These are the best sites I've found from of others describing useful analysis or projects at a level of detail we can all evaluate costs and benefits and to duplicate construction.
National Renewable Energy Laboratories Free Analysis software. I am sampling and summarizing these free tools to help others evaluate their applicability (and for my own benefit, of course), since I did not find corresponding contextual links in search engine queries.
- The economics of Solar or Wind for my house? Given historic solar and wind data AND one's precise geographic location, one can use the tool to draw a rectangle on his/her own roof (courtesy of Google Earth). The tool then uses the size of that area to compute your electricity production, as well as gross and net costs. The tool is called In My Backyard (IMBY) and is a web based service. To directly access the tool, go to this link, enter your address and choose energy type (Solar or Wind); then navigate to your home, and select where you would place your array. The simulation looks at 1) historic weather data to show how much energy would be generated, and 2) tax laws and current PV installation costs to see what you would pay. [Detailed discussion]
Roadkill Maggot factory / chicken feeder. Build a chicken feeder using a plastic bucket and road kill. The idea is to expose meat to flies in such a way that growing maggots fall out for your chickens to eat. (This design is reminiscent of my 1980s Japanese beetle trap with the bottom cut out and suspended over our fish pond.)
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