Easy DIY Solar Lighting

Hi, Jami. I appreciate your concern, but you've been misinformed. Although it is necessary to clean up a broken CFL carefully, it is NOT necessary to leave the house, seal off the room, or hire a hazmat team.

Articles posted on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

and Snopes, the rumor debunker http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

explain the true situation in more detail than ought to be posted here. The bottom line is, if your electricity comes from coal (about half of U.S. electricity does), using a CFL will result in less mercury released into the environment than using the equivalent four or five incandescent bulbs.

Little in life is perfect, and I don't know of any free lunches, but as CFLs continue to improve and fall in price they represent a genuine advance.

The compact fluorescent light bulbs are a toxic nightmare! They contain mercury, and if broken you are to leave the building with your kids and pets until you can pay a HAZMAT Team to come and safely clean up the toxic dust - Oy!

The energy saved is not worth the possible exposure to the heavy metals!!!!!!!!

ERV Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems Reduce Long Term Costs and
Improve Indoor Air Quality Is the indoor air your breathe is as
fresh and healthy as it can be? As building science professionals
have known for some time, an effective ventilation strategy is an
absolute requirement for all homes. Mechanical ventilators exchange
air inside the home with fresh air from the outside. This helps to
reduce indoor pollution levels, and greatly increases the comfort
level inside the home. Many ventilation designs are including
Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) to improve the system
efficiency. Besides providing controlled ventilation, ERVs are able
to filter, humidify, dehumidify, heat, or cool the incoming fresh
air. The most popular design of ERVs utilizes a desiccant wheel to
remove both heat and a significant amount of moisture from the
incoming air, which reduces the load on the air-conditioning
system. But while ventilators and ERVs can add tremendously to the
comfort and efficiency of a home, they must be installed correctly.
One of the more recent developments in the ‘green’ technology
industry is the creation of environmentally-friendly buildings that
use energy-efficient technologies to reduce power consumption.
Energy consultants point out that creating ‘green’ buildings and
improving the air quality inside such facilities utilizing ERV can
and do go hand-in-hand. ERV Systems that reduce demand for energy
while improving ventilation are increasingly in demand. ERV –
Energy Recovery Ventilation systems saves energy, increases indoor
air quality, reduces contaminates and odors. The use of ERV
technology “energy recovery ventilation systems,” or ERVs. Such
systems are designed to reduce energy consumption and improve
indoor air quality (IAQ) by capturing and recycling building energy
to humidify, pre-cool or dehumidify incoming air. ERVs, the
research first said, are most popular in areas with more extreme
outdoor temperatures, like N

TO really make good use of solar power it seems to me that the set
must comprise batteries and an inverter to avoid having two wiring
systems. However, where the power company does not cater for a grid
tie, is it still possible to use something that ensures power is
drawn from the batteries or a combination of batteries and grid
power where the load exceeds what the batteries and inverter can
deliver) ?

Please, can i get info on your 50W system, where to buy.
Mother Responds: to learn more about the thin-film laminate
systems, go to
www.dcpower-systems.com

Hi, Your solar panel setup is way too high there. 700 bucks would
put in a PV setup like mine with two 50W PV panels as well as a
inverter and Led lights, florescent lighting, 2 batteries. total
cost was 723.00 I use them for my lights, dsl line, and computer
and phone. I a totally off grid on it.

MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R13 In order to
insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic
growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country,
the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy Sources must
change. "Energy drives our entire economy.” We must protect it.
"Let's face it, without energy the whole economy and economic
society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have
control over such an important resource that you need for your
society and your economy." The American way of life is not
negotiable. Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will
lead to catastrophic consequences. The federal, state and local
government should implement a mandatory renewable energy
installation program for residential and commercial property on new
construction and remodeling projects with the use of energy
efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting,
retrofits etc. The source of energy must be by renewable energy
such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels,
Ocean-Tidal, Hydrogen-Fuel Cell etc. This includes the utilizing of
water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers
to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper
landscaping to reduce energy consumption. (Sales tax on renewable
energy products and energy efficiency should be reduced or
eliminated) The implementation of mandatory renewable energy could
be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of
the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the
structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by
renewable energy. (This can be done by amending building code) In
addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations
whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET
METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer at
market price), including the promotion of re