Portable solar has come a long way from the horribly inefficient and ill-designed devices of just a few short years ago, which were all too often more of a gimmick than a reliable and effective source of energy for daily use. With the increase in solar cell efficiencies, improved manufacturing …
Read More »Fisher project product list
Off-Grid Solar Cabin for $2000
When disaster struck LaMar Anderson he didn’t lie down and take it. His life-affirming, revolutionary response was to design and build what must be one of the cheapest and most liveable solar-powered cabins in the world. In true off-grid spirit, LaMar didn’t keep his secret to himself. If you’d like …
Read More »Build the Fisher Solar Generator
Looking for a nice Solar Generator construction project for the Christmas holidays? You’ll find everything you need right here. Jim Fisher has designed a highly professional Solar Generator. His excellent videos show clearly how the unit is constructed. His detailed wiring diagram makes component connection as easy as pie. It …
Read More »Opening up Sustainable Conversations with Strangers
You’d think having a bunch of people you’ve never met before in your living room would be a disconcerting occurrence. But the reality is, that when you’re with like-minded people, even strangers become friends very quickly. Emma Sutcliffe describes her experiences opening her sustainable house to the public. Last weekend …
Read More »Five things active monitoring will tell you about your solar PV panels
Solar monitoring has moved into a new era. Gone are the days when monitoring consisted of a simple hourly graph showing how much energy your solar system is generating, leaving you to work out what the information meant. With the surge in solar system installations over the past five years, there …
Read More »Ten Things We Wish We’d Known Before We Went Off Grid
Dan Price Lives for only $5000 per year in his special way
Dan Price is a very unique guy. Dan knows what he wants and how to edit his life on his special homestead. He’s built a very unique life for himself in several tiny underground structures on the side of a hill in Oregon. His life is not for everyone but I …
Read More »Google’s “Project Sunroof”
We’re in the golden age of solar power, when the technology costs have dropped to the point where it is equal or below those of other sources of energy–a situation known as grid parity. In the U.S., there are also a range of federal and state incentives to sweeten the deal. However, figuring …
Read More »Living off-grid
Emma Sutcliffe shares her experience: We’re an average family doing everyday things. The only difference between your morning and ours is that you’re probably pulling your power from the grid. It’s a beautiful thing, this grouping of parts and components that, when connected as a whole, creates a perfectly serviceable …
Read More »