Solar Panels

Solar Panels On A Manufactured Home Budget

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Image by clownfish via Flickr Solar Panels On A Manufactured Home Budget Solar panels and manufactured homes are not usually discussed in the same conversation. Solar energy companies cater to the high-end clientele, those who can afford the high upfront cost of solar panel installation. Soon, solar panels and other renewable energy resources will be [...]

Where are the Solar Panels?

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Image by Annika_666 via Flickr Where Are The Solar Panels? Solar energy is a hot topic these days. It should be. As I write this post, it’s still early morning here in South Texas. My neighbor and I are out early tending our gardens and plants before things heat up. Lately, daily temperatures are over [...]

Solar Panels for Apartments

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Solar Panels for Apartments Solar panels placed on individual homes have the potential to make a home its own power generator. Producing more power than your home uses is call net ZEH or Zero Energy Home. Many home owners, myself included, are working toward such a Zero Energy Home. But what about folks who live [...]

How Does Solar Electric Power Work

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Image via Wikipedia How Does Solar Electric Power Work? How does solar electric power work anyway? You like the idea of going solar. But life is busy. Solar electric seems too complicated to implement when there doesn’t seem you have enough time to research the idea. Installing solar panels falls in the category of home [...]

Solar Panel Prices Fall

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Image by muenzer via Flickr Solar Panel Prices Fall USA Today reports some good news in the bad economy. The cost of rooftop solar systems are down 8 to 10 percent since October. Prices on rooftop solar systems are expected to fall another 15 to 20 percent over the course of the year. This is [...]

How to Choose a PV System That is Right for You

Monday, December 1st, 2008

How to Choose a PV System That is Right for You If you’re interested in a PV solar system, you’ll want to consider the following. •    Grid-tie or off grid? If you’re in a remote area, you may need an off-grid system. If power is locally available; however, a grid-tied system will be less expensive. [...]

How Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems Work

Friday, November 28th, 2008

Understanding Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems Photovoltaic–or PV–systems use the light from the sun to make electricity. There are three ways this electrictiy can be incorporated into your home. Your home can be Grid-tied, grid-tied with battery back up, or off-grid. Grid-Tied With a grid-tied solar system, you can use power provided by your solar system [...]

City Tour for Solar

Monday, October 13th, 2008

City Tour for Solar City Tour for Solar was in San Antonio, Texas, this past weekend and the annual LiveGreenFest. Thousands of locals gathered at Olmos Basin Park to be part of San Antonio’s “green scene.” The City Tour for Solar mobile PV solar event allowed visitors to see and touch solar materials and learn [...]

2008 ASES National Solar Tour

Monday, October 6th, 2008

ASES Solar Home Tour in San Antonio The National Solar Tour held this weekend encouraged my resolve to use solar energy for our home. My husband and I toured several homes and businesses in the San Antonio area that incorporate solar energy. Our thanks and appreciation goes to the generous homeowners and businesses that allowed [...]

Reduce Home Energy with Solar PVs and Solar Hot Water

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

One Example of Net ZEH Is it possible to create a net zero energy home by renovating an existing home?  Yes!  This 2,400 square foot house was built in the 1970s.   With a desire to live sustainably, the homeowners decided to set an energy budget of 10 kWh/day for their home. A budget of $100,000 [...]