Green Energy Info

Archive for April, 2008

Are you getting frustrated with rising energy costs? Have you been thinking about building a small residential wind turbine? You’re not the only one. Given the increased price of conventional power sources, many people are considering the benefits of making their own wind generator or turbine. Before embarking on this venture however, there are a few things you should educate yourself about. You can build a wind power system easily and cheap. Much cheaper than a kit or having a contractor do it for you. check out the resource/partner review page to learn more.

Determining how a home turbine works, what you’ll need to build one, and where to get those items from ahead of time will save you money, time and frustration. It is important to make sure you understand the basics of a home wind power generating system long before you get started. Familiarizing yourself with the individual components that make up a home wind power system will decrease the likelihood that you will lose time and money to problems that could easily have been avoided by doing your homework ahead of time.

One of the first and most important things to consider is where you’re going to build your turbine. Of course you need to have the room on your property, and in addition you need to determine the most optimal spot in terms of being able to capture the largest amount of wind power. Typically this will involve being far enough away from any obstacles that could block wind flow to the turbine. Another important aspect of locating a site for your wind generator is that the location must meet the local zoning requirements of your town or municipality. You don’t want to skip checking on zoning rules and end up making a mistake that will cost you money and time. So first, contact your local or state zoning agency and then within those confines determine the optimal site in terms of wind and the features of your available property.

The next thing to consider is the tower that will support your wind turbine. The tower needs to be tall enough to place your turbine in wind that is strong enough to generate sufficient power and the higher you go, the more power you’ll generate. However the higher you go, the stronger your tower will need to be and the greater the cost will be. Remember you want your wind turbine to remain standing even in the face of hurricane force winds. Another reason to limit the height of your tower is that as you go higher the increase in wind power won’t pay off for the increased cost of your tower. The tower can end up being the most expensive part as it the biggest. Thus you can see that it makes good sense do your homework ahead of time. This is true whether you build your own and purchase a tower. Keep in mind that if you build your own, there may be liability issues so consider this drawback and weigh it against any extra cost of simply buying a manufactured tower.

Getting started on building your own wind turbine system can seem daunting but with proper preparation you can avoid running into trouble by addressing issues such as those discussed above before you begin. If you are interested in learning more about building your own wind turbine check out the best guide and plans on the web right here resource/partner reviews.

In these days of high electricity consumption, it has become possible to save money on electric bills as well as increase the value of one’s home and also make the world a little bit cleaner by using a home solar energy system to meet the electricity needs of the home.

It involves setting solar modules on or near the home to collect free and clean as well as safe energy from the sun and converting the sunlight into electricity which is instantaneous in the case of the home solar power system, since there are no mechanical parts involved.

To convert the DC power into AC power one would need an inverter and the home solar power system sends excess electricity to the local utility for credit and the home electricity meter actually reverses when the home solar energy system generates more electricity than is consumed by the home.

Reputed manufacturers are selling their own home solar energy systems and finding one should not be a problem what with big names such as BP making such products. Using such systems means that the solar power system is automatic - very much like the savings it affects.

Sunwize Residential Grid-Tie Systems

This home solar energy system supplies reliable power for the home using top quality UL listed products and includes solar modules, UniRac SolarMount mounting structure, inverters, cables as well as all necessary hardware and electrical components. These systems are modular and so one can combine multiple units together and the SunWize grid-tie systems are NEC code requirement compliant that meet US safety standards and come with a twenty year warranty on power output as well as a five year system warranty.

Before deciding on a home solar energy system, one should determine beforehand how much power is required to be used in the home and for this one may need to list all the loads that are planned to be run, along with the amount of voltage and the daily hours of operations.

Once these parameters have been arrived at and quantified they can be compared with the different home solar power systems to determine which would be most suitable.

Using a home solar power system would greatly reduce the power bills as well as help in keeping the environment free of pollutants and very often, it helps in generating excess electricity that exceeds the electricity needs of a home and is thus an economical solution to high priced utility services.

You can save more money by building your system yourself. It’s cheap, easy and fun!

To learn more about home solar power systems, wind generators and how you can build and install them yourself at a great savings check out the resource/partner review page.

When you think of solar powered homes you think of a home totally powered by state of the art expensive solar panels but that need not be the case. Solar power is now becoming less expensive these days and is more popular than ever. You can build it yourself cheap and easy. To learn more about home solar power systems, wind generators and how you can build and install them yourself at a great savings check out the resource/partner review page.

Solar electric systems are also known as photovoltaic or PV systems and are reliable and pollution-free. They take their power from a free and renewable source of energy that has been with us since the beginning of time - The Sun. Home solar power solutions are becoming more and more affordable over time for providing solar home power. Dont worry because you don’t have to fork out hundreds of dollars to get started.

How Does It Work?

Well solar home energy is provided by solar panels also known as Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. They create electricity directly from the sun and will function any time the sun is shining. Considerably more electricity is generated when the sunlight is stronger. In simple terms, the sun has to strike the PV modules at a perpendicular angle to generate the electricity. Electrons are released by the interaction of sunlight with semiconductor materials in PV cells and the electrons are captured in an electric current. The PV panels are connected to an inverter unit in your property that converts the resulting the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). The inverter is connected to and powers your appliances. It’s also connected to a meter which monitors electricity consumption. Ok that’s enough techie stuff!

PV systems allow you to produce electricity for a solar energy home without noise or air pollution-from a clean, renewable resource and it is a continuous energy source that never depletes. How cool is that?

Things to consider before purchasing

Prior to buying a PV system for a solar power home there are at least two considerations that you need to make.

1. Solar power will be intermittent because electricity is only produced when the sun is shining. This wont be too much of a problem if you are connected to the Electricity Grid as any additional electricity power requirement will automatically be delivered to you. If you aren’t then you can purchase batteries to make up the shortfall but these can be expensive.

2. It can require an initial large investment. It’s basically like paying for years of electricity upfront. Having said that you don’t have to you DO NOT need to invest $1,000’s in costly solar panels or windmills to transform your home into an energy producing “green home” You can just buy the components you need and make your own panels and use them to power a few electrical appliances. That way you can gradually build up to the level of alternative power provision that you want. You can even build them yourself with a few common materials and save yourself money.

Financing your PV system

If you want to use home solar panels extensively for moreorless total home solar power, probably the best way to finance it is through a mortgage loan. Mortgage financing options include your primary mortgage; a second mortgage, or a home-equity loan that is secured by your property. There are two advantages to mortgage financing.

1. Mortgage financing usually provides longer terms and lower interest rates than other loans, such as conventional bank loans.

2. The interest paid on a mortgage loan is generally deductible on your federal taxes (subject to certain conditions ). If you buy the PV system for solar power for homes at the same time that you buy it , you can consider including it in the cost.

Adding the cost of the PV system to your mortgage loan is likely to be relatively simple. It is also one way to avoid additional loan application forms and fees.

Why would you want to use solar power?

There are many reasons why you might want to convert to use PV units for solar power. - To help preserve the Earth’s finite fossil-fuel resources and reduce air pollution.

1. The desire to make ones property more energy efficient.

2. The security and satisfaction of reducing the amount of electricity you buy from the utility company

3. Getting one over the profitable utility companies because  by law the utility company has to pay you back for any excessive electricity power that you generate and don’t use at the current market price. That’s great for us consumers.

Whatever your reason, solar energy is widely thought to be the energy source of choice for the future.

To learn more about home solar power systems, wind generators and how you can build and install them yourself at a great savings check out the resource/partner review page.

This article focuses on planning and installing a residential home wind power generation system, not as much on how a wind energy system works. You can build a wind power system yourself easily and cheap. Much cheaper than a kit or having a contractor do it for you. check out the resource/partner review page to learn more.

Wind power generation, an alternative and renewable energy source, has seen a dramatic increase in the last few years. Technological advances make it more and more feasible to install wind power generators for individual homes. The newer systems are more efficient and quieter.

Not every geographical location however, is suited for installing a wind power generator. A consistent wind, with average speeds of approximately 11 miles per hour is required to make a wind energy system feasible. Lower wind speeds can be suitable for battery charging and water pumping in your remote weekend cottage.

Wind availability maps are published by the US National Renewable Energy Lab. You can get a general idea from these maps if you are living in a state and county with sufficiently high winds.

Once you confirm this, you will need to also check if your exact location experiences the required, consistent average wind speeds. If your home, your property is located on the side of a hill, your sheltered location might not provide the required wind speeds. Maybe you can install the wind turbine high enough, to just extend it over the ridge. You will then possibly be able to pick up sufficient wind.

Local wind maps, can also be found at the National Renewable Energy Lab. These maps however, are not very easy to read and understand. Fortunately though, you can simply contact a wind power manufacturer, such as those listed in the American Wind Energy Association website. They can tell you if it is feasible to install a wind power generator for your home.

At this point, just get some general information about the feasibility of installing a wind power system for your home. You have some more checking to do, before you spend a lot of your and the manufacturer’s time on details.

Next step is to check the local codes and requirements. Your town might have some bylaws, or if you live in a subdivision, there might be restrictions in place, that will not allow you to install a wind power generator for your home. Don’t let that deter you! Get a petition going in your town or city to change the bylaws.

Talk to the neighborhood association. Who knows, maybe the whole subdivision will end up supporting a wind power generator for all the homes!

Don’t forget to also talk to your neighbors. Unfortunately, some people still believe that all wind energy generators are noisy and kill birds. Inform the neighbors as you investigate and learn more.

Once you know that no local laws, regulations, neighbors or neighbor hood associations will stop you, it is time to talk to the manufacturers again.

I recommend talking to at least two different wind power manufacturers with different types of rotors, such as horizontal propeller blades, or vertical ‘egg beater’ blades. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages. You want to make sure that the type of system you end up installing is the best for your particular application.

Ask the manufacturer a lot of questions, such as:

- How much clearance is required around the tower and rotor blades?

- How tall will the wind tower be?

- What are the noise emissions? Do they have certified sound data?

- How many installations have they done? Can you go see one?

- What output can you expect from their system?

- What is the installed cost per kilowatt-hour?

- What kind of warranties do they provide?

- What will they need from you to do to make it happen? (besides money)

- Will they apply for the required permits?

- Will they make the connection to the electric grid?

- Will you have to hire a general contractor?

Compare all the answers between the different models and manufacturers and then you can make an educated decision. You can also get a good guide and plans and build it yourself. The best guide out there in my opinion is Earth4Energy. Check out a review of Earth4Energy here resource/partner reviews

Check with your state and local governments. Another option could be to get a reduced-rate mortgage for adding the wind power system. Check with your mortgage company or mortgage broker.

If you find after doing all this research, that wind power is not the solution for you, then maybe a solar photovoltaic system is your solution.

I do hope that you will be able to install either a solar energy system or a wind power generator for your home.

If you think solar power and solar batteries aren’t the wave of the future, you may be missing out on some exciting possibilities. America is just now starting to take action in the way of policy changes and R&D funding to move away from energy produced from fossil fuels. On August 21st 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the solar power bill that aims to make California the biggest producer of solar energy in the world by 2018 through the installation of 1 million rooftop solar batteries on residential homes, office buildings schools and farms.

Homeowners who outfit their homes with solar batteries will not only benefit from lower energy use costs and higher home resale value, but under Schwarzenegger’s new law, they can sell excess power back to their utility company for a profit. Despite all of the evidence pointing to the positive aspects of power generated through solar batteries, including a commitment of $2.9 billion dollar commitment by the California Public Utilities Commission, many people still believe that solar batteries are ineffective for producing adequate power. In this article, we will explore the 3 most common misconceptions and facts surrounding home solar power and the solar battery.

Misconception #1 – I would need to live in a hot area of the country in order to benefit from a solar battery

There are two types of solar panels. One produces heat by absorbing heat from the sun. The other type, solar batteries, use Photovoltaic principles to turn the light from the sun into energy. These solar batteries are made of silicon which becomes electrically charged from the sunlight. The sun is always shining, even in the wintertime which means that solar batteries work year round-even when it doesn’t feel hot outside.

Misconception #2 – Using a solar battery will not make that much of an impact on the environment

Unless you believe that reducing greenhouse gasses by 3 million tons for every 1 million homes equip with solar panels isn’t a big impact, this misconception is simply untrue. The removal of 3 million tons of greenhouse gasses is roughly the equivalent of eliminating the harmful greenhouse gas emissions of 1 million cars. Multiply this by the total number of homes and residences in the US, and the impact is critical move for a growing population.

Misconception #3- Solar batteries cost more than they save

While it is true that solar batteries do involve more upfront costs than simply plugging into the grid, it’s important to look at costs over the long term to get an accurate cost perspective. Solar batteries can continue to produce power steadily for 50 or more years. Once your batteries are installed and producing power, there are no more costs involved with taking energy from the grid. And while grid energy may be affordable now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be in the future. We have seen how quickly a limited supply and demand can impact the cost of gasoline.

What’s more, if the rest of the US follows California’s lead, excess electricity can be sold back to the energy for a profit. Solar batteries also open up new possibilities in home ownership; allowing people to build private getaways and vacation homes in remote, low land cost areas that are off the power grid. With the increased longevity and lower cost of today’s solar batteries, homeowners owe it to themselves to explore the possibilities of solar power and to rethink their paradigms about energy costs and home building possibilities.

You can build and install your wind generator and solar panels very easy and cheap and have fun doing it! check out the resource/partner review page.