PV solar panel / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Solar panel reflectors
Solar photovoltaic

Using reflectors to increase the yield of solar panels

...solar collectors. Find more pages about home power generation below and in the Ecohome Green Building Guide pages. How to build your own DIY solar air heater  Choosing between a solar tracker or fixed solar mount All about solar batteries for home power storage 10 questions to ask a solar panel installation con...

Lithium-ion solar home battery
Solar photovoltaic

Lithium-ion solar home batteries

...solar over the last 10 years Now you know about home batteries and power storage. Read more about moving away from fossil fuels and how to reduce your carbon footprint in the following pages and in the Ecohome Green Building Guide. Building a near Zero Energy home on a budget  10 questions to ask a solar panel ...

Dual axis solar tracker
Solar photovoltaic

Choosing between solar trackers and fixed solar panels mounts

...solar tracker mount and fixed solar panels. Find more info pages about solar PV & sustainable building in the Ecohome Green Building Guide and these pages here: DIY guide on how to build your own solar air heater All about solar panels - the different options & how they work Ten questions to ask a solar p...

Tiny House living in cold climates - one of the best tiny homes on wheels
Tiny house

Are tiny houses good in cold climates?

...solar panel heating system. How to insulate and heat a tiny house Energy and performance of Ben Hayward's tiny house R-48+ walls Floors ranging from R-42 to R-120 under the bathroom Triple-pane sliding patio door Photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine will power two hot water tanks for radiant heating and domestic hot...

Flexible 'solar glitter' from Mpower Technologies
Solar photovoltaic

Flexible PV 'solar glitter' panels coming soon

...Solar Roof, find more info pages about Solar PV & sustainable & resilient green building techniques in the Ecohome Green Building Guide and these pages below :  Choosing between a solar trackers and fixed solar panel mount All about solar panels - the choices and how they work Ten questions to ask a solar...

Passively-heated off-grid LEED Gold home
Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

Off-grid living blog part 6 - energy modeling projections and real performance

...solar I just wanted to reiterate one more time the usefulness of both active and passive solar in reducing the need for other, usually fossil fuel, sources of energy. If we were to eliminate the solar gain through the windows and disconnect the solar panels, the model suggests that we would need 24,550 kWh/year of powe...

Off-grid leed home Quebec Canada
Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

Off-grid living blog post 5: appliances, mechanical and other systems

...solar power generation and storage is quickly falling in price, and it is now possible to have a regular supply of electricity at a home for a manageable cost. The second trend is large increases in efficiency of all of the electronics used in our homes. The normal, high-efficiency, often ENERGY STAR approved appliance...

How solar panels work
Solar photovoltaic

All about solar panels - the different options and how they work

...Solar PV & sustainable & resilient green building techniques here :  Choosing between solar trackers & fixed solar panel mounts Are solar panels recyclable? Understanding the process Ten questions to ask a solar panel contractor Tesla solar roof cost, competitors & reviews Find more about sust...

Earthship in Taos, New Mexico, shame they don't work in cold climates
Concept and design

Do Earthships work in cold climates?

...solar panels and wind, propane is typically used for cooking, and in colder climates water heating.   Rainwater is collected, stored in large plastic cisterns and filtered for residential use; waste water is treated on site and used for growing food. The south-facing wall is all windows and acts as a heat collector and...

Solar panels power the Kenogami House in Saguenay, Quebec
Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

The Kenogami House: Energy systems in Net Zero Energy home design

...PV panels can be fed back into the power grid. Thermal solar systems do not lend themselves well to solar trackers (panels that follow the sun to maximize efficiency) which is not uncommon to see with PV solar systems. On average, a photovoltaic system has a much longer service life than a solar thermal system. For a s...

Electricity

Lights, appliances and all things electrical

There are a lot of options to consider when shopping for appliances, designing home lighting, and heating your home. These pages outline some things you can do that will help reduce your consumption, and despite what is sometimes a higher sticker price, usually save you money. Efficient and effective home lighting desi...