Solar PV panel frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- I have a xxxx sq. ft. house. How many solar panels do I need?
It is hard to say how many panels you will need. There is no set amount per square foot. It all depends on how much power you use. Someone in a small house may use more power than another person in a large house or vice versa. Your power bill will tell you have many kilowatt-hours you use per month. To better understand how solar power works please have a look at our solar power white paper.
- What can I run off of solar panels?
With the right equipment you can run anything off of solar panels. Solar panels produce electricity and most things in your house run off of electricity. Solar panels produce Direct Current (DC) usually in 12, 24, or 48v. The problem is most of your appliances run on 110v Alternating Current (AC). An inverter will convert DC to AC so you can run your devices.
- How much power will I get out of xxx watt panel?
A solar panel that is facing south angled at your latitude will be about 60% effective over the course of the day. This means that a 100w solar panel in the sun for 8 hours will not produce 800 watt-hours, it will produce 480 watt-hours. A 60w light bulb in 1 hour will use 60 watt-hours of power. This means that if you stored up all the power from a 100w solar panel over the day you could run a 60w light for 8 hours.
- What equipment do I need?
The basics are, solar panels to produce the power, batteries to store the power, solar controller to charge the batteries and an inverter to power your appliances.
- Do you install solar power systems?
At this point we are simply a supplier of solar products. We do not perform installations
- Can I install a solar power system myself?
You need to check with your local laws and codes to determine if you can install this yourself. WSE technologies recommends having a licensed electrical contractor install your solar power system.
Wind Turbine FAQ
- I have a xxxx sq. ft. house. What size of wind turbine do I need?
It is hard to say what size you will need. There is no set amount per square foot. It all depends on how much power you use. Someone in a small house may use more power than another person in a large house or vice versa. Your power bill will tell you have many kilowatt-hours you use per month.
- What can I run off of a wind turbine?
With the right equipment you can run anything off of a wind turbine. Wind turbines produce electricity and most things in your house run off of electricity. Wind turbines produce 3 phase AC power at some voltage and some frequency. The controller converts this to Direct Current (DC) usually in 12, 24, or 48v to charge your batteries. The problem is most of your appliances run on 110v Alternating Current (AC). An inverter will convert DC to AC so you can run your devices.
- How much power will I get out of a wind turbine?
A wind turbine is generally about 20% effective. This means that 20% of the time it is producing max power or all the time it is averaging 20% of its max output. For example:
A 1000w turbine will on average be producing 200w at any given time. Over 24 hours it should produce about 4800 watt hours and in a month should produce 144,000 watt-hours or 144 kilowatt-hours.
- What equipment do I need?
The basics are, a wind turbine to produce the power, the controller to control the power, batteries to store the power and an inverter to run your appliances.
- Do you install wind turbines?
At this point we are simply a supplier of wind products. We do not perform installations
- Can I install a wind turbine myself?
You need to check with your local laws and codes to determine if you can install this yourself. WSE technologies recommends having a licensed electrical contractor install your wind power system.
- What does "m/s" mean for turbine speed?
m/s stands for meters per second. Most turbines are rated like this. To convert from m/s to km/h multiply by 3.6.
14m/s x 3.6 = 50.4 km/h
To convert back multiply your speed in km/h by 0.277778.
50km/h x 0.277778 = 13.89 m/s
Solar water heating FAQ
- How many evacuated tubes do I need to use for a 3-person household?
We are not able to estimate what the total heat loss from your home is. If you are now using natural gas, you can use your bills to accurately estimate what you are actually using. Don’t forget to factor in the efficiency of your furnace. We tested these panels for WSE last winter and found that they will capture 80 % of the solar energy. That translates into about 2000 btu/hr per panel in bright sunlight. The test results can be viewed online at this link
http://www.wsetech.com/solarheating%20story1.php
Our philosophy on the use of solar heat in a retrofit application is that it should be used to supplement the existing system rather than replace it. If you try to replace it completely, you will have to design the system for the coldest and shortest days of the year, plus have some storage tanks to handle nights and days without sun. This will be quite costly and will result in huge excess capacity for the spring and fall when temperatures are higher and days are longer.
- Can too much heat be drawn from this installation?
The panels will keep gathering heat as long as the sun is shining. You could install a large water tank in the basement to store this for the night or you could cover the panels.
- Where does the extra heat go if it cannot be contained?
If the excess heat is not taken away the fluid may ultimately boil.
- 4) To reduce overheating, can the collectors be connected to an automatic shading device (perhaps an electric curtain) that slows and/or stops heating?
We have discussed an automatic device but have not come up with a low cost solution yet. The simplest is a tarp.
- Is one expansion tank enough? Is two or more better?
One expansion tank should be enough.
- Can I use a large unconnected water tank as the heat storage unit in line with a heat exchanger connected to the collectors?
Yes. The larger the better to store heat for evenings and cloudy days
- Can I install, but not hook-up, this system myself to reduce costs?
It is simple plumbing, so if you are handy you should be able to do it.
- Do you have pictures of in-situ residential hot water heating projects available both during and after installation?
We are currently working on installing a solar water heating system in the building at WSE. We should have more information on our website soon..
Shipping, payment, taxes and return policies
Shipping
We ship with either DHL or Canada Post. We primarily sell to Canada and the US but we can ship overseas. Please contact us for details.
Payment
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Certified Check, Money order or Bank wire transfer. For orders over $400 on credit card we have a form for the customer to fill out and fax back to us. If this is not possible we look at each situation separately.
Overseas purchases are by wire transfer only.
Returns
Solar panels and wind turbines have a 1 year money back guarantee and 2 years warranty
Massage chairs have a 1 year money back guarantee
Everything else has a 30 day money back guarantee and a 90 day warranty
The full purchase price will be refunded less shipping and handling
Taxes
Purchases in Saskatchewan are subject to 5% PST and 6% GST. Purchases anywhere else in Canada are subject to 6% GST. Purchases outside of Canada are not subject to sales tax but may be subject to local duties.
Contact us
There are three ways for you to contact us:
Reach us by phone at 1-306-244-8808
Email us at info@wsetech.com
In person at:
WSE Technologies
303 47th Street East
Saskatoon, SK
S7K 5H2
If you are coming in person please phone ahead. We are normally available from 8-4:30 Monday to Friday but if you phone ahead we can make sure that there is someone here to answer your questions. |
