Renewable energy

We were told about the PowerPod compact home wind turbine appearing on a Kickstarter campaign, but having seen a fair few home wind turbines in the past that failed to deliver on their promises, Ecohome decided to investigate. Countless inventors are stepping up to the plate with the latest and greatest green…

BIPV太阳能屋顶瓦将以更好的耐用性、价格和美观取代特斯拉太阳能屋顶的安装——这里我们来看看太阳能屋顶市场的竞争对手。Rooftop solar-power production is fairly commonplace now, and you always know exactly which roof…

Finding a long-term roofing solution hasn't been the norm in the US & Canada, but the times they are a changing. Sustainable homes are gaining in popularity and the Tesla solar roof tiles are starting to make sense. The Telsa solar roof tiles are in the news again. They now have solar panel shingle installations…

The flat plate solar thermal collector from Viessmann has a modulating collector to prevent overheating. Solar thermal panels in cold climates are at risk of freezing in winter, so in the North, we use a glycol mix as a heat transfer fluid. This prevents panels from freezing but introduces new problems in the…

Choosing the right solar thermal water heater system. What is a solar thermal collector? A photovoltaic (PV) solar collector converts solar radiation into electricity, but a solar thermal collector is much simpler than that. It refers to a device that collects heat directly from solar radiation. That can be as…

A study showed that reflectors on solar panels can increase their performance by up to 30%. The continuing drop in cost for home solar power generation has led to a dramatic increase in the rate of installations, for both residential and commercial use. Increasing the yield through reflection could make that an even…

How to choose and properly size a solar home battery system. Home battery systems have recently improved in two substantial ways, and the first big improvement is in the batteries themselves. Lithium-ion batteries on the market today are much more robust and functional than the lead-acid batteries we have relied on…

What to consider when choosing between a fixed-angle solar mount or one that tracks the sun all day. When considering home solar power you will first want to: Update your appliances and get your demand down as low as possible. Convert any appliances that you are intending to convert (such as installing heat pumps…

Not only are they more durable, they are also pliable, lightweight and easily transportable. Standard solar panels are rigid, relatively heavy and fragile. A new product on the market called Microsystems Enabled Photovoltaics (MEPV) from mPower Technology may change that. The cells in these pliable sheets are made…

Passive solar air heaters are easy to make for competent DIY'ers from downspouts, pop-cans or roofing sheet or there are affordable heaters for sale online & both offer a quick payback - discover more here. How solar air heaters work: Solar air heater diagram © Ecohome The above diagram indicates the basic concept…

On display at Igloofest in Montreal, the Celsius solar igloo is an artistic demonstration of solar heating. A solar igloo at first sounds counterintuitive, but contrast is at the heart of this design concept created by the L. McComber architectural team for Montreal's Igloofest. The solar igloo known as 'Celsius'…