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Connecting Wind Turbines to Your Home

Battery Voltage Regulation for PV Systems

Battery Wiring

Wiring batteries in series can up the voltage while a parallel connection can increase the capacity. Battery manufacturers offer a range of voltages and capacity ratings that will meet most requirements. The considerations that are most important in any installation include capacity in amp-hours (Ah), distance from the inverter and voltage. Choosing a battery configuration depends on your required power load and the expected time of operation during blackouts.

DC Wiring for PV Systems

Energy

Wiring of a PV Array

Wiring for PV Systems

Generators & Energy Meters

North American generators come in either 120/240V split phase or strictly 120V output configurations. A 120V renewable energy system with a prewired 120V generator will simplify installation as a 240V generator will with 240V systems.

How to Connect Your PV Inverter

Grid Connected Inverters

Grid Tie Inverters with Battery Backup

How to Understand Generator Ratings

A "genset" refers to a backup generator that uses an internal combustion engine. It comprises a generator and a motor. It can come in various shapes, sizes and fuel-supply choices. Small ultra-portable gensets are unsuitable for home-emergency or battery-charging applications. In general, a light generator like this is too small for any home backup use.

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The 10-Degree Rule For Solar Gain

When you read about solar systems, especially solar thermal and passive systems, you may come across the "10-Degree Rule". The rule states that, wherever possible, a building... Read more »

Solar Gain in Passive Solar Homes

As with all forms of solar power – solar thermal, PV panels, solar chimneys and others – the amount and quality of sunlight to which a home is exposed is extremely important in... Read more »

Using Thermal Mass for Cooling

In most cases, we talk about thermal mass as something that absorbs and stores useful heat from the sun's light, releasing it when your home gets colder to maintain a comfortable... Read more »

The Importance of Insulation

The best advice is often the advice you hear every time you ask a question. In the case of solar energy, the best advice is always "fix everything you can fix before you start... Read more »

Alternative Water Systems

There are two main ways you can improve your home's ecological impact when it comes to water: installing alternative systems for domestic and outside water use, and implementing... Read more »

Software to Analyze Home Energy Performance

Analyzing your passive solar home's energy performance by hand is long-winded, cumbersome, and prone to error. Between ten and twenty years ago, a variety of software tools... Read more »

How a Vapor Barrier Works

No matter how much insulation you install in your home and no matter how good it is, it's completely useless if it gets wet. To avoid moisture creeping into the insulation, you... Read more »

The Importance of Insulation

The best advice is often the advice you hear every time you ask a question. In the case of solar energy, the best advice is always "fix everything you can fix before you start... Read more »

The 10-Degree Rule For Solar Gain

When you read about solar systems, especially solar thermal and passive systems, you may come across the "10-Degree Rule". The rule states that, wherever possible, a building... Read more »

Every 21 Seconds...

According to the latest data, between 800 and 900 million people are without access to good water in the world. Reliable sources like Water.org indicate that;- every 21 seconds, a... Read more »

The Beauty of a Bus Ride

There is so much beauty in using public transportation. It puts you in contexts that you would not have discovered had you taken the usual taxi or driven a car. I have spent the... Read more »

Nissan Leaf; Love it or hate it.

I invite you to participate in my dilemma. My house is off the grid, running on solar. I commute less than 30 miles per day on average. I need an electric car. Everything else... Read more »

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