Off The Grid

Betrand Piccard, president and pilot of Solar Impulse and his partner Andre Borschberg are busy running computerized simulations of possible situations and circumstances they might encounter on their first around-the- world solar flight. In addition to the similated journeys, the duo are also testing a slightly smaller version of the plane to hope to send on it’s first world voyage sometime in 2012 or 2013. Piccard revealed their plans for the solar aircraft at a meeting of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi this week.  He said the project has been underway for seven years thus far and they hope to test the plane at heights of 27,000 feet  and night flights in the coming year. If successful at this height and flying at night, the next challenge will be to build a larger version of the plane that will be able to carry a passenger, a parachute, a life raft, water, food and oxigen for a total payload of 350 pounds.  This will require a plane with a 210 foot wing span.  With a weight of 1.6 tons it will be about equivelent of compact car in weight but near the length and width of a passenger jet, thus more resembling a bicycle in structure. In order to make a around the world trip without sleep, Piccard plans on using self-hypnosis to simulate a sleep-like state during the flight.  He is not new to self-hypnosis and is well known as an advocate in the field.  Neither will this be if first circumvention of the earth, Piccard was the first person to circle the Earth in a baloon in 1999. Authors note: Which came first?… Betrand or the Captain?

Technorati Tags: aroundtheworld, solarflight, solarpower

By Susan L Young

So I am not an electrical engineer, I am a retired GISP (Geographic Information Systems Professional) and that in no way makes me an expert on the subject of solar power units, renewable energy resources or magnetic generators that produce five times the power they require to run. I have however personally received a PG&E bill for over $700 (for a household of five for one month) and that in itself was motivation enough to start me asking questions and looking for alternative energy options.

A quick Google search provided over 32 million references to the term “solar power”… a little overwhelming to say the least. So where do you begin if you know nothing about a subject and want to become, if not an authority, at least an educated consumer? Some might advise you to stay clear of the the internet and Google but I am not one of those purists. I LOVE the internet and Google.

There was a time when I loved the library and would spend hours flipping through indexes and making notes, but not anymore. This may have been the result of country budget reductions which caused shorter library hours and or my loss of student privileges when I finally received my bachelor’s degree but whatever the cause, I now find the internet a much handier resource.

Of course caution must be taken when looking for information on the internet to assure that you are getting credible data and not marketing hype but that was always true with print media because things weren’t always TRUE just because they were printed in a book.

So who do we believe?

There are some tried and true publications out there like Consumer’s Report that are dedicated to bringing the straight scoop to their readers. Another source I favor, has been publishing since 1987. It is a magazine called HomePower. It is available in print or online for a reasonable subscription cost. As with most publications, you will find advertising but you will also find excellent guidelines for getting stared with renewable energy, an extensive glossary of terms and articles about the latest developments in the field.

HP is available in print or electronic format. A subscription entitles owner to download a pdf copy of each month’s issue but online access includes a search feature that give the reader access to previously published articles. Since HP has been published monthly since 1987 that’s a lot of knowledge at your fingertips. If you can’t find answers to your questions in the regular publication, HP also offers links to articles on specific topics such as green building, cash benefits of using renewable energy, and the latest energy fairs. These “REsources” are updated regularly from current articles in HP.

Join me in my pursuit of green energy and lower energy bills at DIYEnergy-Net.

Susan Young is a retired GIS Professional who is spending her golden years learning to blog and design web sites for her friends and family members. Susan also publishes DIYEnergy-Net.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Where-to-Go-to-Be-In-the-Know-About-Renewable-Energy&id=2724798

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Technorati Tags: alternative, energy, renewable, solar, solar power

Coleman 72002 CL-600 9-Watt 15-Volt Solar Panel Battery Charger / Maintainer

There is no excuse for being in the dark anymore.  With all the resources available anyone with a computer or cell phone can read up on a product before they buy.  If you have ever wanted to know what other users think about a product all you need to do is type the word “review” and the make and model of the product you are curious about into the search box of Google, Bing or Yahoo and you will get hundreds or even thousands of real product reviews.

• I recently entered the words Reviews: Coleman Solar Charger CL-600 and here are some of the comments I found:
• It seems to be very well-made; the pre-drilled corners for mounting to surfaces was a good idea.
• This product kept my popup camper battery’s average charge around 12V for the duration of a 4 day trip.
• I especially liked the two ways to use this solar battery charger; either with the supplied alligator clips or the 12v socket.
• …wonderful product so far easy to use.
• Instructions were simple enough and easy to read.
• I just got this panel. Put it out in the Georgia sun, and its putting out over 22 volts. As with everything I get from Amazon, it came on time and in perfect condition. So far I’m very happy.
• The unit is more or less what I expected and appears to be working well for my application as a trickle charger for my deep-cycle marine battery operating an ornamental iorn entry gate.

Even some negative comments come up… one writer indicated the bracket kit he bought to mount it were not long enough for his purpose but he was able to fabricate an extension and the charger worked fine.  Another reviewer caution users to disconnect charger when sun goes down as Coleman advises leaving it connected when not charging may discharge your battery.

Note:  Comments are quoted from both Amazon and Walmart buyers.

Technorati Tags: Coleman Solar Charger, solar chager, solar power

What would I need to power a small fan, some LED lights, ect in my home, without spending hundreds or thousands of dollers? How would I set it up? I think I would need a Solar Panel, a AC/DC converter or some kind, and a Battery?

Any Help! Thanks!

Look up solar solar power supplies, battery charger and solar charger on the Internet.Lots of good information there.

You will need to know how much current you will be drawing, the number of hours you will be using power, the rating of the power supply and the insolation ( this is spelled correctly) from insolation tables on the Internet.

Sir Charls Shults shows us how he can make 6 kw Solar Systems for a fraction of today’s PV solar panel costs. Power your home & Electric Car for $6,000 instead of over $50,000 for PV systems!

Duration : 0:2:45

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Technorati Tags: Car, Eco, Electric, Power, solar, Sustainability

See this solar panel system with lights. Inexpensive, easy to install, reduce your power bill. Cheap Solar Power. Cheap Home System. See my part 2 video.

Duration : 0:2:18

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Technorati Tags: alternative, battery, cheap, diy, easy, energy, free, global, green, Grid, home, how, london1817, Off, panel, panels, Power, simple, solar, sustainable, system, to, warming

Although they haven’t been stolen YET, I expect my solar power lights to get stolen sooner or later. I was wondering if you know a good way to prevent them from getting stolen (other than moving them somewhere else or not putting them out at all)?. Oh, and i would not like to make a cement foundation for them or buy different ones -lol. Any help will be greatly appreciated
oh, and please make the answers reasonable, don’t be crazy.

Drill a hole through the base of each one, just below ground level, and string a plastic-jacketed steel cable through them all; then bury the cable in a shallow trench between the lights.