Get started with home Solar!

When you decide you want to put a solar system on your home there are some things to consider before you get started. You'll want to find the right place to install the solar panels so you get maximum exposure to the sun, you'll need to assess your power needs to understand the amount of panels to use and the battery storage requirements. The first thing you should do is to use a checklist and find out what your power usage is on a monthly basis. Each of your appliances will use a certain amount of power and depending on what your lifestyle is, you'll learn what unit is using the most power and how to assess your overall power needs. The following chart will give you an idea of some standard wattage usages. These are some wattage ratings for typical household appliances and home electrical devices. Check the rating on your personal items for an accurate wattage count.

Light Bulbs - 60 / 70 Watt	60/70
Dishwasher	1500
Refrigerator / Freezer	700*
Microwave	1000
Coffee Maker	1000
Electric Range	1200
Radio / Television	50 - 500
Security System	500
Computer w/17" Monitor	800
¼ HP Garage Door	875

Clothes Dryer	5000
Washing Machine	1500
Toaster Oven	1500
Hot Water Heater	5,000
Blender	300
Stereo	300-450
Ceiling Fan	100
Floor Lamp	100
Hair Dryer	600-1200
Window Unit	750-1200

Hedge Trimmer	450
Lawn Mower	1200
Weed Trimmer	500
Edge Trimmer	500

Furnace Fan Blower - ⅓ HP	700*
Window AC - 12,000 BTU	3250*
Central AC - 10,000 BTU	1500*
Central AC - 24,000 BTU	3800*
Heat Pump	4700

Next you would calculate the Watt Hour which would be the Wattage rating times the hours used. Load Calculation Example:Lets say you want to run a 11W compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) for 5 hours from a solar panel, then the watt hour is equal to:

Watt Hour = 11Watts x 5 hr = 55 Watts

Once you have calculated your total monthly wattage use you can get an idea of what size of solar array to install in your home. This is the first step you need to take in order to properly plan your home solar installation. Stay tuned for the next step

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Mexico Goes Greener

Mexico to Replace Oil Power Plant With Latin America’s Largest Solar Farm

By Ari Phillips

Last week President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Mexico for what’s traditionally called the “Three Amigos” meeting. In the daylong rendezvous, energy issues were slated to play a major role, with Obama and Harper jockeying for room when it comes to the impending decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that would bring dirty crude oil down from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

However, Mexico also has some major energy changes in the pipeline, and after decades of state-run oil company PEMEX having sole purview over fossil fuel extraction, international investment and companies will now be let into the mix after recent constitutional reforms. This will increase oil flows from America’s southern neighbor into those same Gulf refineries as Keystone XL might. At the same time renewable energy has started to take off in Mexico, with construction of the biggest solar power plant in Latin America, Aura Solar I—a 30-megawatt solar farm in La Paz, Mexico—the latest signal.

Latin America’s biggest solar power plant in La Paz, Mexico, could help reduce carbon emissions and pollution, as its output replaces that of dirty fossil fuel plants. Photo credit: Talli Nauman/Thomson Reuters Foundation

More at: http://ecowatch.com/2014/02/26/latin-americas-largest-solar-farm/