Q:Do solar panels require a battery for energy storage?

No, solar panels do not require a battery for energy storage. However, if you want to store the excess energy generated by the panels for use during non-sunny periods or at night, a battery storage system can be installed.

Q:I have a cabin that is way out in the middle of no where, it would cost 000's of dollars to get power to it. If I have a 8,000 BTU air conditioner that runs on 25 volts and 5 amps (or 875 watts)How many solar panels will I need to run this during the day, plus charge the batteries to run it all night? How many batteries would I need

You would need 6 300 watt solar panels, US price around $300 per, And a minimum of 4 batteries. You are going to have major problems only having 5 hours of sun though.I am not sure you could get it to work with only that much sunlight. Along with an inverter and some other controller units. If you live in an area that has some wind, a wind generator would knock it down to where you would only need 2 solar panels and a small 500 watt wind generator. The problem you are going to have is trying to run it all the time. I had an AC that size in my camping van, it took about 20 minute to run two batteries down so low that the inverter started to sound the low battery alert. If I left it running it did ok, and I had an over-sized alternator for it. I had a 50 amp heavy truck alternator. A swamp cooler would be a lot less energy, you could easily recycle about 95% of the water. I know this is the 2st century and this may sound a little nuts, but with only 5 hours of daylight, if you have some trees you could use for burning you could build an outdoor steam engine cheaper and it would charge a lot more batteries in a lot less time. Plus you could run off the steam engines generator for as long as you had a fire day or night. Even a small 55 gallon water tank would give you plenty of head for the steam. You could easily run a 6000 watt generator off of it and have plenty of electricity while it was running. Just a thought, I had to resort to some extreme measures when I bought some Montana land in 2000, it was 6 miles to the nearest utility pole.

Q:I am going to be building green in the next couple of years and i need an idea of how many solar panels i need in addition to a wind turbine to sufficiently handle a workshop, house, green house, etc. and what the approximate cost will be.

Photovoltaic solar panels are priced by the watt. Average price today is just under $4.00 per watt. More efficient panels take less space to produce the same amount of electricity. To design a system, you first must decide how much power you are looking to produce. then you look at the various products to find what fits your need. if you have a very compact space, you may pay more for more per watt for really efficient panels, but if you have a good amount of space you can get lower cost panels that take more space and cost less. With a wind turbine complimenting your system you will only need a modest battery storage bank. 5kw system could get you off grid entirely! 5,000 watts x $4.00 = $60,000. 3kw system with net metering mat cost about $2,000. Many homeowners (like me) build their systems piecemeal to keep costs manageable. Good Luck! P.S. - If you build it with the house, the price can be rolled into the mortgage. $60,000 would add +/- $300.00 a month to your payment, but you would have no Electric bill, a savings of $00-200 a month. Once it is paid for, you only have to pay maintenance costs.

Q:Aren't batteries bad for the environment?Toxic?Expensive? With small solar panels phones, iPod's, laptops other small electronics could be smaller, slimmer, more efficient cost people less to charge every day. Maybe a small battery inside as a backup and to store the Solar energy for night time. But overall, batteries should be optional. So big question:Why aren't electronics being produced with solar panels?

Cost and and it would be inconvenient to the consumer in this Gotta have instant gratification society. take the amount of money you paid for your MP3 player- double it- would you still have bought it at that price? That IS what happens when you add in a 2 to 0 dollar component. Besides- the energy required for most items you cite- a solar panel makes it not portable. While you might be able to arbittrarily decide to go without an MP3 player for 24 hours, could you do it for a week? How about your cell phone? It uses more power- so go without it for 2 weeks. You still need batteries to be charged by solar panels due to one major flaw of solar panels- they do not work in the dark. So in effect all you are really doing is weighing the device down with a solar panel, and you still have not gotten away from a need for a battery. I don't know about you, but I have an MP3 player about the diameter of a 50 cent piece- where are you going to put the solar panel??? It will not have enough power to operate the device, and marginal at best for charginthe battery which would take hours instead of the minutes it takes connected to a USB port.

Q:Can solar panels be installed on a hotel or hospitality facility?

Yes, solar panels can be installed on a hotel or hospitality facility. In fact, many hotels and hospitality facilities have already embraced solar energy as a renewable and sustainable source of power. Installing solar panels can help these establishments reduce their carbon footprint, lower energy costs, and demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Q:Can solar panels be installed on asphalt shingles?

Yes, solar panels can be installed on asphalt shingles. However, it is important to ensure that the shingles are in good condition and can support the weight of the panels. Proper installation techniques and mounting systems designed for asphalt shingles should be used to prevent any damage to the roof.

Q:I mean like bread is made of wheat, what are solar panels made up of?How are they manufactured?

Solar panels (aka photovoltaic panel) are most often made up of thin wafers of crystalline silicon or cadmium telluride. As photons from the sun enter the photovoltaic cell, electrons are freed from the substrate when are then collected by wires that run throughout the panel. And as we know electrons=electricity!

Q:Say if i had a 2KW system is thtat just one big solar panel or does the whole system have little solarpanels together.?

As Aviophage says, there is plenty of info around. Solar panels produce electrical energy from the sunlight's energy. The sun puts out around 00W per square meter, and the panels are up to 20% efficient at converting this. If you are looking for a Grid Connected power system, they are usually made up of 24V modules about 50W each. The full voltage produced is then around 50V to 500V DC depending on the sun etc. They are connected to a specialised grid connect or grid interactive inverter (look up Sunny Boy for an example) which converts this to mains power for use around the house, while any remainder is exported to the supply network. The supply company may buy this at premium rates, and governments may provide subsidies to approved installations. There may also be carbon credit certificates when you buy a system. Not all places allow such things to be connected to the grid, but this market is rapidly changing. The links below should get you started.

Q:What makes them stop working after a while?

You can search on solar panel failure mechanisms for scholarly works. Amorphous silicon thin-film panels go through an annealing, and power drops off after a couple years. This includes most of those flexible rubber mat type panels. That's why those are not used on serious installations. Serious panels intended for rooftop service generally come with a 25-year warranty, suggesting that the technology is more reliable than your washer, dryer, TV, computer, dishwasher, or water heater. One brand of panel had trouble about 0 years ago, but the manufacturer replaced all that were turned in, even paying shipping both ways. It was a problem with that particular model, not the technology. Our polysilicon panels have been on the roof for 3 years, now, and I've seen no sign of wear, yet, either electrically or mechanically.

Q:Hi. I need to build a solar panel for a project. it should be able to light a 60 watt light bulb. also, it should be about 3x3 ft if it is 50% efficient. if anyone knows any websites or can help me, please answer! thanks.

I don't have any practical experience building solar panel arrays to power a given device, but allow me to make this observation. Solar cells, when exposed to sunlight, will each generate a given amount of power (watts), and by wiring these in series, you will increase the wattage. Now, a panel three feet square will give you a certain amount of power, provided all the cells are wired correctly in series, and it may not provide enough juice to light the bulb. You can work around this by adding a step-up transformer (which takes the incoming power and boosts it to the desired level for output, with no moving parts). Voila! You've illuminated your bulb. I will admit, though, you'll have to do some math to determine what you need. A search on the Web will help you find the formulae and other information you'll require. Good luck.