Solar Energy Amanda -Solar panels-

Introduction to solar panels Solar panels are a reliable and renewable energy, they provide free energy to heat your home and water. Solar panels were invented in 1973 when caring for the environment didn’t seem very important Solar panels have become more useful each year since 1973. Now we realize that solar panels are a sustainable source of energy. Charlotte

The Benefits of having Solar Panels in your home There are many benefits to using solar power. First of all, you are going to find that you are able to use power each and every day, and also every night. You are going to have enough power to continue using whenever you need to, because it is going to be stored up for your own personal use. You don’t need to worry about not having power or having a black out, because it is simply not going to happen. Cherina

Solar Panel Batteries When it is a really hot day and you have extra solar power that you don’t need it can be stored in a battery. The batteries are able to hold the energy for up to 5 days and can hold up to 45,000 pounds of energy. The storage is a good idea but if you have 10 cold rainy days then it will be no good as it only holds the energy for up to 5 days. Amanda

What are Solar Panels and what do they do? The solar panel to the right collects the solar or sunrays of the sun and directly converts the energy into electricity. These panels include small individual cells that are made up by diodes, diodes converts the energy in the sunlight into usable electricity. The number of cells in the panel determine the amount of energy that the panel will convert. Charlotte

Types of Solar Panels There are different types of solar panels manufactured, here are the most common ones: Monocrystalline is made from a large single crystal, cut from ingots. The most efficient is the Monocrystalline, but it is also the most expensive. Polycrystalline is a cast block of silicon and is the most common right now. It is slightly less efficient than Monocrystalline. Amorphous are thin-film panels. These panels have the lowest efficiency rating. Cherina

Cost of Solar Panels and how much we can save The cost of solar panels depends on what size the panels are and what wattage they have. A 30 watt pre-made solar panel costs $225.00. To provide power to a medium sized house it might cost $25,000 or for a large house $50,000. Building your own solar panels are actually easy, you can build your own solar panels for $200. In 10 years you could have just about repaid the cost of the solar panels. After 10/11 years you won’t need to pay for electricity anymore and your house will being running much more efficiently. Amanda

The efficiency of Solar panels Solar power panels are efficient because they generate free power from the sun, to reduce your electricity bills. Even though panels are expensive, in the long run they can produce energy to heat your home. Home solar panels have improved the way people live because they reduce monthly power bills. Panels are becoming more used because of the cost increase of electricity. The reason for solar panels is to generate power for your home and to lower or replace your monthly electricity power bill. New solar panels have been improved in a variety of ways that give you a solar panels with little maintenance required. One of the ways home solar panels have been improved of their efficiency is by having 20% conversion efficiency; this means you will need less solar panel to generate the same amount of power from the sun with the older panels. The newer the solar panel, the less of the older panels you need to generate power for your home. The newer panels rotate to the angle of the sun so that more solar power is produced. Charlotte, Cherina, Amanda

Bibliography http://www.homesolarandwindinfo.com/solar-panel-cost/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power http://www.energywise.govt.nz/how-to-be-energy-efficient/generating-renewable-energy-at-home http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/1-what-are-solar-panels.html http://www.solarenergy.com/index.php/commercial http://solarpowerpanel.co.nz/ http://www.surplustronics.co.nz/shop/cat570.html http://www.slg.co.nz/Solar-Water-Heater-Panel/SolarAnalysis.shtml http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/energy-efficiency/question418.htm http://www.solarelectric.com/Solar_Panels/solar_electric_panels.htm Alternative Energy Sources - By Gary Chandler and Kevin Graham

By Amanda, Charlotte and Cherina