Papa B
Archive for April 2008
Book Review - Got Sun? Go Solar
Got Sun? Go Solar by Rex Ewing and Doug Pratt is not an exhaustive work on solar energy but it is an excellent primer on the subject. If you are clueless (like I was) and want to get a handle on the concepts and vocabulary of Renewable Energy, this might be a good place to start.
The authors give a basic overview of electricity and how it applies to solar energy, the distinction between grid-tied and battery-based systems, system sizing and the cost of producing your own energy.
Greedy Green
It’s almost a cliche that when the cost of living goes up the desire of average people to save money goes up. If you are attuned to any media outlet or have to pay utilities, you may have seen a rise of interest in renewable energies. By in large, that’s a good thing and I believe that the marketing guru’s are stating to catch on.
Here’s the problem that I have seen with the “Go Green” people: they focus on saving the planet. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to do that or cares about that. I don’t. However… if you can save me some bucks that I don’t have to dump month after month into my house via electrical bills AND I don’t have to radically change my lifestyle, you’ve sold me. Read on…