Do It Yourself with Renewable Energy and Sustainable Energy Systems in Canada

Technologies:

Click on one of the above buttons for more information on:
Solar, Wind, Small Hydro, Co-generation, Biomass , Energy Services , District Heating and Cooling

Starting your own small scale sustainable energy project is a big undertaking. Prepare yourself for investment of time and money. The following steps are normally expected:
1. Summarize your needs and objectives, as specifically as possible
2. Summarize your monthly and annual energy bills at present, to estimate basic cash available for the project.
3. Summarize all local resources, whether wind, falling water, waste products that could be fuels, or whatever.
4. For the benefit of the consultants you will be talking to soon, list the resources you already know of: (what books you have read, what technical or business background you have in the area, what help you can get from people you already know, in general what resources you already have access to.
5. If you don't have them already, get a copy of the IPPSO Sourcebook and the Independent Power Systems Design Handbook (from Prometheus Energy at 905-660-7868). Or:

Check out Canadian Renewable Energy Guide.

Or, try Home Power Magazine Mr. Solar Energy, Charlie Collins, has a lot of info in his How to do it yourself Page

Real GoodsThe products and systems sold by Real Goods Trading Corp. engender "...independent living and energy self-sufficiency ..." Information for ordering the ninth edition of Real Goods' "Solar Living Sourcebook" and articles on the attributes of renewable energy systems, hybrid and electric vehicles, and numerous other products for sustainable living are posted on this server.

6. Estimate the potential of the resource, and compare it to your energy needs.
7. If you get stuck at this point, you'll have to bring in a consultant of some description. Look around this web site for ideas on consultants to talk to.

One consulting group with a home page is Alternative Energy Engineering

Click Here for information on do it yourself solar hot water heaters

For information on buildings, see the Other Sources of Energy Page, or the Energy Efficiency Services Page or try RMI's Home Energy Briefs

We invite you to e-mail comments and suggestions to ippso@web.apc.org

Or choose one of the following items for connections to relevant organizations, current news and events, as well as other Internet and print resources.

To find books, magazines, and papers on the subject.
To find organizations active in the area.
For educational materials and training programs.
For commercial and business contacts.
For current conferences and meetings.
For current news and events.
For definitions and abbreviations.
To find additional resources on the Internet.

The Organizations responsible for this information include:

IPPSO: Independent Power Producers' Society of Ontario
SESCI: The Solar Energy Society of Canada, Inc.

Renewable or sustainable energy systems are those systems which provide energy services to people without depleting resources, endangering the planet or compromising the ability of future generations to use the same energy services. In Canada, the most promising sources of sustainable energy in the near term are wind energy, co-generation, small hydro, solar energy, and waste wood or biomass. Biomass includes such things as forest products, landfill gas, agricultural waste, compost, manure and other other biological matter. There are a large variety of site-specific "wastes" which can be sustainable fuels on a local basis. In many cases, these sustainable energy opportunities are developed in the form of independent power or non-utility generation, which means they are not owned by a centralized or monopolistic energy utility. Because of the economic importance of the energy sector, sustainable energy development is a significant component of the environmental industry sector, or green industry.

For queries or suggestions, please forward to:

IPPSO, PO Box 1084 Station F, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 2T7 Canada.
Street address: 25 Adelaide St. East., Suite 1602, Toronto, Ontario M5C3A1
(416) 322-6549 fax 416-481-5785 Internet e-mail: appro@appro.org

Last update: 15 February 1996 URL:http://spinne.web.net/sustenergy/Welcome.html or http://www.appro.org