Solar electric panels or photovoltaic cells have been under development since the photovoltaic effect was first discovered by French physicist A.E. Becquerel in 1839.
Solar power systems, long thought to be the domain of the so-called ‘green movement’ have become commonplace in so many settings and applications as to be almost invisible to anyone not paying attention.
Photovoltaic panels are manufactured in a large range of physical sizes and electrical outputs.
Mounting these panels can be challenging.
Northumberland England, in 1878, was the site of the first micro hydroelectric generator that powered a single electric light bulb.
Alternating current powers the modern world and is the energy source our home appliances and conveniences are designed to use.
Hydrogen has been touted as the saviour of the world’s modern way of life.
Even so, there are some major shortcomings to this source of energy.
Science and technology, once the domain of an elite few, currently is available to everyone in the educated world.
In the planning of a rural off grid home, or any energy efficient home, controlling electrical consumption should be a major design consideration.
For millennia, the wind has been harnessed for work.
Geothermal is defined as: relating to or produced by the heat in the interior of Earth.
Ice storms, high winds and lightning all threaten the electrical grid and its continuous operation.
The hydrogen home technology has started to show up in a number of places in North America.
When you think of living off grid, most people have visions of living in a recreational vehicle with 12-volt lights, propane fridges and a generator running every night.
You have installed a wind turbine and a solar array on a tracker for your new off-grid home.
What is the process for putting a grid-tied solar array in your home and is it worth it?
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts a source of fuel into an electric current.
Imagine: it is a beautiful blue-sky day; the wind is blow steady at 18 km/h, the wind turbine spinning effortlessly, the solar panels are tracking the sun as it treks across the horizon.
Watering stock in rural areas present some challenges.
When we think hydroelectric, we usually envisage a large reservoir, dammed by artificial means, driving large megawatt turbines, spinning endlessly in order to light our civilization.
Over the past few months, we have looked at a number of different types of alternate energy equipment, from solar panels for producing electricity to towers that hold wind turbines in the sky.