Buy Solar Energy Products - Find The Best Solar Powered Products
When people think of solar products, they
normally think about solar electric panels that are part of a solar
energy system. These make up a major segment of solar products sold
throughout the country and the world, but there are a lot of other solar
powered products as well. If you are looking to
buy solar energy products,
you have come to the right site. The Solar Cafe Shop is dedicated to
helping you find the best solar
powered products available.
Residential Solar Power Systems
If you're tired of paying the ever rising
prices on your electrical utility bill, you may be a good candidate for
a
residential solar power system. This is especially true when you
consider existing government incentives, that can pay for as much as
half of your system. If you are considering whether you want to buy
solar panels or not, there are some things you may want to consider
first.
The first thing to consider is how much
your electrical bill typically runs. If you have access to your records,
see how much electrical power you have consumed per year over the past
three years. This will help you decide how large of a system you may
need. Since most utility companies charge different rates based on
various tiers of usage, the more power you use, the more you pay. Some
like to design their system to only reduce their higher tier usage. By
doing this, they drastically reduce their bill without totally
eliminating it. Others want to totally do away with an electrical bill,
and therefore install a larger system.
It's a good idea to have a power audit.
This should be conducted by an expert who is trained to do so. This
audit will help the solar company determine how efficient the solar
panels will be and how many panels will be needed to provide the needed
power. Another good reason to do a power study is to see if you will get
full use of the sun throughout the day. Tall trees could interfere with
solar rays later in the afternoon. This may merit you removing or
trimming certain trees to provide optimum sunlight to your system.
Best Solar Panels For Sale
A good solar system is composed of good
quality components. The primary component of any solar energy system is
the solar panel, otherwise known as the solar cells. Solar panels are
composed of multiple solar cells which are also known as photovoltaic
cells. These panels collect solar (sun) energy and convert that energy
to electrical energy. Each solar panel is rated as to efficiency and
output with direct sunlight. These solar panels generally produce
approximately 200 watts of Direct Current (DC) energy. Multiple solar
panels are connected together to generate more power. Solar systems are
typically rated on their size based on the kilowatts of energy they
produce. One kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts of power.
Solar Air Conditioning
At first thought, you may think solar air
conditioning is an oxymoron since the sun produces heat, not cool. Most
solar air
conditioners utilize solar power to generate electrical energy to
power the air conditioner. This can be accomplished by charging a
battery which operates a portable air conditioner, or by producing
energy that is tied to the grid, which powers a home air conditioner
along with other AC appliances.
Home Solar Lighting
If you have a solar system, you can power
all of your lighting from that system. But if you don't have a solar
energy system, that doesn't mean you can't use solar lights. There are
now dozens of different kinds of solar lights for home use available.
What's better even yet; most of these lights aren't that expensive.
Even though most of these solar lights are designated "home
solar lights" they are actually for outside use.
There are a vast variety of home solar
lights available. Some of the most common are the pathway solar lights.
Solar spotlights work great to accent a special tree or your address
sign. There are numerous colorful solar garden lights. Some of the
prettiest are solar butterflies, hummingbirds, or dragonflies. These
lights continually change colors which add a wonderful touch to your
garden area.
You can even purchase motion detection
lights that are solar powered.
These are a breeze to install. You don't need any external wires,
which cuts down on expanse and time on the installation.
If you own a swimming pool or spa, there
are even floating solar lights that can add a romantic touch. The solar
pool lights can add a touch of elegance for an outside dinner party.
When Christmas comes around, there are
dozens of different kinds of home solar lights to choose from. There are
solar ice cycles, snowballs, hanging colored balls; and the list goes
on. What is great is the lack of extension cords needed.
Other Solar Home Products
The solar market has expanded into
additional home solar products. Solar attic fans are now becoming a hit.
The hot solar rays are converted into electricity which powers the attic
fan, keeping the attic area much cooler. This in turn, keeps the home
cooler during the summer time, thus saving on power consumption.
There are a number of different portable
solar chargers available for use outdoors or when traveling. Some are
complete self-contained charger and storage units. These are handy when
doing camping or hiking. A few of these have a built in inverter to
convert power to AC for small AC electrical appliances.
Solar Powered Cars
Although
solar powered cars aren't
yet commercially produced, many solar cars have been designed over the
years. There are some serious drawbacks to solar cars. The biggest
challenges are placement of the solar cells to get maximum sun exposure
along with having a battery with the capacity to hold enough charge for
operation when the sun isn't shining.
In spite of these disadvantages of solar
cars, there are two major solar car races conducted every year. Solar
powered vehicle racing has been conducted since 1985. The World Solar
Challenge is held in Australia every year. The distance of this race is
an impressive 1877 miles. The course takes drivers clear across the
continent. Many of the solar race cars involved in the competition
travel in excess of 90 miles per hour. There is a similar annual race in
North America each year, although the distance and the course are
different for each race.
If you're looking to
buy solar energy products,
you shouldn't have any problems finding what you want. You can
find the best solar powered
products on the internet; especially if you want some unique
products. At times you will also find some of these unique solar
products in a discount store like Wal-Mart or Costco. They normally have
some really good prices too.