Articles by Jim Bruce
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need To Power A Refrigerator?
Refrigerators run over a 24 hour period, so any calculation of the power needed should reflect solar panel output over 24 hours and energy storage for the periods when the sun doesn’t shine.
An average fridge of 500 watts needs 2...
How big of a wind turbine do you need to power a house?
How do you size a wind turbine for your home?
If you intend to use a wind turbine to power a house, most mid-sized homes can work well with a 10kW-20kW system. However, some homes could require up to a 100kW wind turbine. It depen...
How Does Solar Water Purifier Work?
How does solar water purification work?
A solar water purifier can work in two ways:
Nullify biological contaminants directly by ultraviolet light
Evaporate and distill water by heat energy, leaving contaminants behind
Water is...
How Is Geothermal Energy Harnessed? - Geothermal Energy Extraction
Geothermal energy is harnessed using 3 types of conversion plants
How Geothermal energy is harnessed
As the world attempts to shift to non-fossil-based energy sources, more and more companies look at geothermal energy and how to...
Cost of Geothermal Energy Compared to Fossil Fuels
How much does geothermal energy cost?
Is geothermal energy cheaper than other sources?
As a general rule, the cost of geothermal energy compares favorably with fossil fuel energy over the longer term. In the past few years, there...
Can A Solar Panel Overcharge A Battery? 12v Battery Charging
Such a solar panel connected to a battery in bright sunlight will charge the battery and keep on charging it over and above normal recommended voltages. It would definitely damage the battery internally. It's important to use a suitable solar charger.
Why Is Geothermal Energy Not Used More Often?
Geothermal is efficient, so why isn’t it used as much as other forms of heating?
Geothermal energy is often touted as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. However, it still makes up only a small fraction of total energy sour...
When Do Solar Panels Work Best?
Solar panel output winter vs summer
As a general rule solar panels work best in full sunshine when there is maximum insolation, which is the amount of solar radiation hitting a horizontal surface. Standard practice is to assume 10...
Are Lithium Batteries Better Than Lead-Acid?
As a general rule lithium batteries are better than lead-acid batteries in several ways:
They have a higher energy density
They are lighter
Much longer life (several thousand discharge cycles possible)
More stable voltage over...
How Many Solar Panels Does It Take To Charge An Electric Car?
How Many Solar Panels To Charge An Electric Car?
Over the past few years there has been a massive increase in the demand and usage of electric vehicles (EV) due to their increasingly high mileage range and minimum impact on the en...
Can I Put a Solar Panel on my Car Roof?
Solar panels are predicted to be the future of cars in many diverse ways. The advantage of solar powered cars is obvious – they use renewable source of energy and therefore we get to conserve our environment and also save money fo...
Inflatable Boat With Trolling Motor Battery | DIY Kayak Mods
Inflatable boat – electric trolling motor battery
Inflatable boats have become hugely popular in the past year or two and they are very well suited for an electric motor, such as a trolling motor normally used for fishing.
When mo...