9
votes
Why is solar energy so expensive?
It is not, necessarily
The initial capital cost of a plant is not the same thing as its lifecycle costs. The best way to analyze the cost impact of an energy source is to look at the total expected ...
- 1,077
3
votes
Accepted
Are there any good diy examples of home level STES or BTES
STES (Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage) is, in most cases, too expensive to really be practical because of the huge quantity of the storage medium needed to supply the seasonal demand. Typically, you ...
- 161
2
votes
Does a solar thermal hot water system make sense for my home?
With today's prices, it's cheaper to install PV panels and generate electricity, then just use a standard electric water heater.
This has the advantage that it actually works better in the winter ...
- 31
2
votes
Accepted
Can hot air move horizontally without a fan (vertical is easy)
Buoyancy acts vertically, so in most circumstances the answer is "no" (or at least "not with any level of efficiency that would make it worth doing"). If you don't care about efficiency (or ...
- 2,889
2
votes
Why is solar energy so expensive?
Really good breakdown in U.S. Photovoltaic Prices and
Cost Breakdowns: Q1 2015
Benchmarks for Residential,
Commercial, and Utility-Scale
Systems from National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
If you look ...
- 1,202
2
votes
Accepted
Under what circumstances are concentrated solar power plants more feasible than conventional solar panels?
Concentrating solar-thermal power is an entirely different way of producting solar power. There are two types of concentrating solar-thermal plants. One type has parabolic mirrors in a line. Then a ...
- 5,249
2
votes
Solar air heater inside the window?
Clearly I will lose the heat that would otherwise enter the room through the window if I hadn't blocked it with the Solar Venti as opposed to my mounting it on an outside wall.
The heat you're ...
- 1,654
1
vote
When/where is it feasible to use a solar cooker to boil water?
Just a matter of money; you can boil all the water you want with enough focusing solar collectors . There is an installation ( maybe more) in AZ (?) that melts metal with this method. Reliable,good ,...
- 560
1
vote
Are there any good diy examples of home level STES or BTES
I have done this sort of, in reverse.
I'm a tree farmer. I get seedlings and to extend the time I can plant them I have made a cold room.
This is a 12x12 foot room with 4" fiberglass + 12" ...
- 7,247
1
vote
Need critique of my idea for a passive heating and cooling system for a tent/waterbed
Never leave home without an air mattress. I've been observing the fools that sleep on the ground for years. The older you get the more likely you will do serious damage. Yes, the "macho" who sleeps on ...
- 11
1
vote
What advantages (any?) does water heating via photovoltaic system have over solar thermal?
I had to quit my PV water heating experiment since the wife had to take one too many cold showers and I was in fear of waking up dead one morning with a back-brush through my skull... and the ...
- 41
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