Solar And Wind Applications - Thursday, July 31

[irishbobcat]

I attended the meeting this week, and the spokesman from Dovetail Solar made the following interesting comments:

Solar panels will last for 40 years on a house.
payback with the system on a house will come in about the 16th year....that's 24 years of profit to the 40 year limit.

Works on cloudy days collecting UV rays.

In this part of Ohio, we have Average peak sun from sunrise to sunset at a rate of 4.0 per year... between June and July we average 5.8.

Miami's yearly rate is 5.3, so they only receive 25% more sunlight a year than we do.

I believe he said you could save $416 per year on electricity by going with a solar system.

Dennis Spisak

[Mary_Krupa]

Thanks for all the education. I feel somewhat more knowledgeable about the 120v vs 12v stuff. If the solar panels are indeed cheaper than 6 years ago, then they would be fairly economical to try out.

I read the article from TOH about outdoor lighting but was surprised that they didn't mention anything about solar lighting. They are usually on the bandwagon with the latest developments.

[AllanY2525]

Power transformers can also be used in solar electric systems to step up the voltage to 120 Volts for
household use....I have a couple of "power inverter" units that convert 12 volts DC (like a car battery,
for example) into 120 Volt AC power - add a 12 Volt solar charger to the mix and you have the basic
mechanics to power a portion of the items in your home from solar energy.

Now, add the new LED light bulbs that are coming out - they operate on a small fraction of the power
that ordinary bulbs use, and they screw right into the same sockets....if you were to change out
every bulb in your house for an LED bulb, the reduction in power requirements would allow for a
solar charger/battery/inverter setup to light your home at night from solar energy.....

I have a 12 volt solar panel that I use to keep the 12 volt battery in my RV charged up between uses and it
works great.  I think I paid $79 for this panel about 6 years ago, and since that time the solar panels have
become more advanced AND less expensive

[Towntalk]

I'll try my best.

Lets look at a portable transistor radio that ordinarily runs on battery's, but can also be plugged into a wall outlet. Since the radio's circuit is built to run on batteries, 120v house current would fry the circuit board unless there was something to convert the AC (Alternating Current) to DC and reduce the power from 120v AC to 12v DC (Direct Current). This is accomplished by a stepdown transformer. The AC cord is connected to this transformer to receive the 120 voltage.

This would also apply to any appliance the is AC/DC.

A number of appliances also use this technology around the house and the number is growing with the need to conserve energy.

By the way, the kind of lighting you were talking about is a really good idea for safety reasons. By lighting up walkways at night would save some very nasty fall, especially if your house is located in an area that gets really dark at night.

My cousin does not have the benefits of street lights living out in the country in a heavily wooded area, and she's quite pleased with the system they are using, and hasn't noticed any real increase in her electric bill.

[AllanY2525]

I just bought two patio umbrellas at the Giant Food Store here in Maryland, and they have solar nanels on top of them,
which charge NimH rechargeable batteries enclosed in the tops of the umbrellas, which - in turn - power about two dozen
VERY VERY bright LEDs under each umbrella.

If these little gems get at least 6-7 hours of full sunlight, the LEDs will burn for almost 8 hours continuously before running
out of power......I absolutely love the lighted patio umbrellas, and the LEDs do NOT attract bugs like regular incandescent
bulbs do.

[Mary_Krupa]

Yes, I was referring to your basic Home Depot/Lowe's type of solar-powered ornamental walkway lights.

Thanks for the info and I will read the article cited. Not good with electricity so talking about stepdown units is beyond me. Can you explain? Or, maybe it's in the article.

[Towntalk]

Thanks Westsider. I've never seen those light promoted, and I would tend to agree that placement would be critical so that they would get the most UV rays as possable.

My cousin had outdoor lights installed along her driveway and up the steps and she used the sort I was referring to. They live out in the country, and have a number if trees around their house  in fact a woods, which would preclude solar powered lights. They thought about cutting down some of the trees, but decided against it. Her husband is a retired State Game Warden, and they enjoy the wildlife that is in the area.

[northside lurker]

Also, the little ornamental lawn lamps---do these collect UV rays, too?  I've read that they don't do as well in this area because of the cloud cover.......

Overall, I've seen these little solar powered lamps do well in my neighborhood.  I suppose they may go dead before the sun comes up the next morning, though.  But they seem to work well in the evening.  I keep thinking I'd like to get a few, but I don't really have a need for them as the front of my house is in range of 2 street lights.

Location would be important, though.  I would guess they wouldn't work as well if they were shaded most of the day.

Towntalk, I think Mary is referring to self-contained, solar powered lights available from Lowe's and Home Depot.  You just buy them and stick them in the ground.

[Towntalk]

Mary, here is the link to the article I was referring to in my last post.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,213652,00.html

[Towntalk]

Mary:

If those lights are like the ones shown recently on This Old House, they are connected to step-down transformers that receive 120V house current and step it down. The lights are strung together like Christmas Tree lights so that if one light goes out it can be changed without the other lights going out.

Usually they are used to light up sidewalks and steps and can be either on timers or photocells like are used in street lights.

If one of the lamps is damaged say by getting hit by a lawn mower or weed whacker, it can be easily changed by unplugging the damaged lamp and replacing it.

The stepdown transformer is connected to the house and the wiring is connected to the circut breaker inside, usually to a separate breaker switch for easy maintenance.

Because of their low amperage. these lights are easy on the electric bill, but they produce enough light to provide sufficient visability at night since they can be aimed at the location the householder wants lit up.

[jay]

Two more problems holding back the advancement of solar in our area

A 30% U.S. Federal Tax Credit for solar systems is going to expire on 12/31/08. 
This should be extended.  Jay

Solar grants from the Ohio Department of Development have been suspended until further notice.
This bottleneck must be removed.  Jay

[Mary_Krupa]

if this is true, what's keeping us back in this area?

Also, the little ornamental lawn lamps---do these collect UV rays, too?  I've read that they don't do as well in this area because of the cloud cover.......

[Towntalk]

Please feel free to correct me, but UV rays are not affected by clouds so they would reach the solar panels.

Since they aren't blocked by clouds that would explain why Germany has so much success with solar panels.

[jay]

Germany, which has more cloudy days than Ohio, has many solar energy installations and a very large solar energy industry.

A gentleman from Green Energy Ohio was also in the audience.  His Trumbull County Chapter will have a meeting at Kent State Trumbull Campus at 7:00 p.m. on August 26.

[Mary_Krupa]

Did anybody get a chance to go to this?  If so, any highlights?