Im putting together a project, mostly on a future perspective from an investment point of view, but I would welcome any information or ideas you have about solar technologies benefits vs Wind harvesting technologies
tahnks
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- why should more people use solar power and wind power?
December 8th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Depends on the location. In some locations, you can depend on the sun to shine almost every day and the wind to be faint and erratic. Other places the wind blows almost every day with a good speed, but the sun is hidden frequently.
Both require a large amount of capitol investment but not as high as nuclear.
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December 8th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
No moving mechanical parts in solar harvesting, so less frequent maintenance. Solar also does not require to be mounted on tall columns, so less visual impact from a distance.
Of course, the output of both increase/decrease depending on the climate. Solar is obviously far more effective in sunny climates where the sun climbs high, wind is far more suited to windier climates.
What you really want is a windy desert then you can have both!
December 8th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
You have pros and cons to both, but in a whole picture they are moving forward in the right direction. With wind power you may see a significant cost for the setup and cost of the equipment; while for solar panels just starting to really take off are guarenteed to last on their warranty for five years on most of them, bbut cheaper at start. Good thing is you buy the turbines once and are good for decades, while replacing panels most likely ever 7yrs. But also it should depend on your location. Are you in a location that always sees and gets heavy direct sunlight? Or do you live close to higher altitudes or a forest that always has wind? Granted you will not always have sunlight as there are cloudy and stormy days, but you will not always have wind either. It depends on location and how far into your investment you want to go into.
I do commend you on wanting to go green. It’s the way to the future and a way to stay off from paying major corporations money for bad energy (coal, nuclear power). If you decide to go green through either kind of energy, look into making your house very insulated to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Also look into electrical heating so no use for natural gas to save even more money.
-iChad
December 8th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Solar power will work when there is no wind.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Solar is only available when the sun shine and only possible in daylight. Wind is available when the wind blows which can be at anytime of day or night but not always, ie the wind does not blow all of the time. The suns elevation changes between the solstices so in order to maximise the solar insolation it would be better to tilt the panels to maximise the insolation. ie latitude -22 deg off the vertical in winter and latitude +22 deg off vertical in mid summer. The maximum insolation may not be at midday, depends on you local weather patterns but in the main centered south at the midday.
Other members have covered visual impact and maintenance.