When considering a solar or wind energy purchase for your home there are many things to consider. Let’s make sense of these ratings and which ones may be deceiving.
Plano, Tx November 8, 2022 – When I started RitzWerks I knew there were issues with solar and wind energy efficiency from the fact that you do not see them on every house. As of 2021, only about 8% of homes have solar. Far fewer have wind turbines attached to their homes. Why is this the case? Free energy is all around us on any given day and most of it will not be used. The philosophical reasons for this are a subject for another post but today we will go over the actual numbers and expectations of normal solar and wind options. My goal is not to deter anyone from exploring these options, but more to show why I started RitzWerks and created HYVT to address these shortcomings. Green energy is amazing and when harnessed the right way with the right expectations more and more people will come on board leading to a reduction of pollution and savings on energy costs.
To begin let’s cover solar efficiency. Most solar panels are 17% to 23% efficient. This means that only a fourth at best of the sunlight that hits the panel is being converted into energy. This number isn’t that important to the consumer unless they are comparing different options. I do mention it first though because this number can be confused with performance. Actual performance is measured in wattage (volts X amps) that the panels produce per hour. The number of watts quoted on a particular solar panel is the best-case output of that panel. From my research and testing average solar panels only put out 70 to 80% of their quoted output and this is if it is in an optimal position to absorb the energy of the sun.
Now think about a normal home, a normal roof is not flat, nor is the sun always in the optimal position to hit the panels. It is no secret that the sun moves. Homeowners need to understand this when they are evaluating solar as an option. Along with other factors such as cloud cover and weather conditions. In the real world, solar panels have many things going against them that inhibit perfect production. It is not all bad news though. With a proper battery bank stacked in your garage, you can smooth out these production woes. Also, for another discussion, batteries and their performance. (They degrade over time, take up space, are expensive, etc.)
Wind turbines are even worse when it comes to performance. Residential wind turbines are very rare. They usually need to be mounted high and need to be in a place where the wind blows consistently. Just like solar their performance ratings can be hard to understand. The first measure to know is starting speed. Wind turbines are essentially magnet generators with blades attached to them. What may be hard to understand unless you work with generators is the magnets in these generators aren’t very easy to more. These turbines need a significant amount of wind to get moving. Most turbines need anywhere from 2 to 5 m/s to move. This equates to 4 to 11mph to get going. That is a significant breeze. The next rating to look at is the windspeed to achieve the quoted wattage. This is anywhere from 13 to 15 m/s or around 30 mph winds. I assume that these turbines will produce half of their quote output, but that number is expected to be generous. The windiest city in the US is Dodge City, Kansas at 15 mph.
All this information is key to adjusting expectations when looking at solar and wind options. Also, keep in mind that these issues are not limited to residential solar and wind either. Green energy requires conditions to be optimum to produce energy at quoted expectations.
This is exactly why I went down this path years ago to come up with a solution to combat these pitfalls of green energy production. I am a green energy believer and know that as with any technology, innovation is needed for advancement. HYVT combines the principles of solar and wind energy to smooth out these irregularities to not only improve productivity but also provide more consistency. One day I will go into depth on how HYVT does this but for now, just know that innovation is on the way. 2023
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About RitzWerks
RitzWerks was founded by Mark Ritvalski in 2019 to develop technologies that improve the current options available for green energy generation. Throughout research and development, the principle of Energy Independence became the foundation of the company. Energy Independence is the idea that for the world to truly wean itself off fossil fuels, action must be taken now. To do this the world needs products that are more efficient, cost-effective, and applicable to multiple applications. For more information visit ritzwerks.com
Contact: All inquiries can be sent to Mark Ritvalski at mark@ritzwerks.com