Solar Home Energy Developments Mean Better PV Solar Panels
February 9th, 2010 Posted in Kitchen DIYPhotovoltaic (pv) solar panels, unfortunately, have much lower levels of energy efficiency compared to other sources of renewable energy. In one sense this doesn’t matter very much because the source of energy – sunlight – is free. On the other hand solar home energy systems tend to take up a lot of roof space in order to provide a useful amount of electricity. Do it yourself solar power systems are easy to make and install, and the materials are quite cheap. Nevertheless, smaller systems would be very welcome, and many large energy companies – Mitsubishi, for example – are making big strides in developing both commercial and residential solar energy systems that will improve efficiency significantly, at the same time lowering costs of the pv solar panels.
It is expected that costs will be halved every eight years, with improvements in efficiency of 20% to 30% in the same timeframe.
One way to do this is to use a version of the magnifying glass to concentrate a greater density of solar power on the pv cells. Known as the fresnel effect, it utilizes rows of optical lenses to concentrate light on to much smaller areas of pv material. This has resulted in a reduction in size of as much as one fortieth of a normal cell, and there are even better efficiencies expected.
There are pv solar panels now beginning to use a new range of polycrystalline cells which provide much higher efficiency ratings, up to 235 watts per typical panel compared to the present 190 watts. Solar power for homes will work better and cost less, and it is not confined to sunny areas either. The fact is that pv solar panels depend on available light conditions rather than direct sun. They operate most efficiently in hotter parts of the world, between latitudes 40 north and south, which get the best average daily light levels, but also work quite satisfactorily at higher latitudes, as can be seen in countries such as the UK.
Expect developments like these shortly in a solar home near you.
Financial assistance or investment has not always been a strong point for many state and local authorities, but there is now a welcome improvement in many parts of the world to fund diy home energy systems properly. For instance, within the EU, there are now some very strong directives in place to force significant improvements in renewable energy systems, and these are beginning to have a very positive effect. As a consequence, energy produced from photovoltaic sources will rise from its current average of about 1% to perhaps as much as 12% and, to make this happen, the feed-in tariff system has been introduced in many countries to encourage and sustain renewable energy investment. Several US states already have similar financial incentives.
The feed-in tariff replaces the old idea of partial grants or loans with a mandated price for energy units fed in to the national grid system. This makes financial planning much easier for investors, and will have a great influence on getting a better home solar power system at lower cost.
We have always believed in solar home energy, and we know that diy solar power is already a viable and simple option to the coming energy crisis. Certainly, current developments will yield more efficient pv cells for diy solar panels in the near future, but every second’s delay in building your own system NOW loses you more money as you continue to pour cash in to the utility company’s pockets.
Building a home solar panel will make a big difference. If you could use some expert guidance and good quality blueprints, we have a kit that we strongly recommend. It does what it says on the box, gives you great value for money, and also gives you peace of mind that you will be making the system properly. You will not regret taking our advice.
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