Why Don't Experts Share The Solar Energy Advice In This Article?
Green energy can be collected from many sources, from water to the sun to a compost heap! It's amazing how simple and affordable it can be to use green energy in your home. You just have to know where to start. Read this article in its entirety, in order to learn how to begin.
You can make a difference and save energy simply by taking steps to use less energy every day. Unplug appliances that aren't in use. When you are no longer using them, turn off lights and the television. This is a simple tip that can help you save money, too.
Consult a technician for more information about switching to biodiesel heating if your home currently uses oil for heating. Many heating systems can be switched over to run on biodiesel without needing extra modifications or parts. Biodiesel is cleaner to burn than petroleum, making it more efficient to use in the wintertime.
Swap your old incandescent light bulbs for high-efficiency LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs use far less electricity than incandescent, and they come in sizes that fit most existing fixtures. While the up-front cost is generally higher, most of these bulbs will last for years before burning out.
Measure the prevailing wind speed on your property before considering a wind generator. In order for wind energy to be cost-effective, you need a wind speed greater than 8.5 to 9 MPH at least sixty percent of the time. Any slower, and the turbine won't spin fast enough to generate much electricity.
Pay attention to the thermostat in your home. Installing a programmable thermostat makes it easier for you to track the temperature in your house, and turn the heat down when you aren't at home. Between 1 and 3 percent of your energy costs can be cut for each degree you turn it down!
If you have a car with a diesel engine, think about switching to biodiesel. Biodiesel is degradable is will not have any harmful effects on the environment. However, using biodiesel can be expensive and finding filling stations is hard. If you can afford to use this alternative, do your best to reduce harmful emanations from diesel engines.
In some areas of the world people can sign up for wind and geothermal energy from their power supplier. This is usually a little more money, but it is green energy that you are buying and do not have to invest in the machinery to make it. This helps relive the stress for fossil fuels by your energy company.
A wind turbine could help you cut down your electric bill by as much as 90%. Before you invest in this type of equipment, find out if the wind is strong enough to produce the amount of energy you need and get a professional to help you choose the right size of turbine.
Change how you use your electronics to make them more energy efficient and kind to the environment. Batteries on electronics are designed to be used. To keep your battery healthy you have to exercise it by using your electronic not plugged in. It is better for the device and keeping it plugged in after it is fully charged only wastes electricity.
Change how you use your electronics to make them more energy efficient and kind to the environment. Batteries on electronics are designed to be used. To keep your battery healthy you have to exercise it by using your electronic not plugged in. It is better for the device and keeping it plugged in after it is fully charged only wastes electricity.
There are no easy answers to the energy problems of today's society, but learning everything possible about energy sources is a good place to start. The more people understand various energy sources, the better changes can be made. The tips above will help you understand energy sources and the most efficient ways to use them.
Extra Reading - See Article Below
After 40 Years of Searching, Scientists Identify The Key Flaw in Solar Panel Efficiency
Solar panels are fantastic pieces of technology, but we need to work out how to make them even more efficient – and scientists just solved a 40-year-old mystery around one of the key obstacles to increased efficiency.
A new study outlines a material defect in silicon used to produce solar cells that has previously gone undetected. It could be responsible for the 2 percent efficiency drop that solar cells can see in the first hours of use: Light Induced Degradation (LID).
Multiplied by the increasing number of panels installed at solar farms around the world, that drop equals a significant cost in gigawatts that non-renewable energy sources have to make up for.
In fact, the estimated loss in efficiency worldwide from LID is estimated to equate to more energy than can be generated by the UK's 15 nuclear power plants. The new discovery could help scientists make up some of that shortfall.
"Because of the environmental and financial impact solar panel 'efficiency degradation' has been the topic of much scientific and engineering interest in the last four decades," says one of the researchers, Tony Peaker from the University of Manchester in the UK.
"However, despite some of the best minds in the business working on it, the problem has steadfastly resisted resolution until now."
To find what 270 research papers across four decades had previously been unable to determine, the latest study used an electrical and optical technique called deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) to find weaknesses in the silicon.
Here's what the DLTS analysis found: As the electronic charge in the solar cells gets transformed from sunlight, the flow of electrons gets trapped; in turn, that reduces the level of electrical power that can be produced.
This defect lies dormant until the solar panel gets heated, the team found.
"We've proved the defect exists, it's now an engineering fix that is needed," says one of the researchers, Iain Crowe from the University of Manchester.
The researchers also found that higher quality silicon had charge carriers (electrons which carry the photon energy) with a longer 'lifetime', which backs up the idea that these traps are linked to the efficiency degradation.
What's more, heating the material in the dark, a process often used to remove traps from silicon, seems to reverse the degradation.
The work to push solar panel efficiency rates higher continues, with breakthroughs continuing to happen in the lab, and nature offering up plenty of efficiency tips as well. Now that the Light Induced Degradation mystery has been solved, solar farms across the globe should benefit.
"An absolute drop of 2 percent in efficiency may not seem like a big deal, but when you consider that these solar panels are now responsible for delivering a large and exponentially growing fraction of the world's total energy needs, it's a significant loss of electricity generating capacity," says Peaker.
The research has been published in the Journal of Applied Physics.
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