Solar power & Wind Power for residental use

[Egon]

Sheep eh. Get some shears and go into the wool business for some extra bucks!

 

[truckdiagnostics]

The point some of us trying to make to you is that it is absolutely false that the panel won't make the energy that went into producing it and delivering it. The proof if is in the economics even if you don't have the data or believe the science. BTW my panels were not made in a third world country they were made in Germany. Many panels sold in the U.S. are from Canada. My examples were not a personal attack on you but simply to point out that we spend money and environmental impact on tons of products that only use energy to make, some that then use energy themselves, so if we use some of that to makes products that make energy I don't see how people can argue so strongly against that. It's like investing some of your money for the future instead of just spending every penny you have on fun stuff today.

Solar Energy Isn?t Always as Green as You Think - IEEE Spectrum

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How Green Are Those Solar Panels, Really?

The above links are an interesting read.

 

[JCByrd24]

Interesting and informative sure. But the issues presented within are likely little different than the manufacture of any product on a large scale. Any product can be picked apart for its environmental impact and ideally will be manufacutered in the most responsible way. The point is that solar panels are one of the very few products made that will in fact produce more energy than went into them. Nearly every other thing we produce on earth just uses resources and gives nothing back.
if we ever do actually run out of fossil fuels we will need them. Their existence will extend the availability of fossil fuels and will help keep energy prices in check. The energy they produce is also emissions free.

 

[MossRoad]

... solar panels are one of the very few products made that will in fact produce more energy than went into them....

Nuclear reactor and water turbine come to mind.

 

[ozley]

He did say few.
Originally Posted by JCByrd24
... solar panels are one of the very few products made that will in fact produce more energy than went into them....

 

[MossRoad]

I know he said few. His plus my two make a few.

 

[Egon]

Nuclear reactor and water turbine come to mind.

Well sorta but in the ultimate energy loop they'd be neutral.

But cheer up; over on YouTube you will find plans for above unity devices.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Here is some info on MCHP, has some advantages, compared to PV. Using systems like this in remote islands off Japan. If you want to be completely off grid could get away without batteries, using parallel system. Don't know if it would work so well with warmer climates. For total off grid use, it would be interesting to use an in door swimming pool for storage use of water BTUs. There is two links one is a NYT article where a guy installed a system in Boston, with links to DATA and the second to a US company locally that builds it.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009...ason-with-micro-combined-heat-and-power/?_r=0
ecopower® Cogeneration by Marathon Engine Systems
I have seen there systems installed, however in larger hotel applications. Have not seen there residential units.
It is interesting worth looking at, and has come a long way.

 

[buickanddeere]

Well sorta but in the ultimate energy loop they'd be neutral.

But cheer up; over on YouTube you will find plans for above unity devices.

The sad fact is there are so many graduates from schools that believe that perpetual motion/ over unity machines exist and that the laws of thermodynamics are merely an inconvenience. I recall being about 10 years old and asking my Father about the classic motor turning a generator which powers the motor thing. Now my father finished formal education with grade 8 in a one room school house. He knew from common sense and observation that over unity was not possible.

 

[westcliffe01]

Extracting power from solar radiation is not an over unity situation. The sun is the biggest nuclear reaction going on in our solar system. Wind power is considerably more problematic than PV, especially now that the prices of PV have dropped. It is really only battery technology for storage that is the significant challenge. If it was not for the fact that Exon denied access to NIMh battery technology, we would have considerably better options today. Lipo batteries have a lot of promise but for now are extremely expensive and potentially dangerous and need very complex charging and cooling systems. For now, for off griders the only viable options remains lead acid.