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Articles & Books From Rik DeGunther
Save money (and the planet!) with this hands-on and timely guide to solar power for residential and commercial use Looking for an easy-to-follow introduction to solar energy? Solar Power For Dummies walks you through the differences between residential, commercial, and utility-scale systems, as well as the latest advancements in solar panel technology and energy storage solutions that create new opportunities and applications for consumers and businesses.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-08-2026
This cheat sheet offers basic information about solar power and how the structure of solar panel and battery installations work to save money on electricity needs. It also presents how upfront financing for solar power projects works and how solar power functions on various scales — from homes and businesses to entire cities or regions.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022
The words “solar power” often bring to mind solar panels and photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, but you can harness the sun’s energy in a number of smaller ways. The practical and affordable solar projects listed here are ones anyone can build or take advantage of. They explain how to use solar energy to purify drinking water, enjoy a portable shower, and cool your house.
Article / Updated 07-29-2019
Boosting the efficiency of your swimming pool is an important first step in reducing your carbon footprint and moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle. Here's how to make your swimming pool energy efficient so that when you add solar, you get the most bang for your buck:
Reduce bends in the piping: Sharp bends in the PVC piping slow down the flow and require more power to do the same job.
Article / Updated 07-10-2019
You can heat your pool using solar power. Your pool system already includes the pump, controller, and filter, along with PVC pipes that route the water flow. Simply break into the PVC line after the filter and run a couple of flex hoses (or PVC, if you prefer) to the solar collector panel, which you can lay out on the ground or set against a hill to achieve some tilt toward the sun.
Article / Updated 03-02-2017
Radiant floor heat systems use solar power to heat water, which is then pumped through your home's floor. You can use solar-heated water to heat your home off-grid. Radiant heat, without solar, costs much less than forced-air heating for efficiency reasons.
Installing a radiant heat floor system is almost surely not a do-it-yourself project, but it merits elaboration because it's such a complete and effective way to use solar energy water heating.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-27-2016
If you want to make alternative energy a part of your life, either through your car, home, or at work, you should understand some basic energy terminology and the various alternative energy sources being used and developed.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
To find out how you can green up your lifestyle and reduce your utility bills, you can inspect your house for leaks. After performing this inspection, you can plug up leaks and reduce your energy cost and consumption.
Find leaks
You can save from 5 to 30 percent off your heating and air-conditioning bill simply by plugging up air leaks.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You can take advantage of the chimney effect to cool your home without using an air conditioner. Using natural ventilation is an easy way to green up your lifestyle and save you money by reducing your cooling bills in the summer.
In a closed room, the temperature at the ceiling is always higher than that on the floor because hot air is less dense than cold air.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Solar intertie photovoltaic (PV) systems are not particularly complex. First there are panels, which collect the sunlight and turn it into electricity. The DC signals are fed into an inverter, which converts the DC into grid-compatible AC power (which is what you use in your home). Various switch boxes are included for safety reasons, and the whole thing is connected via wires and conduit.
