Solar LED lighting benefits

Solar powered LED lighting is increasingly being used for street lights, residential lighting and even safety lights for construction, schools and other uses.

There are several reasons that people are making the switch to solar LED lighting, because of its benefits:

1.  LED lights use DC (Direct Current) Power

When solar electricity is generated by panels, it is in the form of direct current (DC), rather than alternating current (AC) which is what you get when you plug into an electrical outlet.  Solar LED lights are especially efficient, compared to CFL or other lamps used in solar lighting because they do not require a converter.  This is because LED lights use DC power, which is the same as that which is generated by solar panels.  Any other type of lighting requires a converter before running on solar power, which results in a loss of energy.

2.  LED Lights Have Better Light Output

For solar lighting, use of LED lights have better light output.  They also can be used along the entire lighting spectrum, from bright blue-white to a soft warm glow.  Of course, LED lights come in clear (white) and colored lamps, which allow for creative applications ranging from holiday lights to solar garden lighting projects.

3.  LED Lights are Brighter and More Visible

This is my favorite feature of LED lights!  Not only are they brighter, which makes them more visible, even in daylight or foggy conditions, but they use less energy to burn so effectively (and efficiency).  Bright white LEDs have a superior CRI (color rendition index) for better illumination than traditional light bulbs.

4. LED Lights Use Less Energy

Solar LED lighting is a perfect fit because solar panels can easily generate enough power for their illumination.  Compared to CFLs, LEDs use 1/3 less power, and even less the energy required for incandescent lamps.  Because they are brighter and require less power, fewer LED street lights are required for the same amount of coverage, and municipalities and private property owners save money over time.

5.  LED Lights Last Longer

Solar panels last at least 25 years, so it only makes sense to use them with LED lights, as opposed to other types of lamps.  LEDs have at least a 10-year life expectancy, which is at least double that of halide or CFLs.  Solar LED lighting is a great example of install it and forget it when it comes to street lamps and other long-term light requirements.

Nokia Solar Powered Cell Phone

In fact, Nokia has been testing solar charging panels in its C1-02 devices in various settings around the world, from the Baltic Sea, to the plains in Africa and even deep in a Swedish forest.  What the cell phone manufacturer discovered was that the effectiveness of solar powered cell phones has less to do with location, than how they are used.  While solar panels are just being researched right now, you could possibly see a solar powered Nokia T-Mobile cell phone in the future, once the technology is perfected.

“Our test users proved beyond doubt that a low power mobile phone can stay functioning for long periods of time on solar energy. However, they also proved that your lifestyle and how you use a solar powered phone is as important as the environment, the weather and the time of year.”

The bottom line is that solar powered cell phones are more effective for people that use their phones infrequently and allow them to absorb sunlight over extended periods of time.  In addition, cell phones with solar panels may be most practical in sunny regions, particularly those in remote areas not reached by the grid.

Research and development continues.  As solar cells become more efficient in converting UV light to energy, we could soon see solar mobile phones that are practical for many uses in more and more areas of the world.

How affordable is solar power in your state?

The price of solar energy is not the same across the United States.  Among other things, state incentives for solar, localized costs, and marketplace competition varies.  The amount you can save by switching to solar power also depends on the price of grid-based electricity, in terms of kilowatt hours.  States with expensive electricity – New York and California – may indirectly encourage homeowners to go solar to slash utility bills.

Top 20 States for Cheap Solar Power

By installing residential solar panels, you can expect to cut energy bills by 50% or more.

If you are wondering which are the states with the cheapest solar power, take a look at the list of the top 20, based on the Q3 2010 report from U.S. Solar Market Insight (published by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research), shown to the left.

Colorado tops the list of states for cheap solar power with an average installed price of $5.90 per watt.  In last place is Wisconsin, with solar PV installations costing $7.55 per watt.

In the middle of the list are solar powerhouse states, including California and New Jersey, with $6.71 and $6.75 per watt.  In New York, homeowners pay an average of $7.10 per watt for solar power.

If your state does not show up on the list of the top 20 states with the cheapest solar power, don’t take that as an indication solar is an unwise investment.  In fact, its just the opposite!

Prices for solar panels are continuing to fall, while efficiencies increase.  Grid parity – the point at which solar power is no more expensive than fossil-fuel based electricity has already arrived in Hawaii and is on the near horizon in other states, too.

By installing solar panels, you can immediately start saving on your utility bills and guard against future utility rate hikes.  This is the case in these top 20 states, and the remaining 30 in the nation!

Spray on solar cells

Spray on solar cells are one of the more exciting solar technologies that can be employed as building integrated photovoltaics.

Thin film solar is incorporated into solar inks that can literally be painted onto walls and windows of structures allowing the sides of buildings to function as solar collectors to generate enough electricity to power interior uses.

Unlike bulky photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, spray on solar cells use thin film nano particles instead of silicon as solar conductors.

Applied to the sides of structures that face the sun, the thin solar cells invisibly generate clean, green power.

Spray on solar is not limited to buildings, either.  Thin film solar technology is also used in clothing, and may one day be incorporated into automobile paint.

Advantages of Spray on Solar Cells

• More efficient than conventional solar panels
• Capable of generating ample electricity
• Hassle-free installation of solar technology
• Able to harness even infrared rays from the sun, allowing generation of solar power even on cloudy days

Third World regions benefit from solar power

This means that distributed generation solar power (produced and consumed on the same site) is key to bringing inhabitants of Third World regions the necessary advancements they need for health, safety and quality of life.   In other words, power plants likely will never serve these people.  They need solar panels installed in their villages so that the renewable energy resources can be tapped locally.

Why is it Important to Bring Solar to Third World Regions?

1.  Cost of Lighting

Kerosene and candles are often the only means of lighting living spaces in certain areas of the world.  Yet, they are disproportionately expensive for the impoverished people that rely on them.  One statistic states that the poorest fifth of the world pays one-fifth of the world’s lighting bill — but receives only .1 percent of the lighting benefits.  The cost of this energy is about $180/year, adding up to nearly $2000 over a decade.  The cost of kerosene depletes 25-30% of a poor family’s income.

Instead of kerosene and candles, a 40 watt home solar power system can be purchased for only $300 and will provide not only lighting, but also electricity to charge cell phones, run fans and power other electronic devices like computers and TVs.

2.  Environmental Safety

Use of kerosene is unhealthy and unsafe.  Lighting a room with a kerosene lamp can result in an increase in indoor pollution by ten-fold.  Each year about 1.5 million people die from this exposure.  When the lamps tip over, fires often start, harming or killing even more people each year.

3.  Health Reasons

Living off-grid, without traditional power sources, people in Third World countries often lack the ability to keep medications sufficiently chilled or food maintained at a safe temperature.  Electric refrigerators run on solar power can be a significant improvement in the quality of life.

How can we Bring Solar Power and Electricity to Third World Regions?

While the use of solar power by people in developing regions can vastly improve their lives, they do not have the funds up front to invest in the renewable energy resource.  In order to help bring distributed solar energy to the approximately 1.2 billion people who live off grid, experts agree that we need: (1) up front investment capital for the cost of solar panels and installation; (2) a way to recoup the annual cost of solar electricity generated by the installed systems (much less than the cost of kerosene); and (3) networks/partnerships to actually bring the solar panel systems to Third World regions.

With the cost of solar panels having dropped dramatically over the past few years, the resource is much more affordable for everyone.  Not only does that improve the prospects of bringing solar power to developing regions, but the overall health of the planet stands to benefit.  The annual carbon emissions from kerosene lighting is the equivalent of the greenhouse gases put out each year by the entire British economy!

In short, helping to bring solar to Third World countries will be life-changing for the people that live there, and the entire world.

Considering a solar power job? Learn what they pay!

Did you know that you do not even need a college degree for some jobs in the solar industry?  That’s the first part of the good news.  Experts predict that the number of solar jobs will continue to rise as both public and private property owners realize the value of saving money and the environment by making a switch to solar energy.  Installation of solar panels will continue to boom in 2012 as prices have dropped making solar power cost competitive with coal and other traditional energy resources.

But what does a solar job pay?  How much can you make with a solar power career?

We found the following charts at this post on Solar Energy World, published on December 26, 2011:

Solar energy jobs that only require a High School diploma or G.E.D. :

Solar careers for people with a Bachelors degree, Trade School Training, or Apprenticeship:

If you are considering a solar power job, now might be just the time to get your application materials and resume together.  The solar industry is continuing to expand and – unlike coal and gas – it is not a finite resource.  As the world more seriously considers the toll of global climate change, the U.S. will be a leader in solar power growth.

That means they need people like you to add to the solar power job workforce!

Solar power benefits Third World Countries

For developing regions in Third World countries, many of life’s basic necessities are difficult to achieve due to poverty and/or living far from the electrical grid.  Keeping medical supplies at cool temperatures via refrigeration, making emergency telephone calls, lighting living spaces in a safe manner, and even purifying water and cooking food can be challenging, if not impossible.

Using solar power benefits Third World countries because the resource is ample and inexpensive.  Consider this startling fact: Africa has 9 times the solar energy potential of Europe—an annual equivalent of 100 million tons of oil.  If even a fraction of this solar power was tapped into, impoverished countries could even boost their economies by selling excess solar electricity to European countries.

In recognition of the value of solar power to developing countries, Sunbelt International recently announced an initiative to aggressively develop and deploy solar energy technologies and systems in third world countries. According to Sunbelt International President Fang Soo Lui:

“It is the strategic objective of Sunbelt International to approach emerging markets with sustainable energy alternatives.”

Sunbelt will work with a number of developing nations to install the solar power units.

In addition to Sunbelt’s new initiative, the World Bank announced last year that a $5.5 billion package would be invested in utility scale solar power plants in Africa.  One of its goals was to encourage additional private investments and entrepreneurs.

With solar power projects in Africa, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 740 million tons annually.  And that is a benefit that can be enjoyed by the entire world!

Illustration of net metering

While it is possible to go entirely off-grid with solar panels, most people considering residential solar want grid-tied solar power systems.

Summarized briefly, net metering benefits both the property owner and the utility company.  If you have solar panels installed and generate more electricity than you require, the excess is fed back into the grid for use by other consumers.  The utility will give you a credit against any power you need to draw from the grid at other times, at a specific, agreed rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh).  Some people even get a refund if they end up producing more power with their solar panels than they use any given month.

Net metering for grid-tied solar power systems also benefits the power company because they are provided with additional electricity that they can sell, often at peak demand periods.  Perhaps not surprisingly, a net metering arrangement usually involves the utility paying you slightly less for the power than the rate at which they will charge other consumers.

Net metering is regulated on a state-by-state and/or local basis – there are not any national standards yet.

Its easy to use net metering with home solar power systems, but be sure to check with your utility provider regarding rates and details of the arrangement.  All you need is a net metering monitor to be installed with a grid-tied solar power system.  The device will track your use of grid-tied power, which is compared to the amount of energy produced by your residential solar array.  You can also review data regarding the dates and times of peak or low power usage.

The US Energy Policy Act of 2006 requires utilities to provide each residential and commercial energy user with net metering. With a solar power system, you can save substantial amounts of money by generating power during the day (peak demand times) and only drawing on the grid overnight when energy demands are lower.  Overall, you can end up with inexpensive, affordable power with tiny, if not nonexistent, electricity bills!

SolarCity providing green jobs

The SJF Institute handed out its 2011 Green Jobs Awards recently, honoring the San Mateo, California company SolarCity.

Green jobs have experienced a tremendous growth during the recession, with solar power one of the leading industries providing such employment opportunities.  SolarCity currently employs 1,350 people full time and provides a full health package and retirement plan.  Not only that, but entry level photovoltaic (PV) solar panel installers have the opportunity to move quickly up the ranks into supervisory and management positions within 1-2 years of hire.

Linda Keala, SolarCity’s VP of human resources commented on its receipt of the 2011 Green Jobs Award:

“Our more than 1,300 employees make it possible for many homeowners and businesses to switch to clean, solar power for less than they pay for utility power.  Every SolarCity employee supports and plays a key role in increasing the use of clean power or using power more efficiently to make our country less dependent on energy sources that pollute our environment.”

Despite recent economic conditions, SolarCity has more than 20,000 clean power projects completed or underway in 11 states.

Regarding the 2011 Green Jobs Award, Bonny Moellenbrock, SJF Institute Executive Director, stated:

“By acknowledging the tremendous work these companies are doing, we hope to both support their efforts and inspire other businesses to follow their lead.”

What do you think about solar power and green jobs?

Solar powered travel in an RV

Next to staying at home, traveling in an RV (recreational vehicle) or boat is one of the greenest options around.

You might be surprised, but the minimal amount of power required, the often small/compact spaces, and the fact that you probably are not washing and drying linens every day greatly reduces energy use when you are on the road.  Adding solar panels to your RV or boat can help you avoid running a gas generator or drawing on other fossil-fuel based power.

Portable solar panels are relatively inexpensive and easy to install when they come as part of a solar power kit:

You can be on the road (so to speak) toward solar powered travel after just a weekend of set-up.  Solar panels can be installed on the roof of an RV or boat in order to absorb sunlight, generating clean, free electricity to recharge batteries and run appliances.  If you are away from shore for days, marine solar panels are especially useful to keep batteries charged so you can relax and enjoy your excursion.

Prices for solar power kits range from $299-3999, depending on your power needs and the size of array required.