Renewable Energy Systems — Using the sun to save money and “energize” your home or commercial building

Learn about Renewable Energy systems for generating heat and electricity for your home. These systems will reduce your energy costs, decrease your “carbon footprint” and make you less dependant on public utilities. We review Solar Electric (Photo-Voltaic or PV), Solar Thermal (solar water heating and radiant heating), “Small Wind” systems for electricity, GeoThermal (or Ground Source Heat Pump, for heating and cooling), and Passive Solar (natural heating and cooling). We discuss system designs and how to incorporate them into existing buildings (retro-fits), as well as planning for new construction. We provide an overview of the costs, financial incentives and tax benefits of these systems.

We also do a brief overview of current Renewable Energy uses and production on a national level to provide perspective on where the overall Renewable Energy field is currently at.

Note: Other classes provide in-depth reviews of Solar Electric (PV), Solar Thermal, and Passive Solar systems. For more in-depth reviews of these specific topics, see our “Solar Electric and Photo-Voltaics” class, our “Solar Thermal” class, and our “Passive Solar” class.

Instructor: Robin Dorrell