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Don’t settle for anything less than U.S. Battery products! 1675 Sampson Ave. Corona, CA 91719 (800) 695-0945 / 653 Industrial Park Dr., Evans, GA 30809 (800) 522-0945 HP102 contents 14 sustainable lifestyle John Ivanko & Lisa Kivirist Sustainability is the measure of success for the Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast, which uses sun and wind for electricity and solar thermal energy too. 26 solar cheese Brad Albert The historic Vella Cheese factory in Sonoma, California, embraces solar electricity, and cashes in on substantial incentives. 34 straw bale construction Jeff Ruppert The lowdown on load-bearing vs. post-and-beam constuction of straw bale stuctures. Check out the pros and cons of each. 42 wind basics Hugh Piggott The straight scoop on deriving realistic energy expectations for a wind energy system. 46 RE education Paolo Savelli Solar and wind workshops benefit aspiring techies and system owners alike at a general store in Washington’s San Juan Islands. 8 home power 102 / august & september 2004 Regulars On the Cover 10 From Us to You The Anderson family in front of Michael Welch the PV array and wind generator that sell clean electricity to the It’s easy to get involved grid at their general store on with RE education. Guemes Island, Washington. 82 REview Photo by joshroot.com Ian Woofenden African Wind Power 3.6 wind generator. 92 What the Heck? 54 small solar Chuck Marken Low-iron tempered glass. Penny Loeb A small horse barn across the property from the utility grid was the 106 Book Review perfect place for solar-electric lights and fans. Rachael Ware & Laurie Stone The New Strawbale 58 community PV Home. Laurie Stone 108 Code Corner TV with PV? In Cuba, solar electrification of community centers in John Wiles remote areas supports education with, yes, televisions. PV grounding. 112 Independent 62 lessons learned Power Providers Elliot Burch & friends Don Loweburg Redefining the grid. Troubleshooting battery problems in off-grid PV systems in Belize reveals a list of typical system design and maintenance lessons. 114 Power Politics Michael Welch PV shortage! 70 load analysis Scott Russell 118 Word Power Ian Woofenden The first step in designing a renewable energy system is to evaluate Conservation defined. your needs—how to calculate your energy appetite. 120 Home & Heart Kathleen 76 ecological footprint Jarschke-Schultze Tony Pereira What’s so different? Measuringing absurdity: our demand vs. our supply. 134 Ozonal Notes Richard Perez Technology as social 88 heating & cooling change. Steve Baer An experimental system uses solar thermal collectors to provide 80 Subscription Form wintertime warmth, or radiate heat at night for summertime cooling. 116 Writing for HP 124 Letters 94 MPPT project 130 RE Happenings Tim Nolan The basics of maximum power point tracking. 136 Q&A 138 Readers’ Marketplace 100 hybrid vehicle Allen Patterson 140 Installers Directory The nitty gritty details of the most progressive production car ever built. 144 Advertisers Index www.homepower.com 9 from us to you HP staff Publisher Richard Perez Publisher & Business Manager Karen Perez CEO & Technical Editor Joe Schwartz Advertising Manager Connie Said Marketing Director Scott Russell Customer Service & Circulation Shannon Ryan Nat Lieske Managing Editor Linda Pinkham Senior Editor Ian Woofenden Submissions Editor Michael Welch Art Director Benjamin Root Graphic Designer Eric Grisen Chief Information Officer Rick Germany Solar Thermal Editor Chuck Marken Education... Solar Thermal Technical Reviewers Ken Olson Flowing with the Sun Smitty Schmitt Green Building One bright and sunny day in May, I spent the morning at a local elementary Editors Rachel Ware Laurie Stone school’s annual Exploration Day. Lots of community organizations were there, Johnny Weiss showing off music, art, animals—a wide variety of interesting things. Even the Transportation local dairy princess was there with a newborn calf. Editors Shari Prange Mike Brown But one of the most popular exhibits was my solar pump-in-a-bucket demon- Regular Columnists Kathleen stration. It’s a really simple and wonderful conversation starter for children and Jarschke-Schultze adults alike. Kids walk in front of the solar-electric panel and are immediately Don Loweburg shown the results of blocking the sun as the water flow slows down or stops. Richard Perez Michael Welch Other kids walk by and say, “What’s that?” It only takes a few key words from John Wiles Ian Woofenden me—”solar,” “electricity,” “pump,” “shadow”—to pique their curiosity. I can explain that sunlight hits the PV, makes electricity, and powers the pump. But there’s nothing like seeing it firsthand, in action. You can watch the kids “get it” HP access immediately. Line a few kids up in front of the panel to stop the water flow. Then Home Power, Inc. have them back up and watch the water splash out again. PO Box 520, Ashland, OR 97520 USA You can do this in your own community. All you need is a PV panel, a DC- 800-707-6585 or 541-512-0201 Fax: 541-512-0343 powered sump or pond pump, a bucket of water, and a public event. The future [email protected] of our world went home from school that day, with the understanding that solar [email protected] energy works. Subscriptions, Back Issues, —Michael Welch, for the Home Power crew & Other Products: Shannon and Nat [email protected] Advertising: Connie Said Think About It [email protected] Marketing & Resale: Scott Russell “The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, [email protected] can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.” Editorial Submissions: Michael Welch —Galileo Galilei [email protected] www.homepower.com Legal: Home Power (ISSN 1050-2416) is published bi-monthly for $22.50 per year at PO Box 520, Ashland, OR 97520. International surface subscription for US$30. Periodicals postage paid at Ashland, OR, and at additional Copyright ©2004 Home Power, Inc. All rights mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address corrections to Home Power, PO Box 520, Ashland, OR 97520. reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or Paper and Ink Data: Cover paper is Aero Gloss, a 100#, 10% recycled (postconsumer-waste), elemental chlorine- otherwise reproduced without written permission. free paper, manufactured by Sappi Fine Paper. Interior paper is Connection Gloss, a 50#, 80% postconsumer-waste, While Home Power magazine strives for clarity and elemental chlorine-free paper, manufactured by Madison International, an environmentally responsible mill based accuracy, we assume no responsibility or liability in Alsip, IL. Printed using low VOC vegetable-based inks. Printed by St. Croix Press, Inc., New Richmond, WI. for the use of this information. 10 home power 102 / august & september 2004 The shock to owners of most grid-tied PV systems comes when the power goes out. Many homeowners are shocked The Smart Power™ M5 from Beacon For complete information to discover that when the grid Power delivers what you expect from on the UL-listed, California- goes down, their grid-tied PV your PV system: and New York-approved Smart Power M5, contact system goes right down with it.