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(Updated) Solar Panels can heat your Home or Shop – DIY video series
Did you know that a small (~1kW) array of solar panels can generate enough heat for a typical room in a home or shop? In fact the idea is so simple, so good and so affordable, it ought to be in every home. Note: due to the complexity and safety issues of modifying AC space
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Surviving Planned Obsolescence
If I could only warn the common man about one often overlooked economic factor, it would be Planned Obsolescence. Simply put, it’s the practice by companies of deliberately designing and manufacturing the item or product you buy to have a limited lifetime. That way they can sell you more. Isn’t that great? This can apply
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Why Survivalists should own at least one solar panel
Perhaps you’re not really into solar, but are a survivalist or into preparedness, prepping etc. I would argue that everyone should own at least one (or two +) 100 Watt 12 Volt solar panels as part of their survival and preparedness kit. They are truly a high tech Swiss army knife. Plus a 100 Watt
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VIDEO: Learn how to use a Multimeter – From Basic to Intermediate
Hi folks, knowing how to use a digital multimeter (DMM) even at a basic level can place you at a new level of knowledge. It looks good on your resume too. This is a skill that will pay you back for years to come. Don’t fear it – the journey of a thousand miles starts
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Low Voltage Solar Panels can cook food directly – And why it matters
Did you know it’s possible to cook food directly off low voltage solar panels? No inverter, no high voltages, no battery, no charge controller. It’s technically feasible, and I have done it several times now with prototypes developed in my solar workshop. The simplicity and efficiency of such a setup is nothing short of astounding.
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The problem with today’s electric cars (EVs) and it’s not charging
In the author’s opinion, the EV market has taken a wrong turn, probably on purpose. By the way, EVs are not going to save the world, this is a silly illusion and part of a fanatical belief system. I love electric cars For the record, I loved the idea of electric cars before “T-Motors” (not
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PV to EV – why isn’t this everywhere?
Photovoltaic to Electric Vehicle – why can’t a person plug solar panels straight into his electric car (EV) in the driveway and charge it off the electrical grid? This concept means the car supports direct solar panel input natively, without much effort on the end user’s part. How much more green does it get, if
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What’s the easiest way to start learning about solar power?
Question: What is the easiest and quickest way to get started in solar energy for backup power and resiliency? Answer: To easily learn about solar PLUS making it immediately useful to you and your family, get a Solar Generator and 1 or 2 12V 100W solar panel. What is a Solar Generator? A solar generator
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Making a cheap DIY HEPA Air Purifier
The air is dirty – fact. There’s a lot of stuff in the air that shouldn’t be, we won’t get into that here. Inside a typical home, it can be even dirtier. For this reason I have a lot of HEPA air purifiers in my home and shop. If you have sinus issues, asthma and
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Ryobi 18v Solar Battery Charger DIY project
Wouldn’t it be great if Ryobi 18v power tool batteries could be charged directly from a 100 watt solar panel? A while back I developed a prototype which achieved this aim successfully. Products like this should already be on the shelf. With solar power, efficiency is a good thing. The normal route involves the solar
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Can you mount LiFePo4 batteries on the side or inverted?
Question – Can you mount LiFePo4 batteries on the side or inverted? Article By DD @ Solar Power Edge Hi folks, this is to start a new series of posts (and videos) about Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. It’s my favorite battery chemistry of all time, so far. I first started researching and using LiFePo4 batteries
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Are wall mounted solar panels worth it?
I took the chance of mounting some 100w monocrystalline solar panels on the wall of my metal building (solar workshop). If interested, check out my video of the setup at the bottom of the page. I really needed some extra power for lab experiments and so forth, but did not want the burden of more
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Are Plug-in Grid Tie Inverters safe?
Grid Tie (Tied) Inverters are an attractive way to use solar power to reduce electric bills. They work by backfeeding A/C power into the electrical service wiring or via a standard wall outlet, causing a slightly higher line voltage. In a nutshell, this causes the Grid Tie Inverter’s power to be used up first by
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Risky Solar Experiments in my shop – part 1 PV Solar Netbook
I often wondered what would happen if I took a 12V solar panel with its high VoC (Voltage Open Circuit) and plugged it straight into a netbook or laptop! It is my opinion that all laptops, netbooks and mobile computing devices should accept a direct Solar PV input – it’s easy to do, a nice
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What is PV To Load? (PV2L) concepts
What is PV To Load? and (PV2L) concepts You’re probably familar with the idea of connecting Solar Panels to a Charge Controller to a Battery to an Inverter and finally, to an appliance. PV to Load (PV2L for short) is a more efficient way to run some appliances – simply put, the load or appliance
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Making Hot Water if the Grid Goes Down – Cheap Easy DIY
Have you ever thought what you would do if the electrical utility power service was down for a week or a month, and you couldn’t easily get a hot shower? Believe it or not, there is a cheap and easy DIY solution. If you already have a few solar panels, they can heat water for
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