DIY Solar System ? A Clean, Green Energy Source
One of the questions asked in the comments when I built my first large softbox was “would a matte white finish on the interior give a more efficient output?” I had to admit, it had never crossed my mind to use anything other than aluminium foil as the lining material as I just assumed this would be very efficient. After doing a bit of research on the internet I found a table with the following values listed for the reflective efficiency of various materials and finishes:
Mylar: 90% to 95%
Flat White: 85% to 93%
Semi Gloss White: 75% to 80%
Flat Yellow: 70% to 80%
Aluminium Foil: 70% to 75%
Flat Black: less than 10%
This was quite an eye opener. Not just for how inefficient aluminium foil was but how efficient both matte white and particularly Mylar were.
This naturally required further investigation and to test the various lining materials available to the DIY softbox builder I decided to go all Mythbusters and build a softbox prototype testbed. This let me test a couple of new ideas for building a better flash holder and by making the lining removable, let me easily test the light output efficiency of aluminium foil, matte white and Mylar. For good measure I also tested matte black to give a useful baseline for the overall efficiency of the various linings.
The test results are all in the comments:
DIY or Do-It-Yourself is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. It is not uncommon to find persons taking things such as home improvement , repairs, etc. into their own hands. For some, it can be a hobby. For others, a necessity borne out of the high price associated with hiring professionals.
One of the foremost fields where DIY is quick becoming is solar power . Equipping a home with a solar system can be very expensive if you select to proceed with professionals. For this reason, many people find that a DIY solar system boasts them a lot of value for money. While a professionally installed solar system can cost anything from 20,000$ to 50,000$ , a DIY solar system will cost nearly 1% of this amount.
The essential thing when making a DIY solar system is to look for a high quality solar system guide. Solar panels and solar generators can be a bit tough to fit, even for the experienced DIY enthusiast. A quality DIY solar system guide will walk you through the entire process of making your home environment friendly through solar power.
Because of the impending energy crisis and the ecological issues associated with traditional fuel sources, the interest in renewable, clean sources of energy has increased manifold. Hence, you can easily find a number of DIY solar system guidebooks on the market today. However, not all of them are of the same quality. A lot of DIY solar electricity books were written hastily, meant to make a quick buck off a popular trend. Their directions offer no genuine insight into the building of solar panels, and will leave you wanting more. Therefore, selecting the right guide is crucial if you desire to successfully equip your home with solar power.
Solar energy is the wave of the future – a clean, renewable power source that is available everywhere and has no expenses related with it. Turning your home to utilize solar energy would save you tons of money and help reduce your carbon footprint.