Clean Diesel

For numerous years, the only types of solar panels commercially obtainable have been crystalline solar panels mounted in a rectangular frame and positioned on a roof. This is why most people, when they think of solar energy for their house, envision this as their only option. Below are a few new advancements in solar power and mounting options you may have never heard of before.

Thin Film Solar Panels – Man Is That Skinny!

Envision the solar panel you have in a solar calculator. That is a thin film solar panel. Thin film solar panels are used to a great extent in satellites. Thin film technology is at the present being expanded into suburban and industrial use and was named one of the best inventions of 2008 by TIME magazine.

Thin film solar panels are flexible, nothing like polysilicon cells found in long-established crystalline solar panels. These thin film solar panels are being called as second generation solar power technology.

Thin film solar panels are more resistant to hailstones, rocks, and so forth. If part of a crystalline solar panel is broken, the entire solar panel will stop functioning while a thin film solar panel will go on functioning.

Thin film panels can also be flexible and adapted to many surfaces. They can be functional in places conventional crystalline solar panels cannot be mounted on top of. I have even witnessed a thin film panel sewed against a jacket that powered a MP3 player.

The draw back to thin film panels is that they do not absorb as much energy because they are so skinny. These panels are not nearly as efficient as traditional photovoltaic panels but they cost less. Thin film solar panels are printed onto the rolled backing, eliminating many of the high energy and chemical intensive methods that are typical in conventional PV manufacturing.

Thin film solar panels are low wattage and require more space than conventional solar panels and they are more prone to degradation. In order to counteract several of these competitive disadvantages they have versus traditional solar panels, manufacturers offer better warranties for thin film panels.

The largest thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the United States is the Blythe plant located 200 miles east of Los Angeles, California. The 21-megawatt solar power plant uses thin film solar cells created out of cadmium telluride. At full capacity, the plant will make enough electricity to power an expected 17,000 houses.

Now let us examine conventional solar panels and several of the mounting options that are offered you may well have not heard of before.

Mounting Choices For Conventional Solar Panels – It’s In the Mount

Solar panel mounts are available in three main types: pole mounts, roof-ground mounts, and flush mounts. Using these mounts, you can set up your solar panel on your roof, onto an RV, on top of or against the side of a pole, and even install them as a free-standing unit.

Pole Mounts – No That Isn’t What Santa Claus Needs For His Sleigh

Pole mounts, particularly top-of-pole, have been popular for awhile now. Top-of-pole mounts are essentially a steel or aluminum rack and railing system bolted or welded to a hefty sleeve that sets on top of a pole with set-bolts to keep it in place. Side-of-pole mounts are regularly used when you need to mount to the side of a telephone pole or communications tower. Tracking mounts are similar to top-of-pole mounts, but they also have a method of automatically aiming the mount to stay on the sun.

Top of pole mounts (as well as sun trackers) are one of the simplest mounts to set up. They basically only need one steel pole set in the ground (normally in concrete), and the mount slips onto the top of the pole. Most ordinary sizes use a 2-inch to 8-inch pole, usually around 11 to 13 feet in length. They can go higher if you need to get the panel up higher to escape shading from nearby vegetation.

Common Roof-Ground Mounts

Roof-ground systems can be mounted onto a roof or ground without a lot of variation in setup. They are normally created from stainless steel in a grid-like system of supports. Roof-mounted panels for smaller systems are the easiest to set up, using tiny flush-mount brackets that raise the panels to the most excellent angle for solar collection.

Ground mounts, as the name suggests, are solar panel mounts that are installed on the ground (as opposed to a pole mount or roof mount). They have supporting, modifiable legs which allow you to optimize their vertical direction for solar exposure. Ground mounting systems normally involve plenty of steel supports, concrete foundations, and galvanized footings, that can be troubling, when you are trying to keep your system low cost. Ground mounted systems call for structural strength to prevent weight bearing failure.

Although module mounting systems are obtainable for ground and roof installation, roof mount installation is the most common and cost effective method. The roof mounted panels are attached to a mounting system usually consisting of an aluminum or steel support structure which attaches the panels to the roof.

The Smack Down On Flush Mounts

Flush Mounts are economical and easy to install – these are ideal for single panel installations and smaller solar arrays. Flush mounts are put onto a level face such as the top of an RV, a roof, or the top of a boat and are not used for ground installations. These mounts act to separate the solar panel from the mounting surface and allow airflow to go under and cool the solar panel for smooth operation. Flush Mounts are normally used with small solar arrays on roof tops and RVs, because the structural design of a flush mount cannot support large solar panels.

Lots of options exist in the ever changing world of solar power technology. To learn how to calculate the number of solar panels you need for your home and other solar power secrets they don’t want you to know about, go to where can I buy solar panels