Solar for All

One of the things that I hope to achieve from the easy-solar-energy site and the easy-solar-energy blog is to awaken people to the possibility of what a little thinking can do to change how we utilise the sun.

 

Most people think that solar energy has to heat either water or power photovoltaic panels. But attention is now being grabbed by the value of building solar grabbers in cool climates or designing homes to take advantage of passive solar energy. Passive solar design can be just as beneficial to homes in hot climates as well as cold – in fact a good passive solar house will be warm in winter and cool in summer.

 

I am all for DIYers working to create their own solar energy solutions. I heard recently of a church that designed their own solar heating system using old tin cans. New York First Presbyterian Church was able to cut their heating bills by 55% When they published their idea – they were able to charge people $1 for the plans which helped provide income for some of their needier members. They then went on to create a company that provided solar heating to people that was capable of paying for itself within a year provided the recipients used their tax relief.

 

My point is this: we can all take advantage of the sun and we can do it in two ways. We can pay a fortune to specialist PV and Solar heating installers or we can learn the principles of solar design. We can throw our money at the problem or we can observe, communicate and ask the right questions. I am all for both actually and I write for both.

 

I will be publishing in future the principles behind some of these ideas so that others can take advantage of them and experiment themselves but until then you can improve your knowledge and understanding here.

Tags: Solar, Solar Power, Renewable energy, Environment, Solar heating, Passive solar design, green living, sustainable energy, sustainable living, solar design, DIY, earth, solar grabbers, home DIY, earthships