Posts Tagged ‘solar panels’
The Proper Placement of Solar Panels
The power of the sun is quite incredible, which equates to the fact that solar panels will work virtually anywhere. That said, there are some placement options that are better than others. Proper placement is the key to allowing the cells to fully charge each day, and have them provide the maximum amount of power to your home or business.
Closer to the sun is better, which is why they are almost always installed on the roof. Another reason for roof installation is that it helps reduce the risk of damage. Units that are installed at ground level are left open to many different types of damage, where roof units are susceptible only to the damage that can be cause by falling limbs or other weather related debris.
Whether on the roof or at ground level, placement should be in an area where the panel can receive as much direct sunlight as possible. Shade is not the mortal enemy of the panel, but will decrease the amount of charge that the unit is receives. This is yet another reason why roof installation is so common.
Before installation of solar panels takes place, a professional installer will evaluate your home or business in order to determine which space will be best. This is not a decision that you will have to make on your own. That said, there may be several prime areas for you to choose from depending on your space.
The development of green initiatives bring benefits to the environment
Such is the case of the Barefoot College project (“Barefoot College”) in Tilonia, India, where not only is promoting renewable energy production but also is changing completely illiterate women’s lives and their communities . The initiative is based on empowering hundreds of women, most of them grandmothers to make them specialists in solar energy. After learning about installing solar panels and batteries, they return to their communities and work to provide the only source of electricity in the area.
While the United Nations estimates that about 1.5 million people on the globe still live without electricity, projects such as the Barefoot College can not only offer this resource to thousands of people but also contribute to the development of the region changing lifestyle for all inhabitants of the area, especially for those women able to carry out the project.
Founded in 1972 by social activist Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy, the Barefoot College believes that solutions to the problems of the poor in rural areas are in the community, their traditional heritage and new technologies. With this in mind, from the 1990′s began to train young men and women are illiterate or semi-literate as engineers of solar energy. Since then, those most involved with the project were grandmothers, showing enthusiasm and ease in learning.
The first step is from the institution, bringing together citizens to inform them about the benefits of solar energy. Then he chooses women who take courses in Catalonia, who for six months will be prepared by other people who performed the training. Beyond the incentive is produced from the Barefoot College to the success of the project is fundamental commitment to the community, who must work collectively to monitor, manage and decide on installing solar panels.
As explained by the very founder of the institution, school trained 150 grandmothers from 28 countries, enabling around 10 000 households receive electricity from solar energy. It is, in short, a role model for their ability to teach about the natural and human potential to transform a community and grow hand in hand with sustainability.
Building a health center with solar energy
If jobs keep pace in the last three months, in early February, the mayor Luis Brouwer de Koning inaugurate the works that will make the neighborhood health center Monte Grande in the first clinic in the province with power supplies solar.
The contractor has already installed the 12 solar panels located on two huge towers to capture energy from the biggest star of our planetary system. According to the explanations given by the holder of the Executive Department, it was decided to install this system, since the area lacks natural gas and is therefore very expensive heating in winter all electricity facilities.
“In winter, children and pregnant women who come to address this health centers were very cold. So we decided to implement this novel approach to the city with an investment of 40 thousand dollars, “said Brouwer de Koning.
The neighborhood will benefit from enterprise-Monte Grande, is one of the most populous city. It also has a high percentage of low income families. Each of the towers has installed a water tank to be fed obviously solar energy panels. It also has a water heater to produce 220 liters of hot water and 930 liters for the batteries to be used for the purpose of heating the whole clinic.
American plans to create a closed highway solar panels
A new U.S. plan to reduce emissions caused by the automotive sector. This is a highway which will be located in Los Angeles, California, with the particularity of being totally covered with solar panels capable of producing up to 115 MW of power for the city.
In recent years, finding ways of producing more environmentally friendly concrete initiatives achieved amazing where renewable become prominent. In order to disseminate a cleaner, Them Mans Swedish proposal is covered with solar panels covering the 24 miles Santa Monica Freeway, one of the busiest in the city.
The project takes into account the abundant sunshine available in the area, thanks to which it could produce large amounts of clean energy to Los Angeles. Furthermore, this would deliver benefits such as shade to the road, less use of air conditioning and noise reduction on the highway. Finally, it is expected to reuse the CO2 produced on the road to implement linear algae farms and generate befouls.
Beyond these tangible benefits, proponents of the proposal believe that it can serve as a great incentive for citizens turning towards cleaner sources and is installing solar panels on their homes, public buildings or parking lots.