That’s right, the sun can heat and cool your home and reduce its energy use. More importantly, the energy from the sun can make your home comfortable year round.
There are two types of solar design systems -passive and active.
Homes constructed as passive solar design use the natural movement of heat and air to maintain comfortable temperatures, operating with little or no mechanical assistance. It’s called passive solar because the design of the home maximizes the benefits it receives from the sun with standard construction features. Passive solar takes advantage of local breezes and landscape features such as shade trees and windbreaks, and uses a simple system to collect and store solar energy with no switches or controls.
On the other hand, active solar systems use mechanical devices such as pumps and fans to move heat from collectors to storage or from storage to use. Photovoltaic panels that collect solar energy, turning it into electricity, are also considered an active solar system.
Although, building a passively designed solar home takes careful planning, the task is relatively simple - if you use the five basic solar design principles:
Orientation
Overhangs and shading
Insulation
Windows
Thermal Mass
Actually, the first four principles shouldn’t be reserved for only the passive solar home - they work well with any home, custom-built or tract. Passive design features, such as shading or insulation, can be used to improve your home without major renovation. Windows and thermal mass, however, are best done during new construction or major remodeling.
Passive systems can be built with different configurations of energy-saving features and a variety of conventional and unique architectural styles. Rather than being totally different, a carefully designed and constructed solar home is more of a “rearrangement” of the same construction materials needed to build any home. Most new homes in California, for example, are constructed on a concrete slab - one of the basic design elements of a passive solar house.

Building to take advantage of solar energy need not cost any more than building a comparably sized non-solar conventional home. A home that is properly oriented, tightly constructed, well insulated, and has operable windows for air circulation is both comfortable for the occupants and easy on the wallet. You can call it passive design or just smart construction.

Are we getting back to the 1970s when the high energy prices started the alternative energy movement? I think it was then that people started making their own energy devices again - wind, solar and biomass. The innovation was wonderful. Too often we see high priced products that just won’t pay and are difficult to maintain. (In my opinion sustainable living is not just about buying an expensive piece of equipment off of the shelf….but then again anything that helps is welcome. )With a low cost DIY project you can get the energy you need at a low cots, recycle parts around you, and have some great fun too!!

In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.

A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat.

Hydrogen fuel is fed into the “anode” of the fuel cell. Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through the cathode. Encouraged by a catalyst, the hydrogen atom splits into a proton and an electron, which take different paths to the cathode. The proton passes through the electrolyte. The electrons create a separate current that can be utilized before they return to the cathode, to be reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in a molecule of water.

A fuel cell system which includes a “fuel reformer” can utilise the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel - from natural gas to methanol, and even gasoline. Since the fuel cell relies on chemistry and not combustion, emissions from this type of a system would still be much smaller than emissions from the cleanest fuel combustion processes

A micro hydro plant is below 100kW. Improvements in small turbine and generator technology mean that micro hydro schemes are an attractive means of producing electricity. Useful power may be produced from even a small stream. The likely range is from a few hundred watts (possibly for use with batteries) for domestic schemes, to a minimum 25kW for commercial schemes.

Hydro power requires the source to be relatively close to the site of power usage, or to a suitable grid connection. Hydro systems can be connected to the main electricity grid, or as a part of a stand-alone (off-grid) power system. In a grid connected system, any electricity generated in excess of consumption on site can be sold to electricity companies.

In an off-grid hydro system, electricity can be supplied directly to the devices powered, or via a battery bank and inverter set up. Allowances should be made for any seasonal variations in water flow, which can affect the amount of electricity delivered to the system i.e. having a back up power system.

It is possible for single households with a mains connection located near a hydro source to install a micro hydro system. They can go ‘off the grid’ entirely, or stay connected and sell excess electricity to the grid. The capital cost is high, but the prospect of zero or even negative electricity bills may tempt you!

Provided the resource is there, community hydro projects can also be a viable proposition. Potentially, there are great benefits in clubbing together to increase buying power or sharing expertise - although the work involved should not be underestimated.

Energy available in a body of water depends on the amount of water flowing per second, and the height (or head) that the water falls. The scheme’s actual output will depend on how efficiently it converts the power of the water into electrical power (maximum efficiencies of over 90% are possible, but for small systems 50% is more realistic). Hydro electric systems are generally divided into 2 categories, low and high head.

This will depend on the resource available and your energy needs. For houses with no mains connection, but with access to a micro-hydro site, a good hydro system can generate a steady, more reliable electricity supply than other renewable technologies at a lower cost. Total system costs can still be high, but often less than the cost of a grid connection, and with no electricity bills to follow. Note that in off-grid applications the power is used for lighting and electrical appliances, however space and water heating can be supplied when available power exceeds demand.

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