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Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook: Your Complete Guide to Living beyond the Grid with Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living PDF

482 Pages·2014·15.32 MB·English
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US/Can $39.95 RENEWABLE ENERGY / SUSTAINABLE LIVING …the best single source I’ve ever found on the technologies, philosophies, and the lifestyle changes we must embrace in TH order for our species to survive and thrive into the future. 14 EDITION The Essential Guide to Energy Independence – WOODY HARRELSON, environmentalist, actor Fully Revised and Updated …an owner’s manual for regenerating our earth, skies and water… a masterwork on re-inhabitation…the best manual you could possibly want. PAUL HAWKEN, Project Drawdown, and author, Blessed Unrest …I have always recommended the Solar Living Sourcebook as the #1 source, indeed the Bible, for all things solar and sustainable. Bravo to the 14th edition, it’s the best one yet! ED BEGLEY Jr., actor, environmental activist If you’re interested in understanding alternative energy sources and sustainable lifestyles, Real Goods offers the most comprehensive, enlightening & entertaining resource in the world…an indispensable resource on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in helping save our habitat. BRYAN WELCH, publisher, Mother Earth News, and author, Beautiful and Abundant This masterful compendium pulls it all together and gives everyone what we need to get off the grid and democratize clean energy. KENNY AUSUBEL, CEO and founder, Bioneers REGULARLY UPDATED SINCE 1982, John Schaeffer’s Real Goods Solar Living REVISED Sourcebook is the defnitive guide to renewable energy, sustainable living, alternative transportation, natural and green building, homesteading, energy conservation and off- (14th ed)& UPDATED grid living. This completely revised 14th edition, written by experts with decades of hands-on experience, contains expanded information on permaculture, biodynamics, the Transition Movement, urban homesteading and emergency preparedness—plus maps, wiring diagrams, formulae, charts, electrical code specs/regulations/requirements, solar sizing worksheets and much more. Whether you’re a layperson or a professional; novice or longtime afcionado, the Sourcebook puts the latest research and information at your fngertips; everything you need to know to make sustainable living a reality. With over 600,000 copies in print worldwide, it is the most comprehensive resource available for anyone interested in lessening his/her environmental footprint and increasing energy independence. This book is our blueprint for both the present and John is a sustainability and solar industry pioneer… future, if our species is to survive into the 22nd century. his visionary actions and ideas [are] good news for our THOM HARTMANN, NY Times bestselling author environment, economy and national security. and talk show host NAT KREAMER, chairman, Solar Energy Industries Association, White House Champion of Change, and CEO, Clean Power Finance Here in one book is everything you need… a treasure trove you’ll fnd yourself returning to time and again. Buy this book. It can change your life for the better. RICHARD HEINBERG, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, And the world, too. and author, The End of Growth DENIS HAYES, President, Bullitt Foundation Your Complete Guide to JOHN SCHAEFFER is the founder of Real Goods—the foremost global To help bring you the very best source for tools and information inspiration and information Living beyond the Grid on renewable energy, energy about greener, more sustainable effciency and sustainable living. lifestyles, Mother Earth News is with Renewable Energy Since 1978, through Real Goods, recommending select New Society he has pioneered solar technology Publishers books to its readers. in North America, providing over This book is one of them. SCHAEFFER Technologies and 150 MW of solar power and helping to solarize over 18,000 homes. Sustainable Living JOHN SCHAEFFER www.newsociety.com FOREWORD BY BILL MCKIBBEN What the experts are saying about the Solar Living SOURCEBOOK 14th EDITION • REVISED & UPDATED Te Solar Living Sourcebook is a breath of fresh air for everyone interested in being part of the evolutionary revolution. John’s book is the best single source I’ve ever found on the technologies, philosophies, and the lifestyle changes we must embrace in order for our species to survive and thrive into the future. Time is of the essence for all of us to start walking the talk and this book is the guide for taking those frst steps —Woody Harrelson, environmentalist, actor Sourcebook is perfectly named, though it could easily be called the masterwork on re-i nhabitation, an owner’s manual for regenerating our earth, skies and water. Succinctly and clearly, Sourcebook delineates the pathways, tools, and knowledge we need to achieve the title of denizens, human be- ings who live in accordance with the laws of physics, botany, and biology, people who truly want to master the art of living as contrasted to a life of taking. Te best manual you could possibly want. —Paul Hawken, Project Drawdown, author Blessed Unrest Sunlight is the source of all life, and if we don’t harvest and manage it intelligently, life (for us humans) will become irrelevant. John Schaefer’s masterful and elegantly updated opus, the Solar Living Sourcebook, is the most comprehensive guide published for the practical management of sunlight. Tis book is our blueprint for both the present and future, if our species is to survive into the 22nd century. —Tom Hartmann, NY Times Bestselling author and talk show host John Schaefer has been a pathfnder in spreading distributed solar energy and self-reliant life ways since the earliest days. In this astutely practical sourcebook, he provides an indispensable feld manual at exactly the tipping point when these tools are fnally becoming the norm. Tis masterful compendium pulls it all together and gives everyone what we need to get of the grid and democratize clean energy. —Kenny Ausubel, CEO and Founder, Bioneers I’ve been an early advocate for solar and renewable energy for over 40 years always doing my best to convert Hollywood to a lower carbon footprint. Trough most of those 40 years I have always recommended the Solar Living Sourcebook as the #1 source, indeed the Bible, for all things solar and sustainable. Bravo to the 14th edition, it’s the best one yet! —Ed Begley Jr., Actor/Actor Environment Activist If you’re interested in understanding alternative energy sources and sustainable lifestyles, Real Goods ofers the most comprehensive, enlightening and entertaining resource in the world in its Solar Living Sourcebook. Building on many years of accumulated knowledge, Real Goods founder John Schaefer has updated the Sourcebook in its freshest and most useful form ever. It’s an in- dispensible resource on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in helping save our habitat. —Bryan Welch, Publisher, Mother Earth News, author of Beautiful and Abundant: Building the World We Want Te Solar Living Sourcebook is the must-have resource for consumers seeking the path to a sus- tainable lifestyle. Tis well organized and powerful book is still, afer 30 years, one of the most useful resources on my bookshelf. —Rhone Resch, President & CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association Smart people who pay close attention to what’s happening in the world around them fall into two groups: those who turn to whiskey and those who buy the Solar Living Sourcebook. Both have their merits. But if you have to choose, buy this book. It can change your life for the better. And the world, too. —Denis Hayes, President, Bullitt Foundation  John is a sustainability and solar industry pioneer, who sold the frst residential solar system and published Te Solar Living Sourcebook more than three decades ago. His visionary actions and ideas then have now become a big, mainstream business — solar is the fastest growing industry in the U.S. and residential solar the fastest growing sector within it. Tat is good news for our envi- ronment, economy, and national security. Tirty years from now his recommendations for more sustainable living should improve our lives in the same ways. —Nat Kreamer, Chairman of the Solar Energy Industries Association, White House Champion of Change, and CEO of Clean Power Finance  Here in one book is everything you need — the information and the technology — to build a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and your family. It’s a treasure trove you’ll fnd yourself returning to time and again. —Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, Author, Te End of Growth Better than a bible! Tis book ranges from philosophy and history of why we need to go solar as a civilization to being a very hands-on and practical guide on how to do it, with great graphics and personal stories to boot. It will be looked back at as the key text of the greatest economic change the world will experience this century, creating jobs and clean energy for a prosperous and sus- tainable global community. —Danny Kennedy, CoFounder, Sungevity and SfunCube, and author, Roofop Revolution For a green economy and a just, sustainable world, it’s crucial to go solar. And what’s the best way to do that? Turn to the Solar Living Sourcebook!! —Alisa Gravitz, President, Green America Tis amazing book is just swimming in knowledge — and you can dive in again and again to get your daily fx of sustainable ideas. John is the solar sage and an inspiration to so many of us in the sustainability business. —Birchy, co-founder and CEO, Sungevity John Schaefer’s Solar Living Sourcebook is the authoritative guide to the solar home in the 21st century. REAL GOODS has been lighting the way to sustainability for nearly four decades. Read this book, install solar, eliminate your electric bill and declare independence from the grid forever! —David W. Orr, author, Hope is an Imperative. First there was the Whole Earth Catalog, and then there was the Real Goods Solar Living Source- book, and now. . . there is still the Solar Living Sourcebook. Now in its 14th edition, the Sourcebook continues to be jam-packed with exciting ideas and innovative products to make the good life a practical reality. Always a classic, but now even better. —Stephen Morris, Publisher Green Living Journal and founder of Te Public Press Te Solar Living Sourcebook, long a trusted source of accurately described energy-efcient products, has evolved into this remarkably comprehensive textbook for an education in Sustainability. You’ll not only see what’s available, but how to think about your choices as you learn the why and how to develop a lifestyle with minimal environmental footprint. Bucky Fuller wrote, “Philosophy, to be efective, must be mechanically applied.” Here’s the philosophy and most everything else you need to do so. —Jay Baldwin, Senior Adjunct Professor of Industrial Design and Sustainability, California College of the Arts (CCA) San Francisco For all those dedicated to sane, reverent common sense — and to those not yet, here is a comprehen- sive, rousing guide to a renaissance of reverent ingenuity. Critique holds up a necessary mirror to our world — “look — ack!”, with a wave of the hand we change the mirror into a window — “look how beautiful it could be!” then with another wave of the hand — the window becomes a door — “let’s go and here’s how!” John Schaefer’s Solar Living Sourcebook does all three. Let’s spiral this forth to libraries, schools, neighborhoods, elected ofcials — at this time of dire beauty. —Caroline W. Casey, “weaver of context” for Te Visionary Activist Show radio show, founder of Coyote Network News, a mythological news service for the Trickster Redeemer within us all. At a time when the Earth and its inhabitants are facing unprecedented challenges, John Schaefer’s 14th Edition Solar Living Sourcebook ofers an excellent comprehensive roadmap to sustainability. Reminiscent of Te Whole Earth Catalog, which helped lead a generation to Earth friendly alter- natives to conventional practices, Te Solar Living Sourcebook is much more valuable and speaks to our vexing 21st Century issues. Te complex problems we face can only be solved with a full menu of synergistic solutions. Tis book goes far and deep in laying the foundation for sustainable living. Globally we all live in the same neighborhood. By demonstrating what works, what is afordable, and what is sustainable, we can show, by example, and lead the way to a greener and brighter future for all of humankind. A greener future is ours alone to make. Tis book is an essential step in leading the way. Future generations are depending upon us now to make ecologically smart decisions and this book is an essential frst step. —Paul Stamets, D.Sc., Fungi Perfecti, and author, Mycelium Running Te solar photovoltaic cell — a unique California success story — was only 24 years old when John and his team at the Solar Living Institute frst published this veritable bible of sustainable living. Today, hundreds of thousands of Californians have followed in John’s footsteps, installing two nuclear power plants worth of solar power on roofops from Humboldt to San Diego. Other states and countries now give California a run for its money in this race to the top where everyone wins. Whether you’re an of-grid, hay-bale house, zero-carbon-footprint enthusiast or someone who’s just interested in saving a little money with a home solar electric or hot water system, this is the resource book for you. —Bernadette Del Chiaro, Executive Director, California Solar Energy Industries Association Te Solar Living Sourcebook continues to be the bible for practical uses of commercially- available solar, energy efciency and other clean energy options. Now that more people than ever before are turning towards solar energy options, to me, this is the frst resource to start with. —Scott Sklar, President Te Stella Group, Ltd. and Adjunct Professor, Te George Washington University Phenomenal. Once again, John and team have outdone themselves with this edition. Te Solar Living Sourcebook has been, and always will be, the defnitive guide for all things solar, of grid, and natural living and with the usual soulful philosophy thrown in for good measure. For earth! Congratulations and thank you! —Howard Wenger, 30-year solar pioneer John Schaefer has been shining a light on the way forward for a long time — and his newest edition does not disappoint. If you think it’s high time we started living as if we plan to be on this planet for a while, you’ll fnd the Solar Living Sourcebook an essential reference. —Adam Browning, Executive Director, Vote Solar John has been working for decades to make solar accessible to everyone, and the Updated Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook is another important contribution. —Billy Parish, Founder & President, Mosaic Te 14th Sourcebook is written proof . . . the spell is broken! We can’t continue to fght Mother Nature, and happily, our personal choices can make a greener world! Tis comprehensive ency- clopedic guidebook inspires us all how-to move forward to the solar age. —Johnny Weiss, Principal, Solar Consulting LLC, Co-Founder, Solar Energy International (SEI) A rainbow of post-its fies out of the pages of our Ninth Edition Solar Living Sourcebook, which is a go-to guide here at our ecological architecture practice. We look forward to similarly fagging and referencing this new 14th edition, which is without doubt a far more up-to-date and complete version. You’d better get your own copy because we loan out some of the books at our ofce, but never this one! —David Arkin AIA, LEED AP, Arkin Tilt Architects Tis book was an inspiration to me in college and with solar scaling faster than cellphones today this latest edition is showing that we are the verge of the largest wealth creation opportunity of our generation — Climate Wealth. —Jigar Shah, founder of Sun Edison Since it frst appeared in 1978, the Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook has been one of the essential go-to volumes for anyone interested in solar energy and green alternatives of all kinds. Tis latest edition is even better than its predecessors, which is no small feat, and belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who recognizes that today’s fossil-fueled lifestyles are past their pull date and is ready to embrace the challenges of the future. —John Michael Greer, author of Green Wizardry and Afer Progress John Schaefer, the founder of Real Goods and an early pioneer in promoting resilient living strategies for self-reliant communities has given us in this Sourcebook the most comprehensive overview of how we can move forward in today’s uncertain world of climate chaos towards a more ecological life style in tune with ourselves the living world. —Sim Van der Ryn, Professor Emeritus UC Berkeley, Architecture & Ecological Design, and author, Ecological Design and Design for an Empathic World Te 14th edition of the Solar Living Sourcebook is a great resource for those that care about the health of natural systems. Both inspiring and practical, it ofers resources and knowledge on how to live lighter on the land. Are you ready for the solar revolution ? —John W. Roulac, Founder & CEO Nutiva, author, Backyard Composting and Hemp Horizons Cataloging in Publication Data: A catalog record for this publication is available from the National Library of Canada. Text, drawings, and photographs, unless otherwise noted, are copyright © 2015 by John Schaefer All rights reserved. Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Printed in Canada. First printing October 2014. Te Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook is the fourteenth edition of the book originally published as the Alternative Energy Sourcebook, with over 600,000 copies in print, distributed in forty-four English-speaking countries. Te logo and name Real Goods™ are the trademark of Real Goods Solar Inc. New Society Publishers acknowledges the fnancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities. Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-784-8 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-55092-579-1 Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Te Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please contact: Real Goods Solar Living Center 13771 So. Highway 101 Hopland, CA 95449 USA www.realgoods.com Toll-free (North America): 1-800-919-2400 OR: New Society Publishers P.O. Box 189 Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0 Canada www.newsociety.com Toll-free (North America): 1-800-567-6772 Real Goods has checked all of the systems described in this book to the best of its ability; however, we can take no responsibility whatsoever regarding the suitability of systems chosen or installed by the reader. Due to the variability of local conditions, materials, skills, site, and so forth, New Society Publishers, John Schaefer, and Real Goods assume no responsibility for personal injury, property damage, or loss from actions inspired by information in this book. Always consult the manufacturer, applicable building codes, and the National Electrical Code™ before installing or operating home energy systems. For systems that will be connected to the utility grid, always check with your local utility frst. When in doubt, ask for advice; recommendations in this book are no substitute for the directives of equipment manufacturers or federal, state, and local regulatory agencies. New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. Tis book is one step toward ending global deforestation and climate change. It is printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certifed acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC- certifed stock. Additionally, New Society purchases carbon ofsets based on an annual audit, operating with a carbon-neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi A MESSAGE FROM THE RGS ENERGY CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii FOREWORD: by Bill McKibben . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv INTRODUCTION: by John Schaeffer, Real Goods Founder . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1 RELOCALIZATION: A Strategic Response to Peak Oil and Climate Change. . . 9 Ecological Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Overshoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Peak Oil and Implications for a Transportation-Dependent Economy . . . . . . . . 13 Climate Change and the Need to Eliminate Fossil Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Relocalization: A Strategic Response to Overshoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Approaching Social Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Pioneering Solar Down on the Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Chapter 2 LAND AND SHELTER: Designing and Building Your Green Dream Home . . . 21 Te Impacts of Modern Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Passive Survivability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Strategies for a Responsive Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Renovations and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Building a New Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Passive Solar Design: A Primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Building Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Te Healthy Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Your Home, Your Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Words of Wisdom from Real Goods Stafers and Colleagues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Spirit of the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Chapter 3 SUNSHINE TO ELECTRICITY: Creating Renewable Energy with Solar, Wind, and Hydroelectric Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 What Are Photovoltaic Cells? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Sixty Years of Photovoltaics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 System Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 PV Racking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Wind and Hydro Power Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Hydroelectricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Wind Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 S O L A R L I V I N G S O U R C E B O O K vii Wind Energy and Wind Turbines — What You Need To Consider to Make a Decision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Hydrogen Fuel Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Chapter 4 FROM PANEL TO PLUG: How to Get Your Renewable Energy Source Powering Your Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 A Renewable Energy System Primer: Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Of-grid and Battery Backup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 System Sizing Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Grid-tied Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Converting Sunshine into Electricity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 What’s the Payback?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Safety and Fusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Charge Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Large Storage Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Real Goods’ Battery Troubleshooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Common Battery Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Real Goods’ Battery Care Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Frequently Asked Questions About Rechargeable Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Inverters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Potential Problems with Modifed Sine Wave Inverter Use — and How to Correct Tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Potential Problems with ALL Inverters — a nd How to Correct Tem . . . . . . . . . 168 Inverter Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Wire, Adapters, and Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Wire Sizing Chart/Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 RGS Energy Solar Project Case Study: Ironhouse Sanitary District . . . . . . . . . . 173 RGS Energy Solar Project Case Study: Little Quittacas Solar Farm . . . . . . . . . . 174 Chapter 5 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND SOLAR MOBILITY: Be Empowered When the Grid Goes Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Want Some Protection, or at Least a Little Backup? How About Total Freedom? . . 175 Steps to a Practical Emergency Power System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 What Do You Really Need in an Emergency?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Chapter 6 ENERGY CONSERVATION: Superefcient Lighting, Heating, and Cooling Are the First Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Living Well but Inexpensively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 It All Starts with Good Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Retroftting: Making the Best of What You’ve Got . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Conserving Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 House Heating and Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Home Cooling Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Energy-efcient Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Superefcient Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Lighting Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Light Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 viii R E A L G O O D S Chapter 7 WATER DEVELOPMENT: Reckoning with Our Most Precious and Endangered Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Te Tree Components of Every Water System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Solar-Powered Pumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Real Goods’ Homestead Plumbing Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Friction Loss Charts for Water Pumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Chapter 8 WATER HEATING: Te Most Cost-efective Solar Alternative . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Common Water Heater Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Solar Water Heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Types of Solar Water Heating Systems: Operation and Installation . . . . . . . . . . 257 Chapter 9 WATER AND AIR PURIFICATION: Clean Water and Air Are Human Rights! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Te Need for Water Purifcation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Methods of Water Filtration and Purifcation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Air Purifcation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Chapter 10 COMPOSTING TOILETS AND GREYWATER SYSTEMS: Novel, Safe, and Clean Solutions to an Age-old Human Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Reclaiming Valuable Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 What Is a Composting Toilet? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Greywater Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Chapter 11 REGENERATIVE HOMESTEADING AND FARMING: Growing Your Own Organically Using the Permaculture Principles While Living the Good Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Permaculture: A Holistic Design System for Your Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Biodynamic® Agriculture: Food and the Cosmos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Biodynamic Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Chapter 12 URBAN HOMESTEADING: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living . . . . . . . 305 Urban Permaculture Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Gardening in the Urban Habitat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Animals on the Urban Homestead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Remaking Our Relationship to Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Te Heirloom Kitchen Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Natural Building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Powering Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Greywater and Rainwater Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 Personal Ecology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 S O L A R L I V I N G S O U R C E B O O K ix

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