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Off Grid Solar Power

Energy from the sun has immense potential as it powers life on earth. Commercially available solar panels are around 10-15% efficient at converting energy (compared to a coal power station operating at around 25% efficiency), and although new technologies are in development which may utilise solar on a large scale, they will take many years to perfect. Solar panels are still based on simple principles that do not require sophisticated machinery or technology to make. Much of the cost is in the price of high grade silicon (around $225 a pound) which current solar technology uses heavily.

While solar is not greatly viable on a commercial scale it can be extremely effective on a small scale, particularly when combined with other methods. Using both off grid solar power and wind power generation combined can offset the limits of each device, so that electricity can be derived from the wind at night and from the sun on less windy days. As with most generation methods the power travels one way (as opposed to our usual power supply which can travel both ways many times a second) so much of the cost of a full system is spent connecting the intake supply to the grid. You can bypass this by connecting the panels to some deep-cycle batteries and running appliances directly from them. This also offsets the major disadvantage of solar that allows you to only derive energy during the day when energy use is low in the average household. Deep cycle batteries can give about 12 hours of continuous power which is perfect for solar collection.

This is why DIY versions of solar installations likeEarth4Energy are much more popular than full scale professional installations, which can take up to 20 years to pay back the initial cost. Earth4Energy shows you how to utilise solar power on any scale, at a much lower cost than is possible otherwise. They offer step by step instructions in building your own solar panels, connecting them to your power supply, as well as where to find all the parts at their cheapest, including advice on obtaining free deep-cycle batteries, making it possible to produce your own power for much less.

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