Rating Home-made/DIY Renewable Energy Solutions

Posted by Ken • August 25th, 2009 • Printer-friendly

This is the first in a three part series looking at renewable energy products for the home.

Solar home

In just the past six to twelve months the number of home made/do-it-yourself (DIY) renewable energy solutions has increased dramatically. And a growing number of innovative, low-cost renewable energy solutions are available online at Amazon.com, as well as retail stores across the country. But how well do they work?

Do a web search for ‘do it yourself solar’ and you will get a full compliment of hosted and non-hosted responses. Books to Power Your Home with Solar, DIY kits complete with solar panels and mounting systems, Solar Powered Outdoor Spotlights, online guides, Renewable Energy Education Kits for your kids, and more – it seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the movement towards energy independence in America. Some of these products are quite useful and will help you reduce your electric bill, while others are not so useful at all. And like most new things the best source of reliable information is users; people who have bought, installed and are using home-based renewable energy systems.

So rather than ranking each one ourselves, BBB is asking its readers to share solutions that you have actually used, and give a report of how well – or not – they worked. Did you buy a home solar kit that has worked flawlessly for three years now? Did you buy a book hoping to learn more and feel ripped off? Share your Comments with other BBB readers, and help us promote a nation of Energy Locavores – people who generate at least a portion of the energy they use right on their own home (or office).

In the next installment, we will explore the impact of distributed renewable energy generation on the national energy industry and some of the ways that local utilities are promoting it.

In the final installment of this series we will rate/review renewable energy products for the home. Somple, low-cost solutions that reduce your electricity demand.

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Tagged as: green, green home, green living, green movement, home restoration, small wind, solar

9 Responses »

tip
August 25, 2009 • 2:32 pm

Very exceptional pieces of information. Very nice webpage though. I applaud
Matt
August 31, 2009 • 5:04 pm

Check out this guide for a free report on how to save enregy and create your own solar panels, plus an book for sale that gives a solid intorduction to making solar panels at home.
steve the plumber
September 1, 2009 • 2:46 am

This has been a very infotmative post, solar panels are the way forward, and all new builds should have this when built.

Also a worthwhile upgrade when doing a refurbishment of a existing central heating system.
Building Materials & Supplies
September 1, 2009 • 2:52 am

Great, im glad i found this.

I have a builder who is installing this kind of system to all new builds, and there is a benefit in the long run.

Also we will be reducing our carbon foot print by using this greener source of energy.
Susan
September 12, 2009 • 1:47 am

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Susan

http://carusbcharger.com
indianasolar
September 15, 2009 • 10:46 pm

Two major problems with making solar panels yourself. (Along with may minor ones too.)

If you plan on staying connected to the grid, your power company is not going to let you hookup your non-UL listed panel to their grid.

Second, your homeowners insurance is not going to cover your house is something happens to it because your homemade panels. (Again, UL listing)

FWIW, it is usually cheaper just to buy B stock panels. They have the same power guarantee and everything as a normal panel but cost half as much.
Building Materials & Supplies
September 29, 2009 • 2:37 am

Rating Home-made/DIY Renewable Energy Solutions

Thanks for sharing
Building Materials & Supplies
September 29, 2009 • 3:00 am

Rating Home-made/DIY Renewable Energy Solutions

Great source of information
DIY Green energy
February 9, 2010 • 4:07 am

Great Post! thanks for sharing this info. We need to reduce costs for renewable energy. There are many people who are interested in using renewable energy sources, but just do not have the means to invest in a comercial energy system. I’m trying to make people aware, that there are other alternatives, like Do it yourself solar panels and wind turbines. It requires a bit of work, but this way you can install green energy generators for a a fraction of the price a comercial installation would cost. Almost anyone can build a wind turbine or solar panel themselves, if you follow some good instructions. This way everyone can do something for our environment and save money at the same time. Its a win win situation. Keep on blogging. Like your posts a lot. Bye. Chris.