Solar Panels

Talking to a friend about solar panels and their expense. I was informed about the tax breaks and credits from power companies. It only cost $13,000. I don't have that much either...

Solar Plot usage

Your solar plot needs to be used and organized so that it does what you want it to do and minimizes waste. One big waste of your solar plot is heating your home in the summer.
Placing mirrors on your roof is probably not an accepted practice where you live but this would be a great way to redirect the light to more useful locations in the yard or just shooting it back into the air. Either way it keeps it from heating the atic and shooting up the electric bill.
Another way to do this is to plant a good shade tree to the south and keep it trimmed up off of the yard so the rest of the garden can still grow to it's full potential.

Solar Panels 3

I went to Prairie Fest last weekend and talked with a group promoting solar power in north central texas. I asked them about the suped up panels where light was concentrated onto a small solar panel and asked, as I believed, if it would deteriorate the panel quickly.

They confirmed it as the heat would make the panel work worse. As you might know superconducters are kept COLD. Electricity works better this way.

Solar Plot Reclamation

I have finally cut down the Mimosa Tree and realaimed a portion of my solar plot. It was in the backyard and so doesn't affect the temperature of the house which faces south.

There is still a bit of shade around but I can now put at least three 4x4 gardening boxes in the area where the tree was shading. I already have a small mound where there is garlic and squash in front of the shed just this side of the remaining trunk. That is where another tree used to be and is a great place to grow things since the roots and ramains have rotted for some time and I have built a fire there a couple of times until the fire department said I couldn't. Who knew.

Reflected light

It's amazing how much heat comes off of a mirror. I have been home several times when the light was warming the house from the mirror I set up. Once I actually thought of turning on the air to cool the room down but remembered that it would only last another ten or twenty minutes more and I would just have to turn the heat back on in a little while.
I'm probably going to do the opposite this summer by placing mirrors on the outside of the house at least in the back. I don't think the neighbors would understand mirrors in the front and they would be more easily stolen if I did. The mirrors are heavy but not immovable.

Direct solar power

I have placed a large mirror in my backyard to harness the power of the sun. It's a north facing backyard so it's perfect for reflecting the suns rays directly into my rear windows. I'm growing a ginger plant that loves it. Every day, for an hour or so, it's bathed in direct full sun. Many of the leaves have bent down to take full advantage of this brief moment in the day. Soon it should be shooting off new sprouts, and in the middle of winter!

next month I'll be placing two more mirrors back there to lengthen the time I have sun on the back of the house.

Sundial

One of the most overlooked uses of the sun is in keeping time. This is one case where the effeciency is 100%. Ancient people sure didn't overlook it. Not only can you tell time, but you can also tell the time of the year depending on the dial you use. I personally only have one dial, a portable one from Pennsic War. Unfortunately it only works in Pennsylvania and similar latitudes, but it looks great and it's portable.