Sustainable Living Homesteads

Sustainable, self sufficient, energy independent living homesteads are possible with the help of renewable energy systems such as solar greenhouses, windmills, photo-voltaic panels, solar collectors and solar thermal roofs.   A year round DIY solar heated greenhouse can provide food all year long as well as help get seedlings off to a good start for the organic garden. 

This is Bob's MTD DIY solar heated greenhouse, located in Canada. The large vertical glazing on the south wall of the greenhouse allows the penetration of winter sunlight and the 6'x15' MTD solar thermal roof captures additional heat. Water trickles down from the tops of these collectors and collects in a PVC drain at the bottom. From hear the solar heated water is channeled into a series of heat storage drums located inside the greenhouse. Tomato plants and pepper plants get off to an early start inside Bob's greenhouse so they are ready for his organic garden in the Spring.

Richard Heiliger's Homestead is located in Northern Utah. He uses his MTD collectors to heat his house. In January, when the outside temperature drops to -20F. At this time of year Richard is still able to harvest some solar heat as long as the sun is out and snow is off his collectors, Unfortunately Richard gets more than his fair share of snow so when the heat stored inside his 250 gallon storage tank is gone he must resort to burning wood. Fortunately freezing is never a problem with MTD since water drains from the collectors as soon as the pump shuts down.

The water inside the heat storage chamber of my Long Island sun shed never freezes. The lowest recorded temperature of the stored water dropped to 50 F in January 09 when the outside temperature reached -5F. Of course not much solar heat is collected when the shed is covered with snow, BUT the stored heat in three 60 gallon drums lasts long enough to cure the products I paint. Farmers use the energy from the sun to grow wheat and corn and oats and raise cows and pigs and chickens along with a variety of vegetables and fruit. Sustainable, independent living is accomplished by farmers who know how to harvest, store and sell the energy of the sun. You can also become a solar farmer without tilling soil or raising cattle. All you have to do is harvest the heat energy from sunlight, and make use of that heat to make products that make money. Save the planet, save energy, save money and make money with MTD solar.

So what's all this MTD stuff about anyhow?
Modified Trickle Down solar heating is about a cost effective DIY solar application that can help achieve energy independent sustainable living by not only providing home heating  and solar hot water, but also by providing a means to grow food and make some of the many items that require heat. If full self sufficiency is out of the question at this time perhaps we should just focus on being less dependence on corporations, banks and government. BUT remember energy independent living is possible and it will be there waiting for you when you're ready... Surface area, living space, efficiency, cost and appearance are just a few considerations involved in the design of a solar home...

Connect with the sun today with an easy to build solar heated workshop.

MTD Solar Collector Kits
Solar Heating Controller             
Differential Controller

Collector Efficiency
Trickle Down Solar Heating
MTD Solar Heating
MTD Solar Home 
MTD Data

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