This page contains links to web sites and pages having to do with solar electric, wind energy, neat places, and off-grid living. The information is divided into the following categories. Note: We will not knowingly list any sites with popup advertising windows - let us know if any of these do.

Site Map

Sites indicated by checkmark are those we consider excellent information and education sites. Sites listed in bold face are highly recommended sites.

If you know of a site that should be listed, let us know.

• Solar Electric and PV
• Backwoods Living: several websites for outdoor, backwoods, and remote homes. Also weird stuff.
• Home Owners Associations vs Renewables

Solar Electric and Related Sites

• Home Power Magazine - THE magazine for solar power. You can download the current issue free, but we recommend that you subscribe anyway. It's also worth getting their Solar 2 through 6 (especially 5 to 6) CD's with all past issues. You can purchase these from us at our webstore.

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• American Solar Energy Society

• Aurora A website at crest.org (DOE) focusing on basic educational information about RE

• Arizona Solar Center Lots of good info about solar in the Southwest

• California Energy Commission Much excellent information on solar and energy efficiency. Recently updated and expanded. Also check out their extensive energy efficient appliance database (updated often)

• Concorde Batteries The Concorde battery site. Lots of info on AGM sealed batteries, but you kind of have to dig for it.

• GoSolarPower - good information site with many articles and links about renewable energy.

• Maps, solar radiation These are the maps at NREL as shown on our Home Power Basics section

• Morningstar Charge controls for solar systems. Compete specs + Spanish and French.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory

• NREL Solar Radiation Data By far the most comprehensive database of solar radiation data for hundreds of sites throughout the USA. This is what we use to size systems.

• North Carolina Solar Center Some basic info on (mostly home) PV & water systems. Some new, some outdated. Much of the economic data is ten years old.

• RV Power Products They make the Solar Boost line of maximum power point tracking charge controllers.

• Sandia National Laboratories Renewable Energy Office Lots of good info here, especially on batteries (use search)

• Sandia National Labs - PV The home page for Sandia's solar electric files and info - some good stuff here

• Shurflo The Shurflo pump folks - website seems to be pretty much updated now with information about pumps and repair parts and kits.

• Solar Converters Solar Trackerâ„¢ Maximum Power Point Trackers

• Solstice (CREST Home Page) some good info here, but lately not much new

• Southwest Windpower The leading manufacturer of small to medium wind generators.

• Xantrex: Xantrex - Trace, Statpower, Heart

• Trojan Batteries We only sell Trojan locally, but some specifications and info on deep cycle batteries here.

• Wind! A website by NREL, Pacific Northwest National Labs, and DOE.

• www.watertanks.com This site has a wide variety of tanks and other types of water storage.

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Rural, Backwoods Living & Outdoor

Plus a few other interesting sites.

• Backwoods Home Magazine Probably the best of the "real" living off the grid magazines.

• Chimney Safety Institute of America Just about anything you ever wanted to know about your chimney, your fireplace, even your gas furnace flue.

• DoItYourself.com Everything you ever wanted to know about doing it yourself.

• HearthNet Lots of good info on wood heat.

• Lehman's Probably the best place around to get non-electric appliances and other really neat stuff. Started out mainly as a service to Amish, but has become very popular for off grid folks.

• Living in a time warp The official North Korean News Agency online. Some really strange views.

• The Country Life and Simplicity Village Lots of good info on country living, including bread baking tips & tricks.

• Tobasco Yup, this is it - the original Tobasco hot pepper site. Some good recipes and history

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