A schematic diagram of the Mears' solar-heated residence. Credit: David Mears

The greenhouse was equipped with solar collectors. Credit: David Mears

Great article, but me being me I noticed he had to have a fossil fuel backup for cloudy days. It's a pity he didn't develop some way of storing the energy to avoid this, that really would have scored highly, by not doing so he has highlighted the fallability of the system. How many cloudy days does he have in his area?

Hasn't had a fuel bill for twenty years, but he is having to buy in a fossil fuel for cloudy days, coal maybe?

We have several houses around here that use black plastic water pipe in a wood/glass frame work on the roof to heat their house hold water.

It does work for that but not sure at all about a house and green house.

Being a Scot we don't see much sun, that's why we are so dour, not enough Vitamin D!

Seriously, there are a few projects over here that use solar panels, but they are really just to cut fuel costs rather than eliminate them.

I once had a solar powered watch, it worked for two months in the summer I bought it!

Janette has a more modern one, which has been sitting on the window sill charging for two weeks and it's still not keeping time.

Get the gist?

I do believe the article stated that he never had to use the fossil fuel..if it wasnt in the article, it was stated in one of the graphics for the article at livescience.com.

 

 

I bet you could make this system work with a wind turbine.

That's what I get for speed reading, I missed that. me me!

On the wind turbine point, it'd only work if I could get my mother in law to stand with her back to the turbine instead of staring at it saying whooo, wot a big windmill! :evil laugh:

So if a lack of sun makes a Scot dour what's wrong with me?

I've got light sun burn.

 

The sun to heat the plastic pipe coils does work but requires some maitence when the pipes freeze because the people around here never thought of adding the right type of Anty freeze or a Hail storm takes out the glass.

 

I have another question about the gravel he is using in the floor and is he using the plastic pipes that are are used in concrete floors I wonder.

 

Must be alot of sun to allow a pump to be used in the system

there is also a solar panel dish that rotates with the sun much like a satelite dish...keeps the suns rays at the optimal angle to maximize harvest.