Monday, 21 November 2011

Solar and led lighting are not enough to save the earth

Green globe is one of the major concerns of experts today. Not only experts, but because of the awareness that has been created among people, the common people are also concerned about ways of decreasing the global pollution that is causing our planet to become a sick planet.

Earth has some rules and regulations, some norms and also some limitations. We should respect them and act wisely and smartly. We can do that by adopting those guidelines that would help us in achieving the clean and green earth. I'm not saying that it is as easy as 2 multiply by 2 is equal to 4, but taking the first step towards the right path is one of the most difficult thing to do in the world. This is our turn to act and take the the most difficult first step.

As far as lighting is concerned, you must have heard about solar lighting and led lighting technology. But this is not the only way you can contribute to make the planet, a green planet. There are many things you can do and here are few of them.
  • Lower down heat

Heating equipments at home give a relaxing pleasure, especially hot water shower after a long and hard job hours. But one thing that is not relaxing is the energy that they consume which results in high electricity bills. For a corrective measure you can adjust your heater and take a lukewarm shower instead. This will not only be less drying on the skin, but the decreased temperature of only 20 degrees can cut heating cost up to 10 percent.
  • Unplug

It is very common that you leave the chargers plugged in, even if your not using it. Research says that approximately 8% of your annual electricity bill is wasted on unused electricity. This is one of many bad habits that we all have and I have this habit too. This habit must be changed. When you are done, unplug all the chargers and appliances.
  • Switch to better lighting technology

Its time to change your light bulbs. If you are using ordinary incandescent light bulbs, then it is the time to replace them with the better lighting technology. One option can be Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), but the more appealing and environment friendly option is led light bulbs. A 3W LED is equivalent in output to a 45 W incandescent. These bulbs emit less heat and do not cause heat build-up. LEDs produce only 3.4 btu's/hour, compared to 85 btu's/hour for incandescent bulbs.
  • Grow your own vegetables

Growing your own vegetables is not only cheap and exciting, but it is also green activity itself. You do not need a big yard to do that. Buy a packet of mixed lettuce seeds, which will cut you back less than a few dollars, and you’ll reap about a month’s worth of daily salads out of it.
  • Homemade cleaning products

We all want to keep our home, especially our favorite appliances clean and shining always at any cost. To do this you buy cleaning products and those cleaning products having toxic chemical materials which injurious to our health. Try to make cleaning products at your home. It is not so difficult as it looks. All you need is the lemon juice, vinegar and the baking soda.

Monday, 14 November 2011

Ways of using solar energy at home

It is not too far that solar energy was only used for growing plants, making the day more enjoyable at the beach or drying up your clothes. No one ever thought that solar power would be used as a replacement for oil and other electricity generation sources.

The main feature of this source is that it is renewable and always free. There are various other benefits as well, but it depends on how we utilize this gift of Almighty Allah in our best favor. He has given us a brain, so think of creative ways to use this gift of nature. Here are some ways you can use solar power in your home.

  • Solar panels
Use solar panels in your home to store solar energy and convert it into electrical energy. Solar panels is an efficient and effective way to illuminate your home. Its initial cost may be high, but in the long term it is free electricity.

  • Solar power for smaller electronics
We depend on electronic equipments too much. Today, everything is gone from manually operated to automatic and uses electricity to operate. A large amount of energy is used in electronic equipments. Using solar energy to run electronic gadgets would surely contribute positively to the nature.

  • Water heater

According to a research, heating water is energy consuming and expensive and it consumes almost 30 percent of household energy. Water heaters which use solar energy range in price from $1,000 to $3,500.

  • Outdoor lighting
Outdoor lighting is an essential part of your home. Outdoor lights are important because it enhances the view of your home, it provides security and also adds a touch of uniqueness. Outdoor lighting is responsible for high electricity bills. Using solar powered outdoor lighting is an option that is worth adopting. It will reduce energy consumption and will help make greener and cleaner earth.

Creative and Green solar christmas lights

Be creative and go green this holiday with solar Christmas lighting

Christmas brings cheers and happiness to lives. Families and friends gather together to decorate, celebrate and enjoy this day more than ever before. Christmas comes once in a year and everybody wants to look unique and outstanding.
Google images

In this effort to look different and creative, most of the people do not care about their expenses, environment and social effects. Celebration and enjoyment is the right of every human being on earth, but with rights comes responsibilities. People should not forget their responsibilities regarding environment and society. Many of us do not know, but we can contribute to the betterment of society and environment to an amazingly large extent.

In fact, people make the environment eco-friendly or harmful. By adapting our daily activities to eco-friendly activities, we can make our positive contribution towards nature. Christmas is an occasion in which people decorate their homes as much as they can and sometimes exceed their budget in process. There are many kinds of lighting that can be used for Christmas decoration, but solar Christmas lighting is an option which grabbed my attention. Solar Christmas lights come in different colors, styles and sizes, completing the requirements for holiday decoration.

Solar lighting not only reduces electricity bills, it is also safer. There are many things to consider before buying solar Christmas lights. Look for solar Christmas lights that have lithium ion rechargeable batteries. These batteries are better because it don't have memory effect.

Memory effect is a condition in which batteries don't charge fully. Carefully choose the place where you would install your solar Christmas lights. Solar lights should have exposure to sunlight for at least 4 to 5 hours to give light for 5 hours. This light would be enough for prime viewing hours of your Christmas decoration.

Do whatever you want to do to decorate your home on this Christmas, but keep in mind what you are returning to the nature. Have a happy and green holiday.

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

How about solar motion security lights with led lights

Solar lighting is becoming popular day by day. As people are understanding the solar powered lighting benefits, they are adopting and installing solar lights. Especially solar lights made for homes. Because solar lights are not only convenient to install, but also are cheap in the long run.
Google images

In fact, solar lighting becomes free lighting in the long run as you are getting solar energy for free. The only cost is the purchasing cost. And when ordinary bulbs are replaced with led bulbs, solar lighting becomes more cheap, reliable and durable. Solar lighting becomes more attractive when you want security lights for your home. Solar lighting technology makes security lighting option attention worthy. Combining all these technologies with motion technology makes it solar motion security lights with led lights.

Solar motion security lights undoubtedly enhances the security of your home. There are few reasons to say that it enhances security. Firstly, when an intruder tries to come near to your house, these lights turn on automatically. Not only security, it also facilitates guests coming to your home. When a guest gets near to your home, it turns on. Preventing any accidents to happen. Another benefit is its "not always on" feature. When someone comes near to it, it turns on and otherwise it would remain turned off. Saving light energy in the process.
Google images

In this time of uncertainty among people, when there is increased crime rate and threat. People are concerned about their security like never before. Solar motion security lights is the technology that you need to be installed to your home.

Friday, 14 October 2011

Advantages and disadvantages of solar lighting

We are surrounded by many problems, but nature has provided us many ways to solve our problems. The need is to look around and analyze. One of many problems that I would like to talk about, is electricity shortage and increasing bills cost. One solution that is getting popular day by day amongst people is the concept of installing solar lights. Solar lighting is not a new concept, but people are not well aware of its advantages and disadvantages that it provides to people and nature as well. The need is to make people aware. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of solar lighting.

Source Google images


Advantages Of Solar Lighting

1. Environment friendly; Green technology:

The biggest advantage of solar lighting is its environment friendliness. Today, one feels to go green more than ever before. By adopting solar lighting for our daily use, we are adding our share towards betterment of our planet.

2. No energy cost

Another major advantage is zero energy cost. We are receiving continuous energy supply for free, 24 hours a day. This is especially beneficial for those people who require lighting for 24 hours. For example, parking lot owners.

3. Low maintenance cost

These lights use rechargeable batteries that get energy from the sun and gets charged by itself. The only major maintenance may be the cleaning of solar panels attached to it, to make sure that dust does not cover the solar cells.

4. Solar lighting is free lighting

Nothing is free in this real world. But yes, it is true that solar lighting is free. When LEDs are used instead of ordinary bulbs in the solar lights, the long life and energy efficiency of LED lighting makes it free in the long run.

5. No Wiring

Another advantage these lights have is no wiring required to install these lights. They are wireless, eliminating the mess of wires and making it the ultimate choice.

6. Easy installation

They are easy to install. As they come in Packaged sets and you do not even require a professional to do the installation.

Disadvantages of Solar lighting

1. Unpredictable energy

Solar energy may be continuous and free, but it is sometimes not available on the sky. Especially, in countries where sun is a bit shy to show off. But, now solar lighting manufacturers are trying to make efficient lights which can store more energy and which even work when sun does not show off too much. Of course, it depends on the quality of solar lights you are using.


2. Not good for all situations

The power of the sun is an excellent option for lights that serve a fairly non-critical role. But, solar power technology is not yet dependable enough to say that all situations can benefit. In situations, where dependable lighting is an absolute must, regular electricity is still the best option.

3. Initial cost is high

Another thing that people think as a drawback, is its high initial cost. However, it becomes uncompareable in the long run.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Some disadvantages of solar panel roads

No doubt solar panel highways is a unique, creative and attention worthy idea. It is the way of nature that everything has advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the world which has only advantages and not disadvantages. Similarly, where there are some advantages of solar panel roads, there are some disadvantages also. Here are some:

Source: Google images
Disadvantages of solar panel roads
  • Initial cost is high.
  • Around $7,000 to build each panel.
  • It becomes unreliable when the weather is cloudy.
  • It is relatively much more expensive to renovate.
  • If the solar panels get damaged, the traffic signals, the warning signs and the street lights could become useless.
  • Not only installation and maintenance cost is high, the time it would take to do that is also high.
  • Time to recoup its own cost, the payback period, is long.
  • Most solar panels only convert 14% of energy into electricity. [Source: Northwestern University]
  • It is difficult to rely only on solar panels because sunlight is not available during the long winters in many parts of the world.
It is true that solar panel road network is a good way of generating electricity but we cannot rely on it as a sole source of electricity. Experts suggests that for the time being this project should be started on a small scale and its disadvantages should also be kept in mind.

Monday, 26 September 2011

Advantages of using solar panels as roads

We are receiving a huge amount of solar light for free. It is very surprising that having energy crises, we did not pay attention to solar energy as a source to generate electricity. This concept is relatively new and most of the people are not aware of the technology very well.

Well - Have you heard about solar panel highways? For the time being here are some advantages of solar panel roads.
Source: Google images

Advantages of Solar Panel roads
  • Free source of energy.
  • Continuous supply.
  • Initial cost is high, however, very low cost in the long run.
  • No pollution.
  • LED lights can be embedded in to the panels, that can act as warning signs built in to the roads.
  • They can also be used to melt down the snow on the roads.
  • Covers a wide area, where solar light drops.
  • Hence, stores a huge amount of energy.
As energy crisis increases, the need to generate energy on a vast scale increases. Scientists are looking for more capable and cost effective ways to help decrease the energy crisis. This is where the idea of solar panel highways came. The idea behind roads made of solar panels is that, by doing this you can utilize a wide area, where sunlight drops. As, it was not possible otherwise.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Have you ever heard about solar panel highways?

As energy and economic crisis increases, countries are looking for more capable and low cost source of generating electricity. Why search for them? They are present here around us from the time earth is present. The need is to utilize them for the betterment of mankind.
Courtesy of Dan Walden

Scientists are focusing on solar light to generate electricity. Many ways and methods are being developed to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar panels also known as photovoltaic cells, is a technology that has been used in many ways. You will find them on top of big buildings, roof of our homes, fields, roof of cars. Like the all new Toyota Prius hybrid even has them on its roof, powering an electric air conditioner so the gasoline-powered engine would not be over burdened.

Some people say that If we were to lay down a gigantic amount of solar panels on a wide area, we could absorb huge amount of light and that would be enough to effectively end our energy crisis. Have you ever thought about solar panels replacing the concrete and asphalt? No! Well, this is what scientists are thinking. Making roads made up of solar panels and cars running on it would also have solar panels on their roofs. Combining both we will get a solar panel highway. The idea is to absorb as much sunlight as possible.

Someone said, "highways basking in the hot sun are wasted energy".

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Solar panels

Source: Google images
As energy crisis increases globally, the need to find more efficient and effective ways to fulfill this need increases and which should also be cost effective as well as capable enough to cover the requirements.

Solar panels are converters, which convert sunlight into electricity. This is a very effective and efficient way of converting solar light into electricity. However, its initial installation cost is high but is very beneficial in the long run. Solar panels consists of solar cells. Solar cells are attached by wire to a circuit. Light is converted into electricity as light strikes the semiconductor and that electricity then flows through the circuit. Solar panels cannot be used all around the world because there are some places in the world where you rarely see the sun light. Solar panels can be used in areas like Asia, Africa etc. Because these locations have the sun present on the sky for long hours and they can generate electricity with cost effectiveness.

Many countries are using solar panels. Germany is one of them which is using the solar panels and are generating 9,785 MW, Spain is generating 3,386 MW and similarly other countries like China, Italy and India are also generating electricity from solar light. The need is that governments should invest in solar panels and utilize natural resource for their benefit.