solar system together without failing, in fact some guides will give you the information you need but aren’t as detailed as they should be. Look for one that contains illustrated diagrams that are easy to comprehend. Some proven records are essential as well as they only reflect the fact that even a DIY novice is able to build their own solar panel with ease without having to get any headaches or even worse give up.

Long story short — lets have a look at what you need to know even before deciding to install a fully functional solar power system that will suit your needs:

1. Understanding how a solar power system works. Even before you go about purchasing all the required parts for your DIY project you need to have a clear overall picture of how a solar power system works and what each part is supposed to do. That is why a solid DIY guide will be necessary, that you can read through to get the main idea before going to your local power parts supplier.

2. Where to buy all the necessary components. Most people might think that building a solar panel is quite costly however not anymore since all the necessary parts don’t cost you more than two hundred dollars. There’s nothing to worry about because a proper guide will not only teach you how to properly install the power system but where to get the best components you’ll need at the lowest price.

3. Installing the power system. This part can only be achieved by following a blueprint. (A guide that has proven to work for others). You need to look for one that has a tech support as well just in case of any troubleshooting. Seriously we were a bit skeptical when we’ve built our first solar panels but it can be done with ease even by a novice and it doesn’t take weeks either.

4. Additional components. Lastly when your system is put in place you’ll need a charge controller to check the amount of electricity that your system is generating and not only but a few storage batteries for the electricity that is not consumed. Everyone should know that a system is incomplete without these two elements (they don’t cost much either)

Now you have an overview of how to install a proper power system that can drastically reduce your energy bills. You might want to find a guide that explains every step in detail including how to generate electricity using wind turbines in the cloudy days right in your own backyard.

Alex

1. INTRODUCTION: FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS

Mankind has recently enhanced its living standard and its population in an explosive way. In fact, the human population quadrupled and primary power consumption increased 16-fold during the 20th century [1]. The consumption of energy, food, and material resources is predicted to increase 2.5 fold in the coming 50 years. As a result of our efforts for better life, we have come to face, in this 21st century, serious global issues threatening our safe life or even our existence itself on our mother planet earth. These are issues such as global warming, environmental degradation, declining nutrition on land and sea from rising CO2, and rapid decrease of fossil reservoir. Since the living standard and the population of developing countries are increasing continuously, the demand of energy will be several times larger than that of today’s requirement by the time of the half way of this century.

In 2000, the world had 6.1 billion human inhabitants. This number could rise to more

than 9 billions in the next 50 years as shown in Fig.-1. This future population increase is mostly due to very rapid increase in less developed countries although the number in more developed countries will be almost constant (about 1 billion) or rather decrease [2].

Fig.-1 World Population Prospects [2]

The explosive increase in the human population inevitably requires an exponential increase in the consumption of energy, food, and material resources. One primary power source at present comes from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. However, the fossil fuels have two serious factors which prevent them from being used for a long term as primary power source. One is their limited amount that does not last long if used with the same or higher pace than that of today (Fig.-2). The other is their negative feature of emitting carbon dioxide, one of the green house gases, which causes the global warming.

Fig.- 2 Pattern of Global Energy Dependence [3]

Fig.-3 Atmospheric carbon dioxide monthly mean mixing ratios. Data prior to May 1974 are from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO, blue), date since May 1974 are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, red). A long term trend curve is fitted to the monthly mean values [4]

Atmospheric CO2 has increased from 275 parts per million (ppm) before the industrial era begun to 379 ppm in March 2004 as shown in Fig.-3. Some scientists suggest that it will pass 550 ppm this century. Climate models and paleoclimate data indicate that 550 ppm, if sustained, could eventually produce global warming comparable in magnitude but opposite in sign to the global cooling of the last Ice Age [5].

Global energy demand continues to grow along with worldwide concerns over fossil fuel pollution, the safety of nuclear power and waste, and the impact of carbon-burning fuels on global warming. As a result sustainable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, ocean thermal, tidal power etc are drawing prime attention, out of which solar power is the most promising one. Terrestrial solar power has too many limitations like atmospheric attenuation, daily and seasonal variation, and affects by climate conditions etc. To overcome these limitations concept of Solar Power from Space is getting momentum, which was first proposed by Czech-American engineer Peter Glaser as a solution to the oil crises of the 1970s [6]. Solar Power from Space is a proposed concept to place a gigantic solar power station in space orbiting around the earth that uses microwave power transmission to beam solar power to a very large antenna on earth where it can be used in place of conventional power sources.

2. SPACE SOLAR POWER (SSP) vs TERRESTRIAL SOLAR POWER (TSP)                   

The SSP concept arose because space has several major advantages over earth for the collection of solar power. Space is free from day-night cycle, atmosphere, clouds, dust, rain, fog and other climatic changes, so it would receive 30% more intense and at least eight times more sunlight than that of at ground constantly and continuously unaffected by the weather. In geosynchronous orbit it would receive sunlight almost 24 hours a day hence avoiding the expensive storage facilities necessary for earth-based solar power systems.  Since earth’s axis is tilted, it would be in earth’s shadow only for 70 minutes maximum at late night when power demands are at their lowest, during 42 days near the equinoxes [7] as shown in Fig.-5.

Fig.-5 Daily duration of eclipses as a function of the date [7]

3. SSP: SYSTEM DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES

The SSP system is composed of a space segment and a ground power receiving site (Fig.-6). Space segment consists of mainly three parts; solar energy collector to convert the solar energy into DC (Direct Current) electricity, DC-to-microwave converter, and large antenna array to beam down the microwave power to the ground. Ground power receiving site uses a device called rectenna (rectifying antenna) to receive and rectify the microwave power beam. The rectenna system converts the microwave power back to DC power which is then converted to conventional AC (Alternating Current), and is connected to existing electric power networks.

Assuming typical values for efficiencies like 15% for solar panels to convert solar energy into DC, 70% conversion rate in the space segment from DC to microwave, 90% beam (power) collection efficiency, and 80% conversion rate for rectenna from microwave to DC in ground segment, the estimated over-all efficiency is approximately 7.5 %. With such efficiency a SSP space segment would be of size of about 50 km2 (5 km x 10 km) to generate 5 GW DC power on earth (Fig.-6).

Fig.-6 : Reference Model: 5 GW GEO based Space Solar Power Station Designed by US Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA in 1979 [8]

3.1 -SOLAR CELL: EFFICIENT STRUCTURES

In the very near future, breakthroughs in nanotechnologies promise significant increase in solar cell efficiencies from current 15% values to over 50% levels. That might decrease required size of space segment by about 3 fold. Author proposes Metal-Metal junction cavity solar cell which theoretically promises to increase solar-electric conversion efficiency many folds.

A cavity of metal m2 (work function W2) with thin polish of metal m1 (work function W1, W1 <W2 , Fig.-7) on inner surface, with a pin hole is kept at the focus of the solar concentrator coinciding the pinhole and focus. Pinhole is covered with transparent glass to protect inner polish of cavity from atmospheric reaction. Such cavity behaves as metal-metal junction solar cell (termed as M-M cavity solar cell) with various features (described below) leading to enhancement of solar-electric conversion efficiency.

·  The major loss in usual structures is the reflection loss (about 30%) but in M-M cavity solar cell once ray enters in cavity, undergoes multiple inner reflecti

s.sankar
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/energy-compensation-using-solar-power-stations-in-space-685742.html

Two solar power technologies exist, the passive and the active technology. The passive technology are the photocell panels or the photovoltaic film that receives sunlight and generates electricity more apt for a space station or a home. The active technology is a solar thermal that uses a dish to concentrate sunlight that produces steam, which in turn powers a turbine that generates electricity. Another active technology, which is not being promoted, hidden form public view, is using the Stirling Engine to move a power generator.

The passive technology is ready to go, and there are a few homes that have already installed the system. This system is totally clean, backed by the USDOE Solar American Initiative, it requires sufficient space on the roof to position the panels or film, and uses an inverter to turn direct current into alternate current homes can use. The Utility companies have also developed the Net Metering system to buy electricity on their terms, from homes that have generate a surplus of electricity. The new federal tax law “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008″ effective January 2009 provides a 30% tax credit of the cost of a solar system. Some States are also providing large incentives to install solar systems, although with the current economic crisis these paybacks can be curtailed or delayed. The rest of the payback has to come from real savings generated over time by the system from the Utility company. This passive solar system is expensive as of today, and payback is obtained in 8 years of savings. Photovoltaic film or photocell panels are low efficiency and voltage, and compare badly with the option of buying electricity from the utility company. Currently you require from 13 to 15 photocell panels to generate the 2.5 to 3.0 Kilowatt hours generating capacity.

Walmart has established a pilot plan to install photovoltaic panels in several of their stores. If the system produces a return, they will massively implement it in all their stores, since they have sufficient roof space currently not utilized.

The Solar-thermal system is not adequate for homes and mainly will be used for large Utility companies. However, the active system based on a Stirling engine to power a generator which could be applicable for homes, is not available for massive distribution. Although all of its components have been developed, no one has yet integrated the solar power generating kit, or a home appliance. This home system or appliance should be very low cost because it requires: a solar collector or dish which could cost around $200 USD, a stiriling engine with a cost of $350, the 3 KW per hour power generator with a cost of $350, and the battery bank which is the expensive ticket item and could run several thousand dollars, to store electricity if the system is a stand alone not tied to the power grid. If the home is currently supplied by a utility company, then the battery bank is not needed and the Net Metering system with the public utility company can be used. In addition to the sun collector dish the rest of the system can be packaged in two boxes. One which has the stiriling engine and power generator, and the other with the battery if you are a location not tied to the grid. It can also have a gas heater installation as a backup to when there is a lack of sunlight making this a very reliable alternative.

Apparently, there are companies in America, New Zealand, India, Sweden, and other countries trying to develop the stiriling engine . A few companies are receiving funding from investment funds to develop the stiriling engine for this home appliance. Infinia Corporation, a US company has a head start, because they are currently producing a big sterling engine to power up 10 homes at a time and installing many of them in a centralized solar farm in California. Other companies should not be discouraged because markets are so huge, there will be enough room for all suppliers. Just in United States alone there is a potential of 124 million homes that could use the solar power appliance, plus commercial and industrial sites.

Having the home powering appliance, can be the initial steps for returning to sustainable systems. Today, the sun is light and warmth, provided to us from God and Nature, free for all of us to use and enjoy. A home solar powered generator would provide clean energy, and allow equal footing to all nations rich and poor, to devote their funding into other worthwhile social services such as health and education. Rich nations which have electrical grids and power generation capacity would suddenly feel there would be no need to continue increasing Power generation capacities and hopefully they would discontinue all those plants that contaminate. Please see Poverty generation:  http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/poverty-and-the-new-world-order-809385.html

Juan Trevino
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-power-technologies-on-hold-673269.html

You can convert your home into solar power. By using solar system to generate electricity does make your home stand out. Solar energy or renewable energy can help you to save your electricity cost by 60% annually. A single house with 2 solar systems is sufficient for daily power usage. But the problem is a solar power system cost more than $1000. In this article I will show you the way of how you can get a home-made solar system for less than $200.

Earth 4 Energy is a website which offers a web-based program teaches how to build a home-made renewable energy generator. A solar power is enough to produce electricity for 3 heaters. It is also depend on the size of the solar plate. Each house should need at least a 2 kilowatt solar power system. The exceeding of electricity which isn’t use can be sold to a local power utility company.

2 meters are required to record the solar power which being used and another to record how much electricity did the solar system generated. As a result the electricity cost is less than $10 per month which reduces the utility expense by 60%. So you won’t have to worry about how much you have to pay for the bill. A solar system not only helps to keep the environment green but save a lot of money for you. As mentioned earlier, a solar system is costly. Earth 4 Energy is a D.I.Y. home-made solar system the program show you how to build a solar power device for less than $200. In fact you can buy parts from your local store or on the internet.

The program offers an instruction manual and videos show you how to build the system in detail. The process is explained in basic steps. The program is designed for people who have no basic knowledge about renewable power system and does not based on technical content. An experienced person can use the program for new ideas and tweak their skills. Earth 4 Energy offers a cost-effective way to build home-made renewable energy system for every household.

Let me show you how to successfully create a solar system for less than $200

Jonathan Valentine
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/earth-4-energy-review-can-earth-for-energy-really-convert-your-home-to-solar-power-692579.html

You can convert your home into solar power. By using solar system to generate electricity does make your home stand out. Solar energy or renewable energy can help you to save your electricity cost by 60% annually. A single house with 2 solar systems is sufficient for daily power usage. But the problem is a solar power system cost more than $1000. In this article I will show you the way of how you can get a home-made solar system for less than $200.

Earth 4 Energy is a website which offers a web-based program teaches how to build a home-made renewable energy generator. A solar power is enough to produce electricity for 3 heaters. It is also depend on the size of the solar plate. Each house should need at least a 2 kilowatt solar power system. The exceeding of electricity which isn’t use can be sold to a local power utility company.

2 meters are required to record the solar power which being used and another to record how much electricity did the solar system generated. As a result the electricity cost is less than $10 per month which reduces the utility expense by 60%. So you won’t have to worry about how much you have to pay for the bill. A solar system not only helps to keep the environment green but save a lot of money for you. As mentioned earlier, a solar system is costly. Earth 4 Energy is a D.I.Y. home-made solar system the program show you how to build a solar power device for less than $200. In fact you can buy parts from your local store or on the internet.

The program offers an instruction manual and videos show you how to build the system in detail. The process is explained in basic steps. The program is designed for people who have no basic knowledge about renewable power system and does not based on technical content. An experienced person can use the program for new ideas and tweak their skills. Earth 4 Energy offers a cost-effective way to build home-made renewable energy system for every household.

Let me show you how to successfully create a solar system for less than $200

Jonathan Valentine
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/earth-4-energy-review-can-earth-for-energy-really-convert-your-home-to-solar-power-692579.html

Many people today are unaware of why and when you should use renewable energy sources in today’s world. The main reason for using natural energy is mainly down to the environment, and if you care to improve the quality of it. But with many viable energy sources out there, which one you choose can be a nightmare to decide upon.

Before you set off to purchase lets say, a couple of solar panels, you should take a look at the other technologies available to decide which is most appropriate for your environment. For example, solar panels may not be of much use near the poles, put a hefty, durable wind turbine would love to sit up there and spin round and round all day.

You don’t have to be a genius to discover that solar panels work best near the equator and reduce in efficiency, the further away you travel from the equator. So, if you live nearer the poles than the equator, you should choose a wind turbine right? Wrong!!!!

Wind turbines could be placed anywhere on our globe (where the land can support them) and still generate hardly any power whatsoever. It all depends on the surrounding environment, for instance, if you build a home wind turbine in your backyard, you could be very disappointed, unless you were the only house in the most common wind direction. What we mean by this is, if there are many houses surrounding your house, they will block most of the winds power and your turbine will probably just spin round at a very slow speed (assuming its windy), and this doesn’t generate the power you require.

However, if you live in the country and place a turbine in your backyard, you are more likely to generate a larger output of electricity. So the answer is buy one if you live in the countryside? Wrong again!!!

If there are large hills, forests or mountains nearby, these too can greatly reduce the winds power. Before purchasing a wind turbine you should definitely either do research yourself into the surrounding are, or hire a professional to do a survey. If your house is surrounded by other houses, dense tree plantations, hills, or mountains, (presuming they are blocking the path of the average wind direction), you should consider looking into solar cells or even a geothermal system to heat your home.

For more information on wind turbines, why not take a look here: http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/wind_turbines.html

James Bratley
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/when-you-should-choose-wind-turbines-over-solar-panels-106306.html

Thanks to the advent of alternative power, no longer must we rely on depleting the planet of its natural resources, burning fossil fuels that cause pollution of the atmosphere, depletion of the ozone layer, can potentially be unstable (as in nuclear energy), and continues to increase in cost year after year. The main sources of alternative power are the following:

• energy producing crops: synthetic biofuels and direct combustion;
• wind power and power from waves and tides;
• hydroelectric (water) power;
• solar power: heat and electricity;
• heat power: from man-made and natural waste products and from the making of synthetic bio-fuels;

By definition, an energy resource is renewable if it is replaced at a rate equal to or faster than the rate at which it is consumed. Renewable energy is therefore also considered sustainable energy, since it will continue to be available in unending supply even as it’s being utilized. Renewable energy has also been given the moniker alternative energy in reference to the alternative it offers to conventional, non-renewable sources.

Renewable energy can be utilized in one of two ways:

• directly: as in water mills, windmills, solar ovens, geothermal heating;
• indirectly: using the renewable resources to create other sources of power, either as fuels (biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas) or by generating electricity (wind turbines, solar panels).

Before renewable energy replaces the conventional sources of power that we’re used to (ie. public utility grid power), it will take years of research and development, continually studying, experimenting, improving, and innovating. The study of renewable energy, its applications and repercussions is concerned with environmental, economical, social, and political factors.

The reasons for switching from conventional, non-renewable energy to renewable energy are vast and varied, and the list grows larger every day. Among them are:

• it has a small to nil environmental impact with little to no harmful emissions, as a result supporting and protecting our natural ecosystem for future generations to enjoy;

• supplementing utility power with renewable power allows you a precious and invaluable backup system in the case of emergencies such as power outages and shortages;

• once a renewable energy system is installed, the energy costs a consistent amount to use year-round - as opposed to utilities that fluctuate in price throughout the year based on seasonal as well as socio-political factors;

• it is “distributed” energy, or energy that is used in the same location where it is produced - this cuts down considerably on transportation and distribution costs;

• many local and state governments as well as the federal government offer incentives in the form of tax breaks for the production and use of renewable energies;

• if you produce more power using renewable resources than you need for your own personal use, you can actually sell that power back to the utility companies in a program called “net metering”.

To complete a truly well-rounded discussion on renewable energy, there must be equal time given to its drawbacks as to its benefits. The most prevalent concerns about the long-term viability of renewable energies are that it is extremely dependent on numerous climactic factors and that it is considered “diluted” energy in that much more is needed to generate much less power. These so-called drawbacks, however, are no reason not to continue a fervent pursuit of incorporating renewable energy usage into more and more parts of our everyday lives. They are only to keep us present to the issues we must address in order to make a widespread switch to renewable energies a viable reality.

Michelle Bery
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/a-primer-on-alternative-power-139018.html

Despite the fact that the Ukrainian Constitution declared Ukraine to be a unitary state, the country has an autonomous region to the south. This autonomous region is Crimea. The Crimea peninsula is very different in both economic and political terms when compared to the other regions in Ukraine. But the Crimean power industry and its problems closely resemble many countries that soon regretted their hasty decisions on shutting down nuclear generation projects.

The local electricity output in Crimea accounts for less than ten percent of the total electricity generation, and the peninsula could not possibly satisfy its own demand for power. Crimea receives electricity generated by the Ukrainian mainland power stations, transmitted along four lines to the region. These transmission lines are:

• 330 kV Melitopol - Simferopol. – Major line that provides about 350-450 MW and covers up to forty percent of autumn-winter peak power demand in Crimea

• 330 kV Kakhovka - Krasnoperekopsk -Dzhankoi.

• 330 kV Kakhovka - Dzhankoi.

• 220 kV Kakhovka - Ostrovskoye.

Their total transmission capacity is limited to less than 1.3 GW, whereas the maximum demand for electrical power in Crimea was about 1.5 GW in 1993.

As can be seen, the first-mentioned line is overloaded and the next three pass through Kakhovka. The Kakhovka lines from time to time face threat of flooding from water storage formerly intended for servicing the Crimean Soda Plant. In some cases, the transmission poles are only 40-50 meters from the affected areas. The poles have been in service for periods ranging between 20 and 40 years, and are said to have very low margins of safety. Should anything happen to any single pole, then Crimea would suffer a severe electricity shortage.

When it was part of the former USSR, Crimea tried to solve the energy supply problem through implementation of the Energy City Project in Scholkino, where three power plants (nuclear, wind and solar) were planned. More than a quarter of century has passed since construction of the nuclear power plant commenced (1976), and eighteen years since construction was terminated in 1989. The former USSR government invested about 550 mln. rubles or more in the project, i.e. around US$600 in prices of 1980/84. The 4GW project, as in many countries, fell victim to environmental concerns. Many nuclear power experts said that this plant would be able to allow Crimea to develop its power industry, and that the water moderated reactors in rigid housings posed no serious threat to the environment.

However, the nuclear power plant was put up for sale, and Crimea entered a lingering period of electricity deficit. Many Crimeans suffered a fall in the standard of living not only because of dissolution of the Soviet Union, but also because of continuous energy deficit.

Environmentalists fought for the alternative solar and wind plants. The solar power plant at Scholkino first generated electricity in September 1985, but was shut down forever in September 1994. Its mirrors are now almost incapable of reflecting light. During its nine years of operation, the solar plant generated 2GWh of electricity, although the project was supposed to ensure an annual output of 5.6GWh.

The wind power plant is currently under construction. Of the 20 turbine towers planned, the 12 towers of the Aktash wind power plant have already been built. The plant at Aktash has a total capacity of 4MW, and it will be a constituent part of the Eastern Crimea Wind Power System, which is due to have hundreds of turbine towers to generate 500MW for the Crimea Grid. Eleven turbine towers are installed in Donuzlav. Provision has been made for the installation of turbine towers in the Arabat and Sudak sites. A 1.2 MW windmill was commissioned at Saki in 2006. The activity around the wind and solar power projects may give some greens comfort to think Crimea will be energy sufficient in the nearest future, but that is nothing short of self-delusion when you decide to compare wind and solar figures with the real demand for electricity.

The central Ukrainian government has decided to tackle the problem by improving the transmission capacity from mainland Ukraine to Crimea and by increasing local generation capacity to 400 MW over the coming four years. Today, the electricity demand and consumption are actually much lower than those in early 1990s, but the consumption increased by 30 percent in 2006 and is expected to exceed its historical maximum of 9 TWh in 2010 without considering any sizable investment into the Crimean resort industry. On the other hand, the Crimean authorities are planning to build a large network of medium-quality hotels in the near future. What will environmentalists say in 2010s, when all the air conditioners in the Crimean hotels will work in the summer and heaters in the winter?

Vyacheslav Melnik
http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/nuclear-power-regains-respect-among-ukrainians-108966.html

Renewable electric power is beginning to soar. The current surge of activity, which has been accelerating over the last few years, is driven by several factors: high fuel prices; ongoing improvements in renewable power technologies; and increasing political support, which grows out of concern about energy security and climate change.

Although renewable power is still generally more expensive than electricity generated from fossil fuels, the cost of renewables has declined significantly. Moreover, energy investment decisions are increasingly made not solely on an economic basis, but with environmental and sociopolitical considerations factored in as well.

It’s taken a long time to get here. Three decades and $30 billion of research funded by the United States and other industrial countries have gone into renewables, along with billions more from the private sector. The effort has been marked by booms-and-busts, ups-and-downs in research funding, disappointment and long dry periods. But after languishing for many years on the fringe, renewable power is now headed into the mainstream.

Renewable power technologies generate electricity using natural regenerating resources such as sunlight, wind and waves. Traditional renewable power technologies include hydro, geothermal and biomass. Familiar to most people, hydro power involves the use of dams and running water to drive electric turbines.

Geothermal systems capture steam and hot water in geologic reservoirs to generate electricity. Biomass plants burn forest products and agricultural residues to produce steam to accomplish the same. These traditional renewable power technologies account for more than 90 percent of global renewable power capacity and are growing at a modest pace.

The menu is being widened with more exotic technologies. Concentrated solar power plants use mirrors to focus sunlight and boil a fluid to produce steam to drive a turbine. Enhanced geothermal systems produce electricity with steam made from water that is injected into the earth and heated by contact with hot rocks. Biomass gasification plants turn biomass into a gas that can be used in a combined-cycle generator. These technologies have great potential, but are still developmental.

Wind turbines and solar photovoltaic (PV) cells occupy the middle ground between the traditional renewable power sources of today and the promising technologies of tomorrow. Although both wind and solar PV have been commercially available for decades, these technologies have matured over the last thirty years due to ongoing research and accumulated know-how. They are now experiencing rapid market growth.

The big winner so far is wind. Global wind power capacity has tripled since 2000 and reached nearly 75 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2006. This is still small-less than two percent of total world capacity-but it is enough to meet the annual electric needs of nearly 20 million U.S. households.

Germany, the United States, Spain, India and Denmark have the largest installed wind base, but in 2006, North America saw the fastest growth. In the U.S., nearly 3 GW of new wind turbines were installed last year, with overall wind capacity breaking 10 GW along the way. U.S. wind growth was fueled by a federal tax credits and state renewable portfolio standard programs, which require utilities to purchase a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources.

At the same time, continuing technological advances are being made in the design and operations of windmills.

Asia is emerging as a center of growth for both wind energy use and wind turbine manufacturing capacity. Over 3 GW of new capacity was installed in Asia in 2006, the bulk in China and India. This came as a result of policies supporting renewables, such as China’s new Renewable Energy Law, which requires 5 percent of China’s electric capacity to be renewables-based by 2010. India is the world’s fourth-largest wind power market, thanks to sustained government support for the sector.

Solar PV is hot, too. It works by converting sunlight directly into electricity using semiconducting materials such as polysilicon. Global solar PV installations have grown by an average annual rate of 35 percent over the last five years. Germany, Japan and the U.S. are the leaders in solar PV use, combining to account for 85 percent of the global installed base of more than 6 GW. PV installations in the U.S. grew by over 20 percent last year due to the expansion of federal and state support.

Solar PV is also on the rise in Asia, particularly in China, which is positioned to emerge as one of the world’s largest solar PV manufacturers and consumers over the next several years.

The surge in wind and solar PV over the last several years is creating its own obstacles. The wind industry is currently struggling with turbine component shortages. These shortages have driven up the installed cost of wind turbines from as low as $1,100 per kilowatt a few years ago to $1,500 or higher today-if you can find them.

Polysilicon demand from PV manufacturers is now greater than demand from the semiconductor business, and there is simply not enough silicon production capacity today to meet these twin sources of demand.

This has created a shortage and driven up prices. Polysilicon prices exceeded $100 per kilogram in 2006, up from $35 per kilogram a few years ago. These shortages are expected to persist until 2008, when new wind turbine component and silicon manufacturing capacity comes on line. In the meantime, technologists are seeking to find ingenious ways to innovate around these shortages.

The rapid growth in renewable power has been accompanied by an associated increase in investment. According to New Energy Finance, investment in clean energy reached $70 billion in 2006, up from $50 billion in 2005. Venture capitalists are now focusing on this sector as well. According to the Cleantech Venture Network, the North American venture capital community invested $758 million in wind and solar startups in 2006, a threefold increase from 2005.

Policy uncertainty and fossil fuel prices are among the biggest threats to renewable power in the short and medium terms. Renewable power options have yet to achieve cost parity with fossil fuel sources, although some wind projects are competitive today in favorable sites with abundant wind resources and tax incentives.

Solar PV still has a way to go, with current costs of PV-generated power approximately five times those of electricity from a natural gas plant. As a result, wind and solar must rely upon robust and stable government supports to fuel industry growth. But renewable power policies can be just as intermittent as the wind and sun themselves.

Although recent events have spurred strong support for incentives and renewable power targets, declining fossil fuel prices could make such policies less tenable. Especially important is what happens to natural gas prices and whether and when a price is put on carbon emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants.

When considering the future prospects for renewables, perspective is important. Despite their recent rapid growth, wind and solar together account for just two percent of global power generation capacity. Even with a continuation of the strong growth seen in recent years, wind and solar are likely to account for less than five percent of global capacity a decade from now.

Moreover, there are questions as to how renewables will interface with existing technologies and infrastructure.

But by the middle of the next decade, as wind and solar PV continue to grow-and as concentrated solar power, advanced biomass and geothermal technologies become increasingly competitive-renewables can begin to make a more significant impact in global power markets. Indeed, it is likely that renewable power will continue to grow at a rapid rate, given the prospect for continued technology improvements and the likelihood that climate change and energy security will remain important concerns.

Daniel Yergin
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/renewable-electric-power-takes-off-133017.html

It is no secret that the sun can be harnessed to provide a source of energy for homes and businesses.

The sun is a powerful star. It supplies us with energy, through a process called nuclear fusion, and sustains life on our planet Earth. Solar energy, or energy from the sun, has existed since prehistoric times when men would magnify the sun’s energy in efforts to start fires.

The sun is a valuable resource that radiates enough energy on the United States in one day to meet the nation’s needs for one and a half years. Since it is a free, clean and renewable source of energy, it is an energy source that will play a vital role in our future.

Using the sun’s energy for our energy source seems like an easy solution to having an energy supply forever. Harnessing the suns energy is where the problem lies. The sun’s rays shine all over the world and not in just one spot. Although it takes only 8 minutes for sunlight to travel to the earth, trying to catch the rays over such a wide area can prove to be tricky. Also, the energy in any one given place will vary due to factors, such as, clouds and weather conditions.

The history of using solar energy began in 1890’s when solar water heaters were used in the United States. Solar water heating requires a storage collector and a storage tank. Flat plate solar collectors are mounted on rooftops. Pipes carrying water are pumped through these collectors. The tubes are painted black so they will get hot quicker. As the heat is collected the fluid in the tubes get heated. A storage tank holds the hot liquid. This helps with central heating and cutting fuel costs. Solar heaters became popular when natural gas was expensive and burning wood and coals were burdensome. It’s popularity diminished with the discovery of an abundance of natural gas and oil deposits. Now they are making a comeback to replace the depleting fossil fuels that had taken its place.

Solar energy can be in the form of heat energy or light energy. The technology of photovoltaic, or PV as it is commonly called, converts the suns energy into electric currents through the use of solar cells. These electric currents can be used instantaneously or stored for later use. The PV cells consist of pieces of silicon under a thin piece of glass. They have both a positive and negative charge. Simple examples of this are the solar powered calculators that are common today. More complex examples are solar panels placed on roofs. This consists of using thin film solar cells as rooftop shingles, roof tiles, and even glazing for skylights. Unfortunately, the cells generate only about one sixth of the sun’s energy into electricity. This means bigger arrays are needed and along with this come larger costs.

Solar thermal power plants use the sun to heat fluid, which in turn, is transferred into steam similar to fossil fuel burning plants. The steam is transformed into mechanical energy in a turbine and electrical energy from a generator. The downfall is solar plants cannot produce energy on cloudy days.

It is expected the next few years will see millions of households using solar energy. As research continues and processes improve, using our sun as a renewable energy source will produce efficiency and cost savings. So, let the sun shine in and take full advantage of this warm energy source where you live.

Matthew Hick
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-renewable-energy-sun-power-103549.html