GETTING STARTED WITH SOLAR ENERGY
Have you ever felt the urge to make solar energy a working part of your life? Lots of people want to do this these days. Are you looking for information and plans for creating your own electricity and heat from the sun? Or how about a solar food dryer that'll let you dry fruits and vegetables to preserve them? This three-course plans-and-videos package is guaranteed to help people just like you.
QUICK DEFINITIONS: A solar generator produces DC and AC electricity without the noise, fumes, and gasoline of a generator. A solar heating system heats your home and domestic hot water using a simple solar collector. A solar food dryer preserves fruits, vegetables and meats without electricity or canning? This course package teaches you how to make all this stuff with your own hands.
Here are just a few of the things you'll learn:
Course#1: Building Your Own Solar Generator
* How to choose, buy and connect reliable, off-the-shelf components to create a portable solar generator that’s better than what you can buy from stores. You'll enjoy your own portable DC and AC power when the grid goes down.
* Five videos, plans, instructions and specific component recommendations.
* How to do basic wire stripping, soldering, connections and fittings installations for building your solar generator (and other electric projects).
* If trouble sets in, you’ll know how to repair your solar generator and keep it running optimally because you built in in the first place.
* You'll be able to build a very high quality unit for less than $1000 – about half of what a comparable ready-made unit costs.
Course#2: Create Your Own Solar Heating System
* You'll learn the best ways to use evacuated tube solar collectors to harvest heat energy for your home in any climate. This system produces 180ºF water even when outdoor temperatures drop below 0ºF.
* Clear, detailed schematic plans that let you custom-build your own system to suit your home.
* How to heat water directly with solar electric power with photovoltaic panels no need for pipes, pumps and valves. Ideal for small houses and buildings.
* How to choose and connect pumps, pipes and components for solar space heating and hot water production.
Course#3: Building a High-Performance Solar Food Dryer
* You'll learn how to construct a solar food dryer that handles large quantities (unlike many ready-made options), and how to manage the temperature and heat levels— even in high humidity climates.
* The basics of food drying, which foods work best, and how to create a reliable system for preserving your food with the sun.
* Detailed, printable plans that show all aspects of construction.
* Five video tutorials that explain how to build your food dryer properly.
* Advice for choosing specific materials for making a high-performance food dryer.
* Instructions for building all four main parts of the solar food dryer: the collector frame, the drying frames, the base frame and the angled support frame.
* Advice on how to operate your solar food dryer.
-----------------
I'm Steve Maxwell, course creator and award-winning how-to building instructor. My articles have appeared regularly in publications like Canadian Contractor, Mother Earth News, Cottage Life, Homes & Cottages magazine and many others since 1988. I'm also a designer and builder myself, and I've been teaching people to succeed in all things practical for 30 years.
There's no big company behind my courses, just me, my camera man, my draftsman and a layout designer. We may be small, but we aim to create the best, most detailed hands-on how-to information in the world. Try the course package for a full 90 days. If you're not completely happy, just let me know. I'll refund your money and you get to keep the course. The whole deal is risk-free for you.
Got questions? Email me at steve@stevemaxwell.ca or call me in my workshop at 705-210-8519.