Archive for December, 2008

Our Universal Address-the Solar System

Posted by admin On December - 30 - 2008

Where do you live? That?s a common question and the common answer is such-and-such Street. We may live apart in terms of street, city, and even nation, but we all have a common address, the Solar System!How did the solar system come into existence? It is generally believed that it emerged from a gaseous cloud several billion years ago and planets, an important component of the system, were formed out of this gaseous cloud and its dust.
Make the most of your investment. With Hi*Temp solar heating your pool can be used for eight months, or more, of the year. With Hi*Temp SOLAR and energy from the sun, you can use you pool August through May.

Smart Uses of Solar Lighting

Posted by admin On December - 29 - 2008

Outdoor residential lighting can serve many purposes. Practical purposes include allowing persons entering your residence after dark to see where they are going. Residential lighting also helps to prevent burglaries. Aesthetically, outdoor residential lighting placed strategically in your garden can bring out the beauty of your garden and your house. Residential lighting also serves to lengthen the time you spend outdoors entertaining or playing by illuminating your outdoor gatherings.
Solar heating is now so affordable from Hi Temp, and still the value of your house escalates with this feature installed. The installation takes less than one day. No mess, no fuss, no people walking through your house.

A heated pool is a USED pool!

Posted by admin On December - 26 - 2008

Electric or solar pool heaters can carry on your swimming pool warm a sufficient amount to swim in even when supplementary pools have clogged. Many swimming pool owners are opting for swimming pool heaters to lengthen their swimming season, more than ever if their home is in an area with comparatively short summers. The sun is competent to keep your pool water at a contented swimming temperature during the long summer days. But in the intermediary spring and fall months, the days are shorter and the slant of the sun isn’t high enough to heat your pool water very much. That’s where pool heaters come in. If you live in northern climates, swimming pool heaters can basically double your swimming time of year.

There are numerous different types of pool heaters available, but gas pool heaters are the most widespread. Expressly, pool heaters are some of the best and most cost resourceful ways to heat your swimming pool. Gas pool heaters tend to be the least expensive to purchase. swimming pool heaters can heat a greater amount of water more quickly than electricity. Oil-fired pool heaters are also available in some areas, but are to a great extent less regular.

Electric pool heaters are most over and over again based on a heat pump devise. Comparable to electric heat pumps used to heat some homes, electric pool heaters take improvement of the heat that already exists in the outside air. The air heats Freon gas, which is then compressed to raise its temperature even higher. The hot gas is then piped to a heat exchanger, where the heat is transferred to the pool water.

The heated water is then pumped back into the swimming pool. As far as equipment is concerned, you should always have floatation strategy, a shepherds hook, safety vests, goggles, waist belts, a telephone, and anything else that comes to mind at your pool at all times. When you use your pool you should also leave a few flotation devices in the pool at all times, just in glasses case.

You can also find more info on http://www.hitemp.co.za

Million Solar Roof Initiative ? U.S. Department Of Energy

Posted by admin On December - 23 - 2008

The U.S. Department of Energy has been given a mission of reducing fossil fuel dependence and pollution in the country. Its answer is the Million Solar Roof Initiative. Million Solar Roof Initiative ? U.S. Department of Energy For the past 20 years, the Department of Energy has been trying to motivate private industry to go solar. This motivation, however, has primarily been in the form of providing free education on solar platforms and how to install them on homes.
Evacuated tubes are the absorber of the solar water heater. They absorb solar energy converting it into heat for use in water heating. Each evacuated tube consists of two glass tubes made from extremely strong borosilicate glass. The outer tube is transparent allowing light rays to pass through with minimal reflection. The inner tube is coated with a special selective coating (Al-N/Al) which features excellent solar radiation absorption and minimal reflection properties. The top of the two tubes are fused together and the air contained in the space between the two layers of glass is pumped out while exposing the tube to high temperatures. This “evacuation” of the gasses forms a vacuum, which is an important factor in the performance of the evacuated tubes. The vacuum in the evacuated glass tube is less than 5

Million Solar Roof Initiative ? U.S. Department Of Energy

Posted by admin On December - 23 - 2008

The U.S. Department of Energy has been given a mission of reducing fossil fuel dependence and pollution in the country. Its answer is the Million Solar Roof Initiative. Million Solar Roof Initiative ? U.S. Department of Energy For the past 20 years, the Department of Energy has been trying to motivate private industry to go solar. This motivation, however, has primarily been in the form of providing free education on solar platforms and how to install them on homes.
Thermosiphon takes place When the sun comes up. The water in the evacuated solar tube panel begins to circulate from the solar geyser through the evacuated solar tube panel and back. The process is continued throughout the day, until the sun goes down. We adjust your geyser thermostat to 40′C so that on days where there is absolutely no UV rays around, you will still have warm water. If there is a power failure, thermosiphon effect will still take place, which guarantees hot water irrespective of power failures.

Solar - Off Grid or On Grid?

Posted by admin On December - 21 - 2008

If you are considering solar as a renewable energy system for your home, one of the decisions you will have to make is whether to be on grid or off grid.Let?s start with the basics. What is a grid? The grid as referred to in solar is the power grid maintained by utility companies. If you pay a utility bill each month, you are pulling power off the utility grid.Going off grid with solar power is in many ways a statement of independence.
Thermosiphon takes place When the sun comes up. The water in the evacuated solar tube panel begins to circulate from the solar geyser through the evacuated solar tube panel and back. The process is continued throughout the day, until the sun goes down. We adjust your geyser thermostat to 40′C so that on days where there is absolutely no UV rays around, you will still have warm water. If there is a power failure, thermosiphon effect will still take place, which guarantees hot water irrespective of power failures.

POOL HEATING- the SOLAR WAY

Posted by admin On December - 20 - 2008

The amount of solar energy reaching the earth’s surface in one year is approximately 7000 times greater than the energy consumed globally in the same period. Thus, in 2005, global consumption was 0.014% from the total amount of solar energy. It is expected that by 2100 we will need 0.051% of solar energy reaching the earth in one year. Below are some systems that can use this energy for homes heating.

1. Solar panels with voided tubes and tank

The system consists of several glass tubes, each having inside a tube made from superconductor material (usually copper). The volume that remains open between the two tubes is voided to ensure a better thermal insulation. The superconductor tube contain a small amount of antifreeze liquid.

The operating principle is simple: the solar radiation heating tubes which are made from a superconductor material, when the antifreeze liquid reaches 30 degrees Celsius will be vaporized and raised in the thermal probe where transfers heat. The thermal probe ensure the heat transfer of the water tank. For  the periods when solar radiation is not enough to ensure the heating water, the tank is equipped with a electrical resistance system.

The advantages of this system:

- the sunlights fall perpendicularly on to the surface almost the entire day, the efficiency being maximum;

- the system works at low temperatures, (including winter), during rainy days or when the sky is overcast;

- the system works, but not at maximum capacity, even if one or more tubes are defective;

2. System for pool heating

This type of system uses the usual installation of pumping and filtration of a swimming pools to direct water through a set of solar panels. A sensor can be used to maintain constant the the water temperature.

Advantages:

- using this system we will have a low cost pool heating;

- the solar heating systems are durable and easier to maintain than heating systems based on fossil fuels;

- carbon dioxide emissions will decrease considerably

3. Parabolic collectors

This type of system uses long parabolic mirrors to concentrate the sunlight on a tube located along the mirror, in its fire box. Through tube is circulated a fluid, usually oil, to transfer the heat of a turbine based on steam, it generates . This system has industrial applications, the circulated fluid can reach over 350 degrees Celsius.

Such electric plant works from June 2007 in Boulder City, Nevada and generates 64.000kW, enough to feed 14 000 dwellings.

Installing Amorphous Solar Panels

Posted by admin On December - 17 - 2008

Installing amorphous solar panels can be a tricky business. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to tell where to hook up the electrical wires and just as often, the amorphous solar cells do not come with clear instructions. This guide will show the budding solar energy enthusiast how to hook up your solar electrical system. What you will need: (1) roll of electrical tape OR (1) conductive epoxy system Although sodering may look like the best option at first, the only real way to tackle the installation.
Hi*Temp Solar panels (made of durable and hard-wearing HDPE) are fitted to the roof. Water from the pool is channeled through the panels and is heated by the sun’s rays. The water is then returned to the pool by the existing pool pump. With such an efficient system temperatures between 22

Nesting bald eagles on Tract K drawing new attention with solar development plans (Naples Daily News)
Two feathered residents on Tract K may delay development of a solar project. The pair of American bald eagles on Tract K near Tigertail Court is drawing increased attention with the recent release of a development plan between the Collier County School District and United Energy Technology, a Marco based solar energy company.
Source: naplesnews.com

Dow Corning Takes A Shine To Solar (Forbes)
The company announced billion-dollar investments to boost its production capacity for solar-power materials.
Source: www.forbes.com

Solar flare beams pure hydrogen at Earth (MSNBC)
A surprising solar flare sent a stream of pure hydrogen at Earth.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Solar Hybrids Soak Up the Sun (Wired News)
Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and it has a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that provides up to 20 miles of electric range and boosts fuel economy as much as 29 percent.
Source: blog.wired.com

Breathing cycles in Earth’s upper atmosphere tied to solar wind disturbances (SpaceRef)
A new study shows the periodic “breathing” of Earth’s upper atmosphere is due in part to cyclic solar wind disturbances, a finding that should help engineers track satellites more accurately and improve forecasts for electronic communication disruptions.
Source: www.spaceref.com

Solar wind pushes atmospheric breathing (Science News)
New analyses of satellite data show that cycles of expansion and contraction are tied to changes in the solar wind
Source: www.sciencenews.org

Green news harvest: Oil and solar…algae and jetfuel (CNET)
Oil giant Total invests $45 million plastic solar cell company Konarka, while DARPA funds a project to make jet fuel from algae for military planes.
Source: news.cnet.com

Make the most of your investment. With Hi*Temp solar heating your pool can be used for eight months, or more, of the year. With Hi*Temp SOLAR and energy from the sun, you can use you pool August through May.

Making Solar Box Cookers

Posted by admin On December - 16 - 2008

One of the most important things I want to emphasize is that even the smallest amounts of effort to improve the concerning environmental condition of this planet can add up to be quite substantial. More and more people are getting involved with the multiplying efforts and endeavors to preserve the environment of our planet and combat the effects of global warming.Making solar cookers has become a popular hobby for camping, for cooking outdoors and simply for fun!
Hi*Temp Solar panels (made of durable and hard-wearing HDPE) are fitted to the roof. Water from the pool is channeled through the panels and is heated by the sun’s rays. The water is then returned to the pool by the existing pool pump. With such an efficient system temperatures between 22