The 2009 house was in storage over the winter and suffered some damage due to weathering. The basement was poured for the house and it was moved to its final location as the last addition to the Solar Village. The interior floor was replaced, the solar thermal system and home automation systems were fixed, and the interior was repainted. In addition, the thermostat, heat pump, and electrical systems were all given a tune-up to make sure everything was running smoothly.  

As far as the Village exteriors, concrete was poured for the sidewalks connecting the houses. The grass and sprinkler systems were installed and all the houses were nicely landscaped with local plants. We even got a brand new sign to signify the Village as a part of the University and to make sure everyone knows what is is.

Now the Village is up and running with new tenants and a new place at the University. A variety of groups go on tours, professors conduct research, and the residents installed composting bins and a green house. Anyone who remembers the local “eye-sore” of the 2007 house water damage is sure to be amazed at the transformations that have occurred in the Missouri S&T Solar Village.

-Anna Osborne

Director of Public Relations

What could be better than the power and convenience of solar energy? As long as the sun keeps rising up off our horizon, we should have more than enough energy to absorb and use, right? Well, that may be true for most days, but not all. Because of this inconsistency in daylight, solar energy has been viewed as “unreliable,” and therefore not good enough for our ever-growing appetite for power. But that may change thanks to civil engineer Mike Strizki. When posed the issue of unreliable solar power, he turned to another green technology to compensate: hydrogen fuel cells.

Passive solar technologies have been used to regulate temperatures since the days of early man. In the past, these techniques were used out of necessity due to the lack of current technology. Now, passive solar designs are environmentally friendly and cost effective solutions to modern heating, cooling, and lighting techniques.

   

Tired
of paying for the upkeep and supplies for your gas or charcoal grill?
Now you have the option to never have to buy fuel for your grill again
–the solar cookers are here. A solar cooker can do anything that a
typical gas or charcoal grill can, but being more cost effective and
efficient at the same time.

The
cooker could be used for sterilizing water on a camping trip to doing a
great job at cooking food in your backyard bbq.  There are various
models out there that don’t cost that much. There are even tips that are
easy to follow in making your own.  All you would need is some foil and
card board.

SOLAR BAKED POTATOES

Inside
a dark, covered pot place 2 or three medium size, whole potatoes- any
type. No need to preheat the oven. Let them bake all day in a slow oven
of about 250 degrees F. Here is where you can set the oven due south and
just leave it alone while you are studying! When you come home you will
have the most flavorful potatoes you have ever tasted! Garnish them
however you prefer or just eat them plain. I often store these in the
refrigerator to be used in other solar recipes, like the next one!

SCALLOPED POTATOES del SOL
Slice
a couple of those SOLAR BAKED POTATOES and place them into a dark pot.
Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, add a 1/2 cup of milk, sprinkle
with salt and pepper, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Mix
briefly, then cover and place into a preheated  solar oven and bake until
hot- about an hour or so. Real easy- REAL GOOD!

Ideas to make your own cooker: http://solarcooking.org/plans/

Or buy one: http://www.solarovens.org/

-Julie Glenn
Solar House Team Member

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Some interesting things for us to think about are how we can use
solar panels in everything we do.  There
are constant developments exploring other uses of solar energy besides residential applications. The use of solar panels could expand to use on boats. Just think of
all the possibilities to use maybe on houseboats to speed boats and barges!
Right now there are studies on how to use solar panels in a way that also
functions as sails on large ocean carriers. I think that is brilliant because
not only are we reducing the amount of energy to push an ocean liner along but
supplying energy to the rest of the boat for various things. Be sure to check
this article out! It gives a little more information about this topic. Then
while you are there check the rest of this site out. There are all kinds of tid-bits
to read regarding being more environment friendly and this site also gives you the
option to follow various government legislation and provides the chance to sign
a petition or two.  http://www.care2.com/causes/solar-panels-act-as-sails-for-shipping-vessels-2.html   

Dan and Sarah Oerther, of course! They have been living in the village since January of this year, and have taken steps to be more sustainable in their every day lives. This includes getting eggs right from their back yard. In a typical factory farm, chickens receive less than one square foot of space each. Based on the size of the Solar Village grounds, these happy hens are allowed to roam in over 11,000 square feet of grass, giving each chicken about 3,500 square feet of space. You can’t get anymore free range than that! They are also friendly enough for the Oerther’s 10-month old boy, Barney, to crawl around in the grass next to them. The hens produce plenty of free-range, cage-free eggs to feed the family and other Solar Village residents, such as myself.