Solar energy has many types. Each type has an array of uses, from residential, agricultural to industrial purposes. And also, since it is natural, direct and renewable energy source, it generates no waste matter for example, greenhouse gas and acid rain emissions. Because it is renewable, it’s absolutely inexhaustible. This explains why it’s probably the most efficient and environment-safe origin of energy both for the home and for countless of other purposes.

The Various Types of Solar Energy
Passive Solar Energy – this type of energy can instantly be applied without the assistance of mechanical devices. It can be wisely utilized when considered as a factor in designing homes and buildings.

Based on your distinct climate and site, you possibly can capitalize on passive solar powered energy by designing homes that control the flow of the sun’s rays to cool, heat and deliver daylight to your residence naturally, letting you reduce grid connected energy costs.

Active Solar Energy – this variety of energy involves the utilization of mechanical devices in collecting, storing and distributing solar powered energy. Active solar energy can be employed in home applications primarily for home heating, water heating and pool heating. Solar pool heating can extend your swimming season for approximately ninety days. Utilizing this kind of energy can decrease your heating costs. You will discover three basic components in taking advantage of active solar energy system:

Solar energy collector box – contains black absorber plates that collect solar power to convert into heat.
Solar Energy Storage – liquid based storage systems utilize water tanks or thermal mass and air based storage systems use rock bins to keep the heated air.
Solar Energy Distribution System – Air based distribution systems typically utilize fans and ducts to disperse the heated air throughout your own home. Liquid based distribution systems involve radiant slab systems, warm water baseboards and central forced air systems.

Solar Thermal Energy – is a form of energy created by converting solar energy to heat. Thermal energy can be utilized in home based applications for solar home heating, water heating, pool heating and thermal cooling. Though solar thermal cooling is typically utilized for commercial settings, this cooling technique is also becoming useful in home applications.

Photovoltaic Solar Powered Energy – the energy that is generated by turning solar energy into electricity through solar cells is referred to as Photovoltaic or PV Solar Power. It helps save money by reducing and in the end, eliminating your monthly energy bills. Not only will it help reduce your dependency on your traditional utility company, which happens to be largely dependent upon fossil fuels, you’ll also contribute a good impact to the planet. Photovoltaic solar energy is needed for:

Creating Solar Electricity -to generate electricity, homes are installed with a Photovoltaic Solar Power System.
Photovoltaic Solar Lighting – solar energy collected and stored in the daytime will be distributed as solar electricity at night time for home interiors, garden, driveway, patio and pathway and various outdoor lighting.
Photovoltaic Cooling – uses solar electricity to power air conditioning devices.

Understading the different methods of this inexhaustible source of energy and how you can use each of them are critical solar energy facts which permit you to use them to work for your home as well as for many other applications.

Solar Energy Advantages has all of your solar energy information and solar energy news. Discover how solar power works at solar energy advantages.

An Accredited Solar Power System Installer that Provides Excellent Products and Services

As an accredited provider of solar energy by the New South Wales Government (Industry & Investment NSW) and the Clean Energy Council, Trinity Electrical has been installing hundreds of residential and commercial solar energy units across Sydney. Do you know why its so important for a service provider to be accredited? It serves as an assurance that they have fulfilled the governments rigorous accreditation procedure, which means they can do the job right.

The NSW GovernmentIndustry & Investment NSW has granted Trinity Electrical an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) status and an accreditation across all four key categories, which permits Trinity Electrical to connect a home, business or other premises to the electricity distribution network. Aside from the ASP status, the Clean Energy Council also accredits them as an installer of solar PV power systems, which means that they have undergone the necessary professional training, follow the industrys best practices, adhere to Australian standards, and routinely updates their skills and product knowledge.

Whether its a solar energy system for your office building or a home solar panel, they have solar power energy solutions that are perfect for both your residential and commercial properties. Their years of experience in this industry prove that quality, effective and affordable solar energy systems can easily be yours. With their team of fully trained and licensed electricians, you are sure to get the best service. You wont only get sophisticated solar energy systems; you will also be assured of the following:

A home solar panel that meets the requirements of your household activities
A commercial solar system that caters to your business needs
An eligibility for government rebates depending on the type of solar power system installed, such as Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), Solar Credits or Feed-in Tariff

Whats more, after they install your solar energy unit, they will provide you with a report that outlines an annual system output, predicted annual savings, maintenance schedules and more important information to help you keep a well-functioning solar panel.

Solar Power for a Better Environment

Installing a home solar panel is a great way to show a good example to your children and neighbours that you care enough for them by patronising eco-friendly alternatives for energy consumption. Having a commercial solar energy system installed in your business facilities does not only reduce your electricity expenses but also proves to your customers that your organisation is serious in its concern towards creating a better, greener environment.

ABOUT:
Trinity Electrical is a family owned business run by Nick Nicolas, a qualified electrician operating in Sydney for over seven years. Nick owns and works in the business on a daily basis and has personally installed solar power system into more than 100 houses and commercial properties throughout NSW. He is joined in the business by a range of highly qualified individuals who take pride in allowing households and businesses throughout Sydney to shave money off their electrical bill whilst doing a great thing for the environment.

Solar energy is a form of energy from the sun. Like electricity, solar energy can also be used as power. Solar energy is found wherever you find sunshine. So what is energy? Energy is a force or power whose help we use to do things. We need physical energy when we need to move something like a heavy box. A jar of sweets contains lots of potential energy as there are many sweets in there or fire crackers that you use have chemical energy in them. A bulb glows because of electric energy.

The suns rays travel and hit the surface of the earth and they have a lot of heat and light in them and that is why we call it solar – sun – energy. Without sunlight there would be no life on earth. Plants depend on it to live and animals depend on plants for food. Sunlight and the atmosphere make sure that our earth has temperatures that we can survive and live in. Solar energy can be used to cook food, power cars and other vehicles, power homes, and is 100% free! Unlike other types of energy, the sun wont ever run out.

Solar energy is energy taken from the sun that changed into electrical energy. This electric energy is also known as thermal energy. The sun has been producing energy for billions of years. The sun is the richest energy source. Solar energy is clean and can be made into other energy forms. With the human help it can power inventions to provide pollution-free energy. It can used as electric energy in homes, theatres, hospitals, movie houses, schools, night soccer games, greenhouses, businesses and in so many other ways. It can also heat water in your home and swimming pool too! It can make electricity. There are homes that get all their electric energy from solar energy.

Because the sun sets and its not always sunny outside, solar batteries help store the energy from the sun. At night or on cloudy days these batteries can use the energy they have stored from the sun and in that way we benefit from solar energy too.

Solar energy can save money and make a huge difference in pollution. So if we all start to use solar energy we will have a much cleaner planet to live in. We will actually be taking very good care of our planet!

Solar panels can power just about anything from calculators to large homes or business. How does it work? Solar cells can directly turn sunshine into electricity. When light hits the solar cells on the solar panels, the collision (crashing) knocks electrons loose. The cells electric field forces the electrons to flow in a current. Metal contacts on the top and bottom of each cell create a circuit that draws of the current. To care for solar panels dust and wash the regularly and remove dirt and things such as bird droppings. To work, panels have to be pointed to the sun, at an angle of about 30. Some panels are put flat against the roof but they do not do the job quite as well then.

So if we are responsible citizens of Planet Earth we should start to think about how we can use solar energy in our everyday lives so that we can make a difference to the well being of our planet.

This week the U.S. Energy Department announced it was offering a $967 million loan guarantee to back a 290-megawatt solar plant in Arizona. Steven Chu, U.S. Energy Secretary announced the loan would support the construction of a solar generating facility. When the facility is completed, it would be one of the largest plants of its kind in the world and will bring hundreds of jobs to Arizona.

The Agua Caliente Solar Project will make use of thin film photovoltaic panels manufactured by First Solar. The project will deploy new technologies that have yet to be used on photovoltaic solar facilities here in the United States. These technologies, according to the DOE, will improve the reliability and predictability of electricity supplied from the site to the grid. Pacific Gas & Electric Company is just one of the companies that have agreed to purchase energy generated from Agua Caliente.

The market share for United States manufacturing the worlds supply of solar panels has decreased by 7 percent in the last year. The Energy Department said the United States has been the industry leader since 1995, manufacturing 43 percent of the world’s solar panels. The SunShot program by the U.S. government has a goal to increase American innovations to reduce the cost of Solar Energy.

Agua Caliente Solar has already been acquired by NRG Energy from First Solar, when completed, for a reported $800 million. The DOE continues to support a wide variety of alternative energy project however the support for construction of the Agua Caliente Solar Project in Yuma County, Arizona is a big one.

Solar Training is being sought by many to learn how to become a BPI Analyst and Weatherization Tech or to learn how to install solar panels to become a member of this solar energy industry. If you are wondering where to start with your training contact eRenewable Resource Institute at 480 446-0400 or info@erenewableresource.com.

What is the Building Performance Institute (BPI)?

Being truly energy efficient means many interconnected facets have to come together for real environmental change to take place. Major focus was dedicated to examining homes because it is where people live their day-to-day lives. This is when the Building Performance Institute (BPI) came about. BPI evaluates the energy use of America’s existing homes. BPI identifies issues that cause homes to be less energy efficient. It has established a series of standards for professionals to be able to identify these problems, perform standardized energy evaluations, and perform repairs or retrofits to bring problem areas up to standard code.

BPI’s philosophy is that the house is system and changing just one element will have an effect on one or more other systems in the home. Therefore, having certified Solar Energy professionals who have been specifically trained to identify and repair these inter-connected systems will be key to having a truly energy efficient home. The types of professionals a homeowner would be looking to hire would be BPI Analyst and Weatherization Technicians.

BPI training however does is prepare technicians to perform the “hands-on” work of evaluating homes. This involves going into the home and conducting an exam to determine what alterations need to be made to meet BPI standards. For the most part the BPI is not creating new standards for home energy use, it is just creating a certification system that will verify that existing ASHRAE and EPA standards are being met. There is a strong emphasis on documentation, requiring that technicians be certified, requiring as-built drawings be made of the condition of the house after work is done, and that the energy performance of the home during its lifetime is documented.

BPI currently has standards for eight types of professionals. BPI created a new breed of “green collar jobs.” Ideally, green collar jobs are jobs are accessible to a large number of people, they don’t require too much additional training, and they are jobs that cannot be “exported” because they require hands-on skills performed on-site.

Interested in entering the solar energy industry? Whether you need training to become a BPI Analyst, Weatherization Tech, Solar Panel Installer or receive training in solar thermal and solar domestic hot water we have a program. To begin your new career, start training with eRenewable Resource Institute. Contact us at 480 446-0400 or info@erenewableresource.com.

These relatively low figures when compared to other nations, is primarily because of the cost per KW of solar panels meant they werent as economically viable as the cost of coal produced electricity.

This was up until the last couple of years, when the government stepped in with generous incentives and solar schemes to change that imbalance.

So since 2009 though Australia has made great strides in making the solar industry more professional and better regulated, and as the industry has boomed worldwide manufacturing costs have dropped considerably.

As a result of this, together with improved solar technology providing greater energy efficiency and smaller sized panels,the cost per KW of solar power has been halved and solar PV systems are much more affordable for an average family then before.

With considerable government investment support for renewable energy projects, the coming carbon tax to provide more funding for research and development, and increased investor interest in large scale solar and other projects, the country can be considered as a sleeping giant in the renewable energy field.

With it widely tipped as being one of the top growth industries in the next 10 years, the solar energy capacity of Australia is expected to climb rapidly upwards, and hopefully we will soon belong to this list of world leaders in solar energy generation;

Germany

Despite an often gloomy sky Germany is clearly the highest electricity producer from solar photovoltaic energy. With almost 17,000 MW of solar energy capacity from solar farms, the business and industrial sector and nearly a quarter of a million private solar panels systems, Germany clearly outruns any solar industry to date.

The success of the country is primarily because of the renewable energy act of 2000 which was designed to reduce the cost of solar panel systems, and improved energy efficiency from the economies of scale. With the country nearly saturated now though other younger solar countries will have the chance to emulate their success, like Australia whose government has drawn on Germany policy as a role model.

Spain

Spain is one of the most advanced nations in solar energy development, and coupled with its natural blessings (the country has one of the longest sun hours in Europe) its not surprising it his home to over 3000 MW of total solar energy capacity. The country currently holds second spot as the most installed photovoltaic in the world.

However with the recent delays and issues over government subsidies and programs, along with economic setbacks, the country is now only slowlyprogressing its solar industry and is on the verge of being outrun by other nations.

Japan

Although Japan is more likely to be known for its nuclear power plants, the truth is the Japanese already have the highest solar power capacity after Germany and Spain (over 2600 MW).

After the recent nuclear disaster as a result of a tsunami, the Japanese government is increasing its efforts to improve the solar industry instead, and develop cheaper and more efficient solar cells in the future so they can gradually replace nuclear energy.

United States

The US solar energy capacity of 1650 MW is small for its population but expected to double within a few years as the government is now working on a state level policy and numerous large scale projects. Many of the countries major corporations are also embracing solar investments, as well as making it a priority to reduce their carbon footprints by making their buildings more energy efficient and reducing carbon emissions.

Italy

The rapid growth of the Italian solar industry has been brought about by a well-designed and segmented feed in tariff scheme that encouraged more and more residents to install rooftop solar panels.

As a result Italy holds a record for one of the biggest spurts in solar capacity in a very short period of time.

But how do you in fact go solar? Well you might call an electrician, however I wouldnt advise it. Your general contractor might be able to aid too, yet wouldnt you rather work directly with a pv professional rather than a subcontractor youve had absolutely no influence choosing? And thats where the solar energy experts come in.

In contrast to a general service provider or an electrician, a solar technology consultant concentrates specifically upon crunching the info and numbers specific to your site and also budgetary limitations in order to determine if solar is actually feasible for you. A solar technology consultant (occasionally referred to as a solar energy contractor) may analyze your own facilitys historical power usage to acquire a sense of how big a solar installation is necessary to zero out your bill. If the photo voltaic installation will be specd for a new construction, then the solar energy contractor will certainly review the construction plans and ascertain what the anticipated electrical loads will be based upon building utilization and anticipated equipment.

On location, solar energy professionals will look at the available sq footage on any kind of roofs or property in order to determine what size installment can be built. Theyll carry out a shading analysis upon any equipment (like HVAC), adjacent constructions, and encircling foliage. Possibly an elevated color structure is the better way to increase unused room for a solar installation? The actual solar energy expert will consider all the various forms of racking (IE: roof mount, ground mount, single or even double axis trackers, fixed tilt, color structures, building integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV), etc.). With regards to the location of the site (for example: city, county, state) various building codes for photo voltaic will have an effect on the ultimate style layout and size of the set up. Some cities have stronger fire program code regulations and require further setbacks on the roof top for safety.

After the calculations of the site specs, the solar energy contractor may also consider all the various solar funding structures, and state and local subsidy programs. Depending on the size of the installation, and plan of construction, tax free entities could possibly accelerate the depreciation of the solar property, or the solar energy consultant may well suggest a no-money down financing structure like a power purchase agreement (PPA) where the sponsor customer will pay a reduced fee for the energy the system generates instead of paying out the cash to get the equipment and own it by themselves.

And then theres the actual procurement procedure. Even if you managed the feasibility stage yourself, accessing and understanding the pros and cons of the numerous solar systems can be difficult. The solar energy contractor will help you find their way around the various systems, give you direct access to the handful of reputable pv manufacturers that dont just target the general public, and negotiate for your benefit for the best possible price. Obtaining a clear knowledge of the return on your investment is key whenever developing a solar power system. The improvement process can be pricey, and construction can be challenging if youre going at it alone.

Borrego’s Solar Energy Consulting can help your business or Government agency plan and build efficient and reliable solar power installations to accurately project expenses and ROI while minimizing risk.