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zafarahmed
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1

Solar Energy for Residential Use

05/20/2009 9:45 AM

how can i use solar energy for my home needs, is it expensive? how long can it last? where can i get this system from?
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PWSlack
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United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

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Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on.
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#1

Re: information regarding solar energy for home use

05/20/2009 9:59 AM
  • Several CR4 subscribers, including one (in)famous Del the cat, have home-made solar collection systems attached to homes for heating domestic hot water.
  • A recently-built block of flats nearby has a rather prominent professionally-installed solar voltaic system installed, covering most of the South East side of a sloping roof. It seems that the roof pitch angle has been matched during building design to the optimum angle for solar collection at this latitude.
  • DIY solar- and wind-harvesting kits are becoming available. Smaller solar voltaic systems are widely in use, topping up batteries in boats, traffic signs, and so-on.
  • Energy utility companies locally are beginning to modify their arrangements so as to encompass home microgeneration.
  • Homes in some countries at low latitudes have been fitted with solar hot water systems for several decades.
  • Several major home improvement suppies supermarkets locally are offering turnkey microgeneration installations that might be attractive to some users.

With low capital interest rates and the threat of ever-rising energy demand versus energy supply, the return-on-capital-employed on investment in home microgeneration makes it a quite attractive proposition at the moment. Check out the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth for ideas and publications on a D-I-Y approach to the topic, which, of course, keeps investment expenditure to a minimum.

There is also a kaleidoscope of information available across the internet.

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Hendrik
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#2

Re: Solar Energy for Residential Use

05/20/2009 2:01 PM

"is it expensive?"

In my situation (retired, 13% bond rate etc) It will cost me an additional R150 per month ($15) to buy and install an overpriced "free power" unit. Therefore not a viable.

If You however build it yourselves it may be another story.

In my youth we were off grid and we did make ourselves some units (even if it were just a rubber hosepipe coiled on the roof).

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Don in LA
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: S. Louisiana
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#3

Re: Solar Energy for Residential Use

05/20/2009 6:21 PM

Of course there are several variations of solar energy. I just had a 6,000 watt photo voltaic system with a battery backup installed in my home. The cost? About $60,000. My state, Louisiana, will pay for half and the federal government will pay for another 30%. The net cost to me will be about $12,000 and the life of the system is about 20 years.

Something that is a lot cheaper and very efficient is my solar oven. It's basically a reflector with a pot in the middle for cooking food. I've used it several times to cook my dinner. Yesterday I cooked 3 chicken breasts, two baseball-sized onions, carrots, 2 ears of corn, green beans and seasoning for the price of building the solar cooker, about $2. There are a lot of free plans available on the internet for the cookers.

Good luck.

Don

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lighthasmass
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Burnt Ranch, State of Jefferson
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#4

Re: Solar Energy for Residential Use

05/20/2009 11:59 PM

Start with homepower magazine.

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Anonymous Poster
#5

Re: Solar Energy for Residential Use

05/21/2009 12:27 AM

Hi...

We have these items subsidised here by the dept of renueable erergy:

  1. Roof Top Solar water heaters
  2. Solar cookers...fantastic to cook without a flame & the taste is so yummmy it may just pop out of your moniter.
  3. Solar lights with a storage battery good enough to light up the house, run your fans, TV, radio & maybe even a refrigerator.
  4. The most run away success has been the use of bio-gas plants in farm houses. India being a warn country has this advantage as it speeds up fermentation.
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