Homesteader Depot

Tag: solar power

  • 3 DIY Solar Projects for Your Homestead

    3 DIY Solar Projects for Your Homestead

    The sun is an amazing source of energy, and it is entirely renewable and free. Unfortunately, most people think of solar energy as costly and complicated.

    You don’t need to break the bank and spend a fortune on fancy, on-grid solar panels to harness the power of the sun!

    First of all, we use the sun’s energy daily. Our garden thrives on it, our grazing animals live on solar-powered food (grass!), even our chickens harness the sun’s amazing power to produce eggs! Pastured meat, dairy, and eggs are actually one of the best ways to harness the power of the sun, and you probably didn’t even realize you were doing that every time you consume your own or buy grass fed meat, dairy or eggs. Pretty cool, huh?

    Of course, all the pastured animal byproducts in the world won’t necessarily be able to replace fossil fuels around the house (or could they? Hmmm…), so how can you cut the cost of installing and operating solar by setting it up yourself?

    Well, we set out to find some ways for you to DIY your own solar set-ups, and found three awesome video tutorials for easy, cheap solar power systems that you can use to power and heat your home. Check them out:

    DIY Solar Thermal Water Heater 

    This very cool, simple, and totally effective homemade solar water heater from off-grid solar project aficionado and YouTuber Desertsun02 is perfect for low-tech homesteads or camping/survival preparedness. Using some basic carpentry skills, copper tubing, and the mighty power of the sun, you can easily get and sustain nice, hot water for bathing. If you’ve ever had an electric water heater in your home, you’re probably fantasizing about the costs cut by heating bathing water with the sun! Very cool:

    DIY Solar Panel System: Small Affordable Setup 

    This is a very easy and simple solar system for those who don’t want to go full solar, but would like to have a back-up system to save a little money or be prepared for power failures or when SHTF. Homesteader and YouTuber Starry Hilder walks us through purchasing the components for, and setting up, a simple, affordable solar system, demystifying the process and offering reassurance that it really isn’t as complicated, expensive, or difficult as it seems at first. Great intro to DIY solar energy systems.

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    DIY Solar Furnace for Under $50

    This one seems almost too simple and easy to be true. For less than $50, this video shows you how to build and set up your own incredibly easy solar furnace. Can you imagine actually heating your house with solar power? How cool is that? This video has well over a million views on YouTube, so I think this guy is definitely on to something. Check it out:

    We love DIY almost as much as we love solar power, and it is really inspiring and cool to check out some of these impressive and affordable home projects for solar power. Give us a shout if you see some more cheap, easy DIY solar projects and we’ll try to feature them in a future article.

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  • DIY Home Energy Independence

    DIY Home Energy Independence

    One of the biggest draws towards homesteading is trying to achieve energy independence.

    It sure is rough out there today. Electricity costs are soaring and you probably know the feeling of dread that comes over you each time you open up an energy bill.

    Well, it actually is possible to be completely energy-independent, and never pay an electric bill again. I’m not even kidding. This incredible video explains how, and really blew my mind!

    If you’re sick of being beholden to big energy corporations that fleece you monthly, and tired of shivering through winter and sweating through summer just to try to lower your energy bill, only to find it barely makes a dent, you totally have to watch this too. 

    This man has figured out the secret to green, renewable, energy independence, and I highly recommend you hear him out.

    Click here to view the video “DIY Home Energy” now! 

  • Simple Steps to Getting Your Homestead Off-Grid

    Simple Steps to Getting Your Homestead Off-Grid

    Living on an off-grid homestead is no small matter. It might take years of planning, research and hard work. Hopefully if you do own property you’ve already considered how possible it might be to live off-grid, or if you are shopping around, this is what you’re thinking about long term.

    “Off-grid” is a catch-all term that largely refers to being off the municipal and/or county energy grids. Having water on your property, either from catchment, a well, or purchased and transported to your property from another private citizen, generating your own electricity, and relying on energy sources such as gas or propane that you provide yourself.

    Most likely you won’t be able to break off grid entirely right away, so here are some simple steps to planning out what you’ll want to do to get off-grid.

    1. Know your local laws

    Every state and county has different laws governing what land-owners are able to do on their property as far as generating energy, drilling for or collecting water, etc. You are still subject to zoning laws and building codes as well, so do your research so you will be fully informed on what will be legal to do on your land. The last thing you want is to put a bunch of time and energy into something that you’ll get fined for, so make sure you’re in full compliance with the government to keep them out of your hair.

    2. Prioritize

    Figure out what would be simplest and most practical to tackle first for your off-grid aspirations. You might find that setting up a basic catchment system would be cheap and easy for your area, and suit your needs the best, or you might pay a great price for local water and would prefer to set up a simple solar power system. Only you know your specific needs on the homestead so think about the energy source that would be the easiest to sacrifice for a time to set up a new system, because that’s a possibility as well. Some people find they can live without electricity just fine but couldn’t survive without running, pressurized water, others don’t mind scooping and dumping the water for their daily tasks but can’t stand the thought of not being able to switch a light on.

    3. Tackle low-tech changes first

    If there’s anything you can do to reduce your reliance on “the grid” that involves simple, low-tech alternatives, go for that first. For example, a simple wood stove could replace a lot of your need for natural gas, or collecting rainwater if you live in a very wet area might reduce your need for local water if you can water your garden and animals with it. You also might be able to greatly reduce your need for electricity by making sacrifices; use lanterns instead of lights, read instead of watch TV, heat things up on the stove instead of a microwave, use a dutch oven instead of a crock pot, etc, and this might move you into the position of being able to use a simple generator or solar power system.

     

    You might have to change your lifestyle to get off-grid, but after all, that’s what getting off the grid is all about. Sacrificing modern luxury for energy independince might be one of the best choices you’ve ever made!

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  • The Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

    The Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

    As the cost of energy rises, more and more people are looking toward solar power. One of the areas that interest them the most is solar water heating. While it can seem more expensive in the beginning, utilizing a solar water heater has the potential to provide you with a substantial amount of saved money in the long run. In addition, this will help to get you entirely off the grid.

    There are two different types of solar water heaters available – active and passive. The active systems use cells, pumps, and controllers as they move fluid through the system. The passive systems do not have any pump or electrical components. Of course, even within these two different types of water heaters, there are still many different types of choices to make. Do you want a direct or indirect system, for example?

    You can find companies that are able to install these solar water heaters for you, or you can check out some DIY projects and try to do them on your own. If you are handy and you are relatively certain you could create a solar water heater, or solar panels, on your own, then you might want to try this do-it-yourself route.

    You may still want to have a traditional water heater installed as a backup. However, solar energy may very well be the way of the future. It is also a good option for homesteaders because you are truly living off the land when you utilize the sun and cut down your reliance on traditional, expensive energy.

    The subject of solar power is a big one, and there is quite a bit to learn. If you are looking to truly get off the grid though, it might be just the thing for you to look into.

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