Back in May, the week after I finished the spring semester of teaching, I saw my chance to do something fun and ran with it. The result: I spent a week doing activities in my discomfort zone.
3 Years of Solar: Summary of my 3rd Year with a Solar-Powered Home
January 14 marked the 3-year anniversary of my solar PV system getting connected to the grid. Each of the past two anniversaries, I’ve written up a summary of my solar data for the year and shared it here (click for year 1 data and year 2 data). My love for numbers hasn’t gone away and neither has my goal to help others learn more about solar energy, so I’ve decided to continue the tradition and share my system and cost data for a third year.
Desert in Bloom – My Favorite Time of Year in Tucson
The word “desert” tends to conjure different images for desert dwellers than it does for our friends from moister climes (points for me for using “moister climes” in a sentence!). You moisture lovers often think of the desert as nothing but sand, and refuse to believe there’s anything redeeming about Tucson’s nature. Though some deserts are admittedly nothing but sand, the vast majority aren’t. Tucson is actually pretty green most of the year, including winter. It gets even greener in the spring and during monsoon season (my second-favorite time of year here). On top of the green, we get all …
2 years of solar: summary of my second year with a solar-powered home
January 14 marked the 2-year anniversary of my solar PV system getting connected to the grid. Last year, I celebrated my first solar anniversary by sharing all my solar data for the year. Since I think it’s important to continue to spread the word about solar energy, I’ll share all my system and cost data again.
What’s in that hole? – Episode 13
Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 13 of What’s in that Hole?, a fun series I’m writing for my blog. In the last episode, we returned to Tucson and looked at a cactus hole. This time, we stay in Tucson but look at a few holes on a much smaller scale.
Things to do in Arizona: Titan Missile Museum
Last fall, I ventured down to the Titan Missile Museum with a friend who was visiting from out of town. Actually, we had gone down to Nogales, Mexico and then back up Tubac, so technically we were heading back up to Tucson when we stopped there. Semantics aside, here’s my summary of the visit.
What’s in that hole? – Episode 12
Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 12 of What’s in that Hole?, a fun series I’m writing for my blog. In the last episode, we found something really exciting: an eel! That episode, as well as the two before it, focused on holes away from home. Today, we return home to Tucson’s Sonoran Desert for our hole.
1 year of solar: summary of my first year with a solar-powered home
A couple weeks ago, I celebrated the 1-year anniversary of my solar PV system getting connected to the grid. While it was installed in December 2015, TEP (my utility) only completed its check and approved the system on January 14, 2016. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m going to share my data with you! In this post, I’ll tell you about my PV system, provide the performance and financial numbers, and give you my thoughts after 1 year of solar.
Energy efficiency tips for your home
Wow. I started writing this as an aside to a post I’m writing about my experience with one year of solar energy for my home. Apparently, I had more to say than I realized and this turned into a 1400 word post of its own! This post lists some important energy efficiency tips and should be useful to all homeowners, regardless of whether solar is on your radar or not. If you are in fact considering solar, take the steps noted in this post first! Otherwise, you’ll end up buying a larger (and more expensive) solar system than you actually …
What’s in that hole? – Episode 8
Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 8 of What’s in that Hole?, a new series I’m writing for my blog. In the last episode, we met the farmers of the insect world, leaf-cutter ants (a desert version to be specific). Today, we remain in the Arizona desert but find something a bit less…natural.
What’s in that hole? – Episode 7
Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 7 of What’s in that Hole?, a new series I’m writing for my blog. In the last episode, we had a visit from some cute furry friends – thumb-sized bats. If you’re upset that it’s been so long since the last post, I don’t blame you.
Things to do in Arizona: Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch
To the uninitiated, the 100-mile stretch of I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix seems barren. Locals, however, know about the array of attractions to be found along (or close to) this route, including Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Picacho Peak State Park, and the subject of this post, the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch.
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