Your Questions About Solar Energy Facts

admin answers:

Geothermal As A Green Energy Source
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Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth’s crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don’t have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

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Why Is Hydropower A Green Energy Source?

Why is hydropower a green energy source? It is because we are able to harness electrical power by converting water into electricity.

The use of hydroelectric power or even hydroelectricity dates back to Ancient Greece and China when they installed waterwheels in rapidly flowing rivers to turn millstones and other equipment. Years later, this was used in the New World which is now known as North America to power saws and other equipment.

But the hydroelectric plants of today still use the same basic principles as the historical waterwheel with some variations. The difference is that we use the force of the power to push the turbine which in turn powers a generator thus generating electricity.

To make sure that there is a steady flow of power being produced, a dam has to be built to retain the water. If there is a need for more power, the gates of the dam are opened so water can be released. During non-peak, the gates are closed. To ensure there is water at all times, some dams have a recovery and pumping systems to the water released can be used again.

There are issues with the use of hydroelectricity. Some claim that it poses a problem for fish and aquatic plants on both sides of the dam. Because the flow of water has been altered, the nutrient rich silt which helps crops grow could be affected which is exactly what happened when the Aswan Dam was completed in Egypt.

Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power based on the different temperatures in the water. For this to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water. Still in the trial stage, it is used Japan and Hawaii.

Hydropower is a green energy source. It is safe to use and what is even better is that it is renewable.

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My answer is : Hydro and Geothermal

admin answers:

Hey Sanusi, always good to hear someone is interested in this. We have a home that is completely powered by the wind and sun. It’s been 10 years now since we started, and we have made plenty of mistakes. My suggestion is you start small, something on the order of a hobby sized system, and learn from it first. You really only need a few things. First is the solar panel of course. A good starter size is something in the 50 to 75 watt range. That way it is large enough to take advantage of the critical size for the best price to power ratio, but not so large it has to be delivered on a truck. That size panel in the US should cost about 200 to 400 dollars. Next is a battery. The best bang for your money is in a pair of golf cart batteries. You need two because they are 6 volts each, and the panel and most DC appliances are 12 volt. If you manage to buy a panel with diodes built into the back, then all you need after that is a wire to connect the panel to the battery. A diode is an electrical check valve, it allows power to flow in one direction, but not in the other. This is necessary so the panel can feed into the battery in the daytime, but the battery will not feed back into the panel at night.

Many solar systems use a charge controller, but here is a good rule of thumb. If the maximum amp rating on the panel is less than 2% of the amp hour rating on the batteries, then you don’t need a charge controller, the panel will never overcharge the battery. Golf cart batteries are typically 220 amp hour, and a 75 watt panel will only have an amp rating of 4 amps. The most important thing is you connect the panel to the battery correctly, positive to positive, and so on, then you can leave it hooked up all the time. We have a similar arrangement at our place we put in first, and it is still working today 10 years later. In fact, it was featured in an article in Home Power Magazine once, you can look them up online and use their search engine to find, “Starting Small.”

I would suggest doing a little reading, then shopping for parts and trying your hand at growing your own electrons, it’s fun and rewarding, and when you are done, you will have a small backup 12 volt power source. Good luck, and take care, Rudydooo