SFE Downloads

Our NEW 'Safer with Solar' 35 page Booklet will be available for a limited time for you to download free of charge. It is a preview edition of the most critical information that will be in a larger publication of the same name. Each section links are not currently active but you can download the entire booklet until I get the individual links re-activated. (Booklet is in Looseleaf format)

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 1 - 4 (336 kb) A note on using Solar for emergencies. Hurricanes teach us that using fuels and generators can be dangerous. Small photovoltaic (PV) systems can provide basic electrical needs. Components of a PV system.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 5 - 7 (194 kb) Safer Lighting with Solar. The value of a lightbulb. Low voltage emergency lighting. Cheap bulb trick. Solar panels can draw attention. Be careful with batteries. LED blog text. Review of LED replacement lamps. Best place to buy them on the web.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 8 - 11 (350 kb) Safer Cooking with Solar. A discussion of types of cooking methods and fuels used during or after an emergency. San Fernando Earthquake. Black pot cooking (Dutch ovens). Volcano cook stove. Risks of fossil fuels and campstoves. Briquettes and fuels produce smoke. Why cooking with the Sun is safer and better. Portability; no dangerous fuels; no volatile fuel storage; safe to use; no smells or smoke to advertise you are cooking; food won't stick to pan; no stirring needed; food won't burn.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 12 - 14 (350 kb) Safer Water with Solar. This article discusses what is dangerous in our water and ways of getting out the bad stuff. Boiling a pot of water for 10 minutes (Think Survivor TV Series) would take a lot of fuel. There is a better way - use the Sun!

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 15 - 17 (138 kb) Solar Heating, Cooling and Refrigeration. Thermal Solar Energy. The problem of cooling. Why solar is not going to keep your refrigerator running. Super energy saving refrigerators and freezers that will run on solar. Independent living is preparedness.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 18 - 20 (206 kb) Safer Backup Power with Solar. Safety first, second and third. Solar controllers. Fuses, breakers and disconnects. Chargers, inverters and new solar products. More on the ultra energy efficient refrigerator - SunDanzer.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 23 - 24 (101 kb) Communications in Emergencies. A short course on emergency communications. Solar evaporative coolers. Energy guzzling ghost and vampire loads.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 25 - 29 (257 kb) Baking Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Bread with a Sun Oven. This article is a little confusing and needs to be redone. I wrote this as a letter to my sister who said that my fresh ground whole wheat bread was the best she had ever tasted. She tried to make whole wheat bread and said that it didn't tast anything like mine. I told her that there were a few secrets I had learned; including using the best bread cooking method known - a Global Sun Oven. A Solar Cooking Discussion; A few thous and tips about solar cooking that I have learned over the last 12 or so years that I have consistently baked in the Global Sun Oven. Villager Sun Oven; This giant solar cooker is one of the greatest blessings to small vilages the buys expensive stale bread from big cities because of a lack of cooking fuel, including trees near the village that have been felled for fuel-wood.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Pages 30 - 34 (264 kb) A not-too-technical discussion of solar and RV batteries. This discussion is a result of my work for 25+ years with RV owners who depend upon their batteries during recreational outings. My customers have found it to be an invaluable aid to help them understand how to get the most out of their on-board batteries. Important information for RV owners and others who need to use wet-cell batteries for important electrical tasks. Charts include; One Hour Battery Condition Chart & 12 VDC Battery Cable Connection Points. A brief mention of Small Wind Power.

Solar for Emergencies Booklet Page 35 (199 kb) Solar Radiation for Las Vegas, Nevada. Information to help you see how much solar power you can get from the sun throughout the year. A solar radiation chart for Las Vegas is shown. It condenses data collected over 30 years by the US Government. Data charts are available for most large cities in the United States.

Many Styles of Solar Cookers - You can make one! If an efficient commercial solar cooker is not in your budget right now, you can get started using solar by making one of hundreds of styles people have tried successfully. On the web visit www.solarcookers.org for the best resource for home-made cookers. Solar Cooking at a Glance.