How much sunlight do you really need?
See why Solar Energy even works during cloudy days.
If you would like to learn more on how to slash your electric bill and start saving money using homemade solar panels, click here to get free information on our favorite solar panel instruction site.
Thankfully, one of the provisions in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 a.k.a. “the Bailout Bill” is the extension and improvement of the Federal Solar Energy Investment Tax Credit, which now offers a full 30% off solar systems put into service after 2009! It’s important to get started as soon as possible to take advantage of this offer, installations are already being scheduled! In addition to the 30% this bill now also offers the following benefits:
Using solar energy can save you money and reduce your direct impact on the environment. Federal, State and Local incentives are available to help you achieve your goal of energy independence and to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Up to $20,000 FL State
• 30% Federal Tax Credit
• Reduce bills 20-90%
• Run meter backwards!*
Power-Save Grid Tied Solar Systems do not use batteries. The panels work by producing DC power during sunlight hours and converting it to AC power through an inverter. The inverter then feeds the load required by the home, before pushing the remaining AC power through a “net meter” out to the grid.
Net meters are provided by your utility company when you install the system. The net meter is a bi-directional electric meter that spins forward as usual when you are using more power in your home than you are producing with your panels (at night, for instance), and spins BACKWARD when you are producing more electricity than you are using in your home. This is how you generate credits with your utility.
It’s been quite some time since I lived in a dorm room, I admit — over 40 years in fact (yikes!) — and at the time, using renewable energy in my room was not really on my cultural radar.
But today is far different. Renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions are talked about all the time; and while you may not be able to install solar panels or sign up for green power at college, you can still make a difference.
You pretty much have two (and a half) options though: Portable solar power chargers for your laptop and electronic gadgets , Rollable Solar Panels and buying carbon offsets.
Solar Power For Your Gadgets
Even though there are some portable wind power generators out there, skip them and concentrate on portable solar power chargers for your electronics.
SolarWindSuperMall has covered a number of these before a number of times and is a good place to start to get a handle on what’s out there: First the portable solar power backpacks , the original Reactor Solar Backpack, the new stylish foldable solar power charger from Coleman or the AA NiMH or NiCD battery solar charger – compact foldable unit. All are worth investigating.
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Buy Carbon Offsets For Your Electricity Use
You’re probably familiar with carbon offsets for your flights, but most of the same people from whom you’d purchase these also sell offsets for your personal electricity use — Sometimes these are for renewable energy projects, other times they are for other carbon sequestering projects. In any case, they’re a good way to reduce the impact of your electricity use.
CarbonFund.org is one service which I reference a lot. They have offsets for your home either by preset amounts or by entering in your exact electric usage.
You’ll have to tweak their system though: Since you’re in a dorm room and never see an electric bill you’re stuck with presets, and the smallest one of those is for an apartment (under 1000 sq ft). You’re dorm room is undoubtedly much smaller than that, so the $50 is probably overkill. Based on their numbers, something like $25 is more like it, so adjust the numbers accordingly for a more appropriate offset.
There are other services out there to choose from, keep in mind, and a quick search will turn them up. Just make sure they’re reputable.
The NE Solar Charger is the perfect solution for extending the battery life of any small electrical device. If you have ever run out of power while listening to your favorite song on your MP3 player or in the middle of an important call on your cell phone, then the NE Solar Charger is the perfect solution. This innovative Solar battery backup and charger can be used as a solar powered battery or a battery backup and it can be charged, free of charger by simply placing it in the sun or it can be charged using any USB equipped computer.
The entire NE Solar Charger kit also comes with 5 different adapters to fit the most popular cell phones. However, if the kit does not have the adapter you need any USB adapter to charge your device you will work just fine with the NE Solar Charger to provide the charge. Male USB and USB Mini 5 Pin adapters are included with the NE Solar Charger, not female USB A (standard USB) adapters.
Features:
Specifications:
The Neutral Existence Sundancer 600 is a powerful all-in-one solar power kit designed especially for RVs and campers. The NE Sundancer 600 can provide over 600 Watts DC per day* using just one 130 Watt Kyocera solar panel. The ProStar 15M charge controller by Morningstar Corporation is sized so that an additional 130 Watt Kyocera solar panel can be easily added to the existing system to provide double the power (1,200 Watts DC per day*).
The kit includes the following:
(1) Kyocera 130 Watt Solar Panel (not suitable for Marine use)
(1) ProStar 15M Charge Controller
(1) Set of flush mount solar panel mounts for roofs
(50’) 10/2 flat wire 50’ roll
(1) Set of Wiring Diagrams
Kyocera solar modules are a reliable, virtually maintenance-free power supply designed to transfigure sunlight into electricity at the highest possible efficiency.
To protect the cells from the most severe environmental conditions, they are encapsulated between a tempered glass cover and an EVA pottant with a PVF back sheet. The entire laminate is installed in an anodized aluminum frame providing structural strength and ease of installation. These systems are ideal for many consumer and commercial applications, such as: charging storage batteries to power remote homes, recreational vehicles, boats and telecommunications systems.
If you would like to learn more on how to slash your electric bill and start saving money using homemade solar panels, click here to get free information on our favorite solar panel instruction site.
The original Reactor Solar Backpack is the first in a line of backpacks with an integrated solar charging solution. Stylish and smart, this backpack combines the traits of a feature rich quality bag with a smart, effective solar charging module. The backpack has multiple pockets for your cell phone, PDA, hand held GPS unit, CD player or MP3 player, and a laptop computer. The MP3 pouch includes an inner mesh pocket and a convenient outlet for your headphones. External side mesh pockets can be used for a water bottle holder or other items for quick access. Included with the pack are large cavities for books or extra clothing when traveling. The back cavity houses a laptop sleeve that can be removed when extra space and lighter weight is needed. The front zippered accessory pouch includes pen holders, cd holders, an elastic lanyard for keys, and a removable clip for USB memory sticks.
The integrated solar charging module can be utilized by using a common 12V automotive charging adapter made specifically for the brand and type of personal electronics you own. Using a cell phone as an example, you can trickle charge the cell phone battery during casual commutes or long hikes with the backpack using your existing cigarette lighter cord (not included). The result is an extension of battery life, and a source for charging when traveling in remote areas where traditional charging sources are not available, or in emergency situations.
The result is the ultimate backpack for your mobile needs.
This solar panel is not designed to charge a laptop computer.
This solar panel is not designed to charge a laptop computer.
See the FAQ for details!
Product Specifications
* Fabric: 1680 Denier Nylon
* Size: 18” x 13” x 8.75”
* Weight: 3.7 pounds without the laptop sleeve; 4.6 with the laptop sleeve
* Capacity: 1850 cubic inches
* Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Product Highlights
* Solar Module providing up to 2.5 Watts of power
* Single 12V charging outlet
* Padded waist belt
* Water bottle pockets
* Mesh ventilated, padded back panel
* Contoured and padded shoulder straps
* Reflective features for nighttime visibility
* Accessory pockets
* Organizer pockets
* Portal exit for headphones
* Fits laptop computers up to 15”
Solar water heaters are one of the BEST applications of solar energy, and are much more common in Israel, Europe and Australia than here in the US and Canada.
Solar water heaters will save you hundreds of dollars in power costs a year, and they work just fine in our climate. In fact, solar hot water tanks have been proven to work as far north as Whitehorse, Yukon!
The only real issue with solar hot water tanks is… (you guessed it) SETUP COST. Just like with solar panels!
For example: let’s say you buy and install a basic retail solar water heater for $5,000, and that it saves you $250 a year in energy costs. With such high setup costs, you wouldn’t make your money back for 20 years!
In my opinion, the smarter way is to BUILD YOUR OWN solar water heater.
I’ve bought the two most popular solar water heater plans available, and they will show you how to build your own solar water heater for a fraction of the cost. Here’s the link to my favorite solar water heater plans:
The one I’m recommending here has a bit of an ugly website, but the plans themselves are brilliant. It shows you how to build 4 different types of solar water heaters, complete with detailed illustrations. If you want to build your own solar water heater, you should definitely check it out:
All of the raw materials are very cheap and can be found for less than $70. The guide is compact with clear illustrations and step-by-step, easy to follow information which gives the best results, giving you incredible value and enabling you to get set up in no time at all.
Solar hot water systems produce clean, non-polluting energy. A single hot water system can offset the equivalent of approximately 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions of a modern passenger car.
By Shannon Colavecchio, Times Staff Writer
Published Monday, September 7, 2009
Nearly every aspect of the home — from the porch made of old plastic bottles to the hydrogen-powered stove — is “green,” making this the most environmentally friendly structure in all of Florida, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.
“We think you could build an energy-efficient house for only about 10 percent over the cost of a common house and see a lot of benefits and long-term savings,” said project manager Justin Kramer, a graduate of the FAMU-FSU engineering college. “We’re using this house to prove it.”
Conservation rules
Solar rooftop panels provide all the electricity and hot water for the 1,064-square-foot house. The stove is fueled by hydrogen stored in a tank that holds 30 days worth of extra power.
Even the toilet would please Mother Earth: It flushes light or heavy, depending on the need.
“We like to call it the ‘application-specific’ flush system,” quipped Kramer, 26, now a research engineer with FSU’s Energy & Sustainability Center.
Kramer conceded that with a price tag of $575,000, the home (financed with donations and grants) is more than most families would ever afford.
But by tricking out one little house with efficient technologies and environmentally friendly devices, Kramer and other FSU researchers are tracking the impact on air quality, humidity, temperature and energy consumption.
Their findings could help families cut back on their energy bills and reduce their footprint on the environment. “The idea is to test these products for consumers so they know the best thing to do for energy savings in their own house,” Kramer said.
The house, for example, has 30 solar panels. That’s enough to completely power the house, and then some. Kramer said families could buy just a few solar panels, at a few hundred bucks apiece, to reduce their electricity costs by 10 percent.
The dual-flush toilet might not be what every family wants or needs, but they can use low-flow faucets like the ones in the FSU house to conserve water.
The home’s most distinct feature is its use of hydrogen for electricity and cooking power. Kramer focused on the system used in the house for his master’s thesis.
By taking excess power collected each day through the solar panels and using that electricity to split water molecules, researchers get hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen gets vented out into the atmosphere, and the hydrogen is stored in a tank under the house. On days with little sunlight, the house operates on hydrogen power instead of solar.
That hydrogen also fires up the stove, a gas Viking model that was retrofitted specifically for the FSU project.
Kramer and other researchers from the energy center worked with FSU mechanical engineers, local architects and engineers, and sustainable product companies from throughout the Southeast to make the house happen.
It’s the kind of research collaboration state officials have been encouraging universities to do.
“Universities can really push the envelope in researching these technologies,” said Jeremy Susac, director of Florida’s Energy Office. “And it will give future Floridians a much more sustainable society.”
The house is an earth-friendly Big Brother, notes Kramer.
Sensors carefully monitor the temperature, humidity and air quality in each room and are hooked up to a detailed and up-to-the-minute database. Fever graphs illustrate as people come and go. During the few minutes that an air-conditioning contractor arrived, the database logs a rise in humidity. He had left the front door open.
“We wanted to track all the important data in the house,” Kramer said. “So we went as Big Brother as we could without actually putting cameras in here.”
No detail spared
Even the architecture of the home, and the materials used to build it, is aimed at conserving energy and preventing waste.
The 22-foot ceilings allow heat to rise, and windows near the ceiling let out the hot air.
Interior and exterior “light shelves” intersecting the windows let in plenty of indirect light while keeping out the intense heat of the sun out.
The cedar wood trim and doorways are refashioned from a demolished campus building, and the wooden truss that holds the living room ceiling fan came from an old barn in Bainbridge, Ga.
The walls are made of a sort of ice cream sandwich of Styrofoam surrounded by wood, which helps moderate temperatures inside the house.
“It’s basically like a giant igloo cooler,” Kramer said.
Someday, Kramer hopes, Floridians will be living in their own hydrogen-fueled, solar-powered coolers.
Shannon Colavecchio can be reached at scolavecchio@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263. Times/Herald Staff Writer Marc Caputo contributed to this report.
Green at FSU
$575,000 Cost of the house, paid for through grants and cash and in-kind donations.
1,064 Square feet of living space.
30 Days’ worth of electricity stored in hydrogen tanks under the house.
30 Rooftop solar panels used to generate electricity.
3 Rooftop solar thermal panels used to heat the house’s water.
300 Gallons of water, stored under the house, that the panels heat.
2 Flush options on the “dual-flush” toilet, which conserves water when possible with a “half-flush” vs. “full-flush.”
22 Height, in feet, of the ceilings. Built high for better air movement and cooling.
26 Age of the recent FSU graduate who designed the home, for his master’s thesis.
Source: Florida State University
© 2009 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
By Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In Print: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
TALLAHASSEE — The Public Service Commission lobbyist who partied at the home of a power company executive resigned Tuesday and two more commission aides were placed on administrative leave as the controversy surrounding the state’s utility regulators continued to churn.
The internal turmoil surrounding the agency also prompted Commissioner Nancy Argenziano to call for a grand jury investigation into legislative and utility company influence on the PSC. And Sen. Mike Fasano — saying a “disaster is in the making” — called for a state Senate investigation into the PSC that would force the staff and commissioners to answer questions under oath.
The PSC is grappling with growing questions about its closeness to the utilities it regulates, even as two of the state’s largest — Progress Energy and Florida Power & Light — seek rate increases of about 30 percent beginning next year.
In the last two weeks:
• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating the PSC for potential ethics violations.
• The Times/Herald revealed that an FPL executive had asked for and received private BlackBerry messaging codes for one commissioner and two staff members, a communication method that avoids a paper trail.
• FPL executives defied a PSC order to reveal how much the company pays its top executives.
• And, FPL chief Armando Olivera told the PSC that his company wanted to use part of its rate increase to buy a $31 million executive jet.
On Tuesday, Ryder Rudd, the PSC’s director of strategic analysis who admitted attending a Kentucky Derby party at the Palm Beach Gardens home of FPL vice president Ed Tancer, submitted his resignation. After he told two commissioners and the Times/Herald that he had attended the party, the PSC removed him from any FPL issues and ordered the agency’s inspector general to investigate.
Inspector General Steven Stolting found that Rudd used ”poor judgment” and may have violated PSC rules by attending the party. But Rudd said he paid Tancer $50 in cash a day after the party for food and drink he had consumed but kept no receipt, so Stolting concluded there was no way to determine if rules were violated. Rudd had been at the PSC since 2007 and was paid $92,000.
Also Tuesday, Commissioner Lisa Edgar and commission Chairman Matthew Carter put their two top staff advisers on administrative leave, “pending further review,” in the wake of a Times/Herald report that the staffers had given FPL the personal identification numbers, or PINs, to their BlackBerrys.
PINs made it possible for the utility to communicate with the regulatory agency without using the state e-mail system. The PSC keeps no record of instant messages sent via PIN, making it difficult to track what was written.
According to documents obtained by the Times/Herald, Edgar’s aide, Roberta Bass — who earns $84,724 a year — supplied the PIN for Edgar’s BlackBerry to FPL attorney Natalie Smith as well as the PIN for her own BlackBerry. Carter aide William Garner, who makes $88,924, gave Smith his own PIN.
Another aide — Larry Harris, who works for Argenziano — left the commissioner’s staff Saturday after telling his boss he had provided Smith with his own PIN. Harris is now seeking reassignment within the PSC.
Under state law, a commissioner who discusses a pending rate case with utility officials, known as “ex parte communications,” could face a $5,000 fine and removal from office. The law specifically excludes PSC staffers from the ban, however.
First Amendment Foundation attorney Barbara Petersen said she was “stunned” the staff didn’t raise any concerns about ex parte communication when they were asked to provide their PINs to FPL.
But, she said, “The bigger question is, ‘Is it legal?’ Because, if they are discussing public business through the use of PINs, then the use of PINs should be banned.”
Argenziano said she hopes her call for the statewide prosecutor to convene a grand jury would mean “the entire utility regulatory scheme” would be reviewed.
The former state legislator, appointed to the PSC in 2007 by Gov. Charlie Crist, thinks the biggest obstacle to PSC independence is the Legislature. It appoints the council that nominates commissioners, and lawmakers receive millions in campaign contributions from utility companies each election year.
Two seats — those held by Matthew Carter and Katrina McMurrian — are open. Crist could reappoint the commissioners or choose new ones.
Argenziano said legislators attempt to intimidate commissioners. She cited comments made last week by Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a Miami Republican, when he voted against Carter’s reappointment. He disagreed with Carter’s decision to require FPL to disclose its executive salaries and accused Carter of showing a lack of leadership.
Lopez-Cantera’s comments “support my opinion that the PSC cannot act independently,” she said. “The representative made it clear he was dissatisfied, not with the qualifications of the commissioner, but with the independent decision he made in a case.”
Crist said Tuesday that he was “monitoring the situation” at the PSC and supports Argenziano’s call for an investigation. “It’s incredibly important to me that the commission be independent and look out for the interest of the public — after all, they are called the Public Service Commission,” he said.
Fasano, who last week called for the PSC to remove Rudd, has urged the governor to refrain from making appointments to fill the two PSC seats until the commission has completed its review of FPL’s and Progress Energy’s rate requests.
On Tuesday, the New Port Richey Republican urged Senate President Jeff Atwater to convene a Senate ethics committee so lawmakers can question PSC staff and commission members under oath. He noted the panel responsible for making billion-dollar decisions is “obviously skewed toward the utilities.”
The hearings on FPL’s $1.3 billion rate increase request lasted two weeks; a final day is scheduled for Sept. 16. The PSC began hearings Tuesday into FPL’s and Progress Energy’s requests to bill customers for the cost of building nuclear power plants. FPL wants to add 67 cents a month to the bill of a typical customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours and Progress Energy proposes adding $2.38 for every 1,000 kilowatt hours.
Miami Herald staff writer Cammy Clark contributed to this report. Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com.
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