When it comes to adopting solar energy, it is not a simple straight forward thing, especially since there are many questions. The best thing to do is to start small and grow your solar power project as you get more comfortable with it. For example, a simple project could be a portable solar shower. This is a hot water shower that can be used at any outdoor location, such as at a camp site or on a boat. All you need is a special five gallon plastic bag which can be filled with water and exposed to the sun. The front or top portion of the bag is clear to allow the sunlight to pass while the other end is dark to absorb maximum energy. You can enjoy a good hot water shower almost anywhere; alternately you can use that water for cleaning purposes too.
Another way of playing with solar energy is using reflectors or sunscreens. These are sheets that cover the windows and perform a dual function. They can reflect as much as 90% of the incidental sunlight and at the same time insulate the house from the excess heat. During summer months when the sun can become too much to handle, the sunscreens ensure a cool and well lit room. Of course, the bigger the windows the better the performance of these sunscreens.
During winters though, you do not want to have these screens. With limited sunlight, you need every bit of that sun in your house. So you need to remove the sunscreens. While you could go with removable sunscreen frames, it involves a lot of manual work. The electric sunscreen systems are automated. Using the controller you can decide whether you want the sunscreen on or off.
Sunscreens are mainly sheets that can be installed on your windows to prevent the sunlight and heat from entering the room. You can, in fact build the sunscreen frames yourself. All you need are some tacks, box cutters, hammer and a good stapler. You would need to buy the screen frames from the stores. These frames are available in many colors and designs, so you can let your creative side pick the ones that are ideal for your room. Some of these come with the sunscreens built in while others do not. The frames are light and durable and are usually made from aluminum. Of course, before you decide to purchase frames for the entire house, you can try it out on a few windows to see the difference. Once you fall in love with them you can install them on all the windows of your house. There are plenty more solar power project tips at Richie Vee’s site. Go there to see what else may work for you.
Security lights are another great avenue for testing solar power projects. Many solar driven security lights come with a spotlight and a sensor along with the kit to trap the solar energy and power the light. There are many ways you can use this light in your daily life. Regardless of how you install the spotlight, the PV capturing the solar energy must be kept outdoors where there is maximum exposure to sunlight. Here are some common places where you can have this spotlight:
b) The spotlight can be used in your work shed too. So as soon as you enter the shed and work there, the light stays on, and once you leave it will turn off automatically.
c) Basements are another place where this setup would be great. As soon as you enter the basement stairs, the basement will be lit up.
d) Lighting around picnic table in a gazebo is also a great use of this unit.
e) In fact, this can be used in any remote location in your home where there is not enough light or limited brightness. The sensor can be programmed to shutoff the light at whatever time you prefer.
To find more information like this read this article about portable solar power.
Finally, solar lighting tubes are another mini solar power project. Of course this solution is not as simple as the previous ones and involves some complexity. What you have in this is a unit on the roof that captures the sunlight and a silver tube that directs the light into a diffuser. The diffuser then reflects the light through tubes that can light up the entire room.
Remote corners and darker rooms are great places for such a solution. While installing it can take quite some skill and time, the end result is something that you can be really proud of.
Looking to find the best deal on solar power then visit http://solar-power-solar-energy.com to find more detailed, helpful advice.
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