Aug

14

Solar Home Energy Developments Mean Better PV Solar Panels

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Compared to other forms of renewable energy, photovoltaic (pv) solar panels are not very efficient at making electricity. Looking at it one way, this does not seem very important because the energy source – solar power – is free. On the other hand solar home energy systems tend to take up a lot of roof space in order to provide a useful amount of electricity.  Do it yourself solar power systems are easy to make and install, and the materials are quite cheap. However, smaller solar systems would be sensible, and many large energy companies – Mitsubishi, for example – are making big strides in developing both commercial and residential solar energy systems that will produce pv solar panels with much greater efficiency and at much lower cost.

It is expected that costs will be halved every eight years, with improvements in efficiency of 20% to 30% in the same timeframe.

One illustration of how this is being done is to concentrate solar energy on to each pv cell with a sort of magnifying glass.  Known as the fresnel effect, it utilizes rows of optical lenses to concentrate light on to much smaller areas of pv material.  This has resulted in a reduction in size of as much as one fortieth of a normal cell, and there are even better efficiencies expected.

By using new forms of polycrystalline cells it is now possible for pv solar panels to produce nearly 25% more electricity.  Solar power for homes is getting better and cheaper, and it is not confined to sunbelt states either. Happily, pv solar panels depend on daylight rather than sunlight.  They work best in latitudes between 40 north and south, which get more overhead sun on an average day, but do work very well in countries outside these latitudes – Germany and the UK being cases in point.

Quite possibly this sort of thing will be coming to a solar home near you in the next year or so.

Financial assistance or investment has not always been a strong point for many state and local authorities, but there is now a firm move towards more sensible encouragement for the funding of diy home energy systems. The European Union has various directives in force that mandate very significant improvements in renewable energy systems by 2020, and many member states are finally co-operating to achieve these targets. As a result pv- sourced solar energy is expected to rise from the present 1% to perhaps as much as 12% of total energy usage by that time and, to enable this to happen, many countries have introduced the so-called feed-in tariff to help fund commercial and domestic renewable energy systems. There are similar financial incentive systems already available in a number of US states.

The tariff system replaces all those unsatisfactory grants and loans with a simple rate to be paid for each unit of energy fed in to the national grid. This makes financial returns much more attractive for investors, and will have a great influence on getting a better home solar power system at lower cost.

We believe that solar energy is essential for reducing our carbon footprint, and we know that diy solar power is not only simple but is also very satisfying to make.  Certainly, current developments will yield more efficient pv cells for diy solar panels in the near future, but it is worth remembering that failure to take action immediately will waste yet more of your money in paying those ever-increasing utility bills.  

Building a solar panel will make a big difference. If you would like some professional help and advice, along with some very good quality plans, we suggest you take a look at a kit which, incidentally, we highly recommend. It works very well, doesn’t cost much, and will give you an excellent return very quickly. Take our advice, and you will have no regrets.

 

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