Archive for the ‘Environmental’ Category

Michael Davis, an astronomer from Arizona, has found an inexpensive way to produce electricity that can be used to power a home. He found some damaged and blemished solar cells on eBay, and decided to use them to construct his own solar panels.

The potential benefits of solar power are well known – lower cost, less dependence on other natural resources, etc. The main drawback has been the initial expense – mostly in the cost of photovoltaic (PV) cells required to convert sunlight into electricity.

In searching for a source of PV cells, Michael found some on eBay that were damaged or blemished. Here is what he learned when he used them to construct his own solar-powered electric generator:

* Damaged PV cells can perform just as efficiently as new cells.

* These cells are much cheaper than new cells.

* They are readily available on eBay or from other sources

How To Construct Your Own Solar Generator

You can start saving money right now by building your own solar-powered generator. Here are the basic steps:

1. Determine How Many Cells You Need

You’ll need to decide whether you want to produce enough power for your entire home or just power a few items such as lights or small appliances. This will help you determine how many cells you need.

2. Purchase The Photovoltaic Cells

eBay is a good source for used or blemished cells, but you might also ask the cell manufacturers or contractors that install panels if they have used or damaged units. Be aware that all PV cells are not alike and have different performance ratings

3. Connect The Cells Together

All of the cells must be connected together in order to function properly. This will likely involve the use of solder and special wire. You can learn to perform this process with a little practice.

4. Build A Panel To Hold The Cells.

The solar panel is a shallow box that holds the PV cells. You’ll mostly construct this from wood, but other materials will work. The size is not critical but should be small enough that you can handle it easily.

5. Put It All Together

Assemble your solar panel by placing the PV cells inside the panel box. Run wires out through holes in the box. It’s best to cover the unit with Plexiglas. Then test the electrical output in sunlight.

6. Mount The Panels

Most homeowners mount solar panels on the roof, but they can go anywhere that sunlight is unobstructed. Face them southward if you live in the northern hemisphere.

7.Hook Your Panels Up To Your House Wiring.

This is a step you may want to leave to a professional electrician. Wiring will have to be run from the panels and here are some items you will need to complete the project:

* Inverter – this device converts power from DC to AC

* Safety shut-offs

* Solar energy monitor, Net meter, and Battery back-up (optional)

Depending on your level of expertise, you may need professional help to complete portions of this project. Then you can begin enjoying the benefits that solar energy offers.

More and more people are showing interest in making their homes eco friendly. When a home is eco friendly, it is environmentally friendly and you are able to save some serious cash on energy. You would be surprised some of the small and large things that you can do to make your home more eco friendly.

Below are some of the ways you can make your home a friend of the environment:

More and more individuals are installing solar panels in their roofs so that they can draw solar energy. This requires the home to use less electricity, which can save a lot of money on the power bill.

When installing new countertops and cabinets in your kitchen, you can install countertops and cabinets that are recycled. It is much better to use recycled materials than new materials. By doing this, youre giving the materials a second chance to be something great and they will last for a long time. You dont have to worry about the items not being made as sturdy as something that is new. The quality is just as high.

Rooftop gardens are another hot item. They insulate the home naturally. The garden can also be constructed in a way that drainage of rainwater is successful. Many skyscrapers and other structures are implementing these systems because of their cost-effectiveness in the short-term and the long-term.

When building a brand new home, it is important that the home not be built from wood that has been acquired through deforestation. Wood can be acquired through other means that dont involve cutting down trees. There is plenty of wood found in nature that isnt planted into the ground.

Eco-Friendy New homes can also be built facing the sun so that the home can be heated naturally. This will reduce your heating bill and keep some money in your pocket. You can also add more windows to the home on the side that faces the sun. You want to let in as much heat as possible. Even in the winter, you can pull heat into your home.

There are also a variety of little things that you can do, especially if your home is an existing structure and there really isnt anything you can do with the structure. You can do such things as implement a recycling program within your home. Any time that you do repairs or remodeling, make sure you use environmentally friendly materials. If you have to use chemically-based substances, make sure they are safe for the environment. You can also check your drainage system to make sure dangerous materials are not being swept into the groundwater. A good French drain is a way to really accomplish this.

When building a new home, the location of your home can also have an impact. Perhaps you build close to a store that you can shop at. If you do, you will not have to drive your car there. You can walk or ride a bicycle when you dont have to buy very many items. The less you drive, the more you are helping the environment.

So there are many things that you can do to make sure your home is eco friendly. You can only work with what you have, but you might be quite surprised at what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. Dont think that just because your home is already standing that you cant make it an eco friendly home. Doing something as planting a garden makes your home more eco friendly. So do it and feel good about yourself.

Using aluminum cans to help heat your home sounds like a nutty idea at first, but a company in Canada has turned the idea into a profitable business. The company, Cansolair Inc., has been building solar-powered heating panels out of recycled aluminum cans and even won awards with their design.

Why Pop Cans Work Well

The company’s heaters, made with recycled aluminum cans, are not only cheaper than other types, but have proven to be very efficient as well. The company reports exponential growth over the past few years.

The Cansolair unit, which measures a little under 4 ft. wide by 8 ft. tall, produces up to 10,000 BTUs per hour and can raise the temperature of the air passing through it by 50F or more. It uses a fan to move the air through, increasing it’s efficiency.

How They Work

The units are usually attached to the outside of a wall and provide heat for the nearest room. To be effective, the heater needs to face south (or north if the building is in the southern hemisphere).

The heaters are designed to draw air from the floor level of a room and pass it directly to the solar panel outside, where it is forced through the columns of cans, which have holes cut in the tops and bottoms to allow air flow. The air is then returned through the wall near the ceiling level and at up to 50F higher temperature.

Thin-walled aluminum, which is what the cans are made of, has good thermal conductivity, making it an exceptional material for transferring solar heat to the air as it flows past the cans. Flat black paint on the outside of the cans aids in the process by absorbing the sun’s heat more quickly.

Great Project For Do-It-Yourselfers

Cansolair may be the only company that is producing these units commercially, but there have been many other people who have built their own using easily available materials.

Daniel Strohl of Vermont made a unit to heat his garage in the winter, while Frank Gombik of Ontario, Canada built one to heat his workshop.

Daniel used the south-facing side of his garage as a location for his solar furnace after noting that sunshine was just bouncing off the garage and being wasted. He built a modest free-standing heater that contains 45 pop cans and uses vacuum cleaner hoses to pipe air to and from his garage.

Frank incorporated his solar heater right into a set of double-doors that he need to replace anyway on his workshop. He used a total of 176 cans in his design, and also added some electronics to measure and record temperatures inside and out.

Building this type of solar heater is well within the ability of the average handyman. All the materials are either inexpensive or free. Not only are you getting free heating for your effort, but you’re doing your part to help conserve natural resources.

We live in a time in which we really need to be concentrating on taking care of our environment. This is because the world is becoming more populated and the junk that we create and throw away is piling up. When it piles up, it compromises the soils that grow our food and animal habitats. In other words, the junk that we throw out into our world is changing the face of the earth in a bad way. Of the items that cause great harm to the environment are packing materials.

One of the main packing materials that are used in shipping boxes all around the world is Styrofoam. That Styrofoam is not good for the environment. It doesnt degrade. It is true that there have been biodegradable packing peanuts created, but one very affordable packing material is biodegradable bubble wrap.

About biodegradable bubble wrap

Biodegradable bubble wrap is different from regular bubble wrap in that there are degradable plastic additives that are blended into the plastic. This means that there are no toxic residues that are left behind after the bubble wrap oxidizes and after it degrades. In other words, it is completely safe for the environment.

And just like any kind of bubble wrap, you can buy rolls of it in various quantities and lengths. You can also buy your desired thickness. Since some items you ship are more sensitive than others, you definitely want to make sure that your items are protected with the right thickness.

So just because your bubble wrap is biodegradable doesnt mean that you have to give up any of the protection you need for your items. Some individuals feel that anything that is environmentally friendly is not constructed as well as it should be. They think that they are spending money on something that has been severely compromised, but that is not the case. Dont let this misconception keep you from purchasing biodegradable bubble wrap or any other biodegradable packing materials.

Where to acquire biodegradable bubble wrap

There are online stores that offer you biodegradable bubble wrap and other biodegradable packing supplies. You should also be able to go to your shipping supplies store and ask them for biodegradable packing supplies. More and more stores are offering these supplies to individuals who are environmentally conscious. Hopefully, biodegradable bubble wrap and other packing materials will be the standard in the shipping industry.

The benefits

Youve been able to see some of the benefits so far, but here are some more for you:

You do not have to pay a large price for biodegradable bubble wrap. The items that you are shipping will be protected just as well as they would be if you were using the kind of bubble wrap that is not good for the environment. You can buy different quantities, based on your needs. Biodegradable bubble wrap is easy to find and it is getting easier. All you have to do is look on the Internet or ask your local shipping supplies store. You may also be able to ask your local shipping supplies store if they can order it for you if they dont have it. Actually, they may begin to carry it if they get enough requests. The ultimate goal is achieved with biodegradable bubble wrap, which is protecting the environment. You are doing a great thing for yourself, your children, and their children.

In the end, youll feel very good about what you are doing for the environment. Youll also find that the items you are shipping will be quite protected and that the myths about biodegradable shipping products cant be believed.

With wind powered turbines being the latest in the search for a renewable energy source, it was only a matter of time before homemade wind power kits arrived on scene. These kits allow the average homeowner to supplement their power needs without spending a fortune on a commercially built wind turbine.

Before running out and buying a wind turbine kit there questions that should be answered to make sure it is feasible. Do you live in an area where there is enough wind to justify a wind turbine? Do you have a location to put a 20-30 foot tower? Does your local planning commission require permits? What are the local codes you must adhere to in order to build a wind turbine?

If you have answered those questions and made the decision to move forward with building a wind powered turbine, you need to determine how much power you hope to obtain from your wind turbine. If you live in an area with a steady wind source you could possible go completely off the grid, or perhaps you prefer to remain on the grid as a backup and sell any excess power you generate back to the power company.

A small wind turbine kit should suffice if you are going to use it as a supplement. A small kit will generate enough power to operate appliances or act as a power source for outdoor tools and workshops. Technology has improved to the point that small kits with lower speed winds can still generate a great deal of power. A large kit is necessary if you intend to power your entire house.

Next, you should decide what kind of kit you are looking for. Do you want to get a kit that is complete with all necessary parts and instructions or one that is instructions and diagrams only? Kits that are instructions only allow you to acquire your own parts, possibly saving you even more money in the long run.

For the homeowner who prefers not to have to find all the parts to build a wind turbine, the full kit is an excellent choice. Even though it is more expensive than the technical kit, it still saves an extreme amount of money when compared to buying a commercially built wind turbine. Everything needed arrives with complete instructions ready to be assembled.

Less expensive but more time involved are DIY kits that are diagrams and instructions only. These kits are very well detailed on what is needed to build a wind turbine along with diagrams and step-by-step details. The tradeoff in savings is the time involved in gathering the necessary components. However, these kits will typically offer advice on where to find the parts at reduced costs or even free.

DIY wind generators are available to supply power for homeowners who wish to supplement their power. From small kits to large kits, from complete all inclusive kits to technical information and details only kits, wind powered turbines can be built for a fraction of the cost of buying a commercially built wind turbine.