A round-up of self-sufficiency news from this week’s papers.

Solar Panel Loans are set to make home-based electricity generation more affordable, says The Independent. Further:

…people who generate electricity via photovoltaic solar panels, wind turbines, hydro power or anaerobic digestion will receive up to 36p per kW/h of electricity, even if they use the power in their homes rather than feed it into the national grid. An extra 6p will be paid for every unit supplied to the grid.

So even if you don’t supply power to the grid you get paid. This could finally encourage mass adoption of solar and wind power.

The Telegraph reports from the house that costs £60 a year to heat yet still boasts ‘hot tubs, a sauna, a state of the art cooker’ and even a banana tree that’s kept warm enough to provide fruit, despite being built not on the equator but in the middle of the Cotswolds. Called Tranquility, the eco-house could be a blueprint for future sustainable design.

The Guardian, meanwhile, is tempting first-time growers with five easy crops for beginners, including potatoes, garlic and chard. The instructions are short and non-challenging, and ideal for the novice.

Related posts:

1. The cost of solar power
2. Home-made power
3. The wind-powered iPod