Solar Panel Review - Power Concept
One of the issues that Solar Panel Review addresses is regarding Photovoltaic Panels and how they interact with our daily usage of energy. In my other articles I have touched topics as economy, electric or electronic basic concepts and some statistics. In this chapter, I like to show you how the cost of power is calculated.
The survey shows that the more recent built houses are larger than older ones. The household appliances are getting more energy efficient. An old fridge consumes 2 to 3 times more than a newly manufactured one. We keep talking about energy consumption and cost. But wait, what are we talking about?
I think the best way to explain is via an example. All the electrical equipments and appliances are labelled with specifications like voltage, current and power. Even solar panel review of a complete off grid arrangement refers to the same terms.
In a house in North America, we have access to either 110 volts or 220 volts supply. The operating voltage tells us how to wire it up.
The Current rating specified in unit of Amps tells us what size of electrical wire should be used. The very basic general rule of thumb is that a gauge 14 wire is capable of handling 15 amps and a gauge 12 wire(The smaller the number the thicker it gets) is good for currents up to 20 amps. These are very basic rules, different countries and even different States have other codes.
The Power rating in Watts or Kilo Watts indicates how power hungry the unit is. Basically, the power consumption is determined by the voltage and current requirement of the appliance as well as its nature of operation. A simple formula expressing the relationship is: P=VI which means Power in Watt is equal to Voltage times Current in Amp. This formula is very useful when considering a green energy implementation and of course in a solar panel review and solar power cost calculation.
The energy we consume and pay for it is actually “Watt Hour”. It is abbreviated as WH or KWH for Kilo Watt Hour. One KWH is equal to 1000 WH, the same way one kilogram is equal to 1000 grams. When we talk about Watt, we are referring to the rate at which power in consumed. However when we are talking about Watt Hour, we are referring to the amount of power used.
Imagine you are running at speed of 10 miles/hour for 2 hours (I hope you had enough jugging experience before attempting this exercise). Your speed of 10mph can be thought of as the Watt because it is a rate quality. After 2 hours of jugging you have traveled 20 miles. The quantity of 20 miles is like KWH. Kilo Watt Hour is what you pay for in utility bill.
In a nutshell, when you are reviewing a solar panel, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is: how much is my KWH demand, and how much KWH this particular solar system can provide me.
There are so many factors that one has to consider and solar panel review objective is to point out the topics involved. We believe that having enough knowledge is one of the best tools in making the right decision.
What I like you to do is to go to our site, take a look around. Share with us your stories or concerns.
Good luck in your research.
Jay Eld at www.solar-panelreview.com March 16, 2010
The survey shows that the more recent built houses are larger than older ones. The household appliances are getting more energy efficient. An old fridge consumes 2 to 3 times more than a newly manufactured one. We keep talking about energy consumption and cost. But wait, what are we talking about?
I think the best way to explain is via an example. All the electrical equipments and appliances are labelled with specifications like voltage, current and power. Even solar panel review of a complete off grid arrangement refers to the same terms.
In a house in North America, we have access to either 110 volts or 220 volts supply. The operating voltage tells us how to wire it up.
The Current rating specified in unit of Amps tells us what size of electrical wire should be used. The very basic general rule of thumb is that a gauge 14 wire is capable of handling 15 amps and a gauge 12 wire(The smaller the number the thicker it gets) is good for currents up to 20 amps. These are very basic rules, different countries and even different States have other codes.
The Power rating in Watts or Kilo Watts indicates how power hungry the unit is. Basically, the power consumption is determined by the voltage and current requirement of the appliance as well as its nature of operation. A simple formula expressing the relationship is: P=VI which means Power in Watt is equal to Voltage times Current in Amp. This formula is very useful when considering a green energy implementation and of course in a solar panel review and solar power cost calculation.
The energy we consume and pay for it is actually “Watt Hour”. It is abbreviated as WH or KWH for Kilo Watt Hour. One KWH is equal to 1000 WH, the same way one kilogram is equal to 1000 grams. When we talk about Watt, we are referring to the rate at which power in consumed. However when we are talking about Watt Hour, we are referring to the amount of power used.
Imagine you are running at speed of 10 miles/hour for 2 hours (I hope you had enough jugging experience before attempting this exercise). Your speed of 10mph can be thought of as the Watt because it is a rate quality. After 2 hours of jugging you have traveled 20 miles. The quantity of 20 miles is like KWH. Kilo Watt Hour is what you pay for in utility bill.
In a nutshell, when you are reviewing a solar panel, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is: how much is my KWH demand, and how much KWH this particular solar system can provide me.
There are so many factors that one has to consider and solar panel review objective is to point out the topics involved. We believe that having enough knowledge is one of the best tools in making the right decision.
What I like you to do is to go to our site, take a look around. Share with us your stories or concerns.
Good luck in your research.
Jay Eld at www.solar-panelreview.com March 16, 2010
