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Anonymous
Hey /an/

I hope you won't flame me, and maybe would even like to morally support me in this..

So I was wondering.. what if I'd try to save energy and go solar?

nothing big, but something to start out with..
Is there any semi-affordable panel out there?

is there a way to hold the energy in so it's possible to use it at night?

I'm completely new at this, and Google didn't help me much. Any information would be great.
>> Anonymous
Are you looking to go off the grid? If so you will need a considerable budget. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the average cost for PV panels is about $8k a kilowatt. From there you'll need to figure out how much you need.

Most common energy storage is in the form of batteries, and that in itself is not cheap as well. Besides the batteries being expensive (some will need maintenance depending on which you buy), you will need to buy other hardware like DC high voltage to DC low voltage converters, DC to AC grid converters, a battery monitoring system.

In the end if you do it right, it will pay it self off.

If you want a tiny project to start out, you can buy small panels or even buy those build your own solar panel kits for under $100. Have it charge a battery during the day, and at night you can power a small fan or light.
>> Anonymous
/g/eek here. /an/ isn't for this, /g/ is. /g/ will laugh at you, if use words like "save the world" or something like that, though. Well, /g/ rages at everything.

The efficiencies are going up and the prices are going down, but considering all the shit needed, setting up just a couple of solar panels isn't generally a good idea energywise or environmentally. It might be a good idea in places with no electricity, though.

And yes, you can use rechargeable batteries with them. Actually, this is the normal practice.

You can try reading this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell
>> Anonymous
>>302278
Hey, I'm from /g/ too. that's why i came HERE. lol. although i posted on /g/ as well.. I'm anon. so.. hell.
>> Anonymous
Thanks so far, btw.
>> Anonymous
http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/

windpower might be an alternative.
>> Anonymous
Going off the grid is pointless and overly expensive. Any extra energy you produce during the day gets credited to your account, and used up by night, so in effect it serves the same purpose as "holding the energy in so it's possible to use it at night." Unless of course you live off of the grid, which I highly doubt.

There is a ton of overhead cost associated with installing solar panels. You're looking at 235W for one solar panel, at roughly $1000 per panel. And you're going to need an inverter. Those run like $1 per kW for just the inverter. Solar panels produce DC and your house uses AC. The smallest system I've installed was a 14 panel system on some run-down shack of a property, and that cost them over $20k. Not sure what kind of rebates you can get from your state, but a lot of the rebates have expired already.

It would be a waste of time to just buy 1 panel. You'd still have to get an inverter, set up a single string to that inverter, dc/ac disconnects, connect to the grid, get it approved by county, ETC. ETC. ETC. WAY too much overhead cost for anything less than a 2000 Watt system, which by itself would cost like $15k.

For now, just go with the same shit people have been spouting for years.. (hold off on the dryer, turn off lights when you're not in that room, use low-energy CFL bulbs, etc.) The technology will slowly get better and cheaper, and other technologies will get introduced to compete. Now is not the time unless you have a lot of money to spare.

Hope that helped.
>> Anonymous
>>302277
>>302278
>>302292
Wow a solar panel thread where Anon actually knows what they are talking about.
>> Anonymous
>>302292
Thank you, sir.
hopefully ikea's investment will propel the tech further..
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
i just go ta cat and i want to feed it people food
what would be safe to feed it?
pic unrleated
>> Anonymous
If you have the grid and you don't care about being without power in the event of a power failure it's best to go with a straight intertie system and not have batteries. You can add to it as you can afford it; and depending on what panels you pick you'll probably pay around $5000-$6000 for a killowatt.
>> Anonymous
>>302438
Me again. There's also the cost of wiring, mounting, installation (if you don't do it yourself), and an inverter.
>> Anonymous
>>302330
Hey guys Imma save this as 4chan.hta and shit bricks lol does that sound like a good idea?

I'm new to the internet you see...one question...shouldn't I shit bri/x/? Or shat bri/x/? Or bri/x/s will be shat? I don't know if I trust somebody that doesn't know the memes ya know?
>> Anonymous
>>302274

Before you go ahead with it, you should check with your local council to see if your house is under/close to a flight path. Sunlight reflecting off solar panels don't normally affect the pilot's vision, but various regulations are in place so that you can't install one anyway.

IMO, a far easier solution you should look into is not attempting to supply your lights through solar power, but merely hook up the batteries to an electric water heater to it and use it for your hot water. It saves the entire issue of connecting to grid, working out how the credit system works, etc etc etc.

An electrician friend of mine hooked up a water heater and two wall outlets to a solar power system, and ran all his rechargeables such as cellphones off it.

However, if you already own a gas heater, that is more energy efficient than a solar heater. So scrap it if you own a gas heater.
>> Anonymous
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Can I get an etsimate on the ocst of a suga rglider & cost to take care of the?m are they prone to isckness or anything else I should know?
>> Anonymous
Check out Treehugger.com. They have articles on solar providers if you spend some time to look. Probably one of thee best green websites out there. Enjoy ;)
>> Anonymous
Saved you some time

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/how_to_green_your_electricity.php

Hope this helps with the direction.
>> Anonymous
lmfao http://tinyurl.com/5exlac
>> Homer's cousin
I only have one link for you at the moment.
http://pureenergysystems.com
I did work for a solar engineering firm. You need panels as well as an inverter to change the DC to AC for use in the home. You will want a battery bank to store power captured during the day for use at night. An entire system is not cheap. Tens of thousands of dollars for a complete system unless you can set it all up yourself. Unfortunately it is probably always cheaper to buy from the grid than produce your own power.

I have an inverter, I just need some super cheap panels. Hint Hint.
>> Anonymous
>>302702
Also, remember that it's worth spending the money for a sine wave inverter. It will keep appliances from buzzing, heating up, or in the rare case, exploding.
>> Juba, The Baghdad Sniper !1EVr3uyPJI
It's an awesome idea that is good for the environment and severely lowers your electricity bill. You will be so glad you did it.