Large Solar Panel Manufacturer Out of Supply Until 2Q 2010

Posted by Randy on January 14th, 2010
Solar Energy at Home

© Kevin Dooley

As reported by Reueters, Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd has some good news to report.  They foresee the price of solar panels holding steady through 2010.

The bad news?  They’re sold out through the 2nd quarter of 2010 and have been in such a position since the end of 2009.

Suntech is one of the leaders in solar energy supplies and equipment and has four production facilities in China.  In November of 2009 they announced their first US production location would be located in Phoenix, AZ – the perfect location for research and development in the use of the sun for providing solar energy products for commercial and residential purposes.

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US Renewable Energy Consumption Expected to Rise

Posted by Randy on December 9th, 2009
Source: Energy Information Administration

Source: Energy Information Administration

According to the US Energy Information Administration’s latest forecast, the US is about to head into a period of increased consumption of non-hydro renewable energy sources – solar and wind power being two of the most highly recognized, renewable, sustainable sources of energy.

It is, however, painfully obvious by looking at the lines on this graph that the US has a long ways to go in using more of these renewable energy sources than the more environmentally damaging and non-sustainable sources such as fossil fuels. Why is it taking so long to take advantage of the sun and the wind for solar power energy production when they can be so beneficial to our planet, our homes, and our finances?

Because, as is often the case, “the good stuff don’t come cheap”.

That’s right – those “free” sources of energy actually cost more than the environmentally filthy regular fuel we use to churn our appliances and electronics. Money talks, and consumers follow.

Check out this solar calculator: http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme

Enter your zip code, the percent of solar electricity you want to replace in your home, and your current average kWh usage from your last electric bill. Press GO and find out what a professional installation of such a home solar panel system will cost you LESS the energy credit.

For a home using 2000 kWh per month wanting to replace 100% of their current electricity with solar powered energy – it would cost $72,450.22. (I love the 22 cents!). Better yet, the break even point (found under Savings in the calculator) is just a hair under 20 years.

So – who is going to pay $72,000 and not really see free electricity for another 20 years?

How then, is it expected that solar energy consumption, among other renewable sources, is expected to rise in the US?  Mostly through commercial and utility installations.  Until the cost of professional solar panels and installation comes down, solar energy power for homes isn’t going to become attainable for most homeowners unless they’re handy enough to build their own solar panels.

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Homemade Wind Turbine Uses and Projects

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009
Wind Turbine by Alan Cleaver

Wind Turbine by Alan Cleaver

A homemade wind turbine project can easily be tackled in a short amount of time and for a lot less money than it costs to buy a commercially manufactured product. With the increase in attention being paid to alternative power sources, the prices of retail supplies on the market does not seem to be coming down quickly enough.

There’s been a significant growth in the world’s power supplied by wind and solar capturing technology.  The rise in fuel prices, which is very likely to return as the economy improves, will continue to make these free sources of electricity of interest to many homeowners.

Wind turbines, also called wind generators, look like a modern day windmill and operate on the same principles.  They grab the wind and convert that wind power that has many uses.

Any one with even a small degree of handyman in them can follow a well diagrammed set of instructions to build their own wind generator and use that generator to:

  • Provide power to a stand-alone workshop or garage
  • Store backup power to cover during a grid power outage
  • Supply electricity to field lights or appliances
  • Feed power to an animal barn
  • Light a large storage facility on your property

A homemade wind turbine requires a certain amount of space and, therefore, is a great option for farms or large properties with several acres of space. These are also the types of properties that can best take advantage of wind generators because a large space offers more options for finding the ideal setting.

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How to Build a Wind Generator for Less

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009

You can easily learn how to build a wind generator for less money than it takes to buy a commercial setup. The less money you spend on the equipment necessary to convert the earth’s free power sources, like sun and wind, the faster payback you will see on your project and the more quickly you’ll see a real savings in your electric bills.

A wind generator looks like a fan atop a very tall pole. The fan is made up of the blades and the shaft, which holds the blades together and facilitates the movement of those blades. The tall pole on which the blades and shaft sit is called the tower. The tower needs to be a solid structure, well anchored to a base and the ground in order to provide the sturdiest platform.

A brand new, low watt wind generator or turbine system can run about $500 but you can figure out how to build a wind generator for a lot less money with a clear set of plans and parts found from the following sources:

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Build a Wind Generator for Lower Electricity Bills

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009

One way to lower your electricity bills or to provide additional electricity for your home is to build a wind generator. Farms have used these devices to capture and store additional power for years. Some cities and states are even using acres of wind turbines to generate backup power and help the environment through use of alternative power sources.

You can do the same at home, particularly those who live in remote areas or have large pieces of property. Traditional sources of energy may not be available to you or may provide spotty service. If you build a wind generator, leveraging free wind power in your area, you can store electricity for use when your own power source goes out or for additional work space on your property without having to pay an electrician to run complex electrical wiring.

To build a wind generator, you’ll need at least one acre of free space and an average area wind speed of 11 mph. You can measure wind speed with an anemometer. You will need to measure wind speed at different heights on your property as wind patterns can vary by height.

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Homemade Wind Generator

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009

You can use a homemade wind generator (also called windmill or turbine) to provide additional power to your home, especially if you live on a large property or in a remote area.  Many consumers find that building their own wind turbine is an easy project with great financial payback.

The homemade wind generator captures the wind through use of blades, like a traditional windmill, converts that energy into power you can use for appliances, and stores that energy in a storage device so the energy can be tapped on demand.  This is a great way to store energy for future use such as during a power outage, a common occurrence in many remote areas.

You need to assemble or purchase the following parts:

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DIY Wind Generator

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009

You can make a DIY wind generator to produce electrical power for your home.  This is a quick and economical way to reduce your electric bill.  A wind generator captures wind through windmill-like blades and converts that energy to usable current.

Many homeowners living in windy areas, on large farms, or on large, remote acreage could benefit by tapping into this available energy source and using it to supplement or replace their current draw on their electric company.

This is also a great solution for remote areas where there is no traditional power source available – a camping hut in the woods, a fishing cabin on a remote lake, or a lookout station on a mountain.

With a DIY wind generator, you save a lot of the expense associated with buying a pre-made setup which can cost as much as $500 and may require assembly anyways.  If you are handy and can follow easy directions, you can make your own generator in just a few hours.

For a guide to building your own DIY wind generator, see this instructional article.

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Make Your Own Solar Panel With Inexpensive Parts

Posted by Randy on November 23rd, 2009

Over 500,000 people a month look up the term solar panel in Google each month.  This is recent data, demonstrating the continuing interest in converting the sun’s energy for use as an alternative fuel source.  Over 30,000 of those searches every month have to do with learning to make your own solar panel.

Commercial solar panels can be very expensive.  This is because of the cost involved in the mass production of the photovoltaic cells that make up a solar panel.  As with many new trends, the initial costs of mass production, while cheaper than manual production, are still too high to allow many consumers to benefit from the technology.  Think back to when IBM had large computers the sizes of warehouses and no single individual could afford the technology.  A lot has changed but the solar energy industry has some catching up to do.

You CAN make your own solar panel and many consumers are doing that today.  Done correctly, it is cheaper to buy the individual parts and tackle the job yourself than it is to buy a ready made panel.

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Build Your Own Solar Panels for Less

Posted by Randy on November 22nd, 2009

If you were to build your own solar panels, you could immediately reduce your electric bill. Build and install several panels, and your savings could climb considerably. The only thing preventing you from using them today is likely the prohibitive cost of a commercial package and installation.

Get around those costs by learning to build your own solar panel. Finding the necessary materials is the most time consuming task in the entire project but most of the materials necessary can be found and ordered online.

Even one 120 watt panel can product an annual savings of over $120 dollars. If you find the panel materials for less than $200, the payback period on your initial investment is less than two years.

Compare that to a commercial installation running anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 dollars and a payback period of ten plus years and its obvious that doing it yourself is the only way to leverage the free energy produced by the sun until the overall cost of commercial solar products comes down.

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Home Made Solar Panels – Small Projects, Big Savings

Posted by Randy on November 22nd, 2009
Solar Panel by Dominic's Pics

Solar Panel by Dominic's Pics

When oil prices began to rise in 2008, citizens of the United States – actually, people all over the planet – began to talk more about alternative sources of fuel than they ever had before and interest in home made solar panels rose, as well.

Due to the still high cost of manufacturing the photovoltaic cells needed to make solar panels, commercial costs of these panels make it impractical for homeowners to pay for a commercial installation. The cost to convert an average home to one fully functioning from solar energy can cost more than $20,000 and the homeowner may not receive sufficient savings to cover the cost of that investment for more than 10 years.

It seems ludicrous, thought, that a free source of energy like the sun should cost so much to acquire that it becomes unattainable. What we need to remember, and what slipped away when oil prices settled back down, is that there are other reasons homeowners should continue to seek solutions to converting their homes to solar power.

Solar powered electricity is much safer for the environment than the conversion process employed in traditional electricity sources. Simply because oil returned to a normal price base does not also mean that the issues with the environment were cleared up.

There are ways for homeowners to take advantage of solar power today without having to wait for commercial costs to become cost effective for the residential market. Many have found that home made solar panels can help defray their current electricity bill. Even moving several appliances from the standard grid to an off-grid source can mean a monthly reduction to your utility bill.

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