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Frequently Asked Questions
q: Are there different types of solar panels?
a: There are two main types of solar panels which must not be confused.
-Photo-voltaic panels (or referred to as PV modules) produce electricity by converting sunlight into electrical energy
-solar heat panels produce hot water through a maze of tubing in an enclosed, glass covered panel due to the heat of the sunshine coupled with a circulation mechanism allowing the heated liquid inside of the tubing to transfer the heat to a different source.
For electrical power production, you want the PV panels only. For heating a swimming pool, supplementing your hot water and house heating needs, the solar heat panels are an excellent choice, however, they do not produce electricity.
q: What are my options for producing green power?
a: There are two principle configurations for producing renewable energy as a homeowner/business owner:
-stand-alone unit independent of the commercial electrical grid
-grid-tie system
The stand-alone system requires more components and is generally costlier to set up, however, there is no monthly fee for being connected to the grid and the system will provide power even in the event of the commercial grid being down. The major concern for this system is that there is no external support from commercial grid officials when the system isn't functioning - the assembler of the system is the one responsible for its maintenance and repair.
-The Grid-Tie system is a system by which the production of usable electricity is still coming from the commercial grid, however, the renewable power produced is fed into the overall grid system to reduce the cost (or provide a profit, depending on the power used/produced ratio)of electricity used.
A combination of the two systems is also available wherein a stand-alone system is equipped with a grid-tie inverter capable of feeding excess current produced back into the grid. This is the most costly system to set up but also the most versatile.
q: How much money does it cost to produce my own renewable electrical energy?
a: The cost of producing your own electrical energy through PV panels and wind turbines can range from a few hundred dollars to $35,000 and beyond, and is dependant on:
-what fraction of your power consumption is to be substituted with green energy
-how much power do you use
-how much power do you use at once
In all three cases, the cost of investment is directly proportional to the power required. In order to make green power affordable, certain concessions may have to be made, beginning with the most effective and least costly:
-reinvest in efficient appliances and light bulbs
-reduce overall consumption through turning off unused sources of load such as appliances, light bulbs, televisions, etc.
-modify power consumption behavior by spacing out power use - for example, by using the larger appliances such as toasters and washing machines alternately instead of at the same time.
q: Could I just produce a fraction of my required electricity through green energy sources, yet have a stand-alone unit?
a: Yes, in fact, that is usually the easiest way to start on green power production without committing to a substantial quantity of money, while still maintaining a stand alone unit.
Begin by having a licensed electrician modify a section of your household wiring so a circuit is isolated on a designated section of the building - for instance, one particular room having its lighting and wall socket circuits separated for generator hookup.
Instead of connecting a generator to this connection, an electrical inverter connected to a battery bank, which is in turn charged by a select array of PV panels (it can be as little as 1 50W panel, and 2 low-cost deep charge batteries c/w charge controller) can be connected to this outlet, giving a separate power supply for that particular room coming directly from the green-power system.
q: What is better - wind power or PV (solar) power?
a: In terms of straight numbers, wind power costs less per watt to produce than PV power - provided there is enough wind and sunshine to push both the wind turbine and PV module to capacity. The difference is that most sites in the world do not have enough wind to push a wind turbine even close to capacity on a continuous basis. In a predominantly windy area where heavy, strong winds are very frequent, a wind turbine will render a substantial output of power, warranting a major investment in wind power. Generally speaking, however, such sites are rare.
In retrospect, even though a given amount of PV power can cost up to 5 times more than its wind turbine counterpart, a PV panel provides close to 100% of its rated output continuously as long as the sun is out, and even on cloudy days a PV panel can produce up to 60% of its rated power continuously.
Having tested both types of power production in both Ontario (Canada) and in Mozambique (Africa), PV power was many times more effective than was the production of wind power. In Ontario, since 1999 the test station had the same numeric power capacity for both wind and sun power production, and after 8 years of data collection it was determined that the stand alone unit received 85% of its power from PV panels, 11% from the wind turbines and 4% from other sources.
In Mozambique, during 7 months of testing, only 2 days existed wherein a wind turbine even could produce significant power, while there were only a handful of days during that time which lacked significant sunshine.
For this reason, commercial constructors of wind farms make extensive studies regarding wind power feasibility for a particular location prior to erecting the wind turbines.
It must also be noted that for mounting a wind turbine, a far greater investment is required for the tall, sturdy tower whereas PV panels can be mounted with relatively lower expense.
All information is provided by Jens Naumann, a director of Green-First Technologies Inc. In 1999, Jens began to experiment with wind and solar power for the family's electrical needs. Beginning with a home made windmill and two 100-watt PV panels, Jens quickly expanded the stand-alone power facility to incorporate 16 - 100 watt PV panels and 2 small commercial wind turbines and by February, 2000, was no longer using electricity from the commercial electrical grid. His family's home, situated in plain view at the border of County Road 2 (just outside of Napanee, Ontario, Canada) inspired many passers-by to stop and inquire about the system. Learning quickly that the greatest obstacle to gaining universal involvement in green power production is the general concensous that the process is infinitely complex, Jens strives to provide simplified solutions through product development and education, rendering the production of renewable energy accessible for all.