Is it possible to turn my unused detached garage as a huge solar collector/power plant for my home?
Question by joe friday’s grrl: Is it possible to turn my unused detached garage as a huge solar collector/power plant for my home?
I live in an older neighborhood, and we have a garage that we never use because it’s small and inconvenient. It sits about twenty feet from the back of our house. The garage is masonry block construction, about 18′ x 18′, and has a hipped roof. It faces due south, and is level with our daylight basement, where we have our hot water heater and gas unit for heating and cooling (newer model). I’m wondering if it makes sense to super-insulate this garage, fill it with water storage tanks or some other material that will hold heat, and add roof windows or solar panels on the south-facing side. I know next to nothing about storing solar energy, or methods of getting the warmed air into the house, but I will definitely do the research and try this if it sounds feasible and worth the effort.
BTW, I don’t have a car anymore. It got vandalized, was a total loss, and one of the best things that’s happened to me. I started riding the bus and walking to everywhere I was able, and recently purchased an electric scooter. I don’t plan on replacing my car.
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
5 Responses to Is it possible to turn my unused detached garage as a huge solar collector/power plant for my home?
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I’d just put solar water heating tubes on your roof, you don’t need alot of area for most of your hot water needs. Then you can use the garage to brew biodiesel.
John Sol
July 27, 2013 at 8:04 am
That is an awesome idea. I have a friend that did something quite similar to their garage and guess what? They saved tons of money on their energy bill. Definitely go ahead and try that idea!
Ruff Ruffman
July 27, 2013 at 8:53 am
bio fuels and solar power are the way to go hot water is nothing u need to use solar power and use veggie oil to power your car you’d be surprised on how many websites have kits and directions it may cost alto in the beginning but in the end you will make money
piromainiak332
July 27, 2013 at 9:00 am
The best way I know of to do what you are talking about is to take an old freezer. Put a hole in the lower side about 4 inches dia. On the other side of the freezer put a 4 inch hole in the top. Stack bricks in it leaving space between them so the air can flow through. Stack them so the holes in the bricks will allow air to flow through them as well.
Next make a solar panel heater for about 100 bucks from parts at a hardware store. Hook the solar heater to put the hot air in the top hole in the freezer and to pull air from the bottom of the freezer. This will get very hot during the day. Then you use the heat from it at night.
You might want to line the inside of the freezer with plywood to keep from melting the plastic.
I hope that gives you an idea. You can as well dig a hole and build a concrete box and cover it up and do the same thing but looks a lot nicer being it is not standing beside your house looking ugly like an old freezer would.
Here are some prints I made of my last solar heater. Make one to heat during the day and one to heat the storage box. so you have heat 24 hours a day as long as the sun comes out that is.
http://www.oynot.com/solar-heater.html Don’t worry there are no catches, just download it and print it out. If you start making them and selling them don’t forget who gave you the free prints.
Don K
July 27, 2013 at 9:15 am
Yes, it has the right location. Make sure no trees cast shadows on it in the afternoon. I have a similar two garage car port that support my four second generation copper solar panels.that heat my 200 gallon solar hot water system. I have a delta-T control system. If you can install the solar hot water tank above your panels by at least a foot you would not need any pump to circulate the water from your solar panel to your tank. I believe it’s call a thermal siphon system.
SilentDoGood
July 27, 2013 at 9:56 am