a few crazy thoughts that just arrived...

[brizzo]

Originally Posted by untamed

How many solar panels would it take to generate just enough electricity to run your sump pump in the event of a power failure?

The large problem with solar power now-a-days is that panels are highly inefficient, and the batteries you have to use to store solar power are also highly inefficient. Sure, you could have a 10w panel on the roof to trickle charge a battery in the event of power failure, but it would be more practical to use a UPS.

MIT has been making huge leaps and bounds in the past months with recent discoveries on how to improve the efficiency of solar panels, and storage devices. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solarcells-0710.html .. There was also another article after this one, that detailed some type of organic battery... Similar to how plants store and process energy

[spreerider]

Solar pannels are not environmentaly friendly either, the power to create one, make the glass and silicon wafers and all the other parts and assemble them is higher than the average lifetime power generated by the unit, they are good for remote stations and such but not for real genertion of power
a better method of solar generation is to focus light with mirrors onto a pipe of water and then use the heating of the water to make steam and turn a turbine, but even this is inefficient compared to geothermal, wind, and hydro power.

[DanG]

Costco had a couple of wind based generators on their website not too long ago. If I recall correctly, they were designed for boats, but I'm sure you could use them at home, just need to tinker a bit.

[Pescador]

Speaking of crazy thoughts, would solar panels work with light spilled from reef lighting? Visions of panels lining a light hood.

[spreerider]

it would generate some dc power but you could only use it to charge a battery or something similar then use an inverter to power a device, not very efficient but possible
the initial cost would probably not be worth the possible savings.

[Trigger Man]

Originally Posted by Pescador

Speaking of crazy thoughts, would solar panels work with light spilled from reef lighting? Visions of panels lining a light hood.

Using solar panels to work of he spilled lighting would save us all tonnes of money.
Brian you may have just stumbled onto the next million dollar idea.

[michika]

This is an awesome thread, and the ideas that are popping up here have lots of potential benefits.

Did this kick off because I posted that solar tube thread?

[untamed]

Sorry...no, for some reason I was thinking about hydro electric power generation and my mind wandered....so I wrote it down and this thread was born. Yes, it is interesting.