Every so often I like to browse the free energy videos on Youtube. There's such a dizzying variety of charlatans on display there, shilling their own take on the classic investment scheme, the perpetual motion machine. Free energy magnetic motors, vortex toruses, orgonic concentrators and all manner of similar baboozery.
It speaks to the longstanding human fantasy of abundant, freely available energy. Harvesting ambient natural forces, free of charge, and putting them to work towards our own ends. But why do people lose themselves in these dead ends, fraudulent technologies that never worked...when the real McCoy already exists and is in wide use?
What is a solar panel anyway, but a free energy machine? Paired with a sufficient battery bank, it's a perpetual source of power that can operate anywhere on Earth....or even off it. Have you ever reflected on what a miracle it is that physics allows such a marvel of technology to exist? Something like an antennae for capturing energy beamed down to us by the sun?
It didn't have to be that way. I feel the same way about nuclear power and may yet write a similar article on that topic, simply celebrating what great luck it is that it's somehow possible to refine specific metals into a form that remains hot enough to drive a steam turbine for multiple decades.
Back to solar though. There's a beautiful purity to it. Some of my favorite electric vehicle hobby projects don't even use batteries. They're electric boats which have enough surface area that, when covered in solar panels, generates enough power to drive the motors directly.
That means they can run uninterrupted between sunup and sundown without missing a beat. Then do it all again the next day without needing to be plugged into anything. There's a man named Jamie Mantzel living with his family off grid in Panama who powers all of his boats from huge built in solar arrays and never needs fuel, or even batteries for that matter.
It's the simplicity of it that intoxicates me. A device which catches sunlight, and turns it into work. If it didn't already exist, that description of it would make it sound like impossible magic. I mean really it's just a type of semiconductor, like LEDs, but that doesn't capture the conceptual wonder of it.
I've written about solar powered electric cars before, right here. I've written about solar power towers, technically not related to photovoltaics but still an application of solar energy which fascinates me.
I can't seem to dig it up, but I've written about solar boats, solar blimps and all manner of other primarily solar powered vehicles because it's just one of those every day wonders people pass by without even blinking. Like how they ride on airplanes and aren't amazed by the wonder of flight.
I'm always excited to fly, because it never stops being amazing to me. Likewise I never stopped being amazed that it's actually possible to turn sunlight into electricity. Using a device that can be portable, and not even that costly to boot! I wrote about portable solar gadgets here.
From the standpoint of a techno-purist, the most perfect source of motive force is the electric motor. 90+% efficient, silent, a single moving part. Don't get me started on electric motors! But the most conceptually pure and perfect energy supplier is photovoltaic panels. The marriage of cars driven by electric motors, powered by batteries and charged with solar panels is then understandably one of the most beautiful things I know about.
There are of course many other options for renewable energy, some of them currently better. But if solar panels and batteries improve enough, they will get to the point where there isn't any point to using anything else. Every home will have solar panels on the roof and a massive battery in the basement as a matter of course.
That's what I call free energy for the masses. Decentralized, democratized, and the realization of a dream as old as flight.
Stay Cozy!
You can also convert your upvotes in solar energy with @solarcoach
I am really excited about anything that runs on Solar. I've got myself an array of lighting devices that runs on solar energy and they are so cool!
You should write about your experience with solar @mydivathings. I'd be excited to read it.
One need to understand the basis to be able to maintain it. Solar energy is free energy from the sun converted into light. We need more of this in Africa where power seems to be a major issue.
I have to improvise to always charge my phone so I can online on steemit. Cost me to always power the generator
My alternative to get power when power distributors fails(they always)
Solar panel is needed all over Africa. I will make a post about Decentralized energy next.
Being an electrical engineer i know the benefits of renewable energy. And the most abundant renewable energy is Solar power that can be gotten through solar panels. Though intial cost is high in developing countries its still the best option in the long run. Or what do you think @alexbeyman
Solar panels are the best source of energy. I think it's one of the greatest invention because when we use up all the non renewable energy we will have to depend on the solar panels and other renewable forms. When searching for the best solar panels for your home, you should take into consideration a panel’s performance, quality, durability, and warranties. There are three major technical specifications that can help you as you make your decision: panel efficiency, temperature coefficient, and the materials warranty.
that will make alot of difference
we have alot of electricity curtailments here due to less productivity of electricity
solar panels are helping us alot here
And that' what it was supposed to be.
But unfortunately at least in my country to be able to set this equipment so that you can power up a whole house is pretty expensive that people stopped considering it as an option.
It doesn't even need to be a quick transition, since the use of solar panels can be 100% profited within a national or multinational grid... It's always sunny somewhere, isn't it?
You see when we talk about abundant natural energy, we talk about wind, water and the solar power. You see we’ve explored the means of getting energy from the water and the wind and those had proven effective but costly you’d agree with me, building a dam to get energy from water, having lots of windmills to get energy from the wind . But come to think of solar energy, it is free of charge only needs the panel and the energy storages compared to its counterparts, wind and water. Thanks for throwing light on this
It's good to see im not the only one that is fascinated by the magic of the mighty solar panel. I've got 2 small ones on my greenhouse and it makes me smile everytime i go out to check the battery and its fully charged
working of a solar panel...
Step 1: Solar panels collect sunlight.
Step 2: Inverters convert the power to usable electricity.
Step 3: Electricity flows into net meter.
Step 4: Fire up the toaster.
Cool
The advent of solar power is actually mind blowing, the ability to convert the energy of the sun to fufil certain technological needs of man. From solar powered houses to cars and many other technologies, humans are sure moving in a direction that marvels themselves everyday. I look forward to seeing water powered cars, but will there even ever be a need for that
yeah with some improvements in battries
it will change our lives
we use mostly them here for only lighting purposes
obviously we want uses in other fields also
Free energy has been the saving grace of our modern world. Thats probably one thing that will hold for a very long time here.
I am particularly amazed at your interest in batteries, solar and electricity in general. Is there a story behind it?
@alexbeyman,
My company is tried to install Solar, but the initial investment is too much and ROI around 10 years! So, company didn't agree to install them! I wish those cost of equipment should be less, but unfortunately I feel my country is not yet ready to welcome this technology and save energy sources!
Coz, bad politics always behind them!
Cheers~
Indeed this is true decentralization.
One more thing I love the solar energy is the fact that it is super eco-friendly
Right now huge solar panels are a bit costly. I was researching them when I had my English classes. And how people tried to implement them in Africa.
Maybe in the next five years they will develop enough to be used more often.
In the nearest future there will probably be a whole country made of those panels. I'm really curious about how this technology can work.
Hi @alexbeyman, what in your opinion must happen in order for more solar power adoption to take place?
Nothing. It is being built very rapidly around the world thanks to how low prices have gotten.
Wow really cool. It's our generation.
Solar power is the source of energy from the sun, the countries that do not have electricity, the country needs a lot of solar power, as there is no electricity in the villages of africa
Solar electricity is required to generate electricity by introducing more from the Sun
Solar cells can be classified into first, second and third generation cells. The first generation cells—also called conventional, traditional or wafer-based cells—are made of crystalline silicon, the commercially predominant PV technology, that includes materials such as polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon...
yes I also like watching videos on YouTube but i like only funny ..and i like informative videos on YouTube such as you like
Really good post thanks for the good information for all steemit user..keep up it
I appreciate your blog brother.
I also like to visit on YouTube to see this type of informatic videos.
Thanks for sharing brother, Have a nice day.
Solar is the best way, to digitization in the world.