Solar water heaters: how they work, types, and real savings
How a solar water heater works, active vs passive and direct vs indirect systems, flat-plate vs evacuated-tube collectors, sizing, cost, and 50-80% savings.
Topic
Green energy
Renewable energy at the home and farm scale — from how a solar panel converts sunlight to how a complete off-grid system is sized and wired. Articles cover solar water pumps, hybrid inverters, battery banks, and the specific upgrades that measurably cut electricity consumption.
16 articles in this topic on agripure.
Solar livestock water heaters: keep troughs and tanks ice-free off-grid
Keep livestock troughs and tanks ice-free off-grid: passive insulation and solar-gain tricks first, then sizing a solar de-icer’s panel and battery by watt-hours.
Passive solar design: heating your home with the sun, no panels
How passive solar design heats a home with no panels: the five elements, how much south glass and thermal mass to use, and how to size a roof overhang.
Solar battery storage: sizing, cost, and how long batteries last
How solar battery storage works, lithium vs lead-acid, sizing a bank in kWh, how long batteries last, and what storage costs and pays back.
Biogas at home: building a small anaerobic digester
Biogas at home: how a small anaerobic digester turns manure and food scraps into cooking gas and fertilizer – composition, sizing, the cold-climate problem, and an honest verdict.
Home wind turbines: are they worth it? Sizing, cost, and real output
Are home wind turbines worth it? The honest answer: site wind speed is everything. How to size kW to your kWh, tower height, real output, cost, and payback.
Geothermal energy and heat pumps: how they work, cost, and payback
How a geothermal heat pump works, what it costs to install ($15k-$45k), real COP efficiency, and the payback now that the 30% federal tax credit has lapsed.
Solar water pumps for wells and irrigation
How to size and choose a solar water pump for a well or irrigation — submersible vs surface, panel wattage, flow rate at depth, and kit options.
Off-grid and hybrid solar systems
How off-grid, grid-tied, and hybrid solar systems differ — battery banks, inverter-charger sizing, package options, and what a real system costs.
Sustainable energy solutions for the home: what actually moves the needle
Beyond solar panels – heat pumps, weatherization, induction, and the natural-gas debate. A grounded look at what households can actually do, ranked by impact.
Solar power for a shed: a practical sizing and wiring guide
How to power a shed with solar — sizing the panel and battery, picking a charge controller, and wiring it safely against NEC Article 690.
Solar for tiny homes: how to power 200 square feet off the grid
Realistic solar sizing for tiny houses — what 600 W of panels actually runs, lithium vs lead-acid for cold climates, and the winter derate most articles skip.
Off-grid solar kits explained: what’s actually in the box and what’s missing
A plain-English breakdown of off-grid solar kits — panels, charge controllers, inverters, batteries — and the parts vendors quietly leave out.
How a solar panel actually works: from photon to power outlet
A clear walk-through of how sunlight becomes electricity — the photovoltaic effect, what an inverter does, and where the 22% efficiency number comes from.
DIY solar panel systems: what you can safely build yourself (and what you can’t)
An honest look at DIY solar — what’s beginner-friendly, what needs an electrician, and what to never touch. Three skill tiers from RV kits to grid-tied home.
Solar panels for off-grid living: sizing the array and the battery
How many solar panels and batteries an off-grid home needs, how to size them to your daily kWh, and why lithium banks run half the size of lead-acid.