Thursday 16 January 2020

10 useful tips to use the power from your solar modules most effectively

If you have installed solar modules on your roof, your garage, your carport or at ground level on your property, you will require less electricity from the power grid. Here you will find tips on how you can use most of this valuable resource for your own needs.

In a home there are many opportunities for self-consumption from the power of your solar panels on your rooftop.

Deciding to put up a PV installation signifies a rethink. Whereas so far the electricity has been coming from the grid, it is now produced on your own property, much less expensive than the grid power. Therefore: Use as much of the solar electricity yourself and feed as little as possible back into the grid. We will show you how it is done.

These are the 10 expert tips to use solar electricity:

Reduce the electricity consumption of the building!
Install LEDs instead of light bulbs!
Turn off standby mode!
Make hot water electrically!
Run high-consumption devices during the day!
Do your gardening on solar electricity!
Heat electrically during the transitional periods!
Energy storage increases efficiency!
Switch to e-mobility!
Treasure hunt for all your family!

1. Reduce the electricity consumption of the building!

First of all: If you want to save on electricity costs – with or without PV – you should first eliminate devices and appliances that use too much of it. These include standby devices, incandescent light bulbs and water heaters. The lower your overall consumption, the greater the part of it that you will be able to cover using solar PV.

2. Install LEDs instead of light bulbs!

Usually the largest single cost factor is lighting. Obsolete light bulbs only use about ten percent of the electricity to make light. 90 percent are lost as heat. They produce heat rather than light, because they are based on a glowing filament made of tungsten. Modern LEDs use almost all of the electricity to make light. You can clearly notice this from the fact that they stay cool, i.e. there is much less loss. A good LED needs about a tenth of the electricity to produce the same amount of light. And because it does not heat up so much, it lasts much longer. And: The price of LEDs has come down so much, that exchanging them for regular light bulbs pays off within one or two years. The same is true for industrial lighting systems which often use mercury vapour lamps. These, too, use up a lot of electricity and can easily be replaced by LEDs.

3. Turn off standby mode!

Many electrical devices (kitchen appliances, TVs, computers, game consoles, HiFi systems) also consume electricity when they not in use and on standby. Considering the number of electrical devices in a normal house, the standby consumption can really add up. For that reason, such devices should – when not in use – be physically separated from the circuit by using switchable sockets.

4. Make hot water electrically!

If you are producing solar electricity, you should convert your hot water systems to electric boilers. Instantaneous water heaters also allow the heating of water close to the tap – for instance as under-sink units. The water temperature can be adjusted to exactly what is desired. The demand for hot water is more or less the same over the course of the year. During the late spring and summer, that demand can entirely be met by solar power. That increases the level of self-consumption. A combination with special hot water heat pumps can also make sense.

5. Run high-consumption devices during the day!

Those appliances in the household with the highest electricity demand are the dish washer, the washing machine, the tumble dryer and the kitchen stove. These can easily be equipped with timer switches, so that they run during the day, when the solar generator on the roof is producing a lot of output, which can be used directly. A high-wattage stove might be a challenge for PV by itself. In this case, a large storage unit (solar battery) can be used as a buffer for short-term load peaks. Because it is not just the number of kilowatt hours on the roof that has to be sufficient, but also the currents made available at short notice. This determines if a storage unit is designed for capacity (in kilowatt hours) or output (in kilowatts).

6. Do your gardening on solar electricity!

Solar electricity yields are highest between spring and autumn. This is also the time of year when the garden requires the most work. You can very conveniently run electric lawn mowers, hedge trimmers or lighting off solar electricity. If you have a solar battery, you can use it to power LED lights in your garden in the evening and at night. A garden sauna can be heated up using surplus electricity during the day, so that it is ready for use in the evening.

7. Heat electrically during the transitional periods!

If your solar generator is run in combination with a sufficiently large storage unit, you can use infrared radiators to take the chill out of cooler evenings. Such radiators come in a variety of nice designs, even in the form of bathroom heating mirrors. As long as they only use little power and are only used for additional heating, they are a good way to use up solar electricity. Once the electric heating from solar power no longer suffices, you will have to buy in electricity from the grid. Or you switch to a more efficient thermal heat pump system.

8. Energy storage increases efficiency!

Between early 2014 and 2017, the price of stationary lithium batteries has fallen by more than 40 percent. This trend is expected to continue. Furthermore, the end of February saw the introduction of a new funding programme that will continue until 2018. These are good reasons for investing in a solar battery. What size to choose depends on the building’s electricity demand and the size of your solar generator. Lithium batteries currently cost about 1,000 euros per kilowatt hour, lead batteries about 500 to 600 euros (net prices for end customers). However: In a private residence, having a storage unit without a solar generator makes very little sense. This can be different for commercial enterprises.

Without energy storage, you can make good use of about 50 to 80 percent of the solar electricity for your own house. A battery can easily take that up to (almost) 100 percent. If you do not base the own consumption just on the solar generator, but on the electricity demand of the entire house, the following general rule applies: Without storage, you can meet about 30 to 50 percent your electricity demand directly from solar. In combination with a solar battery, this can be as much as 90 percent. To meet your entire electricity needs over the course of a year, you need a second generator, e.g. a cogeneration unit. It is usually simpler – and less expensive – to use the power grid. During the winter, your needs can be met through green electricity from a certified utility.

9. Switch to e-mobility!

Almost as useful as solar batteries can be electric cars and vehicles – of any size. From the lawn mower to grandpa’s (or the friendly neighbour’s) electric wheel chair to pedelecs (e-bicycles) and e-scooters for the family. All of these contain lithium batteries which can conveniently be charged with solar electricity. Ultimately, there is the small electric car that can be used to go shopping, for short trips or to commute to work. For it is especially such frequent short trips that use up a lot of the fuel budget of conventional cars. To charge up an electric car, you need a wallbox charging point next to or inside your garage or in your carport. Which, of course, has been covered in high-performance solar panels. It is recommended to get a three-phase charging system capable of producing a decent output at short notice.

10. Treasure hunt for all your family!

Experienced technicians can support you when it comes to consumption od solar electricity. It can be helpful to go step by step and check your metres to see what effect each measure is having. Finding the devices in your house which use up the most electricity can be like a treasure hunt, so make a game of it and let your kids go exploring. The money you save can be put aside and used to have a solar powered party with your neighbours. Or a holiday to where the sun shines! (HS/HCN).

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Feel free to contact: naveednazar@Engineer.com

Easy way to make Bootable USB for windows installation.

Naveed Nazar 15:49 0

Step1: Create Bootable USB Drive

Start PowerISO (v6.5 or newer version, download here).
Insert the USB drive you intend to boot from.
Choose the menu "Tools > Create Bootable USB Drive". The "Create Bootable USB Drive" dialog will popup. If you are using Windows Vista or above operating system, you need confirm the UAC dialog to continue.
In "Create Bootable USB Drive" dialog, click "..." button to open the iso file of Windows operating system.

Select the correct USB drive from the "Destination USB Drive" list if multiple USB drives are connected to the computer.

Choose the proper writing method. "USB-HDD" is recommended.

Click "Start" button to start creating bootable USB drive.

PowerISO will alert you that all data on USB drive will be destroyed. Click "OK" to continue.

The program will start writing USB drive, and showing the progress information. You should get the message "Writing USB drive completed successfully." after the operation completes.

If no errors occurred in the above process, you should now be all set to setup Windows from USB drive!

Step 2: Configuring the BIOS

You should now reboot and go into the BIOS configuration to boot from USB. Instructions for doing so wildly from system to system, but generally entail the following:

Reboot the system.
While booting (before Windows starts loading), get into the BIOS configuration screen by hitting something like F1, F2, Delete or Escape. Hotkey instructions are generally provided on the screen.
Go to the section that contains your boot devices.
With your USB drive plugged in, the USB drive should be listed. If it isn’t, your system might not support booting from USB. Assuming that it is supported (as is the case with virtually all modern hardware), promote your USB drive to the primary boot device.
Exit from the BIOS configuration, saving all changes.

Please notice that you can seriously screw up your system by providing incorrect BIOS settings!

Step 3: Booting and setup windows from USB drive

Assuming that you properly configured your BIOS and your USB drive supports booting, Windows setup should now load. Depending on the speed of your USB drive, this may take a while.

If it isn’t working, then double-check the following before making a scene:

Is your BIOS properly configured for booting from the USB device? (Is the USB device listed and does it have top priority?)
Have you correctly prepared the USB drive in step one? (Restart the procedure.)
Does your USB drive properly support being booted from? (Try another one!)

Photovoltaics:: Solar Electricity and Solar Cells in Theory and Practice

Naveed Nazar 16:04 0

The word Photovoltaic is a combination of the Greek word for Light and the name of the physicist Allesandro Volta. It identifies the direct conversion of sunlight into energy by means of solar cells. The conversion process is based on the photoelectric effect discovered by Alexander Bequerel in 1839. The photoelectric effect describes the release of positive and negative charge carriers in a solid state when light strikes its surface.

How Does a Solar Cell Work?

Solar cells are composed of various semiconducting materials. Semiconductors are materials, which become electrically conductive when supplied with light or heat, but which operate as insulators at low temperatures.

Over 95% of all the solar cells produced worldwide are composed of the semiconductor material Silicon (Si). As the second most abundant element in earth`s crust, silicon has the advantage, of being available in sufficient quantities, and additionally processing the material does not burden the environment. To produce a solar cell, the semiconductor is contaminated or "doped". "Doping" is the intentional introduction of chemical elements, with which one can obtain a surplus of either positive charge carriers (p-conducting semiconductor layer) or negative charge carriers (n-conducting semiconductor layer) from the semiconductor material. If two differently contaminated semiconductor layers are combined, then a so-called p-n-junction results on the boundary of the layers.

: model of a crystalline solar cell

At this junction, an interior electric field is built up which leads to the separation of the charge carriers that are released by light. Through metal contacts, an electric charge can be tapped. If the outer circuit is closed, meaning a consumer is connected, then direct current flows.

Silicon cells are approximately 10 cm by 10 cm large (recently also 15 cm by 15 cm). A transparent anti-reflection film protects the cell and decreases reflective loss on the cell surface.

Characteristics of a Solar Cell

: current-voltage line of a si-solar cell

The usable voltage from solar cells depends on the semiconductor material. In silicon it amounts to approximately 0.5 V. Terminal voltage is only weakly dependent on light radiation, while the current intensity increases with higher luminosity. A 100 cm² silicon cell, for example, reaches a maximum current intensity of approximately 2 A when radiated by 1000 W/m².

The output (product of electricity and voltage) of a solar cell is temperature dependent. Higher cell temperatures lead to lower output, and hence to lower efficiency. The level of efficiency indicates how much of the radiated quantity of light is converted into useable electrical energy.

Different Cell Types

One can distinguish three cell types according to the type of crystal: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous. To produce a monocrystalline silicon cell, absolutely pure semiconducting material is necessary. Monocrystalline rods are extracted from melted silicon and then sawed into thin plates. This production process guarantees a relatively high level of efficiency.
The production of polycrystalline cells is more cost-efficient. In this process, liquid silicon is poured into blocks that are subsequently sawed into plates. During solidification of the material, crystal structures of varying sizes are formed, at whose borders defects emerge. As a result of this crystal defect, the solar cell is less efficient.
If a silicon film is deposited on glass or another substrate material, this is a so-called amorphous or thin layer cell. The layer thickness amounts to less than 1µm (thickness of a human hair: 50-100 µm), so the production costs are lower due to the low material costs. However, the efficiency of amorphous cells is much lower than that of the other two cell types. Because of this, they are primarily used in low power equipment (watches, pocket calculators) or as facade elements.

Material	Level of efficiency in % Lab	Level of efficiency in % Production
Monocrystalline Silicon	approx. 24	14 to17
Polycrystalline Silicon	approx. 18	13 to15
Amorphous Silicon	approx. 13	5 to7

From the Cell to the Module

In order to make the appropriate voltages and outputs available for different applications, single solar cells are interconnected to form larger units. Cells connected in series have a higher voltage, while those connected in parallel produce more electric current. The interconnected solar cells are usually embedded in transparent Ethyl-Vinyl-Acetate, fitted with an aluminum or stainless steel frame and covered with transparent glass on the front side.

The typical power ratings of such solar modules are between 10 Wpeak and 100 Wpeak. The characteristic data refer to the standard test conditions of 1000 W/m² solar radiation at a cell temperature of 25° Celsius. The manufacturer's standard warranty of ten or more years is quite long and shows the high quality standards and life expectancy of today's products.

Natural Limits of Efficiency

: Theoretical maximum levels of efficiency of various solar cells at standard conditions

In addition to optimizing the production processes, work is also being done to increase the level of efficiency, in order to lower the costs of solar cells. However, different loss mechanisms are setting limits on these plans. Basically, the different semiconductor materials or combinations are suited only for specific spectral ranges. Therefore a specific portion of the radiant energy cannot be used, because the light quanta (photons) do not have enough energy to "activate" the charge carriers. On the other hand, a certain amount of surplus photon energy is transformed into heat rather than into electrical energy. In addition to that, there are optical losses, such as the shadowing of the cell surface through contact with the glass surface or reflection of incoming rays on the cell surface. Other loss mechanisms are electrical resistance losses in the semiconductor and the connecting cable. The disrupting influence of material contamination, surface effects and crystal defects, however, are also significant.
Single loss mechanisms (photons with too little energy are not absorbed, surplus photon energy is transformed into heat) cannot be further improved because of inherent physical limits imposed by the materials themselves. This leads to a theoretical maximum level of efficiency, i.e. approximately 28% for crystal silicon.

New Directions

Surface structuring to reduce reflection loss: for example, construction of the cell surface in a pyramid structure, so that incoming light hits the surface several times. New material: for example, gallium arsenide (GaAs), cadmium telluride (CdTe) or copper indium selenide (CuInSe²).

Tandem or stacked cells: in order to be able to use a wide spectrum of radiation, different semiconductor materials, which are suited for different spectral ranges, will be arranged one on top of the other.

Concentrator cells: A higher light intensity will be focussed on the solar cells by the use of mirror and lens systems. This system tracks the sun, always using direct radiation.

MIS Inversion Layer cells: the inner electrical field are not produced by a p-n junction, but by the junction of a thin oxide layer to a semiconductor.

Grätzel cells: Electrochemical liquid cells with titanium dioxide as electrolytes and dye to improve light absorption.

Text and illustrations used with the permission of the German Foundation for Solar Energy (Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie e.V.)

Concise and comprehensible explanations of the basic concepts in solar heating and photovoltaics can be found in our Solar-Lexicon.

Reports on technology, business and politics, as well as presentations on innovative systems and products can be found in the Solar Magazine

Any Kind of Question or Engineering Assistance for installation

Feel free to Contact

Call: 00923348888184

Email : naveednazar@Engineer.com

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Captured CO2 Could Store Energy From Solar Panels and Wind Turbines

Naveed Nazar 15:51 0

Solar panels and wind turbines outside Palm Springs, California. Captured CO2 could be converted into other molecules to create fuels for storing energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels.

Since 70 percent of the global demand for energy is met by burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, it's not surprising that we're pumping enormous amounts of climate-warning carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — an astonishing 35.8 billion tons (32.5 billion metric tons) in 2017, according to the International Energy Agency.

But even with clean energy sources such as wind and solar power increasing rapidly across the planet, we're probably still going to be using fossil fuels as well for the foreseeable future. That's why many are looking to carbon capture technology for power plants as a way to reduce emissions. The Petra Nova power plant near Houston, currently the world's biggest post-combustion carbon capture facility, kept more than 1 million tons (907,000 metric tons) of carbon from going into the atmosphere in the first nine months after it went online in January 2017.

Using the Carbon We Capture

But that leads to another question. What do we do with all that carbon dioxide? Storing it underground is one option. But in an article published on March 29, 2018 in the scientific journal Joule, a group of Canadian and U.S. scientists describe an even more intriguing solution. Captured CO2 could be converted into other molecules to create fuels to store energy generated by wind turbines or solar panels, as well as to supply raw materials to make plastic and other products.

"Consider this as a form of artificial photosynthesis," Phil De Luna, a doctoral candidate in Materials Science Engineering at the University of Toronto and one of the article's authors, explains. "Plants take CO2 and sunlight and water and make sugars and other things they need to live. We're taking energy and CO2 and converting it into things we can use."

According to De Luna, converting excess CO2 to fuel as a storage medium would solve one of renewable energy's intermittency problems — that is, the dip in output that occurs when the sun goes behind the clouds or the wind stops blowing. And as a liquid, it also would be easier to transport than energy stored in heavy, bulky batteries.

When it comes to renewable energy, "There's a huge gap in storage right now, and this CO2 provides a solution," De Luna says.

Captured CO2 also could be used to make feedstocks such as ethylene, a chemical feedstock derived from oil and natural gas that's the starting point for plastics (as this primer from Pennsylvania State University details). That would not only store the carbon, but also help reduce the demand for oil and gas. The process could even provide a solution for the growing environmental problem of plastic pollution, much of which makes its way into the world's oceans. Plastic could be recycled more effectively by burning it, capturing the CO2 and using it to make new plastic. "Now, you've got a closed loop that could reduce plastic waste," De Luna explains.

Direct Extraction from the Atmosphere

Even as power generation gradually shifts to renewable sources, there still will be plenty of CO2 emissions to capture from other industrial sources, such as steel mills and cement manufacturing plants, De Luna says. Ultimately, we might see large-scale CO2 factories that extract carbon directly from the atmosphere. (Climeworks, a Swiss company, already is pioneering such technology).

"In the grand vision, we'd never need to extract fossil fuels from the ground at all," De Luna said. "You could make products out of CO2 taken from the atmosphere."

Though current technologies for CO2 conversion are still in their relative infancy, De Luna and his colleagues expect to see major breakthroughs in the decades to come. Electrochemical conversion of CO2 is the closest to commercialization, they note in the article. Fifty years or more down the line, CO2 may be converted using molecular machines or nanotechnology.

"This is still technology for the future," Oleksandr Bushuyev, another co-author and a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, noted in a press release. "But it's theoretically possible and feasible, and we're excited about its scale up and implementation. If we continue to work at this, it's a matter of time before we have power plants where CO2 is emitted, captured, and converted.

10 Ways to Stop Using Plastic Right Now

pollution.

Naveed Nazar 14:04 0

Single-use plastic has become so commonplace in our world that most of us don't blink an eye at tossing a plastic fork or bottle into the trash. But all that plastic garbage has to go somewhere.

It's easy to walk out of the house and forget your canvas grocery bags when you head to the grocery store, and when you're thirsty, that plastic bottled water sure does look inviting. Furthermore, we all understand what it's like to order food in a rush and scarf it down with a plastic fork that came in a small plastic bag with a plastic knife you'll never use. Also, there's something so satisfying about drinking out of a straw, is there not?

All this may be true, but in February 2018, a young male sperm whale washed up dead off the coast of Spain. The necropsy report released in April revealed the cause of death was a belly full of plastic — dozens of plastic bags, netting, rope and even a large plastic water container. The animal was young but still woefully underweight. Investigators say the probable cause of death was a clogged digestive system, exacerbated by a severe infection brought on by over 60 pounds (29 kilograms) of plastic in his digestive system.

This isn't the first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last. Research suggests 8.3 million metric tons (9.15 million tons) of virgin plastic has been manufactured to date, and 79 percent of that is now sitting in landfills or loose in the natural environment — much of it in the world's oceans. Much of that has been broken down to around the size of a grain of rice, which is a size that reads "snack" to a lot of marine life.

Right now it's looking like plastic might be humankind's most lasting legacy on this planet. So, what do we do about it? For starters, we can all stop using so much plastic — especially the stuff you only use once. Here are 10 ways to do that:

1. Cut Out Plastic Straws

There are only a few reasons one might need to use a plastic straw. Did you recently have jaw surgery but ordered a mimosa at brunch anyway? OK, you get a pass. Otherwise, keep in mind that over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used and discarded every day in the United States alone. You can help your neighborhood or town kick its plastic straw habit by asking your local restaurants to carry paper straws instead.

2. Just Say NO to Plastic Shopping Bags

A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to break down in the environment. In 2016, California issued a statewide ban on stores handing out single-use plastic bags to their customers. A year later, 13 million plastic bags were kept out of landfills and the environment, and everybody survived. In 2002, Ireland passed a 22 euro cents (equivalent to about 37 U.S. cents) tax on plastic bags, to be paid at the register with each purchase. Within a few weeks, the entire country's plastic bag use was reduced by around 94 percent. Nobody in Ireland was injured or even irrevocably inconvenienced because of the ban — in fact, everybody just got used to it and eventually started remembering to bring reusable grocery bags with them to the store, which they continue to do today.

We can all stop using plastic bags by carrying reusable bags around with us. We can also encourage our governments to pass plastic bag bans.

3. Stop Chewing Gum

That's right, your favorite chewing gum is most likely made from synthetic rubber, otherwise known as plastic.

4. Carry a Reusable Cup or Water Bottle

Worldwide, about a million plastic bottles are bought every minute, and we manufacture around 20,000 plastic bottles every second. That's a lot of plastic, especially considering 91 percent of it will never be recycled.

Are you thirsty and far from home without a reusable water bottle? Find a drinking fountain or a restaurant that will give you a glass of water, for heaven's sake.

5. Buy From the Bulk Bins

These days many grocery stores have a bulk section — a place where you can buy unpackaged rice, beans, pasta, nuts, and even personal care and household items like shampoo, laundry detergent and bar soap. If you can remember to bring your shopping bags to the supermarket, go ahead and throw a few reusable bags and jars in there as well.

6. You're Still Using Microbeads?

If you live in the U.S., the U.K., Canada or New Zealand, the manufacture and sale of these tiny plastic pellets has already been banned where you live, but microbeads, which are still used in cosmetic cleansers and toothpastes all over the rest of the world, slip down the drain and through wastewater treatment plants to the oceans, where they present themselves as potentially toxic snacks to marine life.

Not sure if your cleanser contains microbeads? Avoid any product with "polyethylene" in the ingredient list.

7. Repair Things When They Break

Is your dishwasher leaking? That stinks. But it's a lot cheaper and easier to call in a repair person than it is to hoof it to the nearest big box store for a new one. Did the zipper on your favorite nylon backpack break? There are other zippers out there, and if you can't repair it yourself, there's probably a crafty person at an alterations shop near you who would be willing to fix it for cheaper than the cost of a new backpack.

8. Buy Secondhand

We get it, it's tough to find a blender that doesn't have plastic parts, but the secondhand store in your town probably has six perfectly good blenders sitting on its shelves. You want to buy a cat carrier? Instead of purchasing one brand-new, how about buying one off Craigslist? Keep an eye out for garage sales and swap meets — there's all kinds of lightly used plastic gold just waiting to be carted back to your home.

9. Buy Clothing Made From Natural Fibers

The synthetic fibers in your athleisurewear seem to be "weaving themselves into the gastrointestinal tract" of fish in the U.S. Great Lakes, State University of New York Fredonia professor Sherri Mason told The Guardianin 2016. One study found a high-quality synthetic fleece jacket sheds 1.17 grams of microfibers with each washing. The buildup of microfibers in the environment can result in starvation and reproductive consequences for aquatic organisms.

10. Learn to Make Things From Scratch

Rather than buying chemical household cleaners, make your own with effective and easily procured stuff like baking soda, vinegar, borax and lemon juice. Rather than buying yogurt in a plastic cup, Google a recipe and get to work — it's way cheaper and takes approximately 10 minutes of your time, all told.

The world’s largest floating solar farm is producing energy atop a former coal mine

Technology

Naveed Nazar 18:09 0

The Chinese city of Huainan is rich in coal—very rich. By one 2008 estimate, it has nearly a fifth of all of China’s coal reserves.

Now the city has become home to the world’s largest floating solar farm. Appropriately, it has been built atop a former coal mine, which had become a lake after being flooded with groundwater. The China Daily reports that the farm started generating electricity earlier this week.

The 40-megawatt power plant consists of 120,000 solar panels covering an area of more than 160 American football fields. The $45-million investment could help power 15,000 homes. Here’s a drone tour of the solar farm, set to electronic music:

Floating solar farms are not new. But China is taking them to another level altogether. The previous record for the largest such farm was set in the UK by a farm that has the capacity to produce just 6.3 megawatts.

A floating solar farm is more expensive to build than one on land, because it must be designed to withstand salt and humidity from water. But it has advantages: It can be built on otherwise unused surface. It works more efficiently, because the presence of water cools the panels as they generate electricity. It can mitigate evaporation of water, keeping the lake full for longer.

The “pleasing symbolism” of building the solar farm on a flooded coal mine, as the World Economic Forum put it, is also practical. China, the world’s biggest investor in wind and solar energy, looks committed to creating space for renewable energy projects. In a recent visit to a newly built Chinese coal-fired power station, I was greeted at the entrance with a hillock covered in solar panels. “We want to make sure we’re using free space effectively,” the plant manager said.

In a bid to clean up its smog-filled skies, China has also announced closures of coal-fired power plants and suspension of plans to build new ones.

The Future of Solar Electricity

Naveed Nazar 17:50 0

The role solar energy will play in the battle against global warming is one of the biggest reasons solar energy is here to stay and expand in the future. Electricity is a necessity to sustain our way of life and continued economic growth worldwide.

A MIT study on the future of solar energy states:

“About two-thirds of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are associated with electricity generation, heating, and transportation. We already know how to use solar energy to generate electricity with very low CO2 emissions, and we know how to use electricity to provide heat and surface transportation services. …the solar resource is enormous, dwarfing both global energy consumption and the potential scales of other renewable energy sources. A plausible way to reduce global CO2 emissions despite growth in energy consumption would be to increase dramatically the use of solar energy to generate electricity and to rely more on electricity for heating and transportation.”

It depends on the region. For many, it is the lowest cost generation available because the total penetration is low. Pakistan is a region where solar is most ideal. Improved technology and lower costs will continue to make solar energy more competitive. Solar energy is therefore expected to play a vital role in the future energy landscape.

Technical developments for solar energy

On a global scale, much effort by scientists, researchers and companies is being invested in making future solar energy better, cheaper and easier to use.

The technological performance of solar cells is in a continuous process of improvement. A present day commercial solar cell is capable of capturing 18-20% of the light that lands on it. The performance of cells has steadily grown since the start of their development and it will continue to do so in the future.

In addition, the way we use photovoltaic (PV) energy in our day-to-day lives is expanded by the development of all new kinds of technologies and applications. We already see small solar cells in simple objects like flashlights or backpacks. In the future we might get used to seeing solar energy being generated in roads, on water basins or even in planes.

Where are we now?

Solar energy has been with us for some time. It’s no longer unusual to see rooftop solar panels or larger solar farms. With technology development, solar panels have become widely used and it isn’t just clean energy enthusiasts who install them: people are installing them as a form of investment .

The data is astounding. In the last decade solar energy has experienced a rapid growth and not only did the number of installed solar units increase, solar energy has become a major player in the US economy. Since 2010, the number of people working in the solar industry has doubled . In 2015, some 210 000 people worked in the solar energy business.

As with any other business, the growth of competition meant that the prices were falling down. In the last 10 years, the prices have dropped over 60% , making the investment even more profitable.

Where are we going?

But, knowing how we stand is the easy part. Data is widely available and it speaks volumes. Predicting what the future holds is a bit more challenging.

With the new administration that denies climate change and that isn’t too keen on supporting Eco-friendly energy sources, people are worried what the future will hold for the solar power industry.

In pakistan, if we list all solar energy companies, Reon Energy appears to be the only company that is making a difference in creating awareness for the use of solar electricity instead of traditional fuel based electricity. Reon is one of the outstanding companies among all solar energy companies in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Abbott Labs Pakistan Ltd. is one of the projects of Reon Energy Solutions. Its size is 631 KW and its annual energy generation is 1,000,000 kWh and annual CO2 reduction is 383 Tonnes. Unilever Pakistan Ltd. is another project whose size is 200 KW and its annual energy generation is 692,653 kWh and annual CO2 reduction is 388.6 Tonnes.

So you want to get on board the solar train?

With all the promising information, more and more people decide to invest in solar energy. With the environmental impact being an important motive, there is an additional incentive in the form of lower electric bills and the possibility to earn a little extra cash.

Whether you’ve decided to install rooftop solar panels, or you would just like to consult with a professional, make sure you reach out to experts who have experience and knowledge of the industry.

Although the costs of rooftop solar panels have plummeted in the recent years, it is still a big investment and the best way to make sure everything goes smoothly is to consult with people who know what they are doing.

How is Solar Power helping nature?

Naveed Nazar 17:40 0

How do we currently produce energy? By burning fuels! Only 1 percent of the electricity of the world is being produced by Solar Energy. Which means that the remaining 99% electricity gives a byproduct of excessive emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere.
Related image

While the major sources of pollution are thought to be transport and industry manufacturing, burning fossil fuels (specially coal) to produce electricity accounts for more than 33% emissions in the atmosphere.

Another problem with the traditional electricity production methods which depends on fossil fuels is that the fossil fuels are scarce resources. There will be a time, probably within the next 30-40 years when these resources will be exhausted. On the other hand, electricity production from solar power will never be exhausted. In fact, during Summers when electricity usage jumps because of air conditioners and we experience frequent power outages, the same solar power that is warming the country can be used to produce electricity that will power our air conditioners.

The impacts of Solar power on nature compared to the impacts of conventional electricity production are very minimal. As per the Energy Research Center of Netherlands, electricity generation from coal contributes 96% to 98% more greenhouse gases than solar power.

Additionally, solar power is less toxic to humans, uses lesser resources (as in land and water) and is more environmental friendly. While you may think that a small 1 MW project might not really make a difference, you can take the example of Reon’s solar power project for Servis, which contributes in reducing 517 tonnes of electricity annually. That’s like 12,925 tonnes in 25 years! Sounds like a lot? That’s because it is. This is just the impact of 1 solar plant. Imagine the kind of power you have!

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How Long Do Solar Panels Last?

Naveed Nazar 17:34 0

We get a lot of questions about solar power. That’s why we’ve introduced “The Facts of Light” — a place where you can inquire about all things solar, and we’ll do our best to get you the answers.

We live in a throwaway society. Even our phones and our laptops — incredibly sophisticated, high-tech and well-designed pieces of equipment — only last a few years before we need to replace them. We might get our cars to last more than 10 years if we can put up with some repairs and diligent maintenance, but, frankly, most things aren’t very durable.

Solar panels, by comparison, are in it for the long haul. There are no digital processors, no delicate motherboards, no flywheels, no pumps and no fans. There are very few moving parts that can break or wear out, and as a result they require almost no maintenance. The components of the panel are durable and include a glass-protected solar cell (often made of silicon) that captures sunlight. A solar panel sits in one place and absorbs the sun. That’s its job.

So, even those old-school panels that went up on the homes of early adopters decades ago are still producing electricity pretty efficiently. And recent testing by outside researchers has found that the useful life of panels installed by SolarCity is 35 years or longer.

Likewise, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has published studies on the durability and effectiveness of solar panels over time, finding solar technology truly does hold up for decades. Indeed, there there are panels out there today that are more than 30 years old (panels from the 1980s!) and still going strong. NREL’s study found that as technology has improved, the long-term performance of panels has only gotten better.

Today’s solar panel systems are just as humble and hard working as the early ones, but they are also lighter-weight, can produce more energy, and are far more stylish

Some frequently asked questions for newbies.

Naveed Nazar 12:05 0

Q) What are the optimum conditions for a solar system to operate?

Pakistan is a great place to take advantage of solar energy. Systems here will produce more than they would in most places throughout Europe, despite the uptake being higher there. In Australia, a north facing roof between 20 and 30 degrees is the most ideal aspect. Lower or higher pitches can also be used, often to great effect. Panels facing east or west will still generate good yields, typically only 15-17 percent less than they would on the north. Eastern panels will generate power earlier in the day then north and western panels will produce power later in the day. Many people decide to put a portion of panels on the western aspect, as it improves the production later in the day when many appliances are commonly used. Using the power you're producing has financial advantages, which is why it can make sense despite the lower production.

Solar panels work on sunlight, not heat. Hotter days generally have more sunlight and hence better production, but the heat actually has a negative impact on them. Panels will never perform at their peak power output, as the test conditions they are subject to when they receive their rating will never be replicated in the real world (even in Pakistan). This is why suppliers give you an estimated energy yield in kWh (units) per day, as this is what you buy and sell from your energy retailer. In the middle of a perfect day in summer, you could expect to see your panels reach around 85 percent of their peak power output. Early in the morning, late in the day or in overcast conditions, this will be reduced. Your power output will bounce around a lot, so focus on your energy (kWh) yield when looking at the performance of your system.

Q) Can I add batteries to my system?

Yes, however it can be quite expensive if the correct provisions are not made.

An AC coupled or DC coupled system can be retrofitted to almost any solar power system currently installed. However, this is not very cost effective, as it requires extra components in addition to the batteries. There are many more cost effective ways to include batteries (now or in the future) to your system, so if you're considering adding batteries down the track, we recommend discussing this with one of our renewable energy consultants. Different batteries will require specific components to integrate them into your system, and there is often more than one approach that will work. We can determine the most suitable option for you and provide you with a system that has, or has the capability to add, your desired battery solution.

Q) Does shading affect the performance of the panels?

Yes, and it's usually quite significant. Solar panels facing north should ideally be in full sun from at least 9am till 3pm, as this is when they will produce the majority of their power. If they are eastern facing panels, then this changes to 7.30am to 1.30pm and for western facing panels, 11.30am to 5.30pm.

Shading from objects like flue vents, trees and other structures should be avoided where possible. Careful design with a consultant and your install team can help with this. If this is not possible, then consider micro inverters or panel level optimisation, as this will reduce the impact of the shaded panels on the non shaded panels. Most larger inverters will have two maximum power point trackers (MPPTs), which means shaded panels on one tracker will not effect panels on the other. Also be mindful of future shading issues, as new structures may be built and trees often get bigger.

Other objects like power lines and antennas can cast a very thin and small shadow. While not ideal and to be avoided where possible, these will not have a drastic impact on your system. Panels should not be placed directly under antennas though, as birds are likely to perch on an antenna and leave excrement on the panels.

Q) What is an inverter? What sort should I buy?

An inverter performs a variety of functions. Primarily, it converts the DC power from the solar panels into 240 AC power that the house uses. In addition to this, it has a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) that regulates the voltage of the panels to achieve maximum power. Some inverters have two MPPTs, which gives you greater flexibility when designing your system. Inverters also have a screen or counter that enables you to see how much power and energy you have produced.

Better inverters will perform their functions more efficiently, are more reliable, offer more comprehensive monitoring and features. High DC to AC efficiency is good, however it is not the only factor that impacts yield. The MPPT has complex algorithms that determine the highest yielding operating voltage. The better inverters have more refined algorithms from years of development, so they produce more power. Inverters from better manufacturers are less prone to failure, give better support, longer warranties and quicker replacements should something go wrong. They’re also far less likely to fail in fringe of grid or remote areas, where grid fluctuations are more common. Finally, better inverters will offer you connectivity and online monitoring for your system and even provide a way to monitor the consumption in your home in real-time – something which is becoming very popular.

Your situation and roof has a big impact on which inverter you should choose. Solargain has a wide range of inverters, from string, micro and even panel optimised inverters from all across the globe. This wide range, combined with our experience, enables us to recommend the perfect inverter for your project.

Q) How do I tell a good or bad panel? Which panel is right for me?

This can be quite tricky, as they all look very similar and all solar providers will tell you that their panels are high quality. Doing research into your panel is important, as low quality panels often degrade quickly and are prone to manufacturing defects. Also, a 25-year warranty is only as strong as the company providing it, so you need to do some research into the manufacturer as well. Here's a few tips on choosing a panel most suitable for your project.

If solar is a long term investment (three years or more), we recommend choosing a tier one panel. Panels from tier one manufacturers make up the top two percent of the panel market. The companies providing these panels have automated production facilities (reduces defects), are vertically integrated (meaning they have control over the entire supply chain) and have been producing panels for five years or more. There are many brands out there that are considered tier one and choosing a panel from one of these is a great way to ensure you're making a good investment. In addition to this, we recommend choosing a tier one provider that has a strong presence in Australia, as any warranty claims will be much easier to manage if there's local support. Finally, consider how many panels the supplier has installed for the manufacturer - tier one or not. Providers that have installed many panels from their manufacturers will have had to deal with warranty claims themselves. If the manufacturer was consistently not honoring warranties or regularly providing poor products, they would have moved on to another manufacturer. Providers changing panel manufacturers regularly are either frequently getting poor quality products or a consistently shopping for the lowest priced panel in that quality category, rather than a good quality product.

Premium panels are available and should be considered if you demand the best or have no intentions of moving from the home you're installing them on. Premium panels will give you slightly more kWh per kW from day one, degrade less than other panels, perform better in lower light and in extreme heat. These features don't pay for themselves straight away, which is why we believe they're primarily suitable for investments five years or more. Premium panels can come with better warranties, be it longer, less degradation or inclusive of labour costs for panel replacement. They may also be more aesthetically pleasing with darker cells and black frames. Lots of panels claim to be premium, but you won't know for sure until many years down the track. This is why we recommend looking for panels that have good performance in reputable independent tests and have sustained that performance over many years, ensuring the low degradation which many claim.

For people considering a short or medium term (1-3 year) investment, it still makes sense to consider the panels you are receiving. If the panel manufacturer disappears or if you don't know who they are, it can be very difficult to follow up any warranty claims - which can be very likely early in product life. Tier two manufacturers can be a good choice and are obviously cheaper than panels from tier one manufacturers. Tier two manufacturers have been producing panels for at least two years and are still in the top 10-15 percent of the market. These are good choice if you're looking for a cost effective option.

Q) Why is it common to have a higher panel output than inverter capacity?

It’s very common to put more panel capacity on an inverter than its maximum output. There are two main reasons for this, firstly the panels will never perform at their peak rated power (or nameplate) output. The panels get their rating from standard test conditions (STC) which will never be seen in the real world at the same time. Below are some of the conditions in the test compared to what happens in the field:

The panels are flashed with 1000wm2 light intensity. Even in most places in Australia, we don't often get that amount. It can occur in the middle of a clear day though.
The panels are in a temperature controlled environment of 25 degrees. The panels would be at about 50-80 degrees in the middle of a clear day.
The panels are perfectly perpendicular to the rays. In most places in Australia, when panels are mounted on a pitched roof, the sun's rays will not be perpendicular in summer.
The flash test is done on the panels with minimal cable lengths, resulting in next to no loss here. This is not possible when panels are installed in the field.
The panels will degrade and accumulate dirt over time. In the flash test they're brand new and have been cleaned.

Due to the above, 6kW of panels installed in most places around Australia would rarely output in excess of 5kW. This is why selecting an inverter that has the same or higher output capacity of your panels is an added cost for no gain. Safety of the inverters is not an issue, as quality inverters are designed for this and are warranted for much higher input capacities. For example, Fronius warrant their inverters to double the DC input capacity than the AC output capacity. This means you could put 10kW on a 5kW without jeopardising your warranty provided it was installed correctly.

The second reason is that while your inverter will never output more than its maximum AC power output, you will generate more yield (kWh) overall. If you did have a case where the panel capacity exceeded the nominal output capacity, it will for a short period of time be able to operate at the maximum output capacity. If this is exceeded, the inverter slows the output (referred to as "clipping") of the panels, converting only what it can. While this may seem like wasted power, it's seldom occurring and is far outweighed by the system turning on earlier, turning off later and producing more power in anything other than perfect conditions. It's a small sacrifice for a big gain.

We tend to see and recommend this with 5kW inverters, as increasing your inverter capacity beyond this point excludes most residents from selling energy back to the grid. The 6th kW in these systems is also by far the most cost-effective and you will rarely, if ever, see any clipping. Also consider that if panels on your roof face different directions, they will reach peak output at different times throughout the day, so it's even more common when this is the case.

Q) Will it cost money to change my meter over?

Yes. The cost varies between states and energy providers. Households that already have a smart meter will be charged a fee to configure the meter to accommodate for solar. If you do not already have a smart meter, your retailer will need to install one for you. Most energy providers have these costs absorbed into your billing so you don't pay a lump sum cost for your new meter.

Warranties and Guarantees

"Solar Energy World" provides a five year comprehensive warranty on the entire solar power system. This covers both parts and labour for all the components in your system. There are no extra costs associated with maintaining this warranty and while we recommend keeping an eye on the system performance, no scheduled maintenance is required.

The manufacturers also provide a warranty with their products. The panels all have a performance warranty (commonly 25 years) and a product warranty (usually 5-12 years). The product warranty covers any defects of the panel that doesn't impact the performance. After the product warranty, any defects must impact performance before you're eligible for repairs or replacement. Note that the panel warranty typically does not cover the labour costs involved in replacing the panels, although SEW will do this in the first five years as apart of their comprehensive warranty. Some panel manufacturers (like Hanwha QCELLS and Sunpower) can have a labour component in their warranty, but speak to your consultant for more details. Inverters typically have a five year product and labour warranty, however some will have longer warranties or offer them for an additional fee.

Solar Energy World

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