Renewable energy

How to choose and properly size a solar home battery system. Home battery systems have recently improved in two substantial ways, and the first big improvement is in the batteries themselves. Lithium-ion batteries on the market today are much more robust and functional than the lead-acid batteries we have relied on…

What to consider when choosing between a fixed-angle solar mount or one that tracks the sun all day. What to consider before buying a home solar power system Update your appliances and get your demand down as low as possible. Convert any appliances that you are intending to convert (such as installing heat pumps to…

Not only are they more durable, they are also pliable, lightweight and easily transportable. Standard solar panels are rigid, relatively heavy and fragile. A new product on the market called Microsystems Enabled Photovoltaics (MEPV) from mPower Technology may change that. The cells in these pliable sheets are made…

Passive solar air heaters are easy to make for competent DIY'ers from downspouts, pop-cans or roofing sheet or there are affordable solar heaters for sale online & both offer a quick payback - discover more here. How solar air heaters work: Solar air heater diagram © Ecohome The above diagram indicates the basic…

On display at Igloofest in Montreal, the Celsius solar igloo is an artistic demonstration of solar heating. A solar igloo at first sounds counterintuitive, but contrast is at the heart of this design concept created by the L. McComber architectural team for Montreal's Igloofest. The solar igloo known as 'Celsius'…

The name Tesla inspires visions of fast cars, rocket ships, high speed trains and now home solar roofs. So far they are big on fanfare but short on hard facts. Tesla is a powerful brand that when riding on its track record of electric vehicles needs to do little but step into a market to get glowing accolades. Some…

Aquion Energy's Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI ) saltwater batteries offered a safe, clean, non-hazardous and hassle-free solution to storing your own power - but can you make DIY saltwater batteries for off-grid power storage. Updated: Aquion as a saltwater battery is no longer available in North America having moved to…

Ever wonder how solar panels actually work? Here is a great explanation of how sun is converted into electricity, and some resources for getting set up with solar panels in Canada. Going solar at home is more straightforward and affordable now than ever before. Areas throughout Canada are experiencing a jump in…

Are you adventurous and ready to increase your access to sustainable energy? This post is for you. DIY home wind turbine The Zoetrope is a vertical-axis wind turbine made from common materials . Many of the materials can be found at your local hardware store and the rest can purchased online or made at home, for the…

Transparent laminate solar cells in film form could put the fossil fuel industry on notice. When considering solar cells as thin as laminate and completely transparent, the possibilities seem endless. Imagine every glass or laminant surface in our built environment and all of our devices, large and…

Micro power generation such as wind turbines and other renewable energy generators are a small step towards stopping climate change. We've seen portable charging devices for personal gadgets, we've seen vertical axis wind turbines and now we have seen a marriage of the two. That's right, appropriate technology…