When it comes to making use of renewable energy, solar power is by far the most popular choice among the consumers. Not only is solar power a popular choice for fighting climate change but it can also help save a lot of money in the long run. Photovoltaic cells are now almost 60% cheaper than a decade ago. The technology has improved a lot.
Lonny Grafman and Joshua Pearce has published a book – To Catch the Sun which focuses on leveraging Open Source to harness solar power. The focus of the book is on small-scale power grids. But the same approach can be applied to large-scale power grids and larger solar farms.
You can design and build a photovoltaic system for :
- A small home in a financially rich country
- A few homes in financially developing countries
- School rooms and community spaces
- Zombie-apocalypse equipment
- Laptop and cellphone chargers
- A tiny home or van life
- Glamping and backpacking equipment
- Emergency supply, e.g., powering an oxygen machine during a power outage
- Isolated loads like electric gates, pumps, greenhouse fans, backup generators, telecommunications equipment, and much more
Open Source Solar Rack Designs
The first DIY solar rack design meets the following criteria:
- Made from locally-accessible renewable materials,
- 25-year lifetime to match solar warranties,
- Able to be fabricated by average consumers,
- Able to meet Canadian structural building codes (if you live where there is no snow),
- Low cost
- That it is shared using an open source license.
Check your local cost of wood before you dive into this open source design.
There are also designs where you might want the option to change the tilt angle to maximize the solar power output. An optimal variable seasonal tilt angle have the best lifetime energy production, with 5.2% more energy generated compared to the fixed-tilt system (or 4.8% more energy, if limited to a maximum tilt angle of 60°).
So, if you’re looking to invest in solar power, you can check out the book and save money in the long run.
