Solar Panel made from soda cans

[whalesong]

With the cost of energy going sky high, everyone is looking for way to reduce their bill. I found this article and thought everyone could benefit from reading it and possible built their own.
If you live where you need heat, save your cans and make a solar panel to help heat your home. Step by step instructions.. check it out. This is the first time, I remember having snow on Mauna Kea in April.


http://solar.freeonplate.com/solar_panel_DIY.htm

[PaulW]

But that's for heating the home! Not much call for that in Puna, especially when the sun is shining.

[Greg]

Yes! This is very timely advice, as I can't seem to find the furnace in my house!

[]

[ericlp]

It's called passive solar. It's good for heating hot water about 30% of your bill. Tho, they don't really use soda cans for it because, well, soda cans are better at heating air than water. Your better off just exposing copper tubes to the SUN then aluminum cans.

Tho, I hear you can build a passive solar AC unit but it's more complicated. And you can even store this heat. For night time use again a bit more complicated. You'd be better off using passive solar to heat water then run it for radiant floor heating.

But real winner is, passive solar is easy to do ... High efficiency unlike PV solar Passive is 60-70% of the sun's energy vs. 15%. Plus no batteries or inverters to muck around with AND virtually maintenance free = no brainer. But this is nothing new and have been around before electricity was even invented.

[TrevorKane]

Ever watch The Mosquito Coast?

You can do some really neat things with ammonia, the movie illustrates the downside too...

[David M]

Here's you companion solar lights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8BGxYYK4ac&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Looks like we could be well on our way to meet the prez new energy goals.

David

Ninole Resident

[Kelena]

If we are able so subsitute beer cans, I think I can assist.