Using Solar Power for Electricity

Top 3 Reasons to Use Solar Power

There are many reasons solar power is becoming more popular. In fact, there are almost as many reasons to start using solar as there are people in the world. Most of those reasons fall into one of these broad categories though…

1. Save The Planet

There’s increasing interest in this area specifically. Almost anywhere you look you’ll find news items, government legislation, and corporate news touting the strong need to reduce greenhouse emissions, reduce pollution, stop using up natural resources and more.

Solar power is what’s known as a “clean energy” source. The power itself comes directly from the sun and since the sun is not expected to die out anytime soon, it’s considered a sustainable and renewable source of power. We don’t have to gut the earth to tap the sun’s energy, and we don’t have to fill our skies with black pollution clouds to use it either.

Now there are of course many pieces to this puzzle though. Currently solar panels are made in a few different ways, and the manufacturing process of those panels may create pollution in and of itself. Then there’s the disposal issue: If the entire world converts to using solar power, will we have more of a hazardous waste issue due to the massive amounts of batteries used, and the materials used to create the solar panels themselves?

With the technology we have today, residential solar panels last for 20-30 years with little to no maintenance. In fact, about the only maintenance needed is a regular rinsing or cleaning so the panels can operate at their most efficient levels. Some types of solar panels may be prone to cracking or breaking of course, especially in hail storms or if trees fall on them.

Despite those occasional replacement issues that might come up, the idea of being able to operate for 20-30 years without contributing more pollution, chemicals, and harmful gases into the air and earth currently sounds like it will more than outweigh the eventual solar power system disposal or recycling issues that will arise.

So, one big reason solar power is becoming so popular is because it’s much more environmentally friendly than our conventional power sources.

2. Save Money

This reason might actually be the most popular where mainstream society is concerned. Using solar power can save you money over the long term. It’s an excellent investment in the future actually, and it can be an effective hedge against rising energy prices.

For some people, the lure of being able to make money from solar power is another driving force.

When you install solar panels on your home, you start supplying at least some of your electricity needs. If you install a full solar power system which is large enough to cover your most demanding energy needs, you may even find yourself with “extra” electricity. In some cases, this extra energy can be sold to your local power company.

Questionable products and sales pitches have actually been touting solar power as an easy way to make money, and this has helped push solar power into the limelight with everyday consumers.

While technically this theory is sound, it is not quite as cut and dry as it might seem. When you install your own solar panel system — or pay to have one installed for you — you’re not likely to have lots of extra electricity available right from the start. In fact, unless you’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars right from the start, you probably won’t have enough power being generated from your solar panels to run 100% of your own household needs.

Why? Because most people have no idea just how much electricity they use on a day to day basis, and solar power is not always 100% efficient.

When you rely on the sun to provide your power, you must accept from the start that you will not get 365 days of sunshine. There will be heavily overcast days in which you receive little to no energy at all, and even on slightly cloudy days you’ll experience a decrease in the amounts of energy collected. This natural phenomenon is why most solar power systems use batteries to store additional energy. If you can store the extra on bright sunny days, then that gives you a reserve to use on the not so sunny days.

Now, power consumption is another critical factor in having a sustainable, effective solar power setup. Many American households have two or three TVs, and it’s not unusual for some people to leave all of those on for hours at a time, and TVs drain a heck of a lot of power.

Something as simple as a clock can be problematic too. Since most households have multiple electric clocks throughout their house — one to five alarm clocks in the bedrooms, the stove or oven clock, the microwave clock and so on — you’re probably using much more electricity than you realize just by having all of those clocks in your house.

And then there are all the misc gadgets, gizmos and devices which stay plugged in 24 hours a day, even though they’re not being used. If you have a VCR or DVD player which is always plugged in, those devices are using some level of electric power even when they’re not being used.

So, one of the first steps to moving your household to a clean energy source such as solar power, is to start drastically reducing the amount of energy you consume. The combination of cutting back on your day-to-day energy use and using solar panels to provide at least some of your electricity will make the largest monetary difference for most people.

Don’t forget the future investments too though. By spending even a few thousand dollars towards solar panels for your home today, you stand a very good chance of not being effected much — if at all — as future conventional energy prices keep rising.

3. Become More Self Sufficient

The last major reason many people are becoming more interested in using solar power is simply self sufficiency. They want to know they have power in case of an emergency, and they want to know they can continue living an enjoyable modern lifestyle regardless of what happens in the rest of the world.

If their electric company goes out of business they don’t have to worry. If there are brown outs and black outs because the power company can’t provide the level of electricity needed, they don’t have to worry. And if they decide at some point in the future to cut themselves loose from the monthly utility company bills, they may have that option too.

Having solar power as a supplemental or sole source of power for your home gives you freedom, choice, and options. All of which many people are craving more of each and every day.

How Much Solar Power Do I Need?

I’ve been reading and studying a LOT of information about solar power in the last 6 months or so, because I’m making preparations to move to a remote area and live off grid. My plan is to start with a small solar panel setup — just enough to run the work laptop so I can continue earning money since I work online — then I’ll add solar panels as needed and wanted over time.

Part of the planning process though, means I need to know how much solar power is needed for the bare minimum of my plans. And figuring that out isn’t so easy of a task.

I don’t fully understand watts, kilowatts, watt hours, voltage and amps… and I really haven’t yet grasped how all these relate to and/or depend on each other. So the learning curve for me has been a bit steep.

I initially came across information online which said laptop computers use an average of 45 watts of power. I then learned that my specific laptop appears to be rated at 90 watts DC power.

Now, I was under the impression that I would need to buy enough solar panels to generate at least 90 watts right from the start. I’ve since learned that’s not quite how it works.

As far as I can determine, the 90 watts needed for my own laptop (which is actually a large convertible Tablet PC) is the maximum amount it could use if I’m running everything at once. And that’s the maximum amount needed to charge it up at it’s fastest rate.

When I plug my laptop into the wall outlet in a regular house, it takes roughly an hour to fully charge the battery. When I switch to solar power though, the primary difference seems to be in the amount of charge time.

For example, if I choose a solar panel system that generates 20-30 watts of power in full sunlight and peak efficiency, it may take 3-5 hours to fully charge my laptop. This might also not be enough power to both use and charge the laptop at the same time. So I could choose to use the laptop at those solar power levels, or I could choose to charge the battery instead.

If my starting solar panel setup generates 50-80 watts though, that should be more than enough to allow me to use the computer while it’s also charging the battery. Again it will take several hours to charge fully though, so I’ll need to make sure I’ve started charging it well before sundown.

The solar power kit I’ve chosen to start with consists of two 36 watt panels — 72 watts total — which should be plenty on good sunny days.

To figure out how much power you need for various other devices in your home can get a bit complicated though. Some devices — like the refrigerator — pull power 24 hours a day, so you need to plan for that when you’re setting up a solar panel power system if you also plan to run a fridge. You might decide to change to a smaller RV or apartment size fridge to lower power consumption, or you might decide you want enough power from your solar panels to run the regular sized ones. Either way, you’ll need to know how much power that appliance draws so you’ll know how many watts of solar power you’ll need to be able to generate.

In most cases you can simply look at the power label on the device, and it will provide information which can be used to determine how much power it needs. If you want the specific usage amounts though, you can buy an inexpensive device called a watt-hour meter. You can buy whole house meters, or simple ones which you plug a device in to. This meter allows you to see how much power something is using in a given moment, and it lets you see how much it averages in usage over time.

Knowing how much power your solar panels need to generate will allow you to plan for a whole house off the grid install. If you also reduce your power consumption drastically by getting rid of extra electrical devices you don’t need, and scaling down your appliances, this will also make a drastic difference.

For my purposes I will start with the 72 watts noted above so I can run and charge the computer. I frequently use the same computer as a TV in the evenings too, so I’m not initially worried about trying to juggle charging multiple appliances and devices. The starter setup is probably going to be more than enough to charge smaller items too, such as the cell phone, camera battery, and rechargeable batteries. Once I put it into actual use, we may find that all we need to do is add extra storage batteries for the excess solar power being generated too.

How to Build Your Own Solar Power

You’ll need one or more Solar Panels. It’s easy and inexpensive to start with just one or two panels, and add more as desired.

An MPPT Charge Controller lets you extract the maximum power at all times, even on cloudy days.
Deep cycle batteries store excess power for use all night long.

Remote temperature sensors are optional but help to ensure your system is not damaged by extreme temperatures.

A DC to AC power inverter lets you plug in appliances and gadgets using normal wall socket plugs.

Ready Made Solar Power Kits

Ready made solar power kits are a cheap way to start using solar power in your home immediately. Kits often use lower quality pieces but you get both speed and excellent prices in return. All you have to do is unpack the pieces, snap a few cords together, then plug in the small electronics or lights you want to run.

If I were starting from scratch today, I would buy this 100-watt kit from Renogy. Starting with 100 watts is ideal, the MPPT controller helps you get the most efficiency from your panel, and it allows for plenty of expansion in the future. This would be a great starter setup for an RV, Camper, Shed, misc. home needs, and emergencies.

©2009, Kathy Burns. This solar power tutorial was originally written circa April 2009 by Kathy Burns. All Rights are Reserved. There may be affiliate links in this article.