A Look At How Our Readers Are Using Solar.

Solar Showcase - Solar Projects From Our Readers

Here are some of the projects that our readers have made and submitted. All are based upon the plans found on this website. As of October 18, 2011, the solar cooler and tracker plans have been downloaded over 100,000  times.

Ian from Australia

Hi Jim - I have to tidy up the wiring when the fan motor controller arrives. 10 amp inline fuse for the fan and a 3 amp inline fuse for the bilge pump. The unit is small but works a treat. I live in Beechworth in NE Victoria in Australia. I have to seal around the fan and the front of the unit and make it more pleasing to the eye. Can't wait to try it out as it gets very hot down here in Summer. - Ian G

Santiago from Liceo di Lugano 2, a school in Switzerland.

As part of a senior project we finished building the tracker about 3 weeks ago. We managed to use the antenna rotor, controlling it from a homemade circuit. Then we tested it with the help of a local university, comparing its energy production to that of a fixed module. The solar tracker produced over 17% more energy than the fixed module on a sunny day in February.

John from New Jersey

Thanks for inspiring me to make this.

You can see John's video here.

Crystal and Dave from the Mojave Desert

We live completely off grid on solar panels, propane and water delivery. My husband Dave used our existing side draft swamp cooler but wanted to keep all of its existing  110 volt AC motor and pump intact for those cloudy days when the solar panels are not working that great. So he took off the front grill where the cold air comes out and built a sheet metal box on the front. He took a radiator fan and its motor off of a junk car that we had sitting around and attached it inside the sheet metal box he built and then put the grill back on. He installed a bilge pump (boat pump) that we got from Walmart for about $18. He set it next to the 110 pump and hooked up the water line (spider) that feeds water to the swamp cooler pads. Then he hooked it up to the solar panel and it works great. When we have to use the 110 motor and pump we disconnect the solar panel and switch the water line back to the 110 pump and plug it in and fire up the generator. You were wrong about one thing. I believe you said the 12 volt swamp cooler puts out a 10 to 15 degree difference? Well ours puts out 20 to 25 degree difference. When it's in the upper 90's outside, the inside of our place it is in the mid to upper 70's and when it's in the triple digits the inside is in the mid 80's. Thanks again - Crystal