Permaculture and biodynamics
Trade Review
The essential guide to energy independence -- fully revised and updated "...an owner's manual for regenerating our earth, skies and water... a masterwork on rehabitation...the best manual you could possibly want." ---Paul Hawken, Project Drawdown, and author, Blessed Unrest "...I have always recommended the Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook as the #1 source, indeed the Bible, for all things solar and sustainable. Bravo to the 14th edition, it's the best one yet!"---Ed Begley Jr., actor, environmental activist "...the best single source I've ever found on the technologies, philosophies, and the lifestyle changes we must embrace in order for our species to survive and thrive into the future." ---Woody Harrelson, environmentalist, actor "...the most comprehensive, enlightening & entertaining resource in the world...an indispensable resource on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in helping save our habitat."---Bryan Welch, publisher, Mother Earth News, and author, Beautiful and Abundant: Building the World We Want "This masterful compendium pulls it all together and gives everyone what we need to get off the grid and democratize clean energy." ---Kenny Ausubel, CEO and founder, Bioneers ... Regularly updated since 1982, John Schaeffer's Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook is the definitive guide to renewable energy, sustainable living, alternative transportation, natural and green building, homesteading, energy conservation and off-grid living. This completely revised 14th edition, written by experts with decades of hands-on experience, contains expanded information on permaculture, biodynamics, the Transition Movement, urban homesteading and emergency preparedness--plus maps, wiring diagrams, formulae, charts, electrical code specs/regulations/requirements, solar sizing worksheets and much more. Whether you're a layperson or a professional, novice or longtime aficionado, the Sourcebook puts the latest research and information at your fingertips; everything you need to know to make sustainable living a reality. With over 600,000 copies in print worldwide, it is the most comprehensive resource available for anyone interested in lessening his/her environmental footprint and increasing energy independence. ... "This book is our blueprint for both the present and future, if our species is to survive into the 22nd century."---Thom Hartmann, NY Times bestselling author and talk show host "Buy this book. It can change your life for the better. And the world, too."---Denis Hayes, President, Bullitt Foundation "John is a sustainability and solar industry pioneer...his visionary actions and ideas [are] good news for our environment, economy, and national security."---Nat Kreamer, chairman, Solar Energy Industries Association, White House Champion of Change, and CEO, Clean Power Finance "Here in one book is everything you need... a treasure trove you'll find yourself returning to time and again."---Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute and author, The End of Growth "...[this is] the key text of the greatest economic change the world will experience this century, creating jobs and clean energy for a prosperous and sustainable global community."---Danny Kennedy, cofounder, Sungevity and SfunCube, and author, Rooftop Revolution ... John Schaeffer is the founder of Real Goods--the foremost global source for tools and information on renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable living. Since 1978, through Real Goods, he has pioneered solar technology in North America, providing over 150 MW of solar power and helping to solarize over 18,000 homes ... To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending select New Society Publishers books to its readers. This book is one of them.
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A MESSAGE FROM THE RGS ENERGY CEO
FOREWORD: by Bill McKibben
INTRODUCTION: by John Schaeffer, Real Goods Founder
Chapter 1: RELOCALIZATION: A Strategic Response to Peak Oil and Climate Change
Ecological Economics
Overshoot
Peak Oil and Implications for a Transportation-Dependent Economy
Climate Change and the Need to Eliminate Fossil Fuels
Relocalization: A Strategic Response to Overshoot
Approaching Social Change
Pioneering Solar Down on the Farm
Chapter 2: LAND AND SHELTER: Designing and Building Your Green Dream Home
The Impacts of Modern Building
Passive Survivability
Strategies for a Responsive Home
Renovations and Development
Building a New Home
Passive Solar Design: A Primer
Building Technologies
The Healthy Home
Your Home, Your Choice
Words of Wisdom from Real Goods Staffers and Colleagues
Spirit of the Sun
Chapter 3: SUNSHINE TO ELECTRICITY: Creating Renewable Energy with Solar, Wind, and Hydroelectric Power
What Are Photovoltaic Cells?
Sixty Years of Photovoltaics
System Examples
PV Racking
Wind and Hydro Power Sources
Hydroelectricity
Wind Energy
Wind Energy and Wind Turbines - What You Need To Consider to Make a Decision
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Chapter 4: FROM PANEL TO PLUG: How to Get Your Renewable Energy Source Powering Your Appliances
A Renewable Energy System Primer: Putting It All Together
Off-grid and Battery Backup
System Sizing Worksheets
Grid-tied Systems
Converting Sunshine into Electricity
What's the Payback?
Safety and Fusing
Charge Controllers
Monitors
Large Storage Batteries
Real Goods' Battery Troubleshooting Guide
Common Battery Questions and Answers
Real Goods' Battery Care Class
Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers
Frequently Asked Questions About Rechargeable Batteries
Inverters
Potential Problems with Modified Sine Wave Inverter Use - and How to Correct Them
Potential Problems with ALL Inverters - and How to Correct Them
Inverter Conclusions
Wire, Adapters, and Outlets
Wire Sizing Chart/Formula
RGS Energy Solar Project Case Study: Ironhouse Sanitary District
RGS Energy Solar Project Case Study: Little Quittacas Solar Farm
Chapter 5: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND SOLAR MOBILITY: Be Empowered When the Grid Goes Down
Want Some Protection, or at Least a Little Backup? How About Total Freedom?
Steps to a Practical Emergency Power System
What Do You Really Need in an Emergency?
Conclusion
Chapter 6: ENERGY CONSERVATION: Superefficient Lighting, Heating,and Cooling Are the First Steps
Living Well but Inexpensively
It All Starts with Good Design
Retrofitting: Making the Best of What You've Got
Conserving Electricity
House Heating and Cooling
Home Cooling Systems
Energy-efficient Appliances
Superefficient Lighting
Lighting Characteristics
Light Technology
Chapter 7: WATER DEVELOPMENT: Reckoning with Our Most Precious and Endangered Resource
The Three Components of Every Water System
Solar-Powered Pumping
Real Goods' Homestead Plumbing Recommendations
Friction Loss Charts for Water Pumping
Chapter 8: WATER HEATING: The Most Cost-effective Solar Alternative
Common Water Heater Types
Solar Water Heaters
Types of Solar Water Heating Systems: Operation and Installation
Chapter 9: WATER AND AIR PURIFICATION: Clean Water and Air Are Human Rights!
The Need for Water Purification
Methods of Water Filtration and Purification
Air Purification
Resources
Chapter 10: COMPOSTING TOILETS AND GREYWATER SYSTEMS: Novel, Safe, and Clean Solutions to an Age-old Human Issue
Reclaiming Valuable Resources
What Is a Composting Toilet?
Greywater Systems
Chapter 11: REGENERATIVE HOMESTEADING AND FARMING: Growing Your Own Organically Using the Permaculture Principles While Living the Good Life
Permaculture: A Holistic Design System for Your Site
Biodynamic® Agriculture: Food and the Cosmos
Biodynamic Preparations
Resources
Chapter 12: URBAN HOMESTEADING: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living
Urban Permaculture Practice
Gardening in the Urban Habitat
Animals on the Urban Homestead
Remaking Our Relationship to Food
The Heirloom Kitchen Skills
Natural Building
Powering Down
Greywater and Rainwater Use
Waste
Personal Ecology
Resources
Chapter 13: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: Toward a Future of Carbon-free Mobility
The Problem with Fossil Fuels
The Problem with Today's Motor Vehicles
Hybrids and Other Low-emission Vehicles
Biodiesel, Ethanol, and Other Biofuels
Electric Vehicles
Futuristic Vehicles?
Chapter 14: NATURAL BURIAL: The Ultimate Back-to-the-land Movement
Dying to Do the Right Thing
When It's Time, Will You "Leave No Trace"?
Cemetery Stewardship's Triple Bottom Line
Crafting the Fond Farewell: It Takes a Plan
What You Need for a Natural Burial
A Place to Go
Last Acts That Make a Difference: How Your Support of Environmentally Friendly Products Can Turn an Industry Around
Chapter 15: THE REAL GOODS' SUSTAINABLE LIVING LIBRARY: Reading for a Renewable Future
Garden, Farm, Food, and Community
Land and Shelter
Renewable Energy in Theory and Practice
Building Types and Materials
Peak Oil, Relocalization, and Politics
Water Development
References and Resources
APPENDIX
Part I: Who We Are and How We Got Here
Part II: Living the Dream: The Real Goods Solar Living Center
Part III: Spreading the Word: The Solar Living Institute
Part IV: Getting Down to Business
System Sizing Worksheets
Power Consumption Table
Solar Insolation Maps
Solar Insolation by US City
Magnetic Declination Charts in the United States
Battery Wiring Diagrams
Wire Sizing Chart/Formula
Friction Loss Charts for Water Pumping
Temperature Conversions
Nominal Pipe Size Versus Actual Outside Diameter for Steel and Plastic Pipe
The Real Goods' Resource List
State Energy Offices Access Information
Glossary
ENDNOTES
INDEX
