Solar Power-Kemkar : Solar Power tips for Household Appliance Use

Solar Power-Kemkar : Solar Power tips for Household Appliance Use: When using solar power and inverters in your home it is recommended you take into consideration the type of appliance in your household...

Solar Power tips for Household Appliance Use

When using solar power and inverters in your home it is recommended you take into consideration the type of appliance in your household to manage the consumption rate of power generated. The key to getting optimal benefit from solar power usage is in learning how to manage your lighting and other electronic gadgets.

For the lighting it is suggested you make use of Led bulbs. Led have a higher color rendering, so everything under them looks more vibrant and they deliver optimal light distribution, softly washing walls and illuminating work surfaces without glare or hot spots. They are environmentally friendly, containing no mercury or lead thus, reducing your carbon footprint. See pictures.

Led Bulb

                                              

They also last significantly longer than traditional incandescent light fixtures. So they are the most cost-effective lighting source you'll find.

Led is rated to last 40,000 hours or more. That's about 14 years when used for an average of eight hours a day. The likelihood of changing them frequently does not arise. In essence you save time, energy and cost.

For television sets we’ll advise you buy a Led or Oled (organic light-emitting diode) television sets as they are arguably the most affordable energy efficient TV’s in the market. See more pictures below.

Oled Television

                                         

Led Television

                                                      

At the end of the day it only makes sense to make energy efficiency a factor in the buying process.

So if you really want your batteries to go longer when using solar power or inverters, it is highly advised to consider the above suggestions.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Solar Power

Installing solar power for your home has a lot of advantage especially in this part of the world where we have plenty of sunlight. There are also disadvantages as well. 

One thing you can’t run away from is the fact that no technology is full proof and you must encounter some few challenges though it doesn’t in no way stop you from installing your solar power system and enjoy the benefits accruing from using it.

Advantages

Reliability: This feature of a solar power system is something you we can’t over emphasize. Solar power systems are so rugged that they can withstand severe weather conditions basically because of the type of materials used in assembling them. Solar power system are so reliable that you can’t have unexpected power outage as you do when connected to the grid. If you operate a business that needs continuous power like manufacturing and banking operations then your solution is to go solar.

 Durability: The unique selling point of a solar system is its durability. Most Solar panels are built in such a way that they can last for 25 years. That underscores the need for you to employ the need of an expert before you decide to buy your solar panels. Most reputable solar manufacturers provide a guarantee of 25 years for their products. Make sure you don’t get defrauded by your technicians by purchasing low standard panels for you as they would not give you the expected results.

Maintenance Cost: The low cost of maintenance is also one area that makes solar the best form of energy to power your home. It doesn’t require you to buy replaceable parts or engine oil. All you need to maintain the solar modules is periodic cleaning of the surface to ward of dust particles that might prevent it from getting full power from the sun. Speaking of fuel, there are no fuel costs associated with solar power systems because no fuel is required to power them. Which means no need to purchase, store, or transport fuel to ensure power production? 


Sound Pollution Reduction over other systems as they operate silently with minimal moving parts. Except you are told a house is powered by solar power you would not know as it works really silent.

Modular nature of the solar systems makes them very flexible when it comes to system expansion. What this means is that you don’t need to have $10,000 to finance your home solar system. You can start work with what is affordable and gradually upgrade with time. You can upgrade your existing solar system by adding more solar panels and battery for your storage.  

Safety: Because they don’t use fossil fuel like petrol it makes it really safe to manage and have them around your home. The issuing of having to store gallons of petrol somewhere is not there at all because the solar power is derived from energy from the sun.

Disadvantages

So while solar power has its advantages it also presents its own issues.  

Cost Factor: The major problem most persons have with solar is the cost implication involved in installing a solar system. However the cost involved in the initial stage is nothing compared to what can be expended in alternative energy like generators that uses petrol or diesel as the case maybe. So you look at the cost of fuel today maybe many will consider switching to solar.

Non Availability of Sunlight: The availability of sunlight to charge the solar system is a big cause for concern to people living in regions that is cloudy. Because there is not enough sunlight the solar panels will not get sufficient power to charge the batteries and as a result efficiency will be questioned.

Lastly there is a dearth of awareness for solar power. Because there is no much awareness a lot of persons believe that you must be affluent to afford solar power. This lack of knowledge has contributed to the slow growth in market solar.

India Announces Plan to Use Solar Panels to Power 2,000 Fuel Outlets By The End of 2015

The plan of switching to solar energy, by order of the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, will reduce the outlets' dependency on electricity and diesel that power their generators during power cuts although they will, of course, continue to sell polluting fossil fuel.

Dealers of oil majors Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum will have to pay the cost to set up the renewable power systems. The companies will ensure a dealer receives a subsidy of up to 40% to set up the equipment required.

A 1kW solar system costs between Rs 1.5 lakh ($3,372) and Rs 2.5 lakh ($5,620) but, according to estimates by oil companies, the dealer will save up to Rs 20,000 ($ 302.142) per month on power bills.

The cost to set up a 1kW solar system was between Rs 6 lakh ($13,488) and Rs 8 ($17,984) lakh just a few years ago but the cost of solar panels have fallen to a fourth of the price since then.

The ministry has set a target of 2,150 solar fuel-powered outlets across the country in the current year.

"Now that solar power can be optimally used with battery storage systems, we're encouraging dealers to set up solar systems with a capacity of between 1kW and 25kW," IOC chief divisional sales manager V C Asokan said. “By using solar energy the dealers will save anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 per month, depending upon on their power consumption."

The oil companies will primarily target fuel outlets in rural areas, where electricity supply can be dodgy, to renewable energy systems.

“Rural areas face power cuts for many hours a day and fuel outlets in such areas now use generators to operate their pumps," Asokan said. “By setting up solar power systems, they will not be dependent on the grid for power."

Oil company representatives will explain the advantages of opting for solar power to owners of fuel outlets.

“The process will start only if the dealer is interested going green. Once a dealer agrees to set up a solar power system it will take only two months for him to receive the solar panels," IOC chief corporate communication manager Sabitha Nataraj said.

It will also be up to the dealers to decide whether they want a solar system or a solar-wind hybrid system, she said. The oil companies will process the papers for them to receive the subsidy and complete other formalities.

Culled from the Times of India

Find out How Much You Can Save with Solar Power

It’s no secret that solar power is 
growing in popularity.But for homeowners specifically, the question remains: How can I tell if installing solar panels will be a worthwhile investment for my home? Well, none other than Google (GOOGL) has decided to tackle this important question.

On August 17, Google unveiled Project Sunroof, a tool that combines the company’s satellite imagery with some brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) to estimate how much you could save by switching to solar.

More specifically, Google uses its aerial photos from Google Earth to create a 3-D model of your roof. Wired reports that Project Sunroof uses “deep learning” neural networks to separate your roof from surrounding trees and shadows. The service then estimates how much light hits the roof in a given year based on the sun’s trajectory and local weather patterns.

Finally, Project Sunroof uses public utility rates in your area to estimate the potential cost savings of switching to solar. Alternately, you can enter your average electric bill in order to see a more accurate cost savings estimate.
Project Sunroof is the brainchild of Carl Elkin, a Google engineer who lives in Boston and works on the Google search engine. According to Wired, Project Sunroof data is available for the San Francisco Bay Area, much of central California, and the greater Boston area. However, the goal is to expand the service to the entire country and even recommend solar providers in your area.

And why not? Solar is cheaper than ever. Given how environmentally friendly and cost-effective it can be, a service like Project Sunroof is just what the technology needs to take the next step toward mainstream adoption.

Culled from Wall Street Daily