Solar energy capture in my apartment.

[jessetr]

Hello,

My smallish apartment in NYC gets great southern exposure in the months leading up to and through the winter. Hours of sunlight!! I imagine putting solar panels inside to capture and store energy.

What are my consumer-end options?

Thank you in advance if this is a very long topic, or if it has been covered before please post a link.

Jesse

[J.P.M.]

This comes up about every year or so. Short answer is, don't bother; your imagination is borne of solar ignorance as to the current state of the possibilities.

Even if you were able to do such a thing as a practical matter - and you are not - it would never produce enough electricity to make any noticeable difference.

Don't waste your time or money on equipment or getting screwed by con men.

Or, suit yourself and waste both time and $$.

Consider this instead: Satisfy your curiosity and bolster your imagination by reading and information gathering from sources with no skin in the game or an agenda, and you will quickly figure out why what you are considering is an exercise in futility.

[Mike90250]

By the time the sun comes through your glass windows, and onto your panels, you have lost a lot of power, it's not worth doing at that point.

and legally - it will never work, you will have to pass electrical inspection, meaning you have to wire panels into the electrical panel, and that can't be done in an apartment.

[jessetr]

This comes up about every year or so. Short answer is, don't bother; your imagination is borne of solar ignorance as to the current state of the possibilities.

Even if you were able to do such a thing as a practical matter - and you are not - it would never produce enough electricity to make any noticeable difference.

Don't waste your time or money on equipment or getting screwed by con men.

Or, suit yourself and waste both time and $$.

Consider this instead: Satisfy your curiosity and bolster your imagination by reading and information gathering from sources with no skin in the game or an agenda, and you will quickly figure out why what you are considering is an exercise in futility.

Gosh! That was an angry answer!

[jessetr]

By the time the sun comes through your glass windows, and onto your panels, you have lost a lot of power, it's not worth doing at that point.

and legally - it will never work, you will have to pass electrical inspection, meaning you have to wire panels into the electrical panel, and that can't be done in an apartment.

Thank you for your feedback. Oh well...

[vdirico]

Gosh! That was an angry answer!

Some very unfriendly people here, know it all, angry, ... sad. I suggest a search on Amazon for "solar charger", you can keep your small electronics running. Good luck. Vinny

[jessetr]

I suggest a search on Amazon for "solar charger", you can keep your small electronics running. Good luck. Vinny

Thank you! I'll do that! : )

[azdave]

I am not angry or a know-it-all but I do know this...the world is full of people who profit greatly from the ignorance of others. You can either take advise from someone here who is not trying to sell you something or you can take advise from the person who is after your money. Who do you think is more likely to be honest with you?

If you think you can save money by capturing and storing energy through an apartment window then you will soon learn a life lesson about a fool and his money.

[J.P.M.]

Gosh! That was an angry answer!

Not at all. If I was having any more fun than this, I wouldn't be able to stand myself.

What leads you to think such a thing ?

If you want unvarnished opinion from folks who may know more about the subject you seek information about than you do, stick around. You'll probably get some of that here.

If you're looking for unconditional acceptance, buy a dog.

Welcome to the forum of few(er) illusions.

[Sunking]

Some very unfriendly people here, know it all, angry, ... sad.

Geeze another brainwashed Millinial Snowflake that stepped outside his Safe Place. We just saved you a ton of money and time. Say thank you and don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out. Now get lost an enroll into an Adulting Class.

[Brian53713]

Solar-powered attic fan $140 Amazon , is one way to experiment with solar power. Or a flexible panel you can take hiking biking camping skiing skating snowboarding to charge your devices is another way. There's a lot worse ways to waste $140.

[J.P.M.]

Solar-powered attic fan $140 Amazon , is one way to experiment with solar power. Or a flexible panel you can take hiking biking camping skiing skating snowboarding to charge your devices is another way. There's a lot worse ways to waste $140.

There are probably better, more productive and less expensive ones as well.

"Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes". for one. $109.54 on Amazon.

Start with the basics.

[jflorey2]

Hello,

My smallish apartment in NYC gets great southern exposure in the months leading up to and through the winter. Hours of sunlight!! I imagine putting solar panels inside to capture and store energy.

What are my consumer-end options?

As a consumer, you can buy a portable solar power bank and charge it on your balcony. You'd get a few watts that way.

If you want to generate any serious power, you'd have to:

1) Mount panels outside your apartment. You can mount them vertically, although you will lose a lot of power (esp. in the summer.) If you can tilt them, all the better. Of course you will need permission from the building owner and you'll likely need a professional engineer to design the array and certify that the structure of the building can hold them. You can NOT skimp on this; a mount that accidentally drops a panel into the street could get you indicted on manslaughter.

2) Get approval for grid tie. Again you'd need to work through the building owner and the utility. Expect a lot of resistance for several reasons. You might have to have a separate power run brought up from the floor's distribution panel.

But if you really want to try to do all that, go for it.

[jessetr]

Thanks to all! Even the angry ones! LOL!
I learned a lot and have found new things to explore.

[vdirico]

Thanks to all! Even the angry ones! LOL!
I learned a lot and have found new things to explore.

Spend the $ they saved you wisely or else ....