Solar Homes

WILMINGTON, Vt. — The wind whips up in Dale Doucette's expansive backyard, furiously spinning the blades on his 80-foot-tall silver wind turbine and leaving a broad smile on his square-jawed face.

The gusts nudge the voltage on his battery bank and help power Doucette's wood-carving saw, as well as the PC, printer and recessed lights in his wife Michele's home-based chiropractic office.

But overcast skies mean the Doucettes' 10 solar panels won't be as productive as usual. So his two teenage sons can use the computer but not the TV or GameCube. Read more A Look At . . . Living Off and On the Grid
I Rely on My Own Renewables
By Dale Maharidge
Sunday, July 29, 2001

PETROLIA, Calif.

I always yearned to own country property. About six years ago, I found a ridge-top paradise in northern California -- 34 acres with a sweeping ocean view, an old growth forest and the nearest neighbor a half-mile away. Something else was even farther away: electrical power. I was two miles from the edge of the grid.

My friends thought this was a problem. I thought it was a plus. It meant no San Francisco-area dot-scum yuppies and their trophy homesto gentrify and overprice the area. And I'd get to try something that had always sounded like a great idea -- creating energy without polluting. I'd survive on my own solar and wind power systems. More

This project was originally intended to show how solar power can be incorporated into a regular ranch house design without substantial modification to either the house or house wiring, and how ultimately to get that house almost off the electrical grid. The project is located at my house on Ruffner Mountain in the Roebuck Neighborhood of Birmingham. The AEC Board unanimously approved the Solar Test House proposal June 2, 2001, and Southern Company Distributed Generation Department approved the design and power grid connection June 4, 2001.

Another point to this project is an attempt to show that a non-technical person can design and install a solar power system on his house using off-the-shelf photovoltaic equipment that anyone can buy over the net, with advice available over the net, using regular household tools and locally available alcoholic beverages. To be honest, while STH personnel may recommend places to find equipment, installation assistance, and people locally who are capable, STH has no engineers, electricians, or scientists. STH volunteer personnel’s only expertise is with buying, building and operating this system, and any advice or information they give is worth what it costs you. Part of the beauty—or downside—of this project is a kit we bought (by Real Goods, Inc.) designed to function properly if the components were assembled according to directions.

In a nutshell, the project works like this: The solar panels produce DC power, which is converted to AC by an inverter, and then distributed through the house’s existing wiring to be used in existing appliances. It is an affordable way of promoting solar power in Alabama to environmentally inclined citizens and businesses. In addition, it attempts to reach into the future to address the rising demand and price—and decreasing supply—of centralized power production. Many people are interested in solar power for their homes, but there are very few places where you can go see it being done.
Read the rest at Solar Test House

Shell Solar's Rural Operation division celebrates the sale and installation of more than 100,000 Solar Home Systems in just over five years. Shell Solar is one of the few solar businesses to establish a successful direct sales installation and service channel in areas where communities have access to little or no reliable grid power. Today, Rural Operations is active in India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, China and Indonesia and personnel now numbers more than 900 across the 5 countries. In 2005, Rural Operations projects it will sell and install an additional 40,000 units.
Read the rest at Shell Solar

By Catherine Wanek

On a narrow lot in Capitola, Calif., stands a modest and inviting craftsman-style home. This not-so-big house fits into the quiet neighborhood, yet it is anything but ordinary. Its energy-efficient design features and solar technologies make this home a cutting-edge model of sustainability.

Stroll by this attractive house and the gleam of a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar system and solar hot-water collector will catch your eye. These systems, combined with passive solar design and superinsulated walls and ceilings, translate to rock-bottom energy bills. The home’s 2004 average monthly energy bill from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (which includes natural gas use and numerous administrative fees) was just $13.22. According to the company, the average monthly energy bill for customers in the same area is $83.
Read the rest at Mother Earth News