How To Live Sustainably With Solar Energy

Continuation... **Steps** 8. Choose a charge controller. The charge controller should be compatible with the particular chemistry (lead-acid, gel cell, NiMH, etc.), capacity, and number of batteries you're using. You may want one that is suitable for the batteries you now have, and a few more also, because the charge controller is relatively inexpensive and durable and room to grow is convenient. Some important features are protection against overcharging, deep discharge, and excessive rate of charge and discharge. It's generally safe to assume that an all-in-one device has an acceptable general type of charge controller and that the other components can't charge or discharge the battery too quickly, but deep discharge protection is important for a device with a lead acid (including gel cell) battery. 9. Choose an inverter (for a power system only). Check the waveform type it produces; "true sine wave" (a smooth wave, like a mechanical generator makes) is be...

Continuation... **Steps** 5. Choose system components that meet your current needs and make the best use of each other. The cheaper parts, such as the batteries, should have enough capacity to make full use of the more-expensive parts, such as the solar cells. If you're buying an all-in-one device, check that the compromises its components reflect are reasonable: any missing capabilities or reduced durability should be acceptable and compensated for with a significantly lower price and/or (if convenience is important) weight. **Avoid vendor lock-in. Make sure major system components follow design and compatibility standards not limited by any particular manufacturer. For instance, they should work at voltages and with connection types many charge controllers and appliances accept. 6. Choose solar panels . There are several types of solar cells that vary in efficiency per unit area and tendency to decay over time. But, unless you're buying so many that having enough ...

Solar energy is an easy-to-use, generally safe, clean , and renewable resource. Here's how to make the most of it for living off the grid, in a developing country , or even outside. This article focuses on using solar energy for electricity, which can be used to perform all kinds of work. For heating, including space heating , water heating and cooking, it is generally much simpler and cheaper to collect the sun's heat directly, or, in some cases, overall better to use other energy sources frugally. **Steps** 1. Create a Budget . Solar power generally has a high up-front (capital) cost and--if it works-saves money over time (low operating cost). If you estimate that your solar project will cost a large part of your monthly income, or more, make a budget for your overall expenses and project expenses to make sure the project won't cause great financial hardship even if for some unknown reason it turns out to be a total loss. Solar energy can save a lot of money compared...

Continuation... **Steps** 3. Understand the basic components of a solar power system . Solar cells, organized as and protected in solar panels . These are the flat devices that convert light into electricity. The cells generally produce a constant voltage, but current varying continually with the amount of light; the panels' voltage and wattage (power output, under good conditions) depends on how the cells are arranged in them. This uneven power is not very useful for operating other devices on its own, and could even damage them, so it should be fed to a.... * Charge controller . A charge controller is a system of electronic components that smooths out the flow of electricity from the solar panels to, and regulates the discharge of electricity for use from a... * Battery . A battery is a set of galvanic cells which stores electricity. (Colloquially, the term can refer to a single cell, such as an AA battery, or a set of many, such as a 9-volt battery or car battery; a ...