Codes and Restrictions

I thought that I would pass on a friendly reminder about local codes and ordnances.
Please before starting any project with either solar energy or wind power check with the building department of your city, township, or county (borough, parish depending on what part of the country you live in) for any ordnances and building codes. Once you decide on a project go and get all of the necessary permits.
Also if you happen to be part of a homeowners association also be sure to check with them about any covenants that you are bound by.
You might be surprised at how accommodating the ordnances and covenants might be. But on the opposite end they could be very restrictive......... Downright prohibitive, especially if you happen to live in a historic district.

Solar, Wind, and more.

I find it interesting that there is so much we can do with solar energy, but we do not hear too much about it.

I remember when I was in elementary school or was it junior high school back in the late 1960's or early 1970's reading a book about building such things as, solar ovens, solar water heaters, and a solar furnace. But I have not seen too much information on these items as of late.

A solar oven is used for cooking your food. Which is an insulated box with a glass door on the front surrounded by reflectors to funnel the suns energy into the oven.

A solar water heater is a panel or box, that you can build that has copper tubing inside, and this box is insulated to retain the heat. It has a glass window on the face or top of it. Also this box is painted black inside to absorb the energy of the sun.
When water is pumped through this solar collector it will heat the water. If you have a large enough panel or a series of these solar collectors connected together then you can have hot water in your home. This hot water can be used to heat your home, instead of using a boiler powered by fossil fuels. Or to take a hot shower, there again instead of using a hot water heater that is powered by either electric or fossil fuels.

You can also build a solar panel that you can blow air through to heat your home.

I have read articles that a solar furnace, if built large enough, can melt metal.

And lastly solar energy can generate electricity. If you have enough solar panels you can generate enough power to either sell electricity back to your electric company, go off of the power grid for your home or generate electricity for that cabin in the woods.

If I were to consider going off of the power grid, I would use both solar and wind power. Solar and wind power can complement each other. By using solar, you can generate electricity, heat water, and even cook your food during the day. Wind power can generate electricity anytime there is wind.
And there is another use of the wind which has been used for many years on farms. The wind is spinning a pump for a well to irrigate the fields with water.