A number of years ago when I was speaking with a university professor about hydroponics greenhouse operations, the conversation drifted toward renewable energy.  When I asked what he thought could be done to encourage greater use of renewable energy sources, he said, “Don’t vote Republican.”

            Regardless of which political party is in office, the trend today is toward a greater interest in things like solar and wind energy for homes and businesses.  Motivations vary, too.  Some are concerned about the environment and climate change, while others want to break away from dependence on oil, particularly from foreign countries.  Of course, higher prices for oil in the past couple of years has fostered new interest in alternative energy sources as well.

            You no doubt know already that getting off the grid is an important topic for many who are into prepping and survival.  If you’re interested in exploring renewable energy and its possible applications for you, there’s a book and a DVD you should get.

            The book is The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living, by William H. Kemp.  It’s a 592 page paperback with a 4.1 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.com.  Here’s part of what Amazon.com says about this book.

“As oil prices continue to rise, many people are starting to think about how to unhook from the electricity grid. The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses completely on off-grid, sustainable living and rural energy independence. Author/engineer William H. Kemp, who is a leading expert in small- and mid-scale renewable energy technologies, designed and built his own off-grid home. The result is a house that has all the standard “middle-class” creature comforts while using less than five times the total fossil-fuel energy of the average North American house.

“The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses on the unique requirements of off-grid living and contains chapters on energy conservation; heating and cooling; backup power; domestic water heating; wireless communications; photovoltaic, wind, and microhydro energy generation; battery selection; and inverters.

“Since its release in 2003, The Renewable Energy Handbook  has been a top-selling technology book and is recognized as the best book in its field. The book is augmented with hundreds of illustrations, line drawings, photographs, and appendices.”

The DVD I referred to above is called Living with Renewable Energy and is a tour of two off-grid homes.  One of them belongs to William Kemp, author of The Renewable Energy Handbook. This 2 hour DVD shows you that you don't need to live a Spartan lifestyle to live off the electrical grid!

            You can get both the book and DVD from Amazon.com by clicking on each of the pictures below.  You’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring the item you’re interested in.  Since a new window opens on your computer when you click on one of these items here, when you’ve completed investigating or ordering one, such as the book, you can close out the window, and you’ll be back on this page.  Then you can click on the DVD image and place your order for it without having to search further on Amazon.com.

            If you’ve seen the TV ads for renewable energy, sponsored by oil companies, you know it’s being taken seriously as more of a mainstream part of our lives.  Thanks to The Renewable Energy Handbook and Living with Renewable Energy, you can take a closer look into renewable energy possibilities for yourself.

Click here for another alternative energy resource.