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Home Construction — Renewable Energy Products & Services

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Sources for use in Home Construction

Ecoliving Center:  Suzy Banks on earth-sheltered homes 

Ecosolar Solarstromanlagen:  Ecobuild is your place for Sustainable Green Architecture & Design.  Take a look around – tell us what you think.

NEW  The Home Insulation Resource Page:  The most cost-effective way of saving money when heating and cooling a home is having adequate insulation. A well insulated home not only makes it more comfortable for the people inside, it reduces annual heating and cooling costs by as much as 20%. Reducing energy consumption also saves on limited energy resources.

Sundance Supply:  Owner Built Polycarbonate Greenhouses, Solariums, Pool Enclosures

Please suggest additional links

Controllers — Renewable Energy Products & Services

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Sources for Controllers

Fire, Wind and Rain Technologies LLC :  4-100kW Inverters and 500W Grid Tied Inverters

Matrix Energy Inc:  Charge Controllers

Plasmatronics:  Electronic regulating and metering devices

Pt. Sundaya Indonesia:  Charge Controllers and other Balance of Systems

Soltek Powersource Ltd:  20-120 amp regulators

Specialty Concepts Inc :  ASC, Mark Controllers. 1-50 Amps

Steca Solar :  3Amps – 140 Amps charge controllers and other components

SunAmp Power :  4-30 Amp Charge Controllers

Trace Engineering :  Charge Controllers

Uhlmann Solarelectronic GmbH:  Charge Controllers

Zeta Controls Ltd.:  Charge Controllers

Please suggest additional links

Heat Exchangers — Renewable Energy Products & Services

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Heat Exchangers

Abwasser- Und Abfalltechnik Gmbh & Co (Aat):  specializes in solar electric system design and installation in NJ, NY, PA, and DE. Located in New Jersey.

Accent Water And Energy Pty Ltd:  Abundant Earth offers a wide variety of environmentally sensitive products and services for people who want to make a difference in the world. Located in Port Townsend, Washington

Acorn Water:   

Acro Solar Lasers Solar Water Heating:  Leading the Australian market in innovation and energy efficiency for water heating.

Air Infiltration And Ventilation Centre (Aivc):  We sell only to Africa, and concentrate primarily on serving renewable energy companies based there. Because of our specific focus, we receive exceptional pricing from the manufacturers we represent, and we understand how to do business in Africa. 

All Solar Power Inc:  AKT is the manufacturer of the  KIX dehydrator a direct fired Dryer applicable in the Recovery of Proteins and Nutrients from Organic Waste streams and the production of valuable animal feed ingredients such as Fish Meal, Meat Meal, Blood Meal and Poultry Meal. Also proven in the drying of several materials as one of the most efficient waste management tools.

Alternate Energy Technologies Llc:  Founded in 1921, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has created a legacy of innovation and achievement in the field of electrical technology. Mitsubishi Electric is a true pioneer in the field of photovoltaics. Mitsubishi Electric has been working on the technology since the 1970s, when they made their first PV systems to provide power to satellites in the hot and cold extremes of space. Located in Los Angeles, California

Geotermia Solar Sl:  Design and installation of Geothermal Heat Pump systems for heating, cooling and air conditioning. Use of renewable energy in houses and commercial buildings, for acclimatization or pool heating, through Ground Source Heat Pumps. Just as easy as any conventional system but more efficient and environmental friendly. Located in Valencia (Spain).

Heat Pump Centre (Hpc):  The International Energy Agency’s HPC is a source for international information on heat pumping technologies, applications and markets.

NEW  My Green Comfort – Geothermal Heat Pump Contractors, Installation, Specialists & Service
Description : Offering ground source heat pump and geothermal heating system installation services, we are an established geothermal heat pump contractor of US.

Shurflo Pump Manufacturingcompany:  All kinds of AC/DC hi/lo voltage pumps

SolSmart Energy Solutions:  Our business focuses on providing solar energy solutions in the built environment, including solar water heating, solar electric power, and solar pool heating. We are a full service company offering design, sales, installation and maintenance of all types of solar energy systems.

Sonideft Solar:  specializes in the consulting, design and sale of Solar Heating products. We also host many online solar design tools.

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DIY (Do it Yourself) Projects — Miscellaneous Projects

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An Easy To Build & Operate Induction Generator – Portable Lightplants & Generators:  Within every home in America there are motors that can be operated as generators. They may not be labeled as generators, but they will function just the same. These motors are often called "squirrel cage motors" and are in washing machines, dryers, water pumps and other devices too numerous to mention….

Biodesign Solar Projects:  Beehive ventilator, fan, and air conditioning units, using solar energy, creating stronger bees, better pollination, and more honey. How it works, frequently asked questions, technical data and ordering information.

Bowman Pmm :  magnetic motor

Build A Generator From A Lawn-Edger Motor:  My stand by battery charger for drag strip / RV use is now a "one wire" Marine alternator of 75 amp rating on a board (a 2 x 8) with a 3 hp horizontal shaft Tecumseh running the pulley.  My first one, since sold, was a 3.5 hp Briggs & Stratton from a vertical shaft mower.  I cut a slot in the front of the mower deck (but in retrospect, if I had to do it over, I would cut it in the back); then I added brackets made from old 1.5" angle iron for the pivot and an old (from the junkyard) slotted alternator bracket for the adjuster.  By re-using the mower deck, I had a place to mount the entire works, on wheels with….

Build a simple rain barrel:  A power station’s dependence on potable water greatly reduced while assured of a reliable, continuous source. 

Do It Yourself Automotive LPG Conversion

Energy Usage Worksheet

Handmade Organic Mosquito Repellent (Homer):  The abandoned ricefields in our valley breed hordes of fierce mosquitoes, and at dusk they attack in force. But it’s hard to tell which is worse, the mosquitoes or the commercial repellents….The alternative is incense coils, which you burn — they fill the air with smoke containing insecticides. And indeed the mosquitoes keep away. We think this is very wise of them — we don’t like the coils any more than they do…..

Hydraulic Ram Page

Iron Horse Water Wheels

Low-Tech Crystal Radio

School Composting 

School Gardens

Silkworms In A Shoebox

The Beach House Fish Pond 

Toiletology 101 Care And Repair

Inverters — Renewable Energy Products & Services

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Sources for Inverters

Acs (Advancedcombustion Systems):  With 20 years in the electrical industry, we bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the exciting new field of Grid-Tied Photovoltaic systems. Owner Bruce Gardiner has been installing PV systems for 11 years, both off-grid and on-grid. In the last two years we have completed more than 30 Grid-Tied PV systems totaling over 80kW of solar power. Located in Berkley, CA

Advanced Alternative Energy Corp (Aaec):  designed and manufactured quality combustion and control systems. ACS INC. is capable of providing sole-source turnkey projects.  It is ACS’ responsibility to understand our customers’ needs before we propose a solution; our reputation depends on it, and our clients count on it. Today, as we carry on the tradition of excellence, ACS is proud of our long history as a supplier of process control and combustion equipment to customers worldwide.

Advancedcombustion Systems (Acs):  provides services to the energy, chemical, built environment, and petrochemical industries. 

Ample Power:  Solar thermal roofing system combining roofing tile technology and solar design. All-weather protection for the building that collects solar energy for space heating and hot water.

Analytic Systems:  DC-DC Voltage Converters, DC-AC Power Inverters, AC-DC Power Supplies, DC & AC Source Battery Chargers, Configurable and Custom Power Solutions

Ballard Power:  Commercial Inverters

Bogart Engineering:  Located in Rapid City, South Dakota

Cherokee Electronics (Wireless Marketing Corporation):  12 Volt DC to 110 Volt AC Power Inverters with Super Surge Technology

Convertitori Statici s.r.l. :  High frequency inverters

Don Rowe Power Inverters :  Low price retailer of solar electric panels, completes systems, and related components such as charge controllers and inverters. Many other items available by special-order.

Exeltech Inverters:  Manufactures true sine wave power inverters for telecom, military, utility, photography, and solar energy.

Fire, Wind and Rain Technologies LLC :  4-100kW Inverters and 500W Grid Tied Inverters

Latronics:  Grid tied, standalone 400W- 3500W inverters

Magnetek:  Aurora product line

Mastervolt Solar BV :  Grid tied Inverters, Stand alone Inverters, String Inverters, AC Module Inverters

Outback Power Systems:  Manufacturer of power centers, inverters, chargers, controls and installation hardware for renewable energy systems.

Power Solutions Australia:  Grid Battery Interactive inverters with and without batteries

PowerPro:  DC/AC Power inverters (100W-500W)

Pulse Energy Systems Inc :  Controllers and pre-wired service boxes with fuses. They took over the old APT products

Pv Powered L L C:  PV Powered is a photovoltaics engineering company designing and manufacturing utility interactive inverters for residential and commercial renewable energy marketplaces.

SatCon Technology Corporation:  30kW to 500kW solar power converter systems

Sci (Specialty Concepts Inc):  Specialty Concepts manufactures the broadest line of electronics for photovoltaic systems in the world

Sma America:  With many different inverter models to choose from, in a variety of output power ranges, you can now create grid interactive power plants as small as 500 Watts up to or larger than 1,000,000 Watts. SMA has also developed new central inverters for the large commercial or industrial solar plants, as well as a battery inverter for the off-grid and backup power markets. Located in Grass Valley, California

SMA Technologie AG :  Grid tied Sunny Boy Inverters

Solapak Ltd (part of Intersolar Ltd):  Inverters/Systems

Solar Converters Inc :  Controllers and other electronic components for AE

Solar Online Australia:  Suppliers of solar and wind power equipment including solar panels, wind turbines, regulators, power inverters, deep cycle batteries and technical information.

Solar Sales Pty Ltd:  Western Australian retailer of renewable energy products including solar panels, regulators, batteries, lighting, power inverters, water pumps, and wind turbines.

Solectria Renewables:  Grid-tied inverters for residential and commercial applications ranging from 1kW upto 1MW systems.

Statpower:  Maker of all sizes of inverters

Submeter Utilities With PC:  Submeter shows you where ELECTRIC POWER goes in your apartment building, office, marina, or RV park! Do you have a "smart house"? A submitter can track all of your branch circuits and report power anomalies. If you need to submitter 12 outlets at a marina, 50 golf carts, or 200 motel rooms, this is the cheapest method you will find anywhere! DO YOU WANT TO ALLOCATE HVAC FUEL COSTS? – Simply use the same 16 little current sensors to pick up the individual T-stat calls. See other clever application notes archived on this site. 

Sun Selector Bobier Electronics  :  Charge controllers and much more

Sustainable Energy Technologies:  High efficiency DC to AC inverters

The I2K Power Inverter – A 2kVA 12VDC to 120VAC inverter for power backup

Vanner Power Group:  is a manufacturer of DC-AC inverters. The web site includes our Solar Select feature, an interactive renewable energy application guide. Located in Hilliard, Ohio

Wholesale Solar:  Solar Panels, inverters, wind generators and more.

Xantrex:  Vast amounts of info from the world’s leader in inverter technology.

Zzzap Power:  Online suppliers of inverters, battery chargers and uninterrupted power supplies (UPS). Specializing in frequency, phase, and DC converters; voltage, surge protection, and alternate energy.

Please suggest additional links

DIY (Do it Yourself) Projects — Solar Powered Projects

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar power
Advantages

  • Solar power is pollution free during use, although the production of the equipment entails some degree of of environmental pollution.
  • Facilities can operate with little maintenance or intervention after initial setup.
  • Solar power is becoming more and more economical as costs associated with production decreases, the technology becomes more effective in energy conversion, and the costs of other energy source alternatives increase.
  • In situations where connection to the electricity grid is difficult or impossible (such as island communities, desolate regions and ocean-going vessels) harvesting solar power is often an economically competitive alternative to energy from traditional sources.
  • When grid connected, solar electric generation can displace the highest cost electricity during times of peak demand (in many climatic regions), can reduce grid loading, and can eliminate the need for local battery power for use in times of darkness and high local demand; such application is encouraged by net metering. Time-of-use net metering can be highly favorable to small photovoltaic systems.
  • Grid connected solar electricity can be used locally thus minimizing transmission/distribution losses (approximately 7.2%).
Disadvantages

Solar power at the Earth’s surface has a number of disadvantages compared to traditional energy sources:

  • Intermittency: It is not available at night and is reduced when there is cloud cover, decreasing the reliability of peak output performance or requiring a means of energy storage.
  • For power grids to stay functional at all times, backup powerplants must be kept ‘hot’, to replace solar power stations as they stop producing. There is an energy cost to keep plants ‘hot’, which includes (in the case of coal plants) the burning of coal. Without fundamental changes in the energy system, little fossil power can therefore be displaced, according to critics.
  • Locations at high latitudes or with frequent cloud cover offer reduced potential for solar power use.
  • It can only realistically be used to power transport vehicles by converted energy into other form of energy suitable for transport, incurring an energy penalty.
  • Solar cell technologies produce DC power which must be converted to the AC power when used in currently existing distribution grids. This again incurs an energy penalty (5-10%) which reduces the real energy output of the solar panels.

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