Showing posts with label energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label energy. Show all posts

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Indoor Plants Love LED Grow Lights

by Imran Ali

LED grow lights are a must for any avid indoor plant grower. Indoor plants are usually very sensitive and require careful and controlled indoor lighting. In the world of indoor plant growing, it has long been a standard to light plants with conventional bulbs in well air-conditioned or ventilated rooms. However, with the spread of LED light bulbs into the lighting industry there are now better ways to energize your plants. But what exactly are the advantages of LED grow lights over regular incandescent light bulbs?

Targeted light frequencies

Light is made up of different frequencies, which each produce a certain color depending on the frequency. When you see a rainbow in the sky, it is "white" light being separated into its different frequencies by droplets of moisture in the sky.

Plants absorb only certain frequencies of light, and what it does not need is reflected away. For example, the molecules in leaves does not absorb green light, and so the green light is reflected away which is why we perceive leaves to be green.

LED grow lights are able to emit light that contains only the range of frequencies that plants can absorb. This allows you to use you electricity more efficiently to produce only what you need.

Low heat

Typical plant lights are usually hot. Just like any other incandescent bulb, heat builds up after a while and can be felt even at a distance. This heat is harmful to plants, and can stunt their growth or even kill them if it's too hot. One solution to this is to air-condition the room or add vents to reduce the heat. However, both these methods can be expensive.

With LED grow lights the bulbs will not get hot. At the most, bulbs will become slightly warm to the touch, even after being on for several hours. This is a significant advantage over incandescent bulbs because it allows you to protect your plants from heat and at the same time help you save on electricity.

Low voltage

LED's are low voltage and require less than 20 volts of electricity, which much less than incandescent bulbs. This is another aspect of LED's that can help reduce your electricity costs.

No ballast required

Mounting systems for LED grow lights are usually much lighter than conventional systems. This is because a ballast is usually required for incandescent systems, which is extremely heavy. Furthermore, ballast need to be replaced after some time, which will add to your expenses. With LED grow lights, not requiring a ballast will provide you with a more functional and lighter system, and will save you some extra cash.

Longer life

LED bulbs last considerably longer than regular bulbs. LED bulbs have a life of approximately 100,000 hours. This is almost 50 times longer than conventional light bulbs. Not only that, but regular light bulbs need to be changed even before they die because as the bulb ages the light spectrum changes. With LED bulbs, the light spectrum remains constant throughout their lifetime.

No reflector necessary

For traditional bulbs, light is emitted in all directions. In order to focus the light, a reflector is needed. Reflectors are often bulky and heavy, and will also add on to your expenses. With LED bulbs, the light is already focused in the proper direction, because reflectors are already built into the bulbs themselves.

Knowing these main advantages, it is easy to see why LED grow lights are superior to conventional bulbs. They provide better light, use less electricity, and require less equipment to run. If you are interested in learning more about LED lights, there are many great websites out there that can provide you with all technical information you need.

About the Author

My name is Imran. I am an SEO article writer.

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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Solar Power Energy

by Editor123

Today, we are polluting our environment by consuming tons of fuel to carry out our day to day tasks. Also, we are leaving behind only a very small amount of fuel reserves for our next generations as these resources are depleting at an alarming rate. Only when we implement new methods that use renewable sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy and tidal energy we can save our mother earth.

Even though, many forms of renewable sources of energy are available everywhere, solar energy comes with added benefits. With the federal tax credits, net metering and state subsidiary programs, using solar panels would really benefit the individual. Solar platforms can be installed with the help of professional solar installers as most electricians lack the knowledge required to install a solar panel system. On the other hand, you can avail the tax rebate and credit programs only when the installation is done by a professional. So, you can rely upon a solar installer to install your solar platform in an economic and practical manner.

To get started, you should calculate the amount of electricity you use in a day or a month. You can find this information from your utility bill and also you can estimate the cost of electricity that your household uses in a year. Also, you can find out the period of high energy use and with these data in hand, you can decide on the nature of solar power panel that you need.

Solar panel systems are expensive and hence you should know each and every detail before purchase and installation. The solar installer that you approach should have a solar contractor license and if you are attaching the solar panel with a grid system, the solar installer should have proficiency on doing such installations.

Finally, while calculating the cost involved in the purchase and installation of the solar panel system, you should consider some factors like the amount of electricity you anticipate to generate and the money that you save from the local rebates and tax credits. Also, some states offer financial incentives to cut down the upfront investment costs involved in the purchase of a solar panel system. So, after analyzing all these details you should approach your solar installer. Even you can take the help of your solar installer to arrive at a decision as they will have the required expertise and knowledge.


About the Author

The article is contributed by a professional content writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on California solar installers and solar installers please visit at http://www.getsolar.com/

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