California Solar Project

News

July 02, 2009

  • should you build your own solar panel?


    This week many people have been asking me if they should "build their own solar panels". There are quite a few eBooks and videos being sold online give you step by step instructions on how to find solar cells and turn them into solar panels in your garage. This is my two cents on if you should make your own solar panels or not.
    • it would make a fun experiment, for educational purposes
    • don't expect too much power output in which you could power your entire house with homemade solar panels
    • they have a higher risk catching on fire than factory made solar panels
    • You typically can't grid tie homemade solar panels because they don't have a UL mark. Most utility companies won't allow you to grid tie unlisted product.
    If you're looking for a fun educational weekend project that results in you making a solar panel to charge a battery then that is what should expecting purchasing a "make your own solar panel" resource. Although if your looking to generate serious power with reliable and safe solar panels I would highly recommend purchasing a high quality factory made solar panel. What do you think about the concept of making your own solar panels?
    - about 22 hours
    source: (The Solar Drop @ GoGreenSolar.com)

July 01, 2009

  • meet the air breeze land


    Are you looking to "just get started" with wind power without having to invest tens of thousands of dollars? Well the air breeze land maybe the perfect product for you, with it's low price point $699, the 200 watt small scale wind turbine has a built in charge regulator to protect your battery bank from being overcharged. You would also need to buy a tower to mount the Air Breeze and an inverter to turn the DC power generated from the Air Breeze Land into AC power used by most our electrical devices. For a couple thousand dollars you can get a nice small battery based system to provide backup power for emergencies.

    Many people use the Air Breeze as an educational project since its a inexpensive way to learn more about wind power technology. I think this would make a great learning unit at grade schools across to U.S. to expose more children to the science behind renewable energy, what do you think about the Air Breeze by Southwest Windpower?

    - 1 day
    source: (The Solar Drop @ GoGreenSolar.com)

June 30, 2009

  • obama understands lighting efficiency

    (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

    "I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses" - President Obama

    Standing next to Steven Chu, Energy Secretary Obama stressed the importance of energy efficiency today. New energy efficiency standards the President announced will result in 4 billion dollars in savings annually between 2012 and 2042.

    To make this happen Obama has accelerated the disbursements of the 346 million dollars in economic stimulus money set aside for energy efficiency for commercial buildings. This is great news for LED light bulbs since the technology will greatly benefit from the White House's support.

    I think with new lighting standards, LED light bulbs will become more affordable through economies of scale. It's always more cost effective to produce and then produce clean energy, this is a great investment in our future since we are a society of energy wasters, wouldn't you agree?
    - 2 days
    source: (The Solar Drop @ GoGreenSolar.com)
  • Oregon Solar Case Study and Interview: Jim Houser, Owner, Hawthorne Auto Clinic
    This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jim Houser (below right), owner of Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland Oregon (pictured above). Late last year, Jim and his business took the solar plunge. Here’s a transcript of our conversation (audio links coming soon). Enjoy! Dan: Thanks for taking the time to do this by [...] Related posts:
    1. The Case for Commercial Solar Energy in Oregon
    2. State of Oregon Solar Incentives
    3. Oregon Energy Loan Program (SELP) Explained
    - 3 days
    source: (Solar Power Rocks!)

June 29, 2009

  • solar panels manufactured by bpsolar catches fire


    I've heard a few cases about bpsolar panels catching on fire on rooftops, today we add another story to the book. Recently, a bpsolar panel caught on fire in Germany on top of a warehouse. The faulty equipment was provided by BPSolar about 5 years ago and the owner of the building says the fire started in the middle of the solar panel array and spread to the wooden beams of the building according to the UK TimesOnline.

    BPSolar and independent third parties have launched investigations behind the cause of the fire. A few years back, BPSolar made changes to their solar panels by replacing the junction box since it was overheating.

    I wanted to let you know about case about the bpsolar panel catching on fire not make you think that solar panels are unsafe but to point out some brands of solar panels have a better track record than others. In my opinion, studying the history of bpsolar panels they are not the best manufacturer in the market compared to others that have a sucessful track record to performance and saftey. What do you think about BPSolar panels?
    - 3 days
    source: (The Solar Drop @ GoGreenSolar.com)

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