» Solar Panel

Canada’s Largest Supermarket Chain to Install Solar Panels on 100+ Stores in Ontario

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:23:36 +0000

Loblaw is announcing today that it will put solar panels on the roof of 4 supermarkets in a pilot program, with the ultimate goal of installing solar arrays on more than 100 stores in Ontario. This is not surprising considering how insanely generous the feed-in tariffs for solar power are in the province (between 53.9 and 80.2 ¢/kWh, with 20-year contracts).

Alcatraz to go Solar

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:37:22 +0000

The Rock is going solar.

In its heyday, Alcatraz prison locked up mobsters such as Al Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. Now, the famous penitentiary in San Francisco Bay will capture something new: the sun’s rays.

On Friday, the National Park Service announced it will fund a project to put about 1,360 solar panels on the main prison and laundry building at Alcatraz Island. The panels, which are scheduled to be installed later this spring, will provide 40 percent to 60 percent of the electricity for the iconic island, reducing the need for two aging diesel generators that currently keep Alcatraz’s lights on — yet also belch out heavy smog and cost $700,000 a year to fuel and maintain.

Looking into a Solar Panel

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:32:27 +0000

The sun is the source of life. Now, the sun is the source of energy as well. With the help of science, man has been using solar energy to get heat, help cut electricity costs and protect the environment. This is made possible by man’s ingenuity and invention known as a solar panel, a device that turns sunlight to energy.

This panel actually has two types which are the crystalline (brown) and amorphous (black) panels. Basically made up of silicons, these panels differ in color, design and production.

The crystalline panel is commonly used among the two. It is made up silicon wafers which are finely sliced silicons that are cut, polished and layered with dopant (an element added to alter the electrical property of a crystal). The silicon wafers are then lined up in a backing panel and secured by conductive metal strips. It is then layered with clear glass to seal the panel.
Another type is the amorphous panel which is a very thin layer of silicon atoms and dopants sprayed into a glass, metal or plastic backing material. It can be used as flexible panels and solar roof tiles. Amorphous panels are also thinner than the crystalline ones.

Solar panels come in various shapes, sizes and even color but it works in different ways depending on its uses. Water heating solar panels are thermal collectors that have a dark coating absorber plate to convert light to heat. This panel is connected to the water supply where the water basically circulates within it and a storage tank to produce hot water. Photovoltaic panels or PV panels turns light to electricity.

When the sun’s ray hits the panel, it is absorbed by the silicon which acts as a semiconductor. The electrons break free from its atoms allowing it to pass through, bounce within the silicon and dopants thus creating electricity in the form of a direct current (DC). This direct current, which is known as energy stored in batteries, will pass through an inverter that would convert it to an alternating current (AC). This AC would be the electricity we need to run our lights and appliances. GP