A Great Book On Passive Solar Water Heating!
November 9th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedFor those of you out there who are passionate about making your own solar equipment, this book is the definitive guide to making a passive solar water heater for your home. It was written by David Bainbridge in 1982 and it is still the definitive guide to the evolution of the “Integral Passive Solar Water Heater” or the IPSWH.
Did you know that integral passive solar technology was readily used in the 1800’s , and was even commercially available in 1891? This great manual is 104 pages of everything you ever wanted to know about the passive solar water heater, from its history and evolution, to commercial applications, and of course, a whole chapter on step-by-step instructions on making your own.
Early on in the book, David goes into all the different designs that have evolved all over the world, from the “Bread Box” to the “SAV System”. He later deals heavily into design principles such as radiation, conduction, convection, and transmissivity. It’s pretty scientific stuff, but easy to understand.
This manual is amazing because he goes from the lowest tech to the highest tech. The best thing about this book is the fact that it is totally free and available at this great website: www.builditsolar.com
If you want to go straight to the IPSWH book, just click on IPSWH.
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Solar Thermal Energy To Heat Your Home
October 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedYou would have to be hiding under a rock these days to not be aware of the rapidly rising energy costs in the world today. It’s only logical that alternative sources of energy such as solar energy and wind energy are pointing to the future. We are in the middle of a paradigm shift weather we like it or not. So why not embrace it?
One way to embrace it is to look to the sun to heat up your home. There are a great many advantages to solar thermal energy and if you are considering ways to cut heating costs by using solar thermal energy, then it’s time for you to look into all its pros and cons. First, let’s look at how solar thermal energy can benefit you and your household.
Reduces Your Energy Bills
This is the obvious advantage to solar thermal energy but many people are confused as to how it can really save you money on your energy bills. The common misconception is that you install some solar energy cells on your house and then just cut the cables from the power company. In reality you would use solar thermal energy to supplement your power consumption and it will reduce your energy bills considerably.
Solar thermal energy is also considered “passive solar energy” where by the rays of the sun and the greenhouse effect are the factors that together heat your home. Once you maximize your sunlight intake throughout your home, you can start benefiting. Your energy bill savings will be tremendous and you can offset the cost of installing the solar energy cells with what you save over time on your energy bills.
You Can Help Save the Environment
To produce electricity your power company usually burns coal. Burning coal can put hazardous gases including greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that can contribute to global warming and pollute the environment. When you go solar you are helping to reduce those emissions and you are helping to protect the earth’s environment. It is kind of nice to know that you can install a solar thermal energy system on to your house and not only are you saving money on your energy bills but you are also helping to save the environment.
You Are Teaching Your Children The Importance Of Alternative Energy
The only way our planet can really benefit from changes to improve the environment is if future generations continue to implement those changes. By using solar thermal energy now you are teaching future generations to respect the planet and to use alternative sources of energy that can really help our planet thrive in the future. If our children are truly our future then it is in our best interest to teach them to respect and use alternative sources of energy now.
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Home Made Solar And Wind Power
September 17th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedIt is now totally possible to literally create your own home alternative energy system without having to buy an expensive system that will cost you in the tens of thousands of dollars. Imagine cutting your electricity bill by 80%.
I just recently ran into a great book created by a gentleman by the name of Frank Patrick. It basically covers everything from making your own wind turbine to setting up your own photovoltaic cells to provide you with the combination of solar power and wind energy. For under $200(cost of materials), Frank teaches you how to construct your own wind generator. You’ll be selling power back to the electric company in no time.
Just Click on the link below to learn more about Frank’s energy saving manual:
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Solar Garden Fountains - Pros and Cons
August 30th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedSolar powered electric appliances find definite place in our homes recently. A good number of home owners get solar powered home heaters, and of course solar garden fountains. You can see many benefits to buying a fountain that is solar powered, but there are some disadvantages as well.
How do solar pump fountains for the garden operate?
Usually solar garden fountains don’t requare much installation. Just like many other home appliences that are solar powered they use solar panels with Photovoltaic (PV) cells to collect energy of the sun. Since a fountain pump doesn’t require a great deal of energy, the panels are usually quite small.
There are two main types. First are fountains where solar panels are incorporated in the design of the fountain itself. This type is the easiest to install, but you have to make sure that you place your new fountain in a sunny spot otherwise it isn’t going to operate properly.
The second type of solar fountain has remote solar panels, which can be positioned several meters away from the fountain. If you chose this type, it doesn’t matter whether your fountain is in a sunny or shady spot as long as the panels are exposed to the sun. Most solar fountains with remote panels come with easy to set up mounting system for the panels. As a general rule you can mount them on the wall, use grass stakes to position them on the loan or use a tall wooden stake to put your panel high up above all the plants.
Pros and cons of solar powered fountains
There are many benefits!advantages of investing into a solar fountain for the garden rather than the electric one. The most obvious advantage is that you don’t have to pay for the energy and the environment doesn’t suffer. An electric pump won’t add much to your energy bill in a day, but if you want your fountain to work all summer, you can save a lot by using sun energy instead of electricity or batteries.
Another advantage is that you are not limited by proximity to a power source when selecting a place for your fountain. This is particularly important for people with large gardens. You can place your fountain in the farthest corner from the house, as long as the solar panels are on a sunny spot.
Also solar fountains don’t requare much installation work. The ones with panels built into a body of the fountain don’t require any special installation at all. This type is perfect as a solar pond fountain that sprays water from your pond. Since there is no cord the fountain can just float on the surface.
The main downside of a solar powered garden fountain is its dependence on the sun. Most pumps will still work on a slightly cloudy day, but if it is really overcast the flow of water will be much less. And, of course, your fountain won’t work at night.
Also, it is best to disconnect your fountain from December to March. It would work fine on a sunny day without snow, but snow and frost can damage your pump.
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Different Types Of Solar Energy
August 21st, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedPassive Solar Energy
Solar panels can be used to create the type of solar energy that does not require mechanical aid called passive solar energy. This type of technology uses sunlight to provide heating and cooling of water and air. This quite interesting in that the very design and location of a home will be based on this technology. The altitude of the sun in winter and summer, the geographical location of your home are all variables in utilizing passive solar energy. One example of use of passive solar energy would be a sunroom, or solarium.
Passive solar energy can be used based on the construction of a house to supply energy for heat, and to cool your home. Heat is ventilated into your home after storage. You can also heat your water using passive solar energy. It has been noted that solar panels used to generate passive solar energy to heat water generate more power than those used for generating electricity. Maybe we should call passive solar energy, straight sun power.
The trick to passive solar energy is that it doesn’t have to convert solar energy into electricity, thus losing a certain amount of energy in the process. What you’re left with is a more efficient heating and cooling system than you would have if you converted solar energy into electricity and then used that solar energy for your water heater, electric heat registers, and air conditioners.
However, you may want to complement the cooling aspect of this system with a dehumidifier or two to take the humidity out of the air, which can make the cooling feel a lot more efficient, or you may even want to have an air conditioner for back up for particularly hot days that reach degrees in the three digits. People in Texas and Nevada, Arizona, will need this.
Solar panels will cover about 1/3 the total square feet of your home. Whether you are using panels for passive solar energy or solar energy for electricity, or both, the cost savings is worth it. In time it will pay for the initial cost of installation. Installing your home solar energy system right the first time with aid of a professional will position you to enjoy free energy safe for the environment and beneficial to your family. Not to mention, increase the value of your home.
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Home Made Solar Energy Solution
August 21st, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedUsing Home Made Solar Energy
There are a lot of benefits to home made solar energy and when we say home made solar energy we mean the kind of systems installed by professionals but made for your home. If you do not have home made solar energy yet, consider converting your home to solar energy. When you have converted over you will notice the difference between the cost from what you had with the local power company to the cost of home solar energy. The difference in your bill and the environment will speak for itself.
Solar energy in the home is a win win situation. You are doing the environment a favor as well as increasing the influence for others to have solar energy homes. In this day of energy conservation and concern for the effect that human activity is having on our planet you want to get a home made solar energy system installed and let your wallet and help our environment relax a little.
Converting your home to solar energy is costly. But the overall cost in the long run will make your new home made solar energy home be free of local electricity, saving you money and making you money because you can store excess power and resell it back to the local grid as they call it..
Which would you rather have, a solar energy system for your home, or the local power company making electricity the old fashioned way that will continue to be harmful to our the atmosphere? Using home made solar energy is a great way to save money and the environment at the same time. If more people took the initiative to convert their home to solar energy this world would become a cleaner place. Also consider that their are great incentives from the local government for going solar. Just log onto your state’s website for more information. They give tax breaks and cost savings on purchasing electric automobiles, why not your home?
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