Solar power has long been a minor power source compared to mighty oil. As oil prices rise and conflicts occur in oil countries, perhaps the issue needs to be revisited.

Solar vs. Oil

The industrial revolution was built on the back of oil and coal. There is no denying that solar played no part whatsoever. This is particularly true since solar cells were not invented until the 1950s! That being said, it appears indisputable that we have reached or are approaching a new debate about how we deal with our insatiable thirst for power.

At first glance, the mere mention of a comparison of solar to oil as an energy source sounds laughable. It is laughable when we are talking about large scale energy production, but the tide is turning.

In a comparison of solar to oil, solar power has numerous advantages. The power source for solar, the sun, is free. Solar is available as a resource in every country, regardless of location, economic strength and so on since the sun shines everywhere. The process of converting sunlight into electricity or heating produces no greenhouse gases. Whether you believe in global warming or not, solar still is advantageous in that it doesnt produce pollution. If you live in a big city, you know how much pollution is in the air. You can often see it!

Flipping the coin, oil has some serious advantages over solar. We have already developed technology to efficiently convert oil to power. The cost of converting industry, vehicles and such to solar or any other power source would be huge. Oil also has an advantage in that it is easier to use in a wide variety of applications, such as vehicles. One simply cant power a vehicle with solar power, not on a practical level. Finally, it is easier to use oil to provide power to massive energy platforms, such as electricity for New York City.

For large scale energy needs, oil is still a superior choice to solar as an energy resource. The technology simply does not exist to provide solar energy solutions for vehicles, national electrical grid systems and so on. Advancements in solar technology, however, may be changing this fact in the very near future. Technologies such as quantum dots, essentially microscopic solar panels that could exist in the paint on your home, may make oil a thing of the past.

For now, oil remains the backbone upon which our energy needs sit. In the next 5, 10 or 20 years, however, new technological applications may change this. Dont believe me? Then consider the fact oil companies such as Chevron are investing heavily in solar companies.

Americans love rebates. Whether rebates are offered on computers, software, cars or whatever, we snatch them up. If your considering going solar, youll be happy to hear rebates are available.

Solar Rebates

As most people know, a rebate is a give back by a company in exchange for the purchase of their product. Rebates usually come in the form of money if you send in a coupon, but can also come in the form of upgrades and add-ons.

The solar technology industry is so thick with rebate programs it is hard to see the forest for the trees. You can expect to find rebates being issued by the manufacturer of a product, the federal government, your state government and possibly even your country and town or city. In many locations, the local utility company may also give you a rebate on your bill for going solar. No other source or product line has as many rebates as the solar industry. Why? Because solar represents one of the cleanest and cheapest energy sources in our country. The powers that be want to promote it for monetary and environmental reasons, not to mention providing some relief to our overtaxed national electric grid system.

Buy down rebates are the most voluminous in the solar industry. With a buy down, a government agency will pay for a percentage of the solar platform you purchase. The specific amount of the buy down depends on factors such as what the platform is used for and the amount of electricity it produces. Trust me, your local solar vendor will be able to tell you in detail about the rebate since it is a good sales technique.

When investigating rebates for your solar purchase, it is important that you dont stop at the first program. If a state has one rebate program, it will often have as many as eight others. You can often qualify for three of four, which can cut your initial costs by as much as fifty percent.

With increasing fossil fuel prices, solar is becoming a popular option. If you have a solar project in mind, the first thing you have to determine is whether you should build it yourself.

Solar Projects Should You Do Them Yourself?

In the late 70s, the world suffered through an oil crisis. Oil dependant countries reacted by investing in renewable energy strategies with the goal of reducing the impact of future problems. While the United States dropped this strategy after the end of the crisis, many other countries continued to pursue it. Germany, for instance, produces a sizeable amount of its electrical needs through wind and solar power. Norway produces all of its need through hydropower. As oil prices rise, we are paying for not continuing to pursue renewable energy. Fortunately, much of the technology developed in other countries is readily available in the United States.

Building and installing solar platforms, whether active panels or passive window systems, is a fairly uncomplicated task if you have basic construction knowledge. There are two distinct types of solar approaches, but only one should be pursued as a do it yourself project.

The first type is active solar, which uses panels to create electricity for heating or to heat water. In general, you should consider having a contractor install these systems. Federal and state governments offer massive rebates and tax savings if you use active solar systems instead of drawing off the electrical grid. These rebates, however, usually require a licensed contractor do the installation. While there are exceptions, you dont want to miss out on $4,000 to $10,000 in potential savings. From a financial perspective, it simply isnt worth it.

The second type of solar platform is known as passive. The government doesnt kick you any rebates or tax incentives for this platform, so it makes a perfect project for those that like to get their hands dirty. These projects are all about orienting your home or structure to take advantage of the plentiful sunlight that hits it each day. The idea is to let the sunlight in on the south side of your home, let it heat up thermal mass materials such as masonry and then circulate the heat through the home. Yes, it works in the winter.

These projects rarely require you to have any special knowledge beyond that which you would get from basic home improvement construction experience. The trick is in the orientation of the home, the placement of windows and the materials used. It is fairly simple and can save you a ton of money on your utility bills.

In summary, you should almost always use a contractor if panels are part of your system. If you are going for a non-active system, break out the hammer and get after it.

Solar power is the power extracted from the suns energy, which is the sunlight. As the sun provides us sunlight for free, solar power itself too is a renewable, clean and environment friendly source of energy. With rising concerns about depleting fossil fuels and rise in air pollution, the use of solar power as an alternative source of energy is fast gaining popularity. By harnessing and using solar power at home, it is possible to cut down the cost of power bills and extensive use can even make one totally independent in terms of power requirement. This is mainly because sunlight is available for free almost round the year and the best part is that solar panels and other such solar equipments require little maintenance.

But now, one million dollar question arises- that is why, in spite of so many benefits, are people using solar power only sparingly? The answer to this question lies in the fact that the solar powers are largely inefficient. To counter this problem, bigger panels have to be installed and this makes using them cumbersome. Also, some people prefer not to mess with the aesthetic beauty of their houses. Also, the solar panels do not come very cheaply. Moreover, there is the inherent problem of unable to work at night and providing very little power during cloudy days.

With the depletion of fossil fuels, the scientific community has been urged to understand the urgent need to consider upgrading of existing solar panel technology. Now, with continued research and development in those areas, the solar power systems have undergone drastic changes. They have figured out how to make cheaper solar panels and also improve their efficiency.

One of the major milestones achieved in the solar power technology is the invention of photovoltaic cells. They have gone a long way to reducing the size and increasing the efficiency of the solar panels. In a solar panel, the photovoltaic cells are placed on a steel substrate. Each cell is capable of capturing various spectrums of sunlight. The solar photovoltaic panels have overlapped layering of the cells which makes them an efficient source of producing power. The new solar photovoltaic panels use amorphous silicon thin alloy technology.

This solar photovoltaic panel based on the new technology is not that bulky and can be easily placed on the roof of houses. It is many times more efficient than a regular solar panel. Moreover, they dont look that bad and can be easily implemented without affecting the overall looks of a building.

Another milestone in the road of solar technology is the invention of photovoltaic shingles. They are basically nothing but solar panels which are modified and made into shingles. Photovoltaic shingles can be used as a convenient and aesthetic substitute for large and bulky solar panels. They are implemented in the roofs of houses as normal shingles. They are usually black colored and have the appearance of normal shingles. And they serve the dual purposes of adoring your house as well as harnessing solar power and converting it into electricity for your use. Moreover, they save you the cost of buying extra shingles. In a nutshell, they are good looking solar panels.

Experts have said that the technology of using photovoltaic cells and photovoltaic shingles is a major breakthrough in the harnessing of solar power. Research is going on for further development in the solar power technology and you can expect even smaller and more efficient solar power systems made available in the near future.

The issue of global warming is gaining wide acceptance with more and more countries making the endeavor to delay the catastrophic effects of this phenomenon. Today, scientists and environmentalists are offering people, across the world, alternatives that can be used in their everyday life.

Using solar power or the power of the suns heat is one such attempt. Solar energy is considered to be one of the most powerful forms of all energies on earth. It is derived from the sun, which has been producing energy for billions of years. Solar energy reaches the earth in the form of solar radiation and is converted directly or indirectly into various forms of energy like electricity and heat.

In spite of it being one of the primary sources of energy, solar energy has some drawbacks. They are:

1.The irregular and variable manner of its reaching the earth’s surface
2.There is a need for a large area to collect it

Solar energy can be used for multiple purposes from heating water for use at homes to drying agricultural products and even generating electrical energy.

Trivia: British astronomer John Herschel used a solar collector box on his expedition to Africa to cook food in the 1830s.
Some of the advantages of using solar power or energy are:

*Solar power is a renewable resource and it will take another billion years for the sun to disintegrate if ever it does. As a result, solar energy will be able to provide us with enough power to carry day-to-day operations like electricity for homes, cooking etc and can be used for commercial applications as well.

*One of the biggest advantages is that solar power is non-polluting. As compared to any other energy resource like oil or coal, solar power will not emit greenhouse gases into the air and hence is considered environmentally friendly.

*Solar power is for free. As compared to oil or coal, which you have to buy, using solar power will cost you much less or almost zero in the long run. Initially you might have to invest a little on the solar panels or cells. The maintenance of solar cells or panels is zero. Apart from this, the life of the solar cells is much longer and comes with a lifetime warranty. You can use solar cells to heat water or even drive a car. The solar cells can convert light into electricity and are often known as photo-voltaic cells.

But today, things are different and the situation at hand is grim. You can use solar energy for various purposes. Some of the uses of solar energy by organizations and individuals are as follows:

1.Companies are trying to implement photo-voltaics in electric utilities. Photovoltaic is a process through which solar energy can be converted into electricity directly.

2.Electricity can also be produced directly from steam generators using solar thermal collectors that can heat working fluid.

3.There are many companies globally who have started to implement Solar PV modules, which can easily be retrofitted into existing roofs. Solar PV modules can be connected to a buildings grid supply for generating electricity, which can be used by offices on the premises.

Photovoltaic Energy
Photovoltaic energy can convert sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PVs) cells. These cells are commonly known as solar cells. Photovoltaic cells are non-mechanical devices that are made primarily from silicon alloys.

Sunlight is basically composed of millions of different particles of solar energy also known as photons. Each photon contains a different degree of energy that corresponds to different wavelengths within the solar spectrum.

When a photon strikes a photovoltaic cell, they will either get absorbed, reflected, or pass right through. The photons which get absorbed can provide enough energy to generate electricity. When the required amount of energy gets absorbed by a semiconductor, then the electrons get dislodged from their material atoms.

Photovoltaic cells are being increasingly used in driving solar powered products. Here are some of them:

Solar chargers
*These chargers can charge some of the most powerful electronic devices like mp3 players, cell phones and digital cameras.
*Some of the top companies of the world use them for their electronic devices like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Palm/Treo.
*These chargers consist of folding solar panels of different outputs like 6.5 watt, 12 watt and 25 watt.
*They are made with high efficiency solar cells that are compact and light in weight.
*These chargers powered with solar cells can recharge lanterns, flash lights, cell phones, satellite phones, GPS units, MP3 players and many others.

Solar Modules
*The solar modules are mostly he mono-crystalline silicon and are composed of composed of solar cells that have an average conversion efficiency of 15% or more and comes with solar glass and Tedlar (TPT) back sheet and EVA sheet compounded from fluoric-plastic and dacron.

Solar Power Radio & Crank Flashlight
*Multi-function solar radio features and can work on MW/FM/SW1/SW2 MW: 530-1600KHZ/FM: 88-108 MHZ/SW1: 3.8-10 MHZ/SW2: 11-17 MHZ
*The solar radio works on built-in single solar cell