So what I am asking is… would some of these run the entire house all day or half of it or just a few light bulbs. Really whats the best options to save on electric bill.

Will is on the right track. Solar hot water and heating is a cheap effective start to save serious money. Solar electricity is unlikely to save you money. You need to buy the panels, battery storage and inverter.

You can get a rough idea of what each PV panel will power by doing some simple sums. Assume 60% efficiency in the system, less than full sunlight, battery losses, inverter losses. Assume 12 hours of sunlight, obviously more in Summer, less in Winter. so say 60W panel gives 60 x 12 x 0.6 = 432 Watt hours of useful output per day. So you could run a 6 x 12W compact fluorescent bulbs for 6 hours, or 12 for 3 hours. Or you could run a 120W TV screen for 3.6 hours. Or run a 900W electric iron for 29 minutes.

You get the picture, you don’t get much energy …. A 120W panel gives you twice as much of course.

The cost of the solar set up is much greater than the cost of electricity in most cases.

The better savings are in improving your power conservation in the first place. Use LED lights, they give more light for less electricity used and last much longer and have cool options like dim-ability and colour change effects if you want. Avoid using electricity for heating cooking, that uses lots of electricity for little return, use solar heating, insulation and heat pumps instead of ‘heaters’.

If you want to go solar of course you should do all that as well to reduce your electricity use, but the savings are in the reductions.

I run an entire office with 10 staff all using computers on less than 8.4KW, so that is more than enough for a domestic house. [provided you use it wisely.]

http://challenge.ecomagination.com/home/RoofMill-Hybrid-WindSolar-Home-Energy-Sy

http://push.pickensplan.com/profile/WindEnergy7

Duration : 0:6:16

Technorati Tags: 45 watt solar panel kit, build solar panel kit, home solar panel kit, how solar panels work, portable solar panel kit, portable solar panels, residential solar panel kit, solar cells, solar panel kit, solar panel manufacturers, solar panels, solar panels cost, solar power, solar power kit, solar shingles, thin film solar panels, wind power kit

(http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Alternative-Energy-Solutions-Solar-Power-Solar-Panels-Kits/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbm1w/R-202218715/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051)

Does the solar panel have to go on the roof? Will it go on any roof? I have regular shingles. Anything else a beginner should know?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

No, the panel doesn’t have to go on the roof. It can be ground mounted anywhere it receives good exposure to the sun during most of the day.

Other things to know:
The panels need to face true south.
The tilt for best performance.is a function of time of year, but will never be more than your latitude which would be the tilt at the time of the Winter Solstice.
NEVER short together the power leads while the panel is in sunlight. You will destroy the panel.

Good luck with your project.

Here is a direct link to the main Solaro Energy website — clearly you can see they make many different products related to energy saving / off the grid solutions: http://solaroenergy.com/products/solar-lighting/

watch the video explanation of one of their lighting systems from Dennis directly here– this is their youtube page:

It is important to have a power source — for multiple reasons — power outages, emergencies, natural / man made disasters, severe weather, and even for off the grid living.

Costs can range from just a few dollars (under 100) into multiple thousands. Depending on your budget — there is a form of backup power that many people can afford. The time to prepare is now… BEFORE anything more happens on a global basis.

Try going a couple days without any form of electricity. Life literally goes back to the dark ages without it.

To get a similar setup like the one sent to me… here is their main contact information:

http://SolaroEnergy.com

1-888-355-5SUN

Here is more about their company:

http://solaroenergy.com/about-us/

————————-

here are several other links to find out more about solar power — multiple companies offer budget solutions — im not just promoting solaroenergy — Im promoting having a power solution available to meet your needs in case of emergency or to offset your costs in real life:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell.htm

Here is a link to the mini-solar charger I was talking about that I saw at walgreens (cost is 15 dollars):

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=kodak+solar+charger&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=oZP&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1920&bih=884&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=6904914468814969374&sa=X&ei=-OI1T5aIFcPs2QWg16X6AQ&ved=0CHQQxBUwAA

Here is a link to several other companies (I cannot vouch for these others as I have not seen or tested their products — read the reviews on the other companies before making any purchase)…

https://www.google.com/#q=solar+panel&hl=en&prmd=imvnsurl&source=lnms&tbm=shop&ei=HuM1T63zIony2QWv59ynAg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=6&ved=0CH4Q_AUoBQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=c925a18400251fd5&biw=1920&bih=884

I can vouch for Solaroenergy — that they are indeed a real company known for making working/high quality solar panels.

cheers to them for sending this system!

Duration : 0:6:2

Technorati Tags: batteries, battery, charge, charger, charges, charging, day, daytime, ENERGY, full, gear, home, interior, KIT., kits, led, light, LIGHTING, lights, natural, PANEL, portable, POWER, powered, powering, ray, real, realtime, small, sol, SOLAR, SOLARO, solaroday, solaroenergy, solution, spectrum, SUN, survival, Time

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50048-60-Watt-Solar-Charging/dp/B000CIADLG/ref=sr_1_16?s=garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1328818129&sr=1-16

There is a little more to this than just hooking a solar panel up to a couple of batteries. Look up what a charge controller is and this is just the smaller issue.

Secondly, a 60 watt solar panel will produce less than 1000 watt hours worth of energy per day, even in the middle of summer.

1000 watt hours of electricity will cost you in the ball park of 10 cents per day to buy from your electrical utility. Do you REALLY want to spend all this money to save yourself less than 10 cents per day?

Not a wise idea, in my opinion.

Here is a portable folding 60 watt solar panel kit that can easily be tilted towards the sun for perfect alignment and power output.

We have simply hinged 3 aluminum framed glass solar panels together to make it easier to handle while moving them from place to place and to keep them perfectly aligned together when unfolded and pointed towards the sun which is also important for peak power harvest.

A black foam padded carry bag with shoulder strap is included to carry and store and protect the solar panel during transport and storage.

There are 4 eyelet holes in the 4 corners that allow you to stake down the 4 corners once you have the solar panel setup where you want and this assures you that the panel will stay where you put it even under high winds. 4 Tent Stakes are included with the solar panel kit.

This solar panel can be used to charge 12v or 24v battery banks and can be used with our portable solar power generator systems also.

Our testing of this panel showed us that it can produce 66+ watts in good sunlight in cooler weather. It should produce its 60w rating during hot summer weather as solar panels produce less the hotter the solar cells get.

We can provide you with custom solar panel connector cables upon request. If you have special requirements please feel free to email or call us @ Sales@PortableSolarPower.Biz or 1-765-517-1210 or click the “Questions” Button on the left side of this page.

Duration : 0:3:22

Technorati Tags: 60w Folding Solar Panel Kit, 60w Portable Solar Panel, 60w Solar Battery Charger, 60w Solar Panel, portable solar panel

Here is a portable folding 80 watt solar panel kit that can easily be tilted towards the sun for perfect alignment and power output.

We have simply hinged 2 aluminum framed glass solar panels together to make it easier to handle while moving them from place to place and to keep them perfectly aligned together when unfolded and pointed towards the sun which is also important for peak power harvest.

We added a Stainless Steel heavy duty carrying handle to the top of the solar panel that feels good, looks good, and is solid and strong. This handle makes it really easy to pickup the solar panel and move it around when needed.

We have a locking latch to keep the folded up/closed solar panel closed so the panels do not flap together or rattle while you transport the 80w solar panel kit.

There are 4 eyelet holes in the 4 corners that allows you to stake down the 4 corners once you have the solar panel setup where you want and this assures you that the panel will stay where you put it even under high winds. 4 Tent Stakes are included with the solar panel kit.

This solar panel can be used to charge 12v or 24v battery banks and can be used with our portable solar power generator systems also.

Our testing of this panel showed us that it can produce 93 watts in good sunlight in cooler weather. It should produce its 80w rating during hot summer weather as solar panels produce less the hotter the solar cells get.

We can provide you with custom solar panel connector cables upon request. If you have special requirements please feel free to email or call us @ Sales@PortableSolarPower.Biz or 1-765-517-1210 or click the “Questions” Button on the left side of this page.

Watch the video above for a overview of this 80w Portable Solar Panel Kit.

Duration : 0:11:49

Technorati Tags: 80w Portable Solar Panel, 80w Solar panel, mobile solar panel, portable solar charger, portable solar panel, portable solar panels

120w Portable Folding Glass Solar Panel Kit video overview.

For more info and pictures visit www.PortableSolarPower.Biz

Duration : 0:6:29

Technorati Tags: 120w Portable Solar Panel, 120w Solar Panel, folding solar panel, portable solar panel, portable solar panels

Duration : 0:2:34

Technorati Tags: 3953, MVI

Duration : 0:13:46

Technorati Tags: affordable, battery, controller, DIY Kit, education, PV module, solar power