Earth 4 Energy by Michael Harvey is one of the first residential renewable energy guides that I bought. The second one is Green DIY Energy from www.greendiyenergy.com.

Are there any differences between Earth 4 Energy versus Green DIY Energy?

As a matter of fact, there are.

High Definition (HD) Instructional Videos

Earth 4 Energy

When I first bought my copy of Earth4Energy last year, there are 3 instructional videos that you can download from the members’ area. To be honest, the video quality isn’t much to talk about.

When I purchased Green DIY Energy in March 2009, there was a total of 6 High Definition (HD) step by step instructional videos on how to build your own DIY solar panel. I was pretty impressed with the videos quality.

Lately, I decided to have a look in the Earth 4 Energy members’ area. They have just uploaded 7 new videos. They videos were professionally done with lots of animation, cut scenes and great background music.

I am not familiar with the video recording industry, but from the looks of the videos released by Earth 4 Energy, it would have cost at least $50,000 to make!

The Distinct Differences

Green DIY Energy

After viewing all the videos from Earth 4 Energy and Green DIY Energy, there are some distinct differences.

Firstly, the videos from Earth 4 Energy give you the “big picture” of a home solar power system.

Watching the videos reminds me of being in a high school science class learning about electricity…but with lots of visual simulation.

It shows you the macro aspect of a residential solar power system.

The videos from Green DIY Energy are more detailed. You actually learn step by step how to solder Photovoltaic (PV) cells together, lined them up into strings, wired them together and test it with a multi-meter.

It is the micro aspect of a home solar power system.

If you were to combine all the videos together, it will be a great learning package. You get to learn how a home solar power system works, and then have detailed instructions on how to make a solar panel. I am looking forward to see the video series to make a home wind generator.

==> Click here to visit Earth 4 Energy now!

Related web pages:
1) Power 4 Home Scam – Is Power4Home Just Another Scam?

2) Earth 4 Energy Scam – Is Michael Harvey’s Earth4Energy A Fraud?

One of the most popular home renewable energy guide on the internet is Earth4Energy manual. The e-book has been offered on the web for more than a year and it is still the top selling e-book on residential green energy system. The Earth4 Energy guide sells in the thousands of copies a month.

Even though it’s a hot product, still many people may not have heard about it. That’s the reason I want to do a special review on the e-book.

Earth4Energy Manual Main Web Site

Firstly, Earth 4 Energy main web site is at www.earth4energy.com. When you first visit the web page, you will see a big red title telling you “How to make your own solar panel for less than $200”. You can see the screen capture in the picture above.

It’s a pretty bold statement. The question is, can it be done?

Here’s The Catch

Having read the manual, making your own DIY solar panel for less than $200 is definitely possible. In actual fact, you can get it done with less than $100.

Here’s the catch and many people missed this point. The budget of less than $200 is for 1 solar panel, not the whole solar power system.

The DIY solar panel design as recommended in Earth 4 Energy is capable of generating about 18 volts and approximately 75 watts of electricity on a sunny day.

This is done by using 36 pieces of Photovoltaic (PV) cells. The panel is sufficient to charge a 12 volt deep cycle battery which can then be used to power your home electrical appliances.

To setup a complete residential solar energy system, you will need to investment more than $200. There are multiple components in the system such as DC disconnect, electric gauges, switches, charge controller, battery bank, power inverter, circuit breaker etc which require some capital investment.

Building The Inexpensive Solar Panel

The key to making a cheap solar module is preparation.

You have to spend some time to source for the PV cells. What the Earth4Energy manual does is to show you how and where to source for cheap building material and parts.

Step By Step Instructional Videos

When you have located the parts and components needed, the e-book also comes with 7 High Definition (HD) step-by-step instructional videos. The picture above shows the the first introduction video of Earth4Energy.

If you have no idea how to get started on your DIY solar module, the videos will come in very handy.

Earth4Energy Review Conclusion

Making your own homemade solar panel with less than $200 is not difficult. However, it does require some leg work, time and patient.

Some people do not have the patient. If you are one of this people, the best option is to buy a readymade solar panel for homes.

If you are working on a small budget, the Earth4Energy e-book will show you how to get the most out of it.

==> Click here to visit Earth 4 Energy now!

One of the first renewable energy e-book that I bought from the web was Michael Harvey’s Earth 4 Energy. Before I started this blog, I do not have much knowledge about solar power or wind energy.

The place I stayed in is very close to the equator and pretty much has sun coverage 365 days a year. There’s only 2 seasons here, which is the hot and rainy season. Solar energy would work just fine here.

At home, we do use solar power, and it is for water heating only. From what I’ve learned, the system is also known as passive solar energy system. The system does not use any active mechanical movement to generate the hot water. It may be hot and humid here, but we do need hot water for shower at night.

Come to think of it, the solar water heater has been installed for more than 20 years. Imagine that! And it is still going strong. I am actually quite amazed by the long life span of the system.

As I was reading the Earth 4 Energy manual, I came across Chapter 3 where Michael mentioned the “portable solar power system”. I got me thinking. What can we do with a movable energy generator?

Making the system does not seem very difficult. In general there are only 4 main components which are the solar panel, charge controller, battery, inverter and finally to the load or electrical appliances. This is sort of like a mini version of a full blown home solar power system. As its name suggest, the system can be moved from one place to another.

I think the portable solar energy system is great if you are an outdoor person. If you like to go camping or weekend fishing trip, the system seems like a good fit for you.

Imagine setting up a solar array on a tree, let it soak up the sun ray, store the power in the battery and use it to power a heater to warm up the camp at night. Free energy thanks to mother nature.

According to Michael, the small solar energy system can be made with a budget of less than $200. Honestly, I think this is possible but you would have to do some leg work.

Some of the parts such as the Photovoltaic (PV) cells for the solar array can be sourced from ebay. It is the same case with the battery. I actually did 2 blog posts on that.

I wrote about how to find cheap solar cells and how to find inexpensive battery on ebay couple of days ago. I did the search on ebay myself and I know you can find cheap part for a Do It Yourself (DIY) solar power system.

If you are a person good with hand tools, building your own portable solar power system would not be much of a challenge. It is a matter of getting it done.

If you want to bring your electrical equipment such as heater, toaster, laptop, radio etc when you go camping, you need a power source for them. The movable solar power system is perfect for that.

There are a few other suggestions in the Earth 4 Energy e-book on how to find cheap parts. Some people are not really convinced and think Earth4Energy is a scam. If you want more information, read the e-book review that I wrote on this blog. It may just change your mind.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web pages:
1) Power 4 Home Review – A Complete Review of John Russel Power4Home

2) Green DIY Energy Review – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?