May 2, 2012

EPA $1m to Colleges for off-grid research

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million in grants to 15 university and college teams for innovative off-grid solutions.

Projects include a new process that uses spinach to capture and convert the sun’s energy to electricity and a partnership with a local landfill to design a process that uses waste heat and drainage to grow algae for biodiesel production. If one of the teams below is in your area they might be able to use your off-grid home or community as a test bed for ongoing research. Contact via the college or the EPA web site:

The projects were selected from more than 300 college innovators showcasing sustainable projects, almost all designed to facilitate off-grid living and use natural resources more efficiently. Following an initial peer review process, the EPA selected 45 teams for two days of judging by a panel of national experts convened to provide recommendations to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Here is a complete list of the best projects:…

May 2, 2012 1 Comment

Solar Leasing

With meters running backwards, utilities seek a niche…

May 2, 2012 No Comments

Land

Nine tips for land purchase and self-building

________________So you’ve decided to buy some land and build an off-grid home. Good luck.

If you are in the United States, chances are strong you will succeed. In the UK and Canada you will be beset by bureaucracy and even if you triumph over the system, there are plenty other traps for the unwary. Here is a checklist of simple ways to stay on top and out of trouble.

Time is money
Unless you are going for a second home, building your off-grid place is no quick route to home ownership and it takes an average of about two years from finding a plot to moving in, so make sure you factor in the cost of renting or paying the mortgage on your existing home over this period. Half of this time is likely to be spent securing the relevant permissions and finding contractors.

Beware of false economies…

May 2, 2012 8 Comments

Urban

Future high-end homes

Los Angeles, the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California Institute of Technology are running a poster child for a new generation of smart homes. CHIP, which stands for Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype, is a prefab, solar-powered home designed to challenge every architecture and engineering preconception about the net-zero-energy home.

The home’s energy functions are connected to a central, Internet-capable automation system that allows lights, air conditioning, home entertainment and irrigation systems to be turned on and off remotely.

Cape Town, the home building industry is similarly exploring innovative ways to go greener and smarter.

Architect Matthew Beatty says green building principles are not being driven by environmental concerns alone. Rapidly rising operating and utility costs, electricity and water usage in particular, will force us to turn to energy-efficient buildings.…

May 2, 2012 No Comments

Solar Power intro

Are you thinking of switching from conventional energy to solar power? A rooftop solar PV power plant is not only a money-saver, it can also generate cash by supplying excess power to neighbours or the local power company.
In No Name Key, the Florida community where money-grubbing locals recently stumped up $650,000 to bring Utility power onshore, the economics of solar power has been transformed. The existing solar homes will now be able to wring a hefty income from the Keys Utility company which has laid the cables into the island paid for by those who want to push up property prices.…

May 2, 2012 No Comments

All you need to go off-grid

EPA $1m to Colleges for off-grid research

Solar Leasing

Nine tips for land purchase and self-building

Future high-end homes

Solar Power intro

OFF-GRID.NET

PUBLICATIONS

CODE OF CONDUCT

REGISTER AND MANAGE ACCOUNT

ORDERING

PRIVACY POLICY

LINKS DIRECTORY

LANGUAGES

ADVERTISERS

POWER MANAGEMENT

POWER MANAGEMENT LANGUAGES

WORK FOR US

Sign-up to our newsletter

May 2, 2012

OFF-GRID.NET

For films about individuals and technologies for living off the grid

PUBLICATIONS

REGISTER AND MANAGE ACCOUNT

ORDERING

LANGUAGES

ADVERTISERS

POWER MANAGEMENT LANGUAGES

WORK FOR US

Sign-up to our newsletter