INDEX

Absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries

Accumulator

Active system

Active versus passive solar water heaters

Adobe

Air conditioner, usage tips

Air lock

Alternating current (AC)

AC generator

Alternative energy

Alternator

Amorphous or thin film cells

Amperes (amp)

Angle of incidence

Anode

Antifreeze

Aquifer

Armature

Array current

Auction site business

Azimuth

Backup

backup water heater

Ballast

Baseload

Batch (ICS) systems

Batch collectors

Batt insulation

Batteries

absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries

battery bank

sizing

battery temperature compensation (BTC)

capacity

deep-cycle batteries

gel-cell

lead-acid (L-A) batteries

life cycle

nickel-cadmium (NiCad)

Nickel-iron batteries

shallow-cycle batteries

Berm

Biodigestors

cost

feedstock

practicality

producing gas

size of

temperature

Biogas

Black water systems

Blocking diode

Boondocking

British Thermal Unit (BTU)

Bug screening

Building site, factors to look for

Bus bar

Bus conversion

Business on web

Call-routing technology

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission

Carbon footprint

reducing ways

Carbon-rich waste materials

Career subculture people

Case studies

Clark Farm, Burley, Idaho

Eric

Maui, North Coast

Rancho Margot, Costa Rica

Cast earth

Catchment systems, water

Cathode

Cell

Cell phone communication

Celsius scale (C)

Charge controllers

Charge rate

Chemical energy

Circuit

household circuit

parallel circuit

series circuit

Citizens Band (CB)

Class A motor home

Class B camper van

Class C motor home

Closed-Loop Drain-Back Systems

Clubbing

Cob

Collector mounts, SWH

awning mounts

batch collectors, or integrated collector storage (ICS) devices

concentrating collectors

evacuated tube collectors (ETCs)

flat plate collectors (FPCs)

ground mounts

pool collectors

Communicating and making a living off-grid See also Radio communication; Telephone communication; Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs)

Composting

composting toilets

maintenance

Concentrating collectors

Concentrator

Conductance

Conduction

Conductors

Connections

MC connectors

universal connectors (SAE connectors)

Conservation, See

also Home improvements;

Landscaping;

Transportation

energy-efficient appliances

of water

Controls, SWH

Convection, current

Conversion efficiency

Cooking, microwave cooking

Cordwood

Cotton canvas, for tents

Cross-ventilation

Crystalline silicon

Current

Cycle

Days of autonomy (storage)

Deep-cycle batteries

Depth of discharge (DOD)

Differential controls

Diode

Direct current (DC)

Direct-coupled power system

Discharge rate

Disconnect

Dishwashing

Dopant (doping)

Double-walled tents

Double-wide dwelling

Dry cell

Durability, of tents

Duty cycle

Duty rating

Dwellings

double-wide dwelling

single-wide dwelling

traditional native

American dwellings

hogan

tepee

Earth sheltering

Earthbags

Earthship

Efficiency

Electric cars

Electrical safety devices

Electricity

alternating current (AC)

circuit

conductors

direct current (DC)

household electricity

nonconductors or insulators

Electrode

Electrolyte

Electromagnetism

Electron

Electronics

Energy, See also

Batteries; Electricity;

Photovoltaic cells

charge controllers

connections

electrical safety devices

energy density

energy guide label

ENERGY STAR

getting wired

heat

inverters

kinetic energy

law of conservation of energy

non-renewable energy sources

potential energy

power centers

renewable energy sources

sizing the system

solar energy

switches

water systems

wind systems

wiring the system

Energy-efficient appliances

EPA voluntary labeling program

Equalizing

Evacuated Tube Collectors (ETCs)

Evapotranspiration

Expansion tanks, SWH

Expedition tents

Fabric yurt

Fahrenheit scale (F)

Family Radio Service (FRS)

Feedstock

Fifth-wheel trailers

Flat Plate Collectors (FPCs)

Float charge

Fluorescent lights,

advantages

Flush mounts

Folding trailer

Four-season tents

Frame-panel yurts

Frequency

Gassing (outgassing)

Gel-cell

General Mobile Radio

Service (GMRS) radios

Generalized off-grid venue

comparison

cooking

electronics, tools, small appliances

laundry & cleaning

lighting

power production & distribution

refrigeration

space heating and cooling

waste management

water heating and distribution

Generator

Glazing

Global warming

Gravity-fed

Gray water systems

Greenhouse gases

Grid-tied power systems

Ground mounts

Ground wire

Groundwater

Harvesting system

Hay

Head

Heat

conduction

convection

radiation

Heat exchangers

Heat pump heaters

Heating devices, water

Heating system, in home

High-tech glass

Hogan

Home improvements

air conditioner, usage tips

cooking

dishwashing

heating system

hot water

insulation

laundry

lighting

painting

refrigeration

using storm windows and doors

Home-crafted RVs

Horizontal-axis wind turbines

Hot water

Houseboats, mooring

Household electricity

Hybrid and electric cars

Hybrid dwellings

Hybrid system

Hybrid trailer

Hybrid wind/PV system

Hydroelectricity

Hydrometer

Hygiene, water-source

Incandescent lights

drawbacks

Independent hybrid, backed-up system

Infiltration

Infrastructure

Insolation (incident solar

radiation)

insolation value

Insulated concrete forms (ICFs)

Insulation and window coverings

Insulation in home improvement

Integrated collector storage (ICS) devices

Interconnect (intertie)

Internal energy

Intertie

Inverters

waveforms

modified square wave

pure sine wave

square wave

Irradiance

Isolated-gain passive solar

Isolation and tempering valves, SWH

Isolation valve (solar bypass)

Junction

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

Kinetic energy

Land, factors to look for

Landfill

Landline communication

Landscaping

evapotranspiration

xeriscaping

Latrines, public-use

Laundry

heavily soiled clothes

lightly soiled clothes

Laundry & cleaning

Law of Conservation of Energy

Lead-acid (L-A) batteries

sealed lead-acid battery

Life

Light-emitting diode (LED)

Lighting home

fluorescent bulbs, advantages

incandescent lights, drawbacks

reducing watts usage

task lighting

Line-tied system

Load circuit

Log homes

Low voltage disconnect (LVD)

Magnetic field

Maintenance-free battery

Manufactured homes

Maximum power point tracking (MPPT)

MC connectors

Microclimate

Micro-hydro systems

Microwave cooking

Modified square wave invertors

Module

Mooring

Motor home, See

Recreational vehicles (RVs)

Mount system, choosing

fixed mounts

flush mounts

ground mounts

pole-top/pole-side mounts

rail mounts

roof mounts

tracking mounts

Mounting systems for photovoltaic cells

Mulch

Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)

Navajo (Diné) home

Net metering

Nickel-cadmium (NiCad)

Nickel-iron batteries

Nitrogen-rich vegetable waste

Nominal voltage

Nonconductors or insulators

Non-renewable energy sources

Normal operating cell temperature

N-type silicon

Nylon, for tents

Off-grid

defining

off-grid sites, nature of

realities in

financial need

inability for complete off-grid

reasons to go, See reasons to go off-grid

Off-peak energy

Ohm

Ohm’s Law

On-demand heaters

On-grid

Online

Open-circuit voltage

Open-loop direct systems

versus closed-loop

Orientation

Outgas

Overcharge

Overcurrent

Overhangs

Painting home

Panel

Papercrete

Parallel

Park model

Particulates

Passive solar design

insulation and window coverings

overhangs

south-facing windows

thermal mass

ventilation

Pathogen

Peak demand

Peak kilowatt

Peak load

Peak sun hours

Peak watt

Pelton wheel impulse turbine

Phantom loads

Photon

Photovoltaic cells

charge controller

methods of producing

amorphous or thin film cells

polycrystalline

single crystalline

string ribbon cells

mounting systems for

Plates

Plug-loads

PN-junction

Pole-side mounts

Pole-top mounts

Pollution

Polycrystalline method

Pool collectors

Potential difference

Potential energy

Power (P)

Power centers

Power conditioning equipment

Power density

Powering RV utilities

Pressurized Solar Fluid (Glycol) Systems

Primitive disposal systems

P-type silicon

Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM)

Pure sine wave invertors

Radiant barriers

Radiation

Radio communication

citizens band (CB)

family radio service (FRS)

general mobile radio service (GMRS) radios

multi-use radio service (MURS)

Rail mounts

Rammed earth construction

Rated battery capacity

Rated module current

Reasons to go off-grid

to avoid high cost of traditional utility connections

to entertain an intelligent mind

to minimize environmental impact of grid

non availability of grid

public image

to reduce our national dependence on fossil fuels

to save money by lowering utility bills

for services when grid goes down

Recreational vehicles (RVs)

categories of

bus conversion

class A motor home

class B camper van

class C motor home

fifth-wheel trailers

folding trailer

home-crafted RVs

hybrid trailer

park model

teardrop trailer

toy hauler

travel trailer

truck camper

features

powering RV utilities

prices

Rectifier

Recycling, waste

composting

Refrigeration

freezer compartment

rooms for

temperature

Renewable energy sources

Resistance

Retrofit

Reverse current

Roof mounts

R-value

Satellite internet services

Satellite phone communication

Secondary battery

Self-discharge

Semiconductor

Septic systems

Series connections

Set point

Sewage

black water

gray water

Shallow-cycle batteries

Sheds

Shelf life

Shelter(s)

adobe

cast earth

cob

cordwood

earthbags

houseboats

hybrid dwellings

insulated concrete forms (ICFs)

land

log homes

manufactured green home

manufactured homes

native American

dwellings, traditional

papercrete

passive solar design

rammed earth

recreational vehicles (RVs)

requirements

intermittent venue

permanent venue

transient venue

and sheds

slip-form stone buildings

soft shelters

stone

straw

straw-clay

tents

tepee

transient shelters

yurts

Short-circuit current

Silicon

Single crystalline method

Single-wide dwelling

Sizing the system

battery bank

energy estimation

solar module array

solar panel mount system, choosing

Slip-form stone buildings

Soft shelters

Solar aperture

Solar cells, See Photovoltaic cells

Solar collector

Solar design, See also

Passive solar design

requirement of shelter

Solar energy

Solar fluid, SWH

Solar fraction

Solar hot-water heating

Solar module array, sizing

Solar oven

Solar panels

Solar photovoltaic principles

Solar resource

Solar storage tanks

Solar thermal principles

Solar water heaters (SWH)

active versus passive

batch (ICS) systems

closed-loop drain-back systemsi

components of

backup water heater

collector mount

controls

expansion tank

heat exchanger

isolation and tempering valves

storage tank

water pump

heat exchanger

integrated collector storage (ICS)

open-loop direct systems

open-loop versus closed-loop

pressurized solar fluid (Glycol) Systems

solar fluid

thermosiphon

thermosiphon systems (TS)

South-facing windows

Specific gravity

Springs

Square wave invertors

Squatting

Stand-alone AC system

Stand-alone DC system

Stand-alone DC-AC systems

Stone

Storage tanks, SWH

Storm harvesting systems

Stratification

Straw-clay structures

String ribbon cells

Subarray

Sulfating

Surge capacity

Switches

Tankless heaters

Tapered-wall yurts

Task lighting

Teardrop trailer

Telephone communication

cell phones

landlines

satellite phones

Temperature

celsius scale (C)

fahrenheit scale (F)

Tents

advantages

bug screening

double-walled tents

durability

four-season or expedition tents

materials for making

protection from water

shapes

sizes

three-season tent

yurts versus

Tepee

Terminals

Thermal capacity

Thermal mass

Thermoelectric

Thermopane

Thermosiphon systems (TS)

Three-season tents

Tilt angle

Toilets, See Composting; Transient toilets

Toy hauler

Tracker

Transformer

Transient shelters

Transient toilets

Transportation

alternative methods of

gasoline-powered cars, drawbacks

hybrid and electric cars

zero-emissions vehicles

Travel trailer

Trickle charge

Trombe wall

Truck camper

True solar

Tungsten filament

Turbines

Ultrafilter

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

Universal connectors (SAE connectors)

Utility interface system

Utility intertie systems

Vagabond subculture

people

clubbing

squatting

Vapor barriers

Varistor

Vented cell

Ventilation

Venue comparison, off-grid, See also Generalized off-grid venue comparison

Vertical-axis wind

turbines

Voltage drop

Volts (E)

Waste

carbon-rich waste materials

composting toilets

latrines

nitrogen-rich vegetable waste

primitive disposal systems

recycling

composting

septic systems

sewage

transient toilets

Water

backup water heater

catchment systems

conserving

differential controls

expansion tanks

harvesting precipitation

heat exchanger

heat pump heaters

heating devices

indirect water heaters

isolation valve (solar bypass)

on-demand or tankless heaters

solar storage tanks

solar water heaters (SWH)

springs

tempering valve

testing

water pump

water table

water-source hygiene

wells

Water systems

hydroelectric systems

micro-hydro systems

Pelton wheel impulse turbine

water catchment system

water heating and distribution

water protection, tents

water pumps, SWH

Watt

Wattage ratings

Wattage usage, tips for reducing

Watt-hour

Waveform

Websites

food, water, and waste management

solar energy

sustainable and renewable energy

Welfare subculture people

Wells

drilling site

hand-drawing method

Wet shelf life

Wind chill

Wind farm

Wind systems

horizontal-axis wind turbines

hybrid wind/PV system

vertical-axis wind turbines

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs)

satellite internet services

Wires, in a circuit

ground wire

live wire

neutral wires

Wiring the system

batteries

parallel connections

series connections

sizing

Xeriscaping

Yurts

fabric yurt

frame-panel yurts

tapered-wall yurts

tent versus

Zero-emissions vehicles