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| | | | | Towards Greener Energy by Pascal Grobler | | | For those who are after “the” book on DIY alternative Energy, I have found the one!! I have been looking around for books on alternative energy for a long time now, and have found that they always lack some vital information. And on top of that there are no books on DIY alternative energy, not that I have come across .I would like to share this with the rest of the world to help make people more aware of our environment and alternative energy sources.
I do have come across online eBooks, and having glanced through them, and coming to the conclusion that there is always a lack of basic information that should be there, for you to understand how alternative energy works. When looking at solar panels you will need to know how the solar cells work, under what conditions are they most efficient and what the life expectancy you can expect from them. There are various types that you need to consider, it is important to note that the most expensive option may not always be the best option. Value for money is the best way. A DIY book should explain all the basics to you from A to Z, not only how to build but also how to install your project correctly.
You will want to know what system size you will need for your specific application. You may want to build a small cabin or RV sized system to keep your small appliances charged. Or you may live somewhere remote where, bringing power to you property would cost more than you would imagine. In some cases it costs $30 000 per mile to get power, and you will have to foot the bill!! You would also need to know about Solar Charge controllers, Inverters and Batteries, these are all vital components to your system you have in mind. If you are planning to build a stand alone system you will need to know how much energy you will need, and how to calculate it.
For those who know how a car electrical system works, will understand how a 12volt low voltage solar/wind power system will work. It is not much different from starting a car from the battery on board, once the engine is running the alternator takes over and tops up the battery, ready to do duty again for the next starting sequence. On the solar or wind power system it is slightly different, the load is applied over a period of time, where the amperage draw is less but for much longer period of time, here the battery has thicker plates to be able to cope with the continued current draw. Once the battery reaches 50% of its capacity it will need to be recharged, and so the cycle continues.
All this is very important when designing your DIY alternative energy project. To be able to build your own solar panels are not enough. You will need to know how a junction box works and what it is needed for. The same goes for what to connect into a combiner box where you combine multiple panels. Commercial junction and combiner boxes can cost you much more than making your own, the more you can fabricate yourself, the lower the overall bill will be.
For those who do not like to play with electricity but still want to build a project to use sunlight as the energy source, you can look into building your own passive solar heater. This is a great project to do because “passive” means that it has no moving parts. A passive solar heater is used to either heat a space or to heat water. Easy to use materials are at the heart of this project, and only minimal use of tools is needed, and no electricity is involved! To make your home truly self sufficient, add a wind generator, check the local council if you are allowed to install a tower in your front or back garden. DIY alternative energy projects are a great way to get into producing your own energy and reducing your monthly bill. And if you decide to go all out and completely install all the power saving devices you can find, your system will ultimately pay for it self, and make you money by selling power back to the power company.
All this and more is in this Towards Greener Energy book, a great addition to any garage or workshop. I have found this to be a constant companion when I needed to clarify any information.
| | | | Article Source : Article-treasure.com | | Publication date : 03-31-2010 | | | | Article by Pascal Grobler | | | | Pascal Grobler is an expert on Alternative Energy and author of this article. For those who would like to know more about Towards Greener Energy handbook. Please visit
www.towardsgreenerenergy.com website for more information.
| | | | Keywords : alternative energy, solar, solar panel, greener energy, towards greener energy, solar cells | | | | | |
