Solar energy is most useful when it is converted to electricity. To reduce the traditional use of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels to run electricity generators, solar energy, which is substantially a renewable energy, is now extensively used as alternative energy. The principle of producing electricity through solar energy is simple in that it can run through basic application of photovoltaics.

Photovoltaics is the most common method of electricity production using solar energy with the application of the photovoltaic effect. In this method, radiation from the sun is exploited using semiconductors and, conducting the photovoltaic effect, converting it to electricity. Photovoltaic effect happens when voltage builds up between electrodes through electron transfer between different bands. It must not be mistaken with photoelectric effects which poses different movement of electrons to produce electricity.

To generate the photovoltaic effect, solar cells are needed. The more solar cells placed on a panel, the greater electricity can be generated. This method is now becoming popularly used for residential, commercial and agricultural purposes, even in provinces in the country such as Butte County and Chico City. Many houses in these places can be seen with solar cells installed on the roof.

The energy conversion to electricity is not based on the degree of heat radiated on the panels of solar cell, but on the amount of light. In the photovoltaic application, photons of light knock electrons to a higher state to be able to produce electricity. butte county solar systems are built with wide panels of solar cells arranged systematically on a plain and uncovered terrain. This supplies enough electricity to power a few residential houses and commercial establishments.

Residential solar cells are very useful because it cuts down bills for traditional geothermal power consumption. During a sunny day, chico solar systems can receive as much energy that is needed to supply electricity for a few days. And since the solar systems only utilize light, they can still get minimal solar energy during rainy days.

Solar cells are also expansively used in farmlands for producing electricity to light poultry houses and stables. Although some still prefer biomass to butte county solar systems as alternative source of electricity because of its natural presence in the farm and for proper disposal purposes. However, this traditional alternative energy source is slowly being phased out because of high maintenance costs.

Julia Plays with Camcorder – Exploring Solar in Dassel


Image by CERTs
Over the past few years, the use of solar power for commercial and residential applications has seen substantial growth in Minnesota. The interest was evident as over 40 people gathered to hear from industry experts and entrepreneurs at an event highlighting solar opportunities in Minnesota. The event was hosted by West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC CERT) and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, June 21st , 2011, at the Dassel History Center. See presentations and more at www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/get-answers/19/07/2011/e….

2nd & Commercial ~ Crazy


Image by DragonWoman
3_solar

HERS indexes, known as the Home Energy Rating System, is the new meter for gauging a homes energy efficiency. Solar Attic Fans from U.S. Sunlight Corp have been declared as one of the top 10 energy efficient home improvements.

Home Energy Rating System

HERS indexes have been developed to effectively compare the energy efficiency of different homes. A certified RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) auditor is able to quantify a homes energy efficiency on pre-existing homes or on pre-construction plans of a new home. As a guide: a HERS index of 0 is a carbon neutral home, a HERS index of 85 is an Energy Star rated home, a HERS index of 100 is a standard new home and a HERS index of 130 is the average pre-existing home. The Department of Energy incorporates the value of HERS indexes as a factor to apply federal tax credits as well as a guide for their Building America program.

Additionally, many homeowners are looking to energy efficient home improvements as a method to go green and lower their carbon footprint or to simply save money on energy costs. As a reward, homeowners who choose to purchase an energy efficient home or make energy efficient home improvements can potentially qualify for an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM). In order for a homeowner to qualify for an Energy Efficient Mortgage, the home must be audited by a certified RESNET rater.

The Solar Attic Fan from U.S. Sunlight Corp. is the first solar powered attic fan to receive a HERS index rating. By installing the Solar Attic Fan, a homes HERS index can improve by up to 4 points, frequently equivalent to a 4% reduction in the homes energy consumption. In comparison to many of the top HERS index reducing products, the U.S. Sunlight Solar Attic Fan is one of the top 10 energy efficient products for the price.

For more information on the Solar Controller, Solar Attic Fans and HERS index ratings, visit U.S. Sunlight Corp at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida February 8-11 at Booth #W370.

Robert Buckley, President of US Sunlight Corp We are excited about the approval of our solar attic fans and Solar Controller to the HERS index as developed by RESNET. With the HERS index, builders and homeowners are able to make an educated decision to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Additionally, the Solar Attic Fan qualifies for a 30% federal tax credit making it a cost effective green solution for all new construction and remodeling projects.

Best Sustainable Product

The editors at BUILDERnews, a 15 year old publication, declared the Solar Attic Fan and Solar Controller the Best Sustainable Products of 2011.

Best of Show

With over 100,000 products in the 2011 National Hardware Show, our Solar Attic Fan and Solar Controller caught the attention of retailers, media, and trade professionals, and won the Best of Show awards.

About U.S. Sunlight Corporation

U.S. Sunlight Corporation designs and manufactures cutting edge solar products. For more details, visit us at http://www.ussunlight.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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More Residential Solar Press Releases

John McCrea of CAKE Gives Away the Tree Sapling to a Fan During the Show at The Cosmopolitan’s The Boulevard Pool


Image by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
CAKE performed at The Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV on June 11, 2011.

CAKE, one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock, has been cited by Rolling Stone as creators of “a modern pop that is both mechanized and organic…highly developed and virtually unique.” Founded in 1992 and reaching worldwide attention on the strength of their platinum albums Fashion Nugget and Prolonging The Magic, as well as the gold-certified discs Comfort Eagle and Pressure Chief, CAKE is still an outsider – defiantly and proudly cutting their own path. Both their music and their way of operating in the ever-evolving marketplace are fueled by the same core principles of self-reliance, democracy, and integrity that inspired their formation.

CAKE’s new album, Showroom Of Compassion, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 in January, marking their first number one album in their nearly two decades of existence. Showroom Of Compassion, CAKE’s first record of new material since the release of Pressure Chief seven years ago, comes via the band’s own label, Upbeat Records. The new album has been produced using 100% solar generated electricity from the rooftop of their solar electric powered studio in Sacramento, CA.

The Boulevard Pool sets the stage for Las Vegas’ most unique live concerts. Perched high above The Las Vegas Strip, The Boulevard Pool is a multilevel pool experience by day and an intimate outdoor concert venue with unobstructed sightlines of both the stage and The Strip by night.

For upcoming shows and events at The Cosmopolitan see the Events Calendar.

Find The Cosmopolitan on…
Twitter: @Cosmopolitan_LV
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCosmopolitan
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheCosmopolitanLV
Website: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

CAKE Performing at The Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas


Image by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
CAKE performed at The Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV on June 11, 2011.

CAKE, one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock, has been cited by Rolling Stone as creators of “a modern pop that is both mechanized and organic…highly developed and virtually unique.” Founded in 1992 and reaching worldwide attention on the strength of their platinum albums Fashion Nugget and Prolonging The Magic, as well as the gold-certified discs Comfort Eagle and Pressure Chief, CAKE is still an outsider – defiantly and proudly cutting their own path. Both their music and their way of operating in the ever-evolving marketplace are fueled by the same core principles of self-reliance, democracy, and integrity that inspired their formation.

CAKE’s new album, Showroom Of Compassion, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 in January, marking their first number one album in their nearly two decades of existence. Showroom Of Compassion, CAKE’s first record of new material since the release of Pressure Chief seven years ago, comes via the band’s own label, Upbeat Records. The new album has been produced using 100% solar generated electricity from the rooftop of their solar electric powered studio in Sacramento, CA.

The Boulevard Pool sets the stage for Las Vegas’ most unique live concerts. Perched high above The Las Vegas Strip, The Boulevard Pool is a multilevel pool experience by day and an intimate outdoor concert venue with unobstructed sightlines of both the stage and The Strip by night.

For upcoming shows and events at The Cosmopolitan see the Events Calendar.

Find The Cosmopolitan on…
Twitter: @Cosmopolitan_LV
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCosmopolitan
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheCosmopolitanLV
Website: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

CAKE Performing at The Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas


Image by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
CAKE performed at The Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV on June 11, 2011.

CAKE, one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock, has been cited by Rolling Stone as creators of “a modern pop that is both mechanized and organic…highly developed and virtually unique.” Founded in 1992 and reaching worldwide attention on the strength of their platinum albums Fashion Nugget and Prolonging The Magic, as well as the gold-certified discs Comfort Eagle and Pressure Chief, CAKE is still an outsider – defiantly and proudly cutting their own path. Both their music and their way of operating in the ever-evolving marketplace are fueled by the same core principles of self-reliance, democracy, and integrity that inspired their formation.

CAKE’s new album, Showroom Of Compassion, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 in January, marking their first number one album in their nearly two decades of existence. Showroom Of Compassion, CAKE’s first record of new material since the release of Pressure Chief seven years ago, comes via the band’s own label, Upbeat Records. The new album has been produced using 100% solar generated electricity from the rooftop of their solar electric powered studio in Sacramento, CA.

The Boulevard Pool sets the stage for Las Vegas’ most unique live concerts. Perched high above The Las Vegas Strip, The Boulevard Pool is a multilevel pool experience by day and an intimate outdoor concert venue with unobstructed sightlines of both the stage and The Strip by night.

For upcoming shows and events at The Cosmopolitan see the Events Calendar.

Find The Cosmopolitan on…
Twitter: @Cosmopolitan_LV
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCosmopolitan
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheCosmopolitanLV
Website: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

Solar Amusement


Image by complexify.
Solar panels at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Output on this partly
cloudy day was 360W when I walked by.

Brighton Earthship Front / Left Elevation


Image by Dominic’s pics
The south facing windows maximise natural solar heating.

An image taken at or near the Brighton Earthship located near Stanmer Park, Brighton, East Sussex.

The Earthship – the first built in the UK – is an experimental sustainable development which includes the following features: photovoltaic solar cells, collection of rainwater from the roof, a windmill, using the thermal storage property of the ground (by building "hobbit like" into a hillside), reuse of rubber tires as a building material for the walls.

No one lives here, but regular tours are available by arrangement.

Further information:
Low Carbon Trust
Brighton Earthship Project
Sustainable Development Commission
The UK Earth Centre Network

IMG_7133.jpg


Image by tompagenet

Competition Heats Up for Solar Installers
By Travis Hoium, The Motley Fool Posted 2:59PM 01/30/12 Investing For solar power to become a truly affordable option for homeowners and commercial properties around the US, an infrastructure of installers needs to be built to provide the services …
Read more on DailyFinance

Dyesol Announces OTCQX Quotation in USA
QUEANBEYAN, Australia–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–In response to increased US investor enquiries and as part of a determined bid to diversify its shareholder base and increase liquidity, dye sensitized solar cell frontrunner, Dyesol Limited (ASX:DYE, …
Read more on EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)

4th Annual Folsom High School Engineering Challenge


Image by USACEpublicaffairs
FOLSOM, Calif. — Judges Eric Kennedy (left), and Thomas Savage (second from left), admire the talents of Folsom High’s Johnny Mannuel on a hover craft he and his team designed and built for the physics and engineering event at Folsom High here, May 17, 2011. Kennedy and Savage were two of three judges from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District’s engineering division that participated in the school’s 4th annual Folsom High School Engineering Challenge. The students displayed various rocket, solar, hover, catapult, air compression, electro, magnetic and light-bending projects with detailed narratives of their experience for the judges. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

IKEA Powers-up Solar Energy System at Cincinnati-Area Store
WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Jan 24, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its Cincinnati-area store in West Chester, Ohio. The 128000-square-foot PV array …
Read more on MarketWatch (press release)

PV number games from Germany's Ministry of Economics
Additionally, the Ministry of Economics is, with figures about Germany's solar cell market share, once again fanning the flames against Chinese photovoltaics manufacturers. In the paper, the share held by German manufacturers is given at 15 percent and …
Read more on pv magazine

Article by Solar Home Site

Residential solar-lighting is used both for safety and for decoration.

Highlighting plants and trees with light in the garden or on the lawn is commonplace. The problem arises when the electricity bill comes!

Christmas trees with lights are proof enough that lights have became a part of fashion as well as it is a need. In many parts of the world, night-time weddings use lighting on a large scale and this lighting proves to be expensive.

Saving Money

So if you have solar lighting systems, then you can save your money and it will prove you cheaper than the payment of electricity bills.

Anywhere in your house where you need light–whether searching for your keys or reading a book you need light. Candles or oil lamps, while possibly romantic, are not reliable source of light because of wind or, again, limited supply on hand.

In this modern world, the most-reliable resource for switching on the light is the everlasting solar energy.

Solar Lighting Outside

The use of solar energy has made the human life easier and more comfortable. Solar garden lights and lamps are readily available, look beautiful and will make good impression on your guests.

Not only do you save the expense of electricity–especially if you like to keep low lights burning all night (or often forget to turn them off!), but also they save the expense, hassle and fire danger of outdoor wiring!

Solar Lighting Inside

It is also possible to use solar energy for indoor lighting. Solar Photovoltaic Collectors are expensive when you look at their initial purchase price, but keep in mind that by financing this, you’re buying a lifetime supply of electricity.

The Solar Photovoltaic Collector lifespan is 30 years with no repairing and maintenance, so they are actually therefore quite a bargain.

They are mounted on the side of a building, or they are often mounted on the roof. Some tracking systems are designed to cooperate with roof-mounting.

Most of the solar panel mounting systems are only rated to withstand 120mph winds. If your building experiences greater extremes, you’ve got worse problems than your precious, expensive, lifetime electric supply.

More Residential Solar Articles

Tim Shows Off Panels – Exploring Solar in Dassel


Image by CERTs
Over the past few years, the use of solar power for commercial and residential applications has seen substantial growth in Minnesota. The interest was evident as over 40 people gathered to hear from industry experts and entrepreneurs at an event highlighting solar opportunities in Minnesota. The event was hosted by West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC CERT) and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, June 21st , 2011, at the Dassel History Center. See presentations and more at www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/get-answers/19/07/2011/e….

Speakers Chat with Attendees – Exploring Solar in Dassel


Image by CERTs
Over the past few years, the use of solar power for commercial and residential applications has seen substantial growth in Minnesota. The interest was evident as over 40 people gathered to hear from industry experts and entrepreneurs at an event highlighting solar opportunities in Minnesota. The event was hosted by West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC CERT) and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, June 21st , 2011, at the Dassel History Center. See presentations and more at www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/get-answers/19/07/2011/e….

Tim Chats with Attendees – Exploring Solar in Dassel


Image by CERTs
Over the past few years, the use of solar power for commercial and residential applications has seen substantial growth in Minnesota. The interest was evident as over 40 people gathered to hear from industry experts and entrepreneurs at an event highlighting solar opportunities in Minnesota. The event was hosted by West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC CERT) and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, June 21st , 2011, at the Dassel History Center. See presentations and more at www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/get-answers/19/07/2011/e….