Administered by:
The only problem I can think of is social inertia.
I wonder why many find it cool to spend lot of money on an expensive smartphone with unnecessary features but still don't find it 'cool' enough to have a solar powered home for more or less similar costs..
#solarpunk
@animo Studies have shown that solar power is "contagious." When one house gets a solar roof, their neighbors all start wanting one. If you look at a map you'll see clumps of solar power where "outbreaks" have happened, not an even distribution at all
So I guess the answer is, lead the way! Show your neighbors how it's done, #solarpunk style 
Unfortunately i think i will have to live on rent forever..-_-. We do have one where my parents stay..and I do pursuade my relatives and friends back at my city..
@socalledunitedstates
*goes down dark alley*
"Wanna buy a solar panel?"
@animo
@solarpunkgnome @animo No joke, @solarpunkagorism was talking about building and selling solar panels on the gray market a while back
@socalledunitedstates @solarpunkgnome @animo I'm still very serious about it but I need to find an individual or cooperative who makes solar cells and doesnt sell on eBay. I want to try to avoid capitalist markets for it as much as possible.
But making conventional #silicon solar cells is impossible without sophisticated machinery..
I work in a research lab and trying to investigate new materials which can be printed easily.
But definitely can't compete with silicon though..may be for windows etc..its a quite interesting material called #perovskite. Can be just dissolved and printed..But there are toxicity issues with the presence of lead in it...my work is to find alternatives which are nontoxic..but it is basic research now and need at least another 5 years for developing any real large area device..
@glowinThedark
Main problem with biological and organic (in the chemistry sense) solar cells is their efficiency isn't very good. Not to say it will always be that way, but it's not a good starting point unless it's something you want to tinker with.
I think solar thermal systems are the best bet for DIY, honestly. We've become an electrical monoculture when a lot of things just need heat or mechanical energy - 1/2
@glowinThedark @animo @solarbear @solarpunkagorism @socalledunitedstates
@solarbear linked this video awhile back about a cool solar thermal setup: https://youtu.be/duuk_r--lqU
Low Tech Magazine is also a good resource.
@solarpunkgnome @glowinThedark @animo @solarbear @solarpunkagorism Threads like this are why I love Sunbeam City 
Don't let me forget to watch this vid and add it to the wiki when I get home
@solarpunkgnome This is incredible, but Sunvention seems to be defunct. Do you know if the plans still exist elsewhere on the web?
@socalledunitedstates
IDK, I can take a look around though. Have you seen anything else by them, @solarbear?
@socalledunitedstates @animo @glowinThedark
Looks like sunvention.com is owned by someone else now. I think this eco-village developed the concept for the system: https://www.tamera.org/solar-research/ . I didn't see a link to plans or anything, so I might shoot them a message to see if they have any.
@socalledunitedstates @animo @glowinThedark Looking further, I'm not sure whether they developed the Sunpulse Stirling Engine or if they bought it from a third party. I think Sunpulse may have been a subsidiary of their project, but the Sunpulse website is down as well. I will let you know if I hear back from Tamera.
It reminds me of these Victorian solar collectors: http://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/2004
@socalledunitedstates @animo @glowinThedark More info about the engine can be seen on these videos:
https://youtu.be/mpBa0ntXANI
https://youtu.be/nrczsV9XR04
home insulation, food cellars, greenhouses, thermal solar, mechanical powered designs, these are all ways to cut the addiction.
Which is why I like the bio solar panels, for the energy load that's unavoidable, they are a good fit.
speaking of which I've had a design idea banging around my head.
semi basement earth bermed small/tiny house (like the icelanic ones) but kept under a green house tunnel for both insulation and privacy from building code inspectors. Inside on the roof, and around the roof, you can grow food, collect rainwater, have a solar cooker, and even have bio solar panels. The greenhouse is the home's insulation, saving huge energy costs and on construction materials. In the summer the side walls can be vented and you grow vines.
No need to use the main living space to store things not in use.
@glowinThedark @solarpunkgnome I'm pretty sure there's a house in a greenhouse in Scandinavia I think? On mobile otherwise I'd look it up, there was a video about it circulating a while back
think tiny house + mike ohler bermed house technique + wtv building method you want + the floor is a semi basement (dug to frostline) + greenhouse tunnel on top.
Yeah, I think they're promising, just not sure how much room you'd need for one ATM.
I grew up in a berm home with an exposed roof. My dad built it mostly himself back in 1980. I think it was a lot more efficient than anything around us, but I never compared utility bills.
The greenhouse on top sounds super cool. We didn't have to worry about building codes where we lived, but I know they can be silly in some places.
@animo
Are you using perovskite proper, or some other perovskite structure material? (My undergrad degree was in Ceramic Engineering.)
@solarpunkagorism @socalledunitedstates
Perovskite structured material..halide perovskites of lead basically..
May be I can later add a simple procedure to wiki on how to make it..
@solarpunkagorism @solarpunkgnome @animo Did you see my links about DIYing them out of factory rejects and/or discarded solar path lights?
https://wiki.sunbeam.city/doku.php?id=energy:energy_generation:solar_electric_power
Also, I know there are solar installation coops out there. You may be able to email them and ask about their supplier
@socalledunitedstates
I keep hearing this term. What is this "grey market"?
@solarpunkgnome @animo @solarpunkagorism
@rick_777 @solarpunkgnome @animo @solarpunkagorism Legal items sold illegally, such as by dodging sales tax. Whereas the black market is illegal items sold illegally