(what a cool a genius design. from DIYdishsystem.pdf)
I am not much of a DIYer (yet), although I have made a few things. Mostly, it just takes time to make stuff and I know the bought ones are 99 / 100 times a better job than I could ever do.
But, this post is about solar, DUH, and what is the deal with all the different kinds of panels and what is best for me.. without costing me an arm and a leg..
back in the day.. and it's still a very cool and interesting thing.. people knew there was awesome power to be had by harnessing the free energy given by the sun. Check out this pic of a giant glass container that would boil due to the sun's rays and then the steam produced powered a steam engine. so cool!
(also from DIYdish)
So there are basically two types of pannels. (that i know of right now) Those are the ones that can generate the most absorbtion from DIRECT sunlight, or those that absord less, but can absord pretty much any light.. even UV?? (not sure on that one) For me, in the philippines (soon), I will most likely stick to the direct sunlight ones since it it so sunny there most of the time. I do, however, appreciate the flexibility of the other panels so might end up using those as well. As far as I know.. there is no solar paint yet available for the public, but I'd bet they are already working on this and it will be out soon. and anyone know any billionares whose company can make a good looking solar roof tile??
(pic from google search)
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our goal: to massively increase onboarding to hive in philippines.
look at the new map I just made showing filipinos of hive so far..
1) Light to electricity
Long story, short: two types of photovoltaic panels. Visually different and therefore easy to spot:
But panels are now very affordable. I recently bought a monocrystalline bifacial (collects light also from the back) for $0.15/watt, with all the taxes.
What is important is to properly dimension your system and to choose a quality controller/inventory/storage batteries. You want them from respectable companies that will maintain them (warranty, post-warranty service, software updates), as these are expensive and complex systems.
2) Part of the energy emitted by the Sun can be collected as heat.
These systems are less complex; basically, you need a dark surface that heats up in the sun, a liquid to absorb that heat, and a pump to circulate it. For the summer, you can easily paint a metal barrel black, and you have hot water for your house. To make it frost-safe, you need an anti-freeze liquid and a simple heat exchanger (long spiral pipes, for example)...
!PIMP & !LUV
wow. very cool info. :) thanks for the lesson,
I wasn't totally sure about the different panels, just I know there are those 2 types from reading about it.
I think I will try and get the usual solar panel setup as well as try to gather sunlight using that second method u mention. I also want to create a big magnify (either curved mirror or fresnel lens) and use to 'cook' things directly. :)
Keep us updated! :)