See you there!

Hi folks, as promised in my Wind Turbine Review last month, I have finally found the time to sit down and write a review on the Solar Panel blueprints from Earth 4 Energy. After building the Wind Turbine and finding the experience to be much easier than I had originally thought, I was really excited about taking on the Solar Panel Project. Not to mention the Wind Turbine is saving me so much on energy bills I couldn’t wait to go out and start finding the materials for the Solar Panel project so I could cut my energy bill even further!

One of the great things about the Solar Panel project is it can be done very cheaply provided you know where to find the materials. The Earth 4 Energy book has a number of great tips on how to save money on materials and in some cases get materials for free! That being said, getting inexpensive or even free materials takes a bit longer and requires a lot more searching in places like your local solar supply company, construction sign supplier or even ebay. The savings from taking this approach are well worth the time and effort. Overall my costs were roughly $190 to create a functioning solar power system, which in my opinion is an amazing price if you consider it typically costs 10 to 15 times that much to buy manufactured solar panels and have them professionally installed.

CAN A SOLAR PANEL REALLY BE ASSEMBLED FOR LESS THAN $200?

It's important to point out that Earth 4 Energy provides plans for both a Basic Portable Solar Power Generator and a Grid Inter-tied Solar Power System. I chose to build the portable system because I plan on taking it up to the cottage during the summer months. The portable system is a little less complicated to build than the grid-tied system as there is not untility to tie in to. All you need is a charge controller, a deep cycle battery and an inverter and you are all set. This system is powerful enough to run a laptop and most other household electronics. The Earth 4 Energy book recommends using it to power you refrigerator as this is where you will see the most significant reduction to your energy bill.

The solar power system took me roughly two days to build, which I think is pretty good. Building a solar power system involved a little more in the way of actual construction compared to building the wind turbine. You have to cut and prime the materials for the panel, then solder the wiring in place and then attach them to the panel before you can actually start the installation process. Each step is pretty straightforward but requires time in between. To give the panel a professional look I painted the frame with three coats of weather resistant paint to ensure it doesn't break down due to the elements. The end result is a great looking solar panel that will last for many, many years.

Once I completed the first panel I tested it by attaching it to a stand in my backyard and oriented it so it would recieve the maximum amount of direct sunlight. I then wired the panel to the charge controller then attached the controller to the battery and the batter to the inverter and the system was ready to go. To test the system I plugged my television into the inverter and it worked just like it was hooked into my home's electrical system. My single panel system is generating about 140 watts of power, which is about what I was hoping for out of a single panel with 100 solar cells in it.

After confirming the system worked I built six more panels that I have installed on my roof. The steps for installing a multi panel system are pretty much the same as a single panel system, so the only real work involved was building the panels. Having gotten the hang of the steps involved by building the first panel I was able to speed up the process by building three panels at a time. This system is working great and outputting about 780 watts of power, which is plenty to run many of my household appliances and electronics.

GRID-TIED VERSUS BASIC PORTABLE SYSTEM

I have chosen to stick with the basic, portable system rather than going with the grid-tied system as I plan on moving the system to other locations at different times of the year. The grid-tied system does have one advantage over the portable system, that being if you generate more power than you consume you can sell the extra power back to your local energy company (consult your local utility company for more information). The drawback in the grid-tied system is it ties into your home's existing electricical system, so in order to install you will have to hire a qualified electrician to do the work. This will require an extra expense over the basic system

MY CONCLUSION OF THE EARTH 4 ENERGY SOLAR PANEL BLUEPRINTS

I certainly hope Michael does not increase the price, but including video instructions to his Earth 4 Energy blueprints is quite a steal. This clearly has pushed Earth 4 Energy into a league of it's own when it comes to DIY solar and wind blueprints as no other blueprint on the market provides this level of detail. Those procrastinators should jump on this soon before any price adjustments are made.

One other note about those weary about purchasing over the internet. I did some research into "Clickbank" as I had no previous experience with making a purchase over the internet, and was weary about giving out my credit card number.  After reading more about their payment processor, I have found that Clickbank is a world-class payment network.  They are approved by VeriSign and McAfee, the highest form of internet security (128 bit SSL), which is equivalent to banking standards.  I hope this helps give a bit of peace of mind for those who are first time internet purchasers.

I know many of you have read my previous reviews on building your own solar panels and wind turbines. Some of you have gone out and actually implemented your own DIY green energy system, while others have sat on the fence and debated whether it is actually possible to build a green solution for so cheap. Here is a letter I received from one of my readers. His friends laughed at him when he said he was going to generate his own electricity! I hope his story can give you another perspective on how possible it is for even the Average Joe to actually build their own green solution for their home!  Also don't forget to apply for a Home Energy Grant if you do indeed build (or plan on building) your own green solution.

********************************
Jan 16th, 2009

Dear James,

I am just writing to let you know that I have taken your advice from your DIY Wind Turbine review and built my own system that's running in my backyard (I've enclosed actual pictures of my windmill in this email). I would like to provide you with a summary of what I have done, and hope to inspire others to "take the plunge" and go green. I am currently saving $142 per month in electricity savings, and plan on saving more once I build the solar panels that you mentioned in your reviews.
I like so many other people are fed up with rising energy prices (especially with today's economy), and I spent months desperately trying to find ways to cut my electric bills.

I have a pretty average home near San Diego. Nothing too fancy, but we love the area and we've been here for over 20 years. But over the last few years, our electricity costs have gone through the roof. As if outrageous gas prices weren't enough (argh!), I started to get outrageous power bills even though we're still using about the same amount of electricity as we had before. You read about rising energy costs in the newspaper, but let me tell you, it's a whole different thing when you see it coming out of your pocket every time your electric bill arrives each month.

I phoned around to determine how much it would cost into having a professional install a wind turbine. My jaw dropped when I found out how much one of these things would cost. We’re not talking 100s of dollars, we’re not talking 1000s of dollars, we’re talking $10,000 plus! And, oh yeah, the soonest they could put one in his three months from now. I ran the numbers and figured it would take me just about 9 years to make back the initial investment. No thanks!

And so that was the point where I found your Green Toolman blog. Hallelujah!

I consider myself pretty handy around the house, I enjoy doing small scale do-it-yourself projects and figured that I would at lease inquire what sort of expertise would be required to build this wind turbine. That is when I decided to email you, and I'm really thankful that you took the time to answer all my questions. You really gave me the confidence to go ahead and build the wind turbine.

But from there I wasn't exactly sure which blueprint I should purchase? There are so many out there. I decided to go with your recommendation and purchased Earth 4 Energy, but I found these instructions to be a little bit hard to understand and I wasn't able to complete the project.  I got about 3/4 of the way through and threw in the towel, and was pretty much ready to give up.

I then decided to give Home Made Energy a try, something that I felt I should have done originally.  I figured that since I had already purchased a majority of the parts, it would be an even bigger waste to give up at that point.  I found Home Made Energy a little more "simpler" for a guy with myself with limited skills, and was able to successfully complete the wind turbine in about 5 days total.  I still can't believe this thing is actually running in my backyard (I had to request a permit from the city), it's truly an amazing accomplishment and I'm pretty proud that I was actually able to put this together!

As I mentioned, I’ve saved quite a bit of money. So far, my electricity bill last month was $142 lower than the previous month! I’m hopeful that I can get those kind of savings each and every month, which would amount to saving about $1,700 per year (we'll see!). And I invested less than $250 to build the entire wind turbine system, which includes the Home Made Energy blueprints and all the required parts. This cost versus the $10,000 plus it would have taken for a "professional" to build is a no brainer. If you can use a hammer, a power drill, a socket set, and a mitre saw, you can easily complete this project!

I also know what it's like to be generating power from renewable sources, and how good of a feeling it is to be off the grid. Hey, I’ve never considered myself to be a “tree hugger” or anything, but I do have a greater passion about leaving the Earth in better shape for our children.

I also want to note that it was actually a pretty fun project to put together, and much easier than I thought. My friends laughed when I told then that I was thinking of generating my own electricity. You should have seen their faces when I had them over for a beer, only for them to see this fully functioning wind turbine running in my backyard. Let's just say I spent the next two hours answering questions about how I did it and how they could do the same themselves (I pointed them to your Green Toolman website and to the Home Made Energy websites).

One thing worth mentioning, I don't quite generate as much power as it says on the Home Made Energy manual. For example, they said the wind turbine could generate up to 1000 watts, but I’ve only hit about 800 on most days since we’ve got trees that block some of the wind. I did manage to make enough electricity in total to power almost of our household appliances. We’re able to run our computers, TVs and a few other appliances, and lighting essentially for free, which I'm sure you'll agree is pretty astonishing. I can't even imagine what kind of savings I'll have once I build and install some solar panels to my roof!

In my opinion, I would recommend Home Made Energy over Earth 4 Energy.  Obviously everyone has a different opinion, but this is what worked extremely well for me.  Don't get me wrong, Earth 4 Energy is a great guide but I think it is more geared to a more "experienced" audience.  Home Made Energy is more geared towards a more "causual" DIY crowd (if that makes any sense!).  I did love how both blueprints carry a 60 day guarantee, which gave me alot of confidence with my purchase (who offers this type of guarantee nowadays?).  Best part is, you can download and read the guide right away, no waiting for it to arrive by mail (which normally takes weeks).  What could be simpler?

Anyway, I just want to personally thank you for inspiring me to go green and also for allowing me to put a bit of money in my pocket each month. If you require any further details about my installation, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Tony Yeager

I wanted to tell you how excited I am about the proactive response I received from my readers about going green! Many have chosen to build and construct their own solar panels and wind turbines, while others have opted to do their part by doing things like swapping all their incandescent light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent (CFL). Every move counts, and you should all be giving yourself a good pat on the back for doing our planet such a big favor (not to mention adding more dollars to your bank account in savings!).

TAKE THE BIG "GREEN LEAP" AND GET A FREE BONUS FROM ME
I am hoping that my next offer will push all you fence sitters into taking the ultimate step in going green. What I mean by "ultimate step" is by producing your own energy. The most simple and cost effective approach is to build your own solar panel or wind turbine to generate your own energy.

I have spent the past few months writing a new book that I personally guarantee will save you hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars per year! My original plan was to sell this book for $29.99, but I've reconsidered and would like to make an even bigger impact to the environment. I am willing to give this book away for FREE to everyone who goes green NOW! If you decide to purchase any one of the following solar or wind turbine blueprint books, I will give you my book FREE! How is that for a deal? Click on any of the following boxes below to take you to the official websites.

1. EARTH 4 ENERGY - See my solar and wind reviews on this product.

2. EFFICIENT PLANET - See my review on this product here.

3. HOME MADE ENERGY - I have not provided a review for this product as of yet, but I plan to do so in an upcoming review.

HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR FREE COPY OF MY BOOK
In order to send you my free book, I will need proof of purchase for any one of the above 3 products. If you can email your receipt ID to greentoolman@gmail.com, I will send you a copy of Green Living within 3-5 days of your purchase.

One of the my subscribers just put me on to a new company called Efficient Planet and by all accounts they mean business when it comes to bringing consumers great DIY green energy solutions. Like Earth 4 Energy, Efficient Planet provides comprehensive plans for building solar panels and wind turbines. You might be thinking, yeah so what? That’s just more of the same information. Well not so fast, where Efficient Planet sets itself apart from E4E is by offering a third book called “Everyday Living Efficiency”. This book offers great information everyone can use to help them consume less energy and save both money and the environment. This 50-page book looks at ways to make things like: lighting, windows, doors, fireplaces, basements and even carpet more efficient and earth friendly. If you are looking for information on how to make a dramatic reduction in the amount of energy you use or if you’re just looking for instructions on how to build a great wind turbine or solar power system, Efficient Planet has you covered.

QUALITY OF THE BLUEPRINTS - A COMPARISON vs. EARTH 4 ENERGY

As far as quality goes in terms of actually following instructions to build a Solar Panel, I definitely have to say that Earth 4 Energy wins hands down. The Earth 4 Energy “readability” in terms of explaining how to build is far superior. In many cases, I had to re-read the Efficient Planet blueprints a few times to actually understand what needs to be done (I finally understood after re-reading). Earth 4 Energy also provides it’s solar audience video instructions which gives their product a major advantage. When comparing each company’s wind turbine plans, I would say both are mechanically very similar.

MY CONCLUSION OF EFFICIENT PLANET

I would have to say, if you are looking to build a solar panel, then definitely go for Earth 4 Energy as their product contains video instructions and better quality solar blueprints. If you are considering building the wind turbine, you may want to consider purchasing Efficient Planet as it comes with the bonus Everyday Living Efficiency book.

As the consumer you know what you need better than anyone else, so I recommend you visit both Earth 4 Energy and Efficient Planet and decide what is best for your needs. You can’t go wrong with these two excellent products.

The world’s demand for energy grows exponentially with each successive decade. This demand is starting to push energy production to a point where the capacity to create energy is less than the demand for it. This will have a huge impact on how we live our lives. We have seen an example of this problem in California during the summer of 2006. The demand for energy was larger than the supply, which resulted in rolling blackouts across the state to compensate for lack of available power. Imagine if this scenario becomes an everyday occurrence across North America. Will you be able to adjust your life style to deal with such an event?

What is Driving the Energy Crisis?

The increased need for electrical energy is due, in large part, by advances in technology. As new products come to market that are designed to make our lives easier the demand for these products grow. The more products we have the more energy we consume. A great example of this is the home computer. Twenty years ago very few homes in America had a home computer, now it’s the norm. Estimates show there are now more home computers in the United States than there are homes, which would indicate there are as many homes with two or more computers than there are with none. Another huge factor in the world’s increased need for energy is the emergence of China and India in the global economy. As these two nations, which represent roughly twenty five percent of the world’s total population, become more prosperous their energy consumption needs are growing proportionality to that prosperity. The impact of these two giants will have an enormous impact on global energy consumption and production.

What We Know about Energy

We have always known the energy we use everyday is not unlimited, yet we tend to take it for granted. Oil, gas, power, even water all have limited availability. Yet, we have not taken the proper precautions to deal with the inevitable shortage of these resources. Oil and gas have already shown a great deal of instability in the world’s financial markets, with prices steadily increasing for the last five years. It is estimated that 50 percent of the world’s available oil has been consumed. At the current rate of consumption the rest of the world’s oil stock will be completely consumed in the next 32 years. This estimate is bound to increase with the emergence of China and India. This is no longer a distant event that we can shift to future generations, we will face this during our lifetime.

What are the alternate energy options?

As a responsible world citizen we should all start looking for alternate energy solutions like solar energy and wind energy. Employing these alternative power solutions is extremely feasible and cost-effective. You will not only cut down your power bills but also contribute to a better future. To find out more go to http://www.greentoolman.com and read our Solar Panel and Wind Turbine reviews.

For many people, eBay is considered a place of golden opportunities.  It is a place where you can find the best deals and bargains that can't be found anywhere else.  For many others, it is a place of doubt and mystery and would never even think of purchasing from eBay.  I hope that this article can help remove any doubt in purchasing from eBay as there really are some great deals out there, especially for solar!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON eBAY FOR SOLAR

If you weren't already aware, broken solar cells can easily be repaired and reused when building your DIY solar panels!  But where can you find a lot of broken solar panels from?  You guessed right, eBay!  If you search ebay for “chipped solar cells” or “broken solar cells” you will find some great deals out there.  I have seen entire garbage bags full of chipped or broken solar cells for $20!  All you need to do is fix them up! With that being said, don't go out and buy broken solar panels that are equivalent to "solar powder" as you will obviously not be able to fix chipped solar cells that are the size of eraser heads, but ones that slightly chipped or broken should be easily reusable.

If you however have a bit of a better budget and want to spend a little extra then just purchase solar cells that are not broken as it will make the project that much easier.

A NOTE TO THOSE WEARY ABOUT PURCHASING FROM eBAY

I have to admit that eBay is full of knock offs and you have to exercise caution when purchasing items such as electronics (iPods, computers etc) or high end items (brand name handbags, watches etc) but many what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) items you can't go wrong.  Always look into the buyer's feedback rating and comments left by other buyers.  Look into the return policy, as they will need to honor returns if their return policy states this.  eBay does offer protection to the buyer as well, so if you purchase something that isn't exactly as described, you may file a dispute with eBay, Paypal, or even have your credit card company issue a chargeback if you are not happy.

MY eBAY SELECTIONS, LIVE AND RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES!

When my new webmaster told me that he can integrate live eBay auction items into my website for my reader's easy access, let's just say I was pretty darn excited! All you need to do is simply scroll through some of the items that I have pre-defined below, and click on any item which will take you to the eBay website. No manual searching! Happy hunting and best of luck in your DIY solar endeavors!

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

solar cells 2 broken pc1 from 125x125 1 from 3x6

US $3.95

24d 23h 13m

40 TABBING TAB WIRE FOR NEW BROKEN SOLAR CELLSPANELS

5 Bids

US $8.50

18h 51m

Broken Solar Cells 20 pieces for Solar Panel Project

2 Bids

US $1.25

21h 36m

broken 30 watt now 3 watt solar panel solar heater

US $20.00

7d 22h 1m

30 BROKEN SOLAR CELLS FOR MAKING SOLAR PANELS

2 Bids

US $1.04

1d 23h 39m

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If you are like most people I know, you're starting to feel the financial pinch of your ever-growing energy bills.  You probably also feel like nothing can done to combat rising energy costs, so you simply let your hard earned money fly right out of your wallet. What you may not realize is there are several simple and inexpensive ways to reduce your energy bills.  All that is required is a little planning, a bit of elbow grease and you too can start saving big on your energy bills right away.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Start with the room you are sitting in, what appliances, fixtures, electronics, etc. are currently on?  How many of them are actually being used by someone? If the answer is there are more things turned on than people using them then you have an opportunity to cut you energy bill this instant! Is your AC or heater running? Do you turn if down or off when you leave the room? Most of us don’t think about the power we use on a daily basis because it has become very natural for us to be surrounded by things that require energy to run in our daily lives. But if you were to switch off all of your appliances and electronics, even if it were just while you went to another room to take a call or to eat dinner, you would see an instant reduction in your energy bill.
2. Invest in some smart power reducing products. Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs will result in huge energy savings. CFL bulbs are 85% more efficient than incandescent bulbs and they last up to 10 times as long. This is a small investment with have a big return.
3. Your electricity bill is not directly proportional to the number of electronic gadgets or appliances you have, but to the way you use them. Here are some simple ways to use appliances and electronics more efficiently:

By implementing these simple steps you will not only significantly reduce your energy bill, you will also be helping reduce the production and release of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is a common byproduct of energy production, so the less energy you use the better for the planet and for our future generations.

Global climate change! Melting polar caps! Increased frequency and severity of hurricanes! The rapid consumption of non-renewable energy! Daily warnings about our environment!

Isn't it about time we sit up and take notice?  What should we do? How about eliminating your dependency on big energy corporations and learning to live off the grid? Yes I said live off the grid. I know most of us have thought about reducing our energy consumption, but this seems like taking it to a whole different level! It doesn’t have to be. There are ways to power your home that use only natural energy like wind and solar, which do not require any energy from your local utility company.

Why live off the grid? For one it is good for the environment. If we, as human beings, want to reduce and ultimately stop global climate change we have to start thinking and acting in a different way when it comes to energy consumption. By using natural, renewable energy sources we are effectively cutting off our dependence on multinational energy corporations to provide us the energy to run our homes. If we harness the awesome power of the sun and the wind we can effectively live the way we currently do minus the monthly energy bill. I am sure most of us will not miss paying that bill every month!
Let’s look at the advantages of living off the grid.

If you are thinking it is not very feasible to live off the grid, look for alternate power solutions and you will be surprised to learn that they are not only cost-effective but also extremely realistic.

HOW WATER FOR GAS WORKS - IN A NUTSHELL

As most of you already know, water is a combination of 2 parts Oxygen + 1 part Hydrogen. The entire purpose of water for gas is to convert water into 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen. What most of you didn't know that once converted, the mixture of HHO is highly combustible, and very clean burning fuel that is actually more flammable than gasoline! Please also note that HHO is not a liquid, but an actual air form gas (similar to propane for your gas barbecue, but much much more powerful).

Sounds great and all, but you are probably wondering how to get it into your car and does it cause irreversable damages right? It is actually quite simple. When you apply an electric charge (12 volts) from your engine to pure water (Distilled or Reverse-Osmosis) and a low cost household electrolyte, you are producing HHO gas.

Once this gas is produced, it is connected to your air intake of your vehicle. For those mechanically challenged (like I was before conducting this experiment), the air intake is the "lungs" of your vehicle. Essentially the air mixes with the gasoline in your engine, and the spark plugs ignite the gas mixture to "combust" and drive the pistons in your engine. Just like a candle will not burn without oxygen, the same goes for a car without an air intake. But now imagine if the air was "laced" with a potent fuel? You can now guess how much less gasoline you will be using because the majority of the combustion is burning the HHO and NOT the gasoline. See how this is working?

The only real damage to my car was drilling the hole into the air duct, however this is a very cheap part and is easily replaceable if you want to reverse the changes (i.e. to sell your vehicle).

THE BEST WATER FOR GAS BLUEPRINTS?

With the growing popularity of this water for gas concept, there are dozens of different products
popping up all over the internet. I purchased and went through about four of the top products and
found that Water4Gas was simply the best one.

Here are the reasons I recommend Water4Gas:
1. Easiest to follow instructions. I found that other blueprints were not as well written and did not clearly explain what parts were needed or how they should be installed.

2. Lots of well documented diagrams. A good blueprint should always contain lots of diagrams with supporting text. Can you imagine assembling Ikea furniture without their diagrams?

3. Instructions for gasoline and diesel (and turbo diesel) engines. Other reports only included gasoline instructions and required an additional purchase to get the diesel blueprints.

4. 60 Day Money Back Guarantee. Very important for those fence sitters that may purchase but may not implement.

Please also note that I was able to assemble this myself in my 2005 Volkswagen TDI Jetta without the help of a mechanic, so I'm 100% confident you could do the same. I have been driving for about a month now and have amazingly averaged about 50MPG. As such, I highly recommend this product for those who are feeling the crunch on today's gas prices and would like to also impress their friends and show them how "mechanically inclined" you really are!

Stay tuned for next month as I review DIY Windmills and Solar Panels!