Swing. Thwak! Swing. Thwak! Swing. Thwak!

Chopping wood is time-honored tradition on many homesteads. You’d think there would be more complaining about the intense work involved. But if you ask seasoned wood choppers, most will shrug, and smile a little as they admit, “I like to chop wood.”

Take a few minutes to watch one of these masters at work. There’s a ritual involved that’s as inspiring in its way as watching a martial artist bow onto the mat and perform his routine.

He selects a log, placing it almost reverently upon the block. Then, hefting his axe in both hands, he takes a deep breath in and in one fluid motion hoists it up over his head and down upon the very center of the log. Steel hits wood, and the two halves fall neatly apart to hit the dirt with a satisfying thud.

Not every log is so easy to split. Sometimes a knot in the wood, or a particularly tough or fibrous piece, puts up resistance. But by now your master has entered the zone. Using wedges and a sledge, he patiently works away until the wood, almost sighing, submits to his will.

Time seems to stand still. After a while all that matters is sweat, breath, the wood and the steel. The rhythm of placing, chopping, stacking. An entire morning or afternoon falls away as effortlessly as the pieces of split wood tumbling from the block.

At the end of his wood chopping session the master leans on his axe and smiles with satisfaction at his newly-stacked pile of sweet-smelling firewood. A job well done.

Could he have chopped more wood in half the time with a diesel-powered hydraulic wood splitter? Sure. But that’s not the point. There’s a time and a place for technology. But not today. Sometimes speed needs to take a back seat to spirit. Today, losing himself in the rhythm of the axe, our wood chopper touched upon infinity. And smiled.

When most people think “solar,” they think in terms of solar power – electricity!  Solar electric systems, or photovoltaics (PV for short) allow you to power your home with the sun as fuel.

But if you’re shopping for your first solar system, it pays to do your homework.  PV isn’t the only type of solar energy out there – and it may not be the most sensible place to start.  If you are an average to heavy user of hot water – or would like to be – a solar thermal system may be your best bet.

Solar Water Heating

Solar thermal, or solar hot water, uses energy from the sun to heat your domestic hot water supply.  Put simply, it works like this:  an antifreeze solution flows through collectors mounted on your roof, the side of your house or on the ground.  The solution is pumped to a heat exchanger, where the heat is transferred to your domestic hot water supply.  The heated water is then kept in an insulated storage tank until you’re ready to use it.

Solar thermal can also be used for space heating purposes.

Solar Hot Water vs. Solar Electric: A Cost Comparison

The cost to put in a solar water heater is not much different than installing PV.  Solar thermal panels cost about the same as PV panels per unit, and the balance of the system plus labor is usually comparable in price.

The difference is in efficiency.  Thermal panels average about 40 sq. ft., vs. 15 for the PV collector.  That means you’ll get almost 2 ½ tomes the solar energy coming in.  Plus, the thermal panel converts over 50% of that energy into heat, while a good PV panel won’t get much more than 15%.

Add it all up and the solar water heater will give you about 10 times the energy output per dollar invested.

What’s Your Best Choice?

Is solar thermal always the best choice?  Not necessarily.  If you use very little hot water you may not be able to take full advantage of it – but most people benefit from putting in solar water heating first.  Fulfilling your domestic hot water needs with a properly sized system will give you a lot more bang for your buck.

Once you’ve done that, it makes sense to add solar electric.  The advantage of PV is that you can sell your excess solar power to the grid.  So once you’re set up with all the hot water you need, feel free to go PV!

We Rednecks are an independent bunch.  We like to do it ourselves and owe it to nobody, and this holds true when we start using solar and wind energy.  So it’s not surprising that for many of us, the idea of living off the grid is attractive.  But before you invest in enough batteries to light up your homestead like a Wal-Mart parking lot, it pays to stop and reason out exactly what your needs and priorities are.  The most common reason to be off grid is location.  If you’re way out in the boonies, you may not have a choice. Here are some other things to consider:

Efficiency – When your batteries are full, they’re full.  No matter how hard the wind blows or the sun shines, you can’t harvest anything more.  A grid connection allows you to harvest all the power from your system.  When you have extra, you sell it to the grid so someone else can use it.  When sun or wind is scarce, you tap in and buy some back.

Cost – Solar equipment is expensive.   You can run a few lights with a car battery, but if you’re serious about powering your home you’ll probably want a set of good-quality deep-cycle batteries.   These can set you back $300-$1,500 apiece.  You can expect to have to replace them about every 7 years – maybe longer with good care.  If you have batteries you’ll also need a charge controller – another $150-$600 or more.  Connecting to the grid allows you to dispense with batteries altogether if you choose.

Convenience – Off-grid systems require constant monitoring.  Flooded lead-acid batteries are long-lived and cost-effective, but they need frequent maintenance.  Living off-grid also requires you to adjust your energy consumption according to available power.  If you have a few days without much sun or wind, you may have to ration your power use or supplement with a generator.

Self-reliance – No doubt about it, when you’re off-grid you’re not at the mercy of the power lines.  There is something to be said for being able to offer your neighbors water, for instance, after a tornado goes through and they have no power to their pumps.

Politics – You may have strong feelings about your power company.  You’re entitled to them; just don’t let them act against your own best interests.

Ask nearly any PV installer, and they’ll tell you it makes sense to connect to the grid.  But at the end of the day, it’s a decision you need to make for yourself.  And don’t forget – it’s not an either-or decision.  You can grid-connect and have an emergency battery back-up, too – the best of both worlds!