Green Home Projects

Concerned about using garden pots made from non-renewable resources, but want the convenience of a biodegradable peat-pot? How about this for an alternative: a pot you can make yourself from recycled newspaper!

By  Steven Stiles

Solar thermal space cooling is, one might say, a little known offshoot of the solar energy movement. Most of the present hoopla goes toward photovoltaics, solar thermal electric, or even solar thermal heating. So where does solar space cooling come in? Solar cooling systems are relatively expensive to purchase and install; they are also rather complex.

Known as Thermally Activated Cooling Systems (TACS), there are two types of solar space cooling systems: solar absorption and solar desiccant systems. Because of their high cost and complexity, cooling systems exist primarily in large scale, commercial arenas. Even on such a large scale, solar cooling systems are used to provide just 30% to 60% of a building’s cooling load, according to the Department of Energy. What needs remain are usually provided by systems driven by natural gas.

Solar Absorption Systems

• Absorption systems use heat from the sun to separate a refrigerant fluid (e.g., water vapor) from an absorbent one (e.g., lithium bromide salt). That evaporated refrigerant is then condensed in a chiller to produce cold water. This chilled water is then pumped into coils over which indoor air is blown and cooled.
• There are single-effect and double-effect absorption systems. Double-effect systems use the heat twice in the series and are twice as efficient but require nearly twice as much heat.

Solar Desiccant Systems

• Desiccant systems use solar thermal energy to regenerate desiccants which dry out the air, thus producing a cooling effect of its own. Desiccants are typically solids and sit on a wheel (think of a steamboat’s paddlewheel) that rotates into the stream of air flowing into the home. The desiccants remove the humidity, and subsequently cool that air. As the desiccants then rotate out of the incoming air, thermal energy from the solar collectors re-dries them and the process is repeated.

Solar space cooling is still a very new technology and not yet competitive with its conventional counterparts. For now, its best bet is in conjunction with other systems such as solar hot water or solar space heating systems. At this point of combined effort, the solar system comes close to competitive. Beside high initial costs, solar space cooling systems need a high ration of sunlight and heat to work. This limits the areas where it can be used efficiently, but also makes it useful where it is needed most. These needs will likely drive solar cooling innovations, especially in areas such as Africa, Australia, and the Southwestern United States.

Renewable & Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com
Steven Stiles is a technology writer for CalFinder’s Residential Solar Power website; an excellent resource for information on residential solar energy systems and for finding certified solar contractors nation wide.

by Michael Geoffrey

Taking care of the Earth and reducing both global warming and climate change is everyone’s responsibility. While doing things like recycling is good, there are additional ways in which you can help. By conserving water when gardening, you can both help protect the environment and save yourself some money. You may be surprised to know that conserving water in your garden may actually help you plants to grow healthier.

Conserving Water: How to Do It

The plans you choose to grow in your garden will greatly affect how you conserve water. You will want to choose plants that can handle limited amounts of water. By selecting the right plants, you will be able to greatly reduce the amount of water that you will need to use in your garden. It will also mean less work for you in maintaining your garden. Read the rest of this entry »

by Amelia Yap

Your New Years resolutions should include at least one green features for the coming year. 2009 is the year to go green — It’s never been easier. With more and more people improving their habits, it’s become more appealing than ever to implement an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Green solutions don’t have to mean expensive alternatives. With the popularity of going green on the rise, it’s become cheaper and easier to improve your living habits. For instance, you should try and unplug all the electronics when they aren’t in use. Similarly, try turning off lights you are not using. Try reducing your heater use, and wear extra layers of clothes to keep warm. You should also try and switch from toxic and chemical cleaners to the eco-friendly and home made alternatives to improve the quality of your indoor air. Read the rest of this entry »

by Carm Paynter

“Food Miles”, the distance our food travels between the farm that produced it and our table. Preliminary estimates in some areas suggest that less than 8.5% of our diet is produced on local farms. While fifteen years ago it was almost double. The environmental pressure that our food transportation produces is enormous. Food that has been locally produced and traveled less “food miles” not only is better for the environment but often tastes better too, Food has to be harvested in a much less mature state so it can “ripen” in transit while locally grown food can “ripen” on the plant. Fortunately people are becoming more aware of the source of their food.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa reported in July 2003, that the weighted average source distance (WASD) for locally locally grown produce to reach institutional markets was 56 miles, while the conventional WASD for the produce to reach those same institutional points of sale was 1,494 miles, nearly 27 times further.
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Many kids today are surprisingly eco-conscious. If yours is one of them– or you know one that is– you might want to have a look at some of the eco ‘toys’ available on the market today. These are often fully functional kits which kids can put together to learn how green energy production works. Consider, for instance, these three wind generator kits, ranging in price from $10.75 all the way up to $46.99:

For solar energy, as well, there are kits which kids can put together and experiment with– some for as low as $7.99. Here are a few examples:

And finally, a ‘toy’ that will appeal to many of us no-longer-kids as well: a solar powered car!

Or for a gift that blows away all the nintendo nonsense, there’s this Thames and Kosmos Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit:

Whether you buy a kit or simply fashion a few home grown experiments from instructions readily available for free on the web (such as building this simple solar still, or building your own solar panel), trying out a few green energy solutions with your– or someone else’s– kids is a great way make your holidays, and holiday gift giving greener.

by John Mowatt

Your cottage, farm or even city home can be lighted with electricity generated by the wind. Even if you are far from a power line you need not be without power. Wind power is also one of the green forms of energy generation which does no harm to our environment. It is in fact probably the cleanest form of power generation which can be harnessed at reasonable cost.Solar energy is also very “clean” but solar panels are costly and have low power output.

Commercially made wind power plants are available but are quite costly.The simple solution to this problem is to build your own wind power generator.If you have room on your property you could build several units for the price of one commercial unit.Any excess power which you generate can be sold to your power company in many areas now.
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by Lill Hawkins

Are you overwhelmed by the thought of all the changes you’d have to make to your life to be as green-as-you-wannabe? Join the club and stop beating yourself up. Sure your neighbor, friend, sister in law, favorite Hollywood star is so green they’re growing algae in their pool to make biodiesel. Yes, I know that even Republicans are talking about maybe doing something – somewhere in the future – about climate change and the price of gas. And I’m also painfully aware of how you can be ostracized if you haven’t gone vegan, adopted a square mile of rainforest and saved a whale before breakfast.

But don’t get your 100% organic, no-sweat shop, fair trade knickers in a twist. Relax. You can do this. After all, remember how hard it was to remember zip codes when they first came out? You don’t? Hmm, well, I do. I’m that old. If I, at my advanced age, can change my lifestyle to protect the planet, improve my health and do the right thing, so can you.
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by Sam Deane

As the prices of oil and gas continues to go up and up, the installation of solar panels is giving many families solace and stability. The sun offers an almost infinite source of energy. No wonder so many people are rushing to install solar panels. Indeed, their popularity is increasing so rapidly that manufacturers of solar panels are having difficulty keeping up with demand.

Two Types Of Solar Panels

Predominantly, solar panels come in two types. There are solar energy panels in the form of ’solar thermal collectors’. These focus solar energy into a liquid medium, usually water, heating the liquid that is then utilized as and where it is required. The other of the two types of solar panels is known as the photovoltaic module. These solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity, which can then be distributed immediately or stored within a battery to be used later.

Solar panels have been commonplace for decades. Think of calculators and watches. Many swimming pools have been heated using solar panels for years. These days, the electricity to homes and offices often comes from the cleaner alternative energy source of bigger, better, more efficient solar panels.

The influence of solar panels has spread so wide that even the National Grid take some of their power from solar energy panels.
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by Joseph H. Ben

Although solar technology has been around for years, it has only been recently adopted on a large consumer scale. If you are interested in buying solar panels, you are probably asking yourself ‘How do I know how much energy my panels will yield’?

There are several factors determining the amount of electricity a solar panel unit will generate, some are fixed and some vary, depending on location and time. Fortunately, all factors are predictable, making buying and using solar technologies a safe investment.
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