Tag Archives: diy
DIY Energy Transition
In the latest issues of Gregor.us Monthly, Copenhagen Confirmation, (see: Gregor.us 2009 Annualfor a discounted price on this issue) I explained that not only wereenergy transition and climate-change mitigation essentially the sameproblem but that world political leaders would do precisely zero abouteither. A political leader of any country, developed or developing, isno more going to [...]
DIY Solar Part 6: Planning the System Install
Ok, we’ve got solar panels,we’ve got tools, now we’re ready to start putting them up! Woohoo! Wellhold on there partner, the better we plan this out the smoother theinstall will be. So let’s take a minute and a piece of paper to figureout how we’re going to do this. Simple Roof DiagramMostbuilding departments will require [...]
DIY Solar Part 5: Tools For Installing a System
So, now its down to the fun part. You’ve designed a system, found thekit, its here, its ready to be put up. Now what? Let me start by sayingthat installing a solar powersystem is WAY too big a subject to cover in a couple blog posts. Infact its something most people should leave to a [...]
DIY Solar Part 3: System Components
In our previous posts we talked about the design process and then different kinds of systems to choose from.Now let’s talk about the system components that you need to be aware ofbefore tackling a project like this. Many people believe that you justget some panels and wire them into the electrical system. It’s notquite that [...]
DIY Solar Part 2: Choosing A System
Last week we started talking about DIY solar and covering the topicsthat will help you decide if you can do solar yourself. There areplenty of different systems that can fit your solar needs. Let’s coverthe three most popular systems. Grid Tied SolarThis is the easiest and most popular way to get started in solar power.These [...]
DIY Solar Part 1: The Design Process
For homeowners around the world, the idea of reducing their power billsand helping the planet is pretty enticing. The problem now as it alwayshas been is money. Solar can be expensive, and even with governmentrebates the cost can scare some people away. If you are a do-it-yourselferyou’ve probably wondered if you can tackle a solar [...]
DIY Residential Solar Boom?
This is another take on a recent panel at Intersolar… Michael Kanellos moderated an engaging panel on the trends and increasingly compelling math in residential solar power. Oneof the biggest pain points in the residential solar market is thelabor, permitting, time, and cost necessary to install solar panels ona rooftop. According to Barry Cinnamon, the [...]
Solar Boombox
Forthose who want to keep themselves entertained when in a park, withoutspending a lot on expensive batteries that aren’t just difficult tocarry but harm the environment as well, Instructables has a great DIYthat allows you to create a boombox by spending not more than $75 onit. TheDIY boombox is based on the use of cheap [...]