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ManyTracks' House and Home
Solar ~ Underground

by Sue Robishaw and Steve Schmeck

Homestead Articles

Alternative Energy News
 

We're thoroughly involved with the sun and wind on our sustainable "green" homestead in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. From PV (photovoltaic or solar) panels to a water pumping windmill; from a solar oven to a solar food dryer. Our home is heated with hot-air solar panels and a wood-burning woodstove. To say we have a close relationship with the Sun is a bit of an understatement! 

Using solar energy sources is not an abstract theory or a fad, it's a wonderfully fun way of living. Our system started small and has grown over the years but always it's provided us with power for our needs and wants. I expect it will keep growing as we do. Here we'll take you on a tour of the evolution and current state of our solar electric system. If you've read "Homesteading Adventures" (which was written in 1996) this is an update to the chapter Power for the People - The Sun and Solar of Electricity. Our system has grown a bit since then!

Above is a link to our article "Getting Started With Solar Energy" article that was published in Countryside Magazine (in 1994 and 2004). For information on other solar aspects of our homestead, check out the many articles in the Homestead section.

Things in our life sure do change and grow!

1983 - Our first solar electric PV panels!

1985 - Finally on the House

1987 - Homemade Tracker

1993 - The Array Grows

1994
our "new" (used) Solar Heating Panels

1996 - and Grows

1997 - the trees in front of the house grew (surprise!) so the array had to move. Might as well add a few more panels while we're at it.

2007 - always room for a few more

2009 - the inverter in entryway

2009 - batteries, controller and all the necessary paraphenalia

for those cloudy short days of early winter

Our favorite sources for alternative energy information are...

Home Power Magazine, POB 520, Ashland OR 97520, 916-475-0830
email: hp@homepower.com ,    http://www.homepower.com
THE print source on alternative energy; it was the first and is still the best.

Midwest Renewable Energy Association, 7558 Deer Rd, Custer WI 54423, 715-592-6595, info@the-mrea.org, http://www.the-mrea.org
MREA is responsible for the largest and oldest renewable energy fair the third weekend in June (Solstice Weekend). Highly recommended if you are at all interested in alternative energy or alternative lifestyles and ideas.

Backwoods Solar Electric Systems, 1589 Rapid Lightning Rd, Sandpoint, Idaho 84864, 208-263-4290, info@backwoodssolar.com , http://backwoodssolar.com/
Good folks, good information, good prices. We've dealt with them for many, many years and send people to them regularly. Check them out.