Clean Energy for Everyone
Solar power is both fun and economical. For many it is a great way to discover how to harness the energy that is all around us, while enjoying all of the benefits of a clean and abundant power source.
Clean energy products will often last a lifetime. They also make great gifts for family and friends and are available for most every budget. Whether as a hobby or for serious energy savings, tapping into solar power and other alternative energy resources is an expression of your confidence in the future of our planet.
We have put together a selection of popular products geared towards your lifestyle, for use in the home, at the workplace, or on the road. In association with amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer, these products can be ordered from the convenience of your desktop and delivered directly to your door.
Knowledge Power. Begin your quest for sustainable energy with these helpful guides to using renewable resources. The three mainstays of renewable energy, solar power, solar water heating, and wind generators, are covered in a full selection of books and DVDs. For an amazing look at our planet, Planet Earth & The Blue Planet Seas of Life (Special Collector's Edition) offers an unprecedented high-definition experience that takes you to places you have never seen before, while the Oscar award and Nobel Prize winning An Inconvenient Truth stimulates many ideas for meeting the challenges that we all face in the years ahead. For the home or workplace, clean energy is within your grasp in The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling , and Solar House: A Guide for the Solar Designer, with a full selection of books and guides available in our online catalog. Check back often as our selection of books and DVDs is rapidly expanding.
Batteries are not included for these gift items, because no batteries are needed. In our selection of gift and personal items, each comes with its own power source, from the solar powered Texas Instruments TI36X Solar Scientific Calculator and the Casio Men's G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch to the hand-cranked Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio or the iTouchless DLX Forever Last Flashlight . The younger generation can explore the possibilities of alternative energy with the Thames & Kosmos Physics Solar Workshop and power their toy cars with the Fuel Cell X7 - Hydrogen Powered Car or the fascinating Wind Power Generator Set .
Energy saving products for the home and garden can be fun as well as economical. In addition to installing solar-powered lighting, and outdoor motion detectors for your home, connect your indoor appliances to the Kill A Watt meter and reduce your electricity consumption by assessing their efficiency. Other valuable ways to reduce energy waste is to install a programmable thermostat and use rechargeable batteries. Our home and garden catalog also includes battery-free hand-cranked lanterns and flashlights along with a home water conservation kit to round out your home improvement ideas.
Energy saving fluorescent light bulbs come in such a wide variety that a separate category has been created for them. Most compact fluorescent bulbs will last 10 to 15 times longer than an equivalent incandescent bulb, while using 70% less energy. Full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs are designed to emit light that is close to the natural color spectrum of the sun and sky. Many come in convenient multi-bulb packages and will work in most every type of lamp socket. The Compact Fluorescent 42 Watt Spiral, 150 Watt Equivalent, 5100K Full Spectrum makes an ideal reading lamp, and as a replacement for your incadescent bulbs, try the four-pack Compact Fluorescent Energy Saver , designed for more general lighting.
An ever increasing number of personal and household electronics use rechargeable batteries. Solar power rechargers can be used for most types of rechargeable devices, including cell phones, iPods, notebook computers, wireless keyboards and mice, digital cameras and more. For regular use try the highly efficient and portable Brunton 26 Watt Foldable Solar Array or the full-featured Brunton Solarport 4.4 Watt Foldable Solar Charger with Battery Charger . Several brands of leading edge rechargeable NiMH round cell AA batteries are also available in our battery recharger catalog for use with a wide range of electronic devices.
The mainstay for electric power storage is the 12 volt battery, used for autos, trucks, campers, boats, emergency power, and many other applications. Solar panels are used to recharge 12 volt batteries and they come in a wide range of power capacity and price. For normal working conditions, the Northern Industrial Tools 15 Watt Solar Panel or the Sunforce 50032 15 Watt Solar Battery Charger will keep your 12 volt battery charged while in use. A charge controller, such as the Sunsei 10 Amp Solar Charge Controller, is recommended to be connected in tandem with the solar charger in order to maintain optimal battery charge. And a power inverter, like the Black & Decker 200-Watt Inverter, converts the battery power to 115AC for connecting household appliances.
For heavy duty power use, higher capacity solar panels can be combined with battery storage, a solar charge controller and a power inverter for a complete backup power system. Solar panels that generate higher wattage, like the Sunsei Solar 130-Watt 16.5-Volt Charger, will recharge your 12 volt batteries more quickly. A solar charge controller ensures that battery charging reaches full capacity without exceeding its full capacity. Portable power systems, like the Xantrex Technologies XPower Powerpack 1,500-Watt Portable Backup Power System , provide a clean and quiet alternative to a generator, while the Black & Decker 400-Watt Inverter converts 12 volt DC battery power to 115 AC power for your house.
Wind generators provide a quiet, efficient, and reliable method of recharging batteries and run your appliances, with the additional advantage that they continue to generate electricity around the clock. We recommend the Sunforce 44444 12 Volt 400 Watt Wind Generator for those who want to get started with wind power. More powerful wind turbines, like the Skystream 3.7 and the Sunforce 44447, have the capacity to add even more power to your home. And for the perfect gift, try the loop-wing wind generator, a table-top windmill that recharges batteries and powers its own toy vehicle.
