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Solar and Alternate Energy Discussion and Support Group

I have an idea that might get us all pulling together in the right direction and help solve the energy problem. If we start a discussion group where people can ask questions that will help them decide how to buy or build alternate energy systems it would get us all focusing on our real problem which is how do we cut our dependence on foreign oil, and also how do we immediately start cutting our energy costs? We should all remember that some folks know a lot more about the subject than others so let's be fair and share our information with the certain knowledge that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Everyone gets to learn from the ground up. Personally I'm still learning. I expect to learn a great deal. This will be a great experiment.

Tags: bio, grey, hydro, mass, solar, water, wind

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Permalink Reply by Walt Barrett on August 31, 2008 at 9:02pm
I will start it off with the first question.
What can anyone tell us about LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting and energy consumption?
I need a simple answer.
Wallt
Permalink Reply by Charles Ivie on August 31, 2008 at 10:05pm
On the PRO side: LED's are significantly more efficient than incandescent (they use anywhere from 50 percent to ten percent of the energy to produce the same amount of light) and they are not toxic if broken like compact flourescent lights (CFL's contain mercury and other noxious materials). LED's are also cheaper to produce.

On the CON side: LED's like Compact Flourescent do not really produce truly white light. They achieve the appearance of white light by combining red green and blue light in the same way that a television screen does it. Incandescent light, being a black body radiator, produces a smooth spectrum from infrared to violet. The spectrum of LED's have three peaks in the red, green, and blue.

There are two ways that "white" LED's produce their light.
One is to combine red, green, and blue LED's in a single package. A spectrogram of this light shows sharp peaks in the red, green and blue.

The other way is to use an LED the emits in the ultraviiolet and to use a phospor mix to produce the "white" light. However, this too is an illusion but the red, green and blue peaks are not as sharp as with colored LED's

Most people don't notice the difference but to the trained eye the tricolor process is obvious. Photographers and artists will be the first to see the difference.

Also, LED, like flourescent have a tendency to flicker if they are not powered by a pure DC power source. This can be very dangerous around rotating machinery. A fan, for example, may appear to be standing still if illuminated by a light source that is flickering at the right frequency. This cannot happen with incandescent lights.

It is very easy to see the spectral content of a light source. Just look at the reflection of the light in the surface of a CD or DVD. The recording acts like a diffraction grating and breakes the light up into its constituent colors.. An incandescent light will show a smooth blend of color from red to blue while tricolor systems will have clearly defined red blue and green regions in the spectrum. Caution, do not use this technique to observe the spectra of the sun, the reflected light can cause perminant damage to your eyes.

LED's have a great future for specialist lighting. Look for LED automobile headlamps in the very near future.
Permalink Reply by Walt Barrett on September 1, 2008 at 6:23am
Hi Charles,
That was a great response, and I for one just learned a great deal about LED's. I'm going to try them in the solar powered micro home we are building. I just ordered ten bright white and ten warm white for testing. You have certainly given me a quick education.
Thanks,
Walt
Permalink Reply by Walt Barrett on September 22, 2008 at 10:57am
Hi Charles,
I have purchased 20 of the 40 watt equivalent 60 LED bulbs and am testing one in my desk lamp. I am very happy with it so far after three days. It is very easy on the eyes. There is no perceptible flicker. They are claiming 50,000 hours life cycle, and at my age I'm not sure I'll be around long enough to prove or disprove it, lol! I have attached two photos.
Walt
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Permalink Reply by Kenneth Guntkowski on August 31, 2008 at 9:33pm
I don't understand why there isn't a bigger push for solar energy here in Florida "The Sunshine State." Sorry, but I am novice in this area. How can I started with solar energy on a personal level?
Permalink Reply by Charles Ivie on August 31, 2008 at 10:26pm
The easiest place to start is heating of water for your household and, if you have a swimming pool or spa you can heat that too. The cost savings for your gas bill is significant. If you are a reasonably skilled do it your selfer you can install these systems your self. Just make sure that the local plumbing codes are observed. Mother Earth News has some very good designs for solar water heating.

The next step is photo-voltaic. There are lots of things around the house that can operate from solar cells. Garden lights that operate from batteries that are charged by solar cells are an interesting example. These are typically available from your local hardware store. Taken one at a time these may seem like small steps but when you take them all together they add up.

Don't expect the goverment to take the lead in this. You will get more done if you do it your self.
Permalink Reply by Walt Barrett on September 1, 2008 at 7:16am
Charles is right on and obviously knows his stuff!
Thanks
Walt
Permalink Reply by Kenneth Guntkowski on September 1, 2008 at 9:42pm
Some of these answers are so obvious, and yet I haven't acted on any of them. My home is for sale--but I could be living here for a long time given the housing crunch. I am in no hurry to sell. Given these conditions, I don't want to spend too much. I'll have to crunch some numbers, making assumptions of living here for a year or two. Perhaps it'll make economic sense to do some of these things.

Thanks,
Ken
Permalink Reply by Auntie Tutu on October 25, 2008 at 1:46pm
Green is hot. People WANT to go in that direction. I'll bet if you spent even $2000 on some PV panels to give yourself daytime free energy, it would ENHANCE the saleability of your home, and possibly get you five times that in bonus value. I have lived in a solar home for 11 years now----I am on my second. My homes were both totally off grid, so self supporting. But that is not the only way to go.
Permalink Reply by RAS on September 1, 2008 at 6:28am
This map shows the Solar radiation in the US.
http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/images/map_normal_radiation.gif

I live in Florida and I am lookig to install Solar hot water heater. I am still investigating PV.
Permalink Reply by Walt Barrett on September 1, 2008 at 12:58pm
Hi:
Thanks, the map is very helpful. Solar is very cheap in Florida on a DIY basis. Please see my blog on my Pickens page.
http://push.pickensplan.com/profiles/blog/list?user=21y0rg0vmaj6x

Thanks,
Walt
Permalink Reply by Jim Stephens on September 1, 2008 at 3:45pm
By using 3 - 100 watt panels hooked in series and connected directly to a 10 or 20 gallon tank that is used as a preheater you should raise the water temp going into your standard water tank by 20 degree and cut your hot water bill in half. Hold off a year or so for the $2.00/watt panels and you'll have a simple system that will pay off in just a couple years. Depending on the panels you use you may need to change the heating element to get one that has a resistance to better match the average input voltage coming from the panels. Email me and I'll send you more details. This may be the most cost effective use of solar energy at this time.
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