How Many Ways Can You Take Advantage Of Solar Passive Energy?

Posted by: Timothy Peters  /  Category: Environment

Receiving without resistance is the definition of passive. It is also the main component of passive solar energy as a home receives the sun’s energy and does not resist. True passive solar energy means no moving parts…fans, pumps, mechanical or electrical elements are not required. In a solar passive home you will sometimes find fans to help distribute air evenly throughout the building space, but expect it to be solar powered.

No photovoltaics (PV’s) are part of the passive solar energy design. Instead, walls windows and floors are used to collect solar energy during the winter, and to make sure it’s evenly dispersed. The design elements generally include large south-facing windows for solar energy collection when the sun hits them. As the sun is collected, it’s then distributed and stored in some type of thermal mass…usually the concrete, tile, stone or brick in the walls and floors…or sometimes it’s stored in water. When the sun goes down, or it clouds over and gets cool, heat that’s been stored in the thermal mass will dissipate into the building, maintaining the same even temperature. Roof overhangs and awnings are used in passive solar design to reject heat from coming into a building during the summer.

Coming from Roman and Greek cultures, our passive solar home designs today very much mimic their work in calculating the best use of the sun’s energy.

Taking advantage of passive solar design made sense then, and it makes even greater sense now. Driven by diminishing wood supplies, upon which they had relied greatly for heat, the Greeks and Romans began to design passive solar energy homes to reduce their reliance on wood for heating. We can certainly learn and take advantage of what they discovered, and allow it to help us eliminate or supplement our need for non-renewable energy sources.

Passive solar energy is extremely clean. It’s also totally renewable and doesn’t emit greenhouse gases. By design, a passive solar energy home will maintain an even temperature throughout, and generally touted by homeowners as much cleaner and more comfortable than a comparable conventional system.

Passive solar hot water heaters are another way most passive solar home owners further decrease their energy bill, and their reliance on non-renewable resources. There are three basic types of passive solar water heaters: flat-plate, batch heaters, and evacuated tube heaters. Of these, batch heaters are the most prevalent and popular. Perhaps that is because batch heaters are fairly easy projects for the do-it-yourselfer. If you want to build your own, you’ll need to find an electric hot water tank…generally you can purchase either a salvaged one or find one that’s been disposed of in the dump. It will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sealed, and then painted black. Then, add new fittings and pipes to make sure you won’t have leaks later on. Construct a well-insulated plywood box, drill holes for the pipes to fit through, add aluminum foil or other metal for a reflectant, and place the tank inside, fitting the pipes through the holes. Cover the front of the box with glass or plexiglass, seal it, add water, and you’re ready go to. You may want a more detailed explanation, and there are a variety of plans available, but those are the basics.

Batch heaters, sometimes called breadbox heaters because of their design, can be used in stages as well. Utilizing more than one tank, and then taking advantage of the sun’s angle at various times of the day, the home owner can take advantage of the hottest water created by the sun’s rays. Flat plate and evacuated tube are also often found in solar passive homes, but their designs normally call for professional installation, and they can be less effective.

So…still looking for a few more benefits of going solar? Solar energy doesn’t contribute to global warning. Solar energy doesn’t won’t spill into the ocean and create miles and miles of oil slick to kill wildlife, pollute and damage fragile environmental ecosystems. There’s no acid rain, no smog that comes from using solar energy.

There are many “pros” to solar energy, as we are increasingly discovering…or should I say re-discovering?

Looking to find out all you can about solar passive homes then visit www.HomeSolarPowerExplained.com to find the best advice on home solar power for you.

Save Money With DIY Electricity

Posted by: Theodore Jackson  /  Category: Environment

If you are the type of “environmentally conscious” person who wants to save yourself a ton of cash while also doing your bit to “save the planet” then you should do the world and yourself a huge favor and purchase the Earth4Energy Guidebook. Why? Because it’ll give you with all of the information you need to build windmills or solar panels on your own.

Earth4Energy provides detailed step by step instructions on building solar panels and windmills. Whether you decide to build solar panels or windmills is up to you, although depending on where you live one or the other may make a lot more logical sense.

Of course if you live in a really bright area such as San Diego, California then you will likely want to go the solar way. On the other hand if you live in an area where there is not much sun then you will most likely need to go the windmill way.

No matter which one you use, you should be able to construct your green power generator for less than $200 which is really quite an amazing deal when you think about how much cash you will be saving on your power bill monthly. In fact, if you are able to generate excess power you can actually sell the extra stuff back to the power company and make a profit!

It is understandable if this all sounds “too good to be true” but the great thing is this guide is totally satisfaction guaranteed and it has a 60 day cash back refund period which means if you want to try it out and you’re not totally pleased with the guide, you can easily get your money back in your hands.

You have absolutely nothing to lose by trying it out. But you have plenty to gain. You will be doing your part to stop global warming (you will be “greener” than Al Gore himself!) and you will also be saving a ton of money.

Along with Buying Earth 4 Energy you may also want to check out this EcoVillage near Roanoke, Virginia.

Now Is The Time For Solar Panels At Home

Posted by: Peter Mitchell  /  Category: Solar Energy

As electrical power costs increase nowadays, you may have been planning for an alternative way of possessing inexpensive electric energy. You may possibly wish to think about adding pv panels into your house.

Solar panels could be an investment on your part too. Adding solar panels can save you from the burden of paying large quantity of money on your electric bills. Not only that, it also adds value to your property and gives you an eco friendly source of electrical energy.

The photo voltaic industry has matured and grown over the past decade. Photo voltaic panels for the house have significantly decreased in cost simply because of this. Getting solar power at home will allow you a larger budget for the residence expenses. Possessing photo voltaic panels for your residence can be a smart option to make.

However, in choosing the best solar panels for the house, you will find still other considerations you’ll need to make. You’ll need to know whether the energy that it will produce will be enough to your residence.

If you live in a country that is constantly cloudy, they may not be a wise investment. You ought to also consider the expense of the photo voltaic panels to your home. A pricey one does not necessarily mean that you have bought the greatest solar panels to your home.

You should consider the place where you’re about to place up solar panels for your home- your roof, or your backyard if you have additional room. Experts say that the most ideal setting for photo voltaic panels for the home is a clear and unobstructed roof space facing south.

But if you’ve a clear area outside your property, a ground mounted system will work out just too. Make certain that the photo voltaic panels to your residence will not be obstructed by any shading simply because that will decrease the effectiveness of the solar panels.

If you wish to conserve funds on your photo voltaic panels, it is possible to also consider building them yourself. That would entail purchasing pv cells separately, then putting them together yourself and producing a custom system. This saves a surprising quantity of cash, and does not take as much time as you might believe. Not only will you save money and invest into your house but you’ll be an active advocate of a greener community as well.

Learn more about how to build solar panels see this website. Also browse the following site about how to build your own solar panel if you want to understand more regarding that.