| Questions? Comments? Ideas? |
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If you have any questions on solar
or renewable energy projects, or suggestions to make the
site better, or have an energy related idea, or have a
project you have done or seen elsewhere -- lets hear
about it...
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| Solar Heating |
$2K Solar Space and Water Heating System
This DIY system that provides both solar space and water
heating in a single system.
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The Solar
Space Heating section has solar water and air
heating systems with and without storage -- some 87
projects.
The Solar
Water Heating section provides many DIY
builds for solar water heating systems including batch,
thermosyphon, drain back, and closed loop systems, solar
showers, solar stock tanks, kits, ... 117 projects and
ideas.
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| Energy Conservation |
Mooney Wall
A cost effective, high R value wall for retrofit or new
construction. No thermal bridging.
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The simplest and cheapest way ever to cut window heat
loss about in half!
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The
Energy Conservation Page provides ranging from free
bubble wrap window insulation to complete redo's of
homes. Insulation, appliances, window treatments,
lighting, drying, ... about 150 projects and ideas.
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| Solar Electricity |
Our DIY Grid-Tied PV System
This system is straight forward to install, and saved
more than 50% compared to a commercially installed system.
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The PV section
contains builds for off-grid, grid-tied, small
standalone systems, DIY mounts, PV vehicles, PV
tracking, ... Plus PV Basics and DIY guides.
Over 90 projects to build.
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| Wind |
Tom Restores a Jacobs Wind Turbine Project
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The Wind
Section has critical design information for
DIY wind turbine builds plus dozens of DIY wind turbine
projects, windmill water pumpers, ... 55 builds,
guides, ...
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| Passive Cooling |
 Cooling with
Landscaping
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The Passive
Cooling section has dozens of practical and
low cost projects and ideas for cooling -- insulating,
preventing solar gain, ventilations, shading, efficient
active cooling, earth tubes, landscaping, ... 77
projects and ideas.
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| Water Conservation |
2200 Gallon Water Harvest System
An easy to build 2200 gallon rain water harvest system
from our shop roof.
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The Water
Conservation Section covers rain harvest
systems of many types, efficient toilets, grey water
reuse, solar stills, ... Plus a basics and DIY guides
section. 75 builds, ideas, and guides.
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| Solar Homes |
Solar Home in the Sierras
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The Solar
Homes section is a very large collection of
information on designing and building solar and energy
efficient homes -- plans, construction techniques,
design information, examples ... 293 builds, plans,
guides and ideas.
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| Solar Pool & Hot Tub Heating |
Tom's PEX/Aluminum solar pool heating collector
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The Solar
Pool and Hot Tub Heating section give design
and build information for solar pool and hot tub heater
builds. Plus DIY collector designs, natural pools,
wood heaters, ... 44 projects.
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| Solar Cooking and Drying |
Bill's Solar Cooking Projects
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The Solar
Cooking and Food Drying section has more than
40 projects for building solar cookers and ovens, solar
food drying, and root cellars.
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| References, Design Data, Calculators |
Solar Site Survey
Its critical to do a Solar Site Survey before starting
any solar project.
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The References
Section has material on designing renewable
energy systems, weather and sun data, pump/fan/duct/pipe
sizing, heat loss calculators, materials information,
component data, ... much more.
I'm an engineer -- there is lots of
analytical and design information here.
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| Experimental |
Dozens of Experimental Designs, New Ideas, Prototypes
and Emerging Energy Technology
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The Experimental
Section -- new ideas, new technologies, down
to earth experimental stuff. The garage inventors
nirvana.
112 builds, ideas, articles.
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| BioFuels |
Conversion of VW Jetta Diesel to Burn Vegetable Oil
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The Biofuels
Section has design and build information on
veggie oil, bio diesel, making and using ethanol,
methane generators, wood gas vehicles, masonry heaters,
rocket stoves, wood water heating, and heat from
compost.
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| Solar Projects for Kids |
Doing Solargraphy
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Forty
great projects for kids/students to have fun learning
about solar and renewable energy -- wind turbines, PV
boats, Solargraphy, heat transfer, solar mechanics, ...
Solar for Kids...
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| Concentrating Solar Collectors |
George's DIY Parabolic Concentrating Collectors
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The
Concentrating Solar section has build and
design information on various types of concentrating
solar collectors including some that make good DIY
projects.
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| Micro Hydro |
 An Undershot Water Wheel for
Electricity Generation
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The Micro-Hydro
Section provides design guides and a number of DIY
builds ranging from a few watts to multiple kilowatts.
31 projects, builds and guides.
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| Frugal Solar Projects |
Using bubble wrap to reduce window heat loss --
effective and cheap
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A collection of solar
and conservation projects that cost much less
than you think they would -- several that cost nothing!
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| Solar Wood Kilns |
A Collection of plans and design information for solar
powered wood drying kilns.
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| Solar Water Pumping |
Solar and wind powered water pumping
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All
sorts of information on Solar and Wind Water
Pumping.
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| Solar Engines |
| A small
collection of Solar Powered Engines |
| Sunspaces and Greenhouses |
Doug's Solar Greenhouse and Sunspace
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The Solar
Sunspace and Greenhouse section has much
design and build information for solar space heating
sunspaces and for solar greenhouses. 90 projects,
plans, ideas.
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| Solar Vehicles |
Restoring an ElecTrak and Using It for Backup Solar
Electric Power
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The Solar
Vehicles section has information on EV
conversions, efficient cars, latest developments in
transport, solar tractors and mowers, ... all DIY
oriented.
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| Solar (and efficient) Lighting |
Giving LED Lighting a Try in Our House
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The Solar
and Efficient Lighting Section has
information and projects on how to design solar lighting
and on LED and CFL lighting. 23 builds, guides,
articles.
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| Interesting Odd Energy/Solar Stuff |
The Solar Heated Ice Fishing Shack
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| A collection
of very interesting, off the beaten path, but
often quite practical projects and ideas. |
