Alternative Eenergy Today

For many years, the only kinds of solar panels commercially obtainable have been crystalline solar panels put in a rectangular frame and placed on a roof. This is why most people, as soon as they consider solar energy for their house, envision this as their only choice. Below are some recent advancements in solar power and mounting options you may have never heard of before.

Thin Film Solar Panels – Man Is That Thin!

Think of the solar panel you see in a solar calculator. That is a thin film solar panel. Thin film solar panels are used extensively in satellites. Thin film technology is currently being expanded into suburban and commercial use and was named one of the greatest inventions of 2008 by TIME magazine.

Thin film solar panels are bendable, not like polysilicon cells found in traditional crystalline solar panels. These thin film solar panels are being hailed as second generation solar power technology.

Thin film solar panels are more resistant to hailstones, rocks, and so on. If a portion of a crystalline solar panel is damaged, the whole solar panel will stop working while a thin film solar panel will continue to function.

Thin film panels can also be bendable and modified to lots of surfaces. They can be applied in places traditional 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 downside to thin film panels is that they do not take in as much energy because they are so skinny. These panels are not nearly as efficient as conventional photovoltaic panels but they are much cheaper. Thin film solar panels are printed onto the rolled backing, eliminating many of the high energy and chemical intensive processes that are typical in conventional PV manufacturing.

Thin film solar panels are low wattage and require more room than traditional solar panels and they are more prone to degradation. In an attempt 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 constructed out of cadmium telluride. At full power, the plant will generate enough electricity to power an expected 17,000 houses.

Now let us look at traditional solar panels and some of the mounting options that are available you might have never heard of before.

Mounting Selections For Traditional Solar Panels – It’s In the Mount

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

Pole Mounts – No This Isn’t Something Santa Claus Needs For His Sled

Pole mounts, especially top-of-pole, have been popular for a long time. Top-of-pole mounts are essentially a steel or aluminum rack and railing structure bolted or welded to a big 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 technique of automatically aiming the mount to track the sun.

Top of pole mounts (including sun trackers) are one of the simplest mounts to set up. They essentially only need a single steel pole set in the ground (usually 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 avoid shading from close by vegetation.

Popular Roof-Ground Mounts

Roof-ground systems can be mounted onto a roof or ground without much variation in setup. They are typically constructed from stainless steel in a grid-like system of supports. Roof-mounted panels for smaller systems are the easiest to put in, using small flush-mount brackets which lift the panels to the most excellent position for solar collection.

Ground mounts, as the name implies, are solar panel mounts that are installed on the ground (as opposed to a pole mount or roof mount). They have supporting, adjustable legs which allow you to optimize their upright orientation for solar exposure. Ground mounting systems normally entail plenty of steel supports, concrete foundations, and galvanized footings, which 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.

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

The Low Down On Flush Mounts

Flush Mounts are low-priced and straightforward to install – these are perfect for single panel installations and smaller solar arrays. Flush mounts are put onto a level exterior such as the top of an RV, a roof, or the top of a boat and are not used for ground installations. These mounts serve to separate the solar panel from the mounting surface and allow airflow to go underneath and lower the temperature of the solar panel for efficient operation. Flush Mounts are usually used with small solar arrays on roof tops and RVs, because the structural design of a flush mount cannot support large solar panels.

There are many new options available in the expanding realm of solar technology. For all you could ever want to know about solar panels and wind generators visit where can I buy solar panels