UTY2 (Mechanical, Electrical, & Electronics) Polycrystalline Low cost Lower efficiency/

Ar. Ernesto Arellano performance

(LECTURE 14-16) Thin-Film Portable and Flexible Lower efficiency/
Lightweight performance
SOLAR PANEL Aesthetics

TYPES OF SOLAR PANEL Below, we’ll break down some common questions and concerns about
solar panels and how different types of panels have varying characteristics.

What are different solar panels made of?

To produce electricity, solar cells are made from a semiconducting
material that converts light into electricity. The most common material used
as a semiconductor during the solar cell manufacturing process is silicon.

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels

Thin-Film, Monocrystalline, and Polycrystalline

Most of the solar panel options currently available. Fit in one of three types:
Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline (also known as multi-crystalline), and Thin-
Film. These solar panels vary in how they’re made. Appearance,
performance, costs, and the installations each are best suited for

Depending on the type of installation you’re considering. One option may

be more suitable than the others

The major types of Solar Panels

These are three major types of solar panels: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, Both monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels have cells made of
and Thin-Film. Each type has its own unique advantages and silicon wafers. To build a monocrystalline or polycrystalline panel, wafers are
disadvantages, and the solar panel type best suited for your installation will assembled into rows and columns to form a rectangle, covered with a glass
depend on factors specific to your own property and desired system sheet, and framed together.
characteristics.
While both of these types of solar panels have cells made from silicon,
Solar Panel Type Advantages Disadvantages monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels vary in the composition of the
Monocrystalline High efficiency/ Higher cost silicon itself. Monocrystalline solar cells are cut from a single, pure crystal of
performance silicon. Alternatively, polycrystalline solar cells are composed of fragments
Aesthetics
of silicon crystals that are melted together in a mold before being cut into
wafers.

Thin-Film Solar Panels

Unlike monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels, thin-film panels are

made from a variety of materials. The most prevalent type of thin-film solar
panel is made from cadmium telluride (CdTe). To make this type of thin-film
panel, manufacturers place a layer of CdTe between transparent
conducting layers that help capture sunlight. This type of thin-film
technology also has a glass layer on the top for protection.

Thin-film solar panels can also be made from amorphous silicon (a-Si),
which is similar to the composition of monocrystalline and polycrystalline
panels. Though these thin-film panels use silicon in their composition, they
are not made up of solid silicon wafers. Rather, they’re composed of non-
crystalline silicon placed on top of glass, plastic, or metal.

Lastly, Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) panels are another popular
type of thin-film technology. CIGS panels have all four elements placed
between two conductive layers (i.e. glass, plastic, aluminum, or steel), and
electrodes are placed on the front and the back of the material to capture
electrical currents

(A power optimizer is a DC/DC converter technology developed to
maximize the energy harvest from solar photovoltaic or wind turbine
systems.)
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING A SOLAR-POWERED HOME.
Since residential solar-power setups can be expensive, it's
important to know what you're getting into.
In the last 10 years, homes with rooftop solar arrays have gone from curiosity
to commonplace. The technology has been available for decades -- NASA
has been using solar-powered satellites since the 1960s, and as far back as
World War II, passive solar heating systems (which turn solar energy into
heat instead of electricity) have been used in U.S. homes.
Getting active solar systems in the mainstream residential market has
proved a challenge, though. Active solar power uses arrays of photovoltaic
cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity, and it has traditionally been
a prohibitively expensive technology.
The benefits of residential solar power are obvious: Energy
from the sun is endless (at least for the next 5 billion years,
give or take); it provides clean energy with no greenhouse-
gas emissions; and it can save people money on their
electric bills [source: APS]. But there are factors to consider when deciding
whether solar power would be a good choice for you -- and cost is only
one of them.
We'll look at five of the most important issues to address when you're
thinking about investing in a residential solar-power setup. Using
photovoltaic energy is a very green and potentially rewarding move, but
it's not quite as straightforward as getting your power from the established
electrical grid.
(Photovoltaic solar energy is a clean, renewable source of energy that uses
solar radiation to produce electricity)
The first consideration is one you may not have thought of: Do you have to
do anything to the solar panels once they're up there on your roof?
Contents:
Maintenance, Surroundings, Insolation Rating, Coverage Area, Expense
Maintenance
You'll need to periodically clean your solar-power setup.
Powering your home using solar energy does require more
maintenance than using the regular old grid power. But not much.
Solar panels have no moving parts. They are part of a completely stationary
system. So, once they're installed, there's not a whole lot that can go
wrong. Pretty much the only thing a homeowner needs to do is keep the
panels clean. It's an important task, though -- too much dust and bird
droppings on the panels can reduce the amount of sunlight striking them.
Dust buildup can reduce the amount of electricity produced by the system
by as much as 7 percent
This type of maintenance is not something that needs to be done once a
week, though. You'd probably only have to hose the panels down
anywhere from one to four times a year. You don't need to get on the roof.
A hose and nozzle from ground level works fine. If there's construction in
your area, you may have to clean the panels more often to avoid the extra
buildup of construction-dust residue.
Aside from that, you're just looking at occasional check-ups to make sure all
parts are in working order. You may eventually have to have the inverter
replaced (and the batteries if you have a battery-storage system), but
that's a once-a-decade type of maintenance event.
Up next: Got a lot of trees on your lot?
Surroundings
Workers install a solar panel system on the roof of a home in
Gainesville, Fla.
Where your home is situated has a big effect on your solar-power
efficiency. It's an obvious concern: If your electrical-power generation
depends on sunlight, things like towering shade trees and tall, shadow-
casting buildings are going to be a problem.
It's an even bigger problem than some people realize, though. Different
types of panels react differently to shade. While a poly-crystalline panel will
substantially reduce its output if any part of the panel is shaded, a mono-
crystalline panel will stop producing electricity entirely.
So, to build a solar-powered home, it's necessary to make sure there are no
shadows on the roof's panel area during the sunniest hours of the day
(typically from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), and preferably during all sunny hours. The
more hours the panels spend exposed to full sun, the more efficient the
power generation will be.
Achieving the greatest efficiency level might mean cutting back trees on
your property (and keeping them cut back). If your home is surrounded by
tall buildings that block the sun from your roof, this is a much bigger
problem.
Which brings us to the next big consideration: sunlight.
Insolation Rating
Employees of a solar company install panels on a residential
rooftop in Santa Monica, Calif.
Sunlight is obviously key when it comes to solar power, and not all regions
are created equal in this regard. It's important to know how much sunlight
reaches ground level in the area where your potential solar house is
located.
What we're talking about here is insolation -- a measure of how much solar
radiation hits the ground in any given area in a specified time period. It's
typically measured in kWh/m2/day, and it tells you how much sunlight will
be available for your solar panels to turn into electricity. The higher the
insolation value of your location, the more electricity each of your panels
will be able to generate. A high insolation value means you can get more
power out of fewer panels. A low insolation value means you could end up
spending more to achieve the same power output (more on expenses
later).
That brings us to No. 2 on the list: How many panels do you need?
Coverage Area
Georgia Tech students install "light walls" on their energy-
efficient home displayed at the National Mall's 2007 "Solar
Village."
Contrary to what most people think, the size of a solar-power
installation has nothing to do with the size of the house it's
powering.
There's more that goes into this calculation, though. You have to figure in
insolation and how many hours of peak sunlight you get per day, and you'd
also make adjustments if you're using a battery-storage system with the
panels. So, it's best to consult a pro.
Up next, perhaps the greatest consideration of all: the expense.
Expense
Workers install SunTiles onto homes in San Ramon, Calif.
Before prices of Solar Panel are expensive and only few
people are able to buy and install it. Nowadays is becoming cheaper
compared before, Naturally, the best to use the solar panel is for small load
of electrical loads like few lightings, fan, computer.
It is not advisable to use solar energy for big load like air conditioner, dryer,
etc. because the solar panel, battery, inverter costs are too expensive in
comparison to the cost of electricity you save for the next 4 years. Aside
from that there are also cost for disposable battery in a certain period of
time after long usage. Since all the gadgets are electronics there are some
parts that are being damaged unexpectedly and need to be replaced.
How Much Solar Power Do I Need to Light One Light Bulb?
Solar power has two major attractions.
First, once you pay for the system you
won't need to pay anyone else for the
electricity it provides. Second, the energy
it produces will not produce greenhouse
gasses or other pollutants. With
advantages like that, it's easy to see why
you'd consider installing solar panels on
your home. To get an idea what the solar
panels would do for you, you can calculate how much solar power you'd
need to operate something you probably have many of -- a light bulb.
some roofs don’t have a lot of space, these panels are generally a go-to
choice in order to maximize the amount of power generated.
Your Energy Needs
There are hundreds of unique light bulbs with different power requirements.
You can do the calculations for any type of light bulb -- from a high-voltage
metal-halide fixture to a tiny LED flashlight bulb. As an example, assume
you're trying to operate a 100-watt incandescent bulb for 4 hours a night.
That means each night you'll be using 400 watt-hours of energy. Because
you might have some cloudy days and still want to use your light bulb, you
can assume you'll need to gather enough energy to operate your light bulb
for three days. In that case, you'll need to store enough to provide 1200
watt-hours of energy to your light bulb.

Photovoltaics and Storage

Photovoltaics means – relating to the production of electric current at the

junction of two substances exposed to light.

Commercially available photovoltaic solar panels are about 10 percent

efficient. That is, they convert roughly 10 percent of their collected solar
energy into electrical energy. There is one drawback to solar power,
though -- it only works when the sun is shining. Since you probably want to
use your light bulb at night, you'll need to store that energy in some way --
batteries are the most common solution.
Before getting into the details of the solar-power calculations, it's useful to
remember the difference between power and energy. Power is measure of
how rapidly you are using (or storing) energy. That is, power is a rate equal
to how rapidly you collect or distribute energy.
Solar Photovoltaics panel are also known as Crystalline silicon panels. They
are the most common kind of solar panel technology on the market
because they generate a lot of electricity (up to 20% efficiency). Since
Converting your Power
Because your solar panel and battery work with direct current and your
appliances -- including light bulbs -- are designed to work with alternating
current, you'll need some extra equipment. The extra equipment means
your overall system is only about 75 percent efficient. That means you'll
need to need to store up about 1600 watt-hours of energy to be able to
provide the 1200 watt-hours you need to power the bulb for three days.
Solar Power Where You Live
To light one 100-watt bulb for three nights you'll need to generate 1600
watt-hours with one day of sunlight. A full day of sun means one day of
extensive heat of the sun/ sunlight. Although sunlight differs from area to
area and region by region. The longer the sunlight the better.
Your Solar Panel Size
The solar power available at full sun is 1000 watts per square meter. So,
example in central Luzon you get 8 hours during summertime with no clouds
at all… if you assume your solar panel is 75 percent efficient, that means
that each square meter would provide you with 800 watt-hours.
WHAT ARE SOLAR THERMAL PANELS?
You probably know that solar energy can be turned into electricity by using
solar panels, but there’s another popular application to the sun’s power.
Solar thermal technologies, in fact, turn sunlight into heat instead of power
and were actually the first solar energy products to be commercialized in
the nowadays
Benefits of Solar Thermal Panels
While solar PV (Photovoltaic) panels are much more popular and you’ve
probably heard about all of their benefits, you should know that solar
thermal panels also come with great advantages:
• They are actually more efficient than PV panels, because heat
waves carry more energy than sunlight, and because there is no
process of transformation into electricity.
• They are cheaper and thus have a shorter payback period than PV
panels.
• They work in cold climates, overcast weather and strong wind, and
incorporate an energy storage system.
• Most systems come with a 5-10 year warranty but they last much
longer up to 25 years. Moreover, they require little to no
maintenance, so the only expense you’ll have to worry about is the
installation cost.
• Solar thermal panels can help you save up to 600 kg of carbon
dioxide emissions in a year.
How Do Solar Thermal Panels Work?
Solar thermal panels or solar collectors are devices that are mounted on
your roof to absorb the sun’s heat and use it to heat up water, stored in a
cylinder. The liquid flowing through the panels is a mix of water and
antifreeze. The main purposes of this technology are space and water
heating, and they’re a very popular solution for swimming pool heating.
There are two main types of solar thermal panels:
Flat-plate collectors: these devices
look very much like solar PV panels.
They are composed of a dark
absorbing surface, a transparent
cover, a heat insulating backing and,
most importantly, a fluid that transports
heat from the absorber to a water
tank. The absorber can be made of
different materials, namely polymers,
copper, aluminium or steel. Copper is
the most expensive, but it’s also a
better, more durable conductor.
Polymer collectors are indicated for colder climate since materials such as
silicon are much more freeze-tolerant than metal.
 Evacuated (or vacuum) tube also need a new cylinder, so installing a solar thermal system is especially
collectors: unlike solar panels, these recommended if you have to replace your existing cylinder or fixing your
collectors are made up of several glass roof.
tubes through which the transfer fluid
flows. These systems are more efficient Solar thermal panels should occupy between 1 and 2 m2 of roof or ground
than flat-plate panels, especially in space per each person in the household and have an inclination between
cold climates, but lose efficiency in 20 and 50 degrees.
warm weather due to the risk of
overheating. That is because vacuum Electric Water Heater
tubes avoid heat loss, while flat panels
tend to lose some heat. The evacuated
tube structure, with gaps between the
tubes, allows snow to fall down and thus minimises its impact on efficiency
since the lack of radiated heat makes it impossible for the snow to melt.

How Much Can You Save with Solar Thermal Panels?

Heating expenses take a big portion of your monthly bills. Solar thermal
systems can provide enough heat to cover all of your needs during the
summer months and make a considerable difference in the rest of the year.

On average, such a system will provide 60% of your hot water needs, and
more if you slightly change your daily habits to decrease consumption.
Solar Thermal Panels will save you around 10% on energy bills, and savings
will increase over time as energy prices rise.

Considering the long lifespan of these systems (up to 25 years) and the
steady rise in electricity and gas prices, you’d be looking at even greater
savings in the future. However, you should consider installing solar thermal
panels primarily because of the big difference you can make in terms of
environmental impact.

Is Your House Ready for Solar Thermal Panels?

Just like solar PV, solar thermal panels work best if your roof is south facing
but will still be effective on south-west and south-east facing roofs.
Moreover, you can choose to install them on the ground instead of the roof
if it isn’t suitable, as long as they get direct, unshaded sunlight.
There are a few more things you should consider before making the
investment. For instance, electric showers and cold-fill washing
machines/dishwashers are not compatible with solar water heating. You will
Unlike trading in your fossil-fueled car for a hybrid model to save on fuel
costs, switching from a gas to an electric water heater will not save you
money. Unlike gasoline, natural gas burns cleaner (and cheaper!) than
electricity.
In some regions, electric-powered water heaters are the norm. these
electric units are much more efficient than gas-powered units; but will cost
you about twice as much in energy bills as a gas heater.
 Belt-Drive Opener
Electric water heaters work from the inside-out, by warming “elements”, or
rods, submerged in a water storage tank, transferring heat from the Belt-drive openers use a rubber belt rather than a chain, which make them
elements to the water. Although electric water heaters operate as much as quiet in operation. They are smooth motion alternative to chain-drive.
50% more efficiently than their gas-powered counterparts, electric water
heating bills can be as much as double.

Installations

Common installation are from garage, storage, or any part near of the
service area (kitchen, dirty kitchen, storage, laundry, etc.)

Services

Kitchen sink Faucet, Shower and bathtub, lavatory, bedit washing machine
etc.

AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENER

Types of Garage Door Opener

Factors to Consider When Shopping for a Garage Door Opener, before

buying a new garage door opener, it is important to get familiarized with
the mechanics of the openers available in the market. Also, note that
different opener systems will work with certain forms of remote control
better than others.

Chain-Drive Opener

Chain-drive openers
have a chain that
connects the trolley to
the motor. These
systems are loud and
clunky due to the
metal-to-metal contact
and vibration, but they
are the least expensive
form of garage door
operating system
available.