alternative Archive

Free energy … What a dream, eh? One of the principal household burdens is the cost of energy. The cost of energy is often 40% of total domestic bills. So, free energy would assist every family that is not rich a great deal. However, free energy is a pipe dream, is it not? There is alternative energy, that is non fossil fuel based energy, like nuclear energy, but that is not cheap either.

Other alternative sources of energy include wind-driven turbines and solar power. In this piece, I want to talk about harnessing the power of the sun to create solar electricity. Creating solar power is nothing new and most people are acquainted with the general theory of how the scheme works. In deed, most of us have owned a solar powered pocket calculator or solar powered clock at one time or another.

Solar electricity is just as good and just as strong as conventionally generated electricity and they can be used for exactly the same purposes. However, solar energy has one massive advantage, it is not ‘dirty’.

Electricity produced from the sun’s energy has not been made creating any greenhouse gases whatsoever. Furthermore, because there are no moving parts in a solar panel, there is no wear and tear and so less repairs.

Solar panel systems are more adaptable too. For instance, if you have a small home with few appliances, you still need the same method of delivering grid electricity as a huge house and you still need a metering system and a system of paying for the electricity consumed.

However, if you take the same small house as an example, you might find that ten solar panels will power it. Therefore, for a one-off payment, you are free of electricity pylons and their cables, the meter box and the monthly bills. A huge house would just have to fit more panels, say a hundred, to achieve the same freedom.

This freedom from the means of supplying electricity is a very real advantage if you live in a remote place, where you are expected to pay for the electricity pylons and their cables all on your own. The down side of using solar power is the cost of installation. A professionally fitted solar energy system can cost about $30,000.

If you save $200 per month on electricity, then you will recover your outlay in about 300 months, which is 12.5 years. However, if you could get the system fitted more economically, you would recover your costs more rapidly.

This is possible, by building the solar panels yourself and fitting them yourself. No matter what sort of a ham-fisted person you think you are, you can put together and fit the average solar panel kit. In deed, most teenagers can do the job. If you choose to buy solar panel kits to assemble yourself, you can save about half of the above costs, but if you were to make the panels from parts that are easily obtainable in DIY shops, you could be harnessing the power of the sun to make solar energy for up to 75% of the cost of a professional installation.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with a favourite subject, types of renewable energy. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power

What is your first impression of wind turbines? Do you imagine that the people who make them must be highly qualified technicians who have studied for donkey’s years?

What would you say, if one of your neighbours said that they were going to assemble their own wind turbines in order to produce their own electricity?

The fact is that it is not really very hard to make a wind turbine. You certainly do not have to have been to university to do it and you do not have to be an amateur electrician either. You will, however, need a good set of plans in order to put up an effective wind turbine.

There are various sources of plans for wood turbines. You could go to a hobbyist shop, a DIY warehouse or the Internet. If you search on the Internet, search for a web site that specializes in alternative energy technology.

Once you have you manual, handbook or drawings for making wind turbines, you ought to study it well and get any queries you have answered on forums on the Internet.

If you believe that I am exaggerating how simple it is to build a wind turbine, do not forget that people have been making windmills and water pumps for hundreds of years without the benefit of power tools or contemporary materials.

The only difference between those early devices and a wind turbine for making electricity is the addition of wiring and a coil, which you will buy anyway.

The basics of building a wind turbine involve building a tower to place it on; installing batteries to take the generated power; the fan and the tail assemblies. The tools that you will require to accomplish this are fairly basic too: bricklaying tools, carpentry tools and a few spanners, but that really depends on how much you sub-contract out.

You will almost surely have to buy the turbine, fan and tail section yourself as one element, because, if you want a high-powered unit, this section will need to be professional, not that it cannot be manufactured locally.

You will be able to maintain it yourself too, if you want. These fan blades can be 1.2 metres (4 feet) in length each, which is something that you will have to bear in mind when building your tower.

You may require a bit of professional assistance when you build your first wind turbine, but use the experience to learn as much as you can, so that you will be able to be more independent on your next one. You could even turn the experience into a profession, because there is a chronic shortage of people who know anything about wind turbines.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with a favourite subject – alternative power sources. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power

How would you like to come off the electricity grid? What a dream, eh? Unfortunately, it will stay a dream for many people because the cost of having solar panels installed professionally hardly warrants the cost. Numerous experts reckon that it can take well over 10 years to recoup the cost of the professional installation of solar panels. This is way beyond the horizons of most home owners, who would expect a break-even point of three to five years. This is not going to happen in the near future, even with the rapidly rising cost of electricity.

However, there is an alternative. Everybody knows that the labour element in any professional job is equivalent to or even exceeds the cost of the materials in that job, so you could save half the cost just by installing the solar panels yourself. How about saving another 50% or more on the cost of the solar panels by making them yourself too?

Now we are getting into the realm where the cost of a viable solar power system to replace state electricity is credible. It could even pay for itself in a couple of years by reducing your dependence on the grid or even enabling you to come off it altogether. Did you know that the grid will buy your surplus electricity from you as well?

It may sound like fantasy, but it is not that difficult if you have plans or and a solar panel kit. In fact, the parts necessary to build your own solar panels are pretty common these days and you will be able to pick them up either at your local hardware store or at a hobbyists like Radio Shack. If you reckon that that is too time-consuming, you could just purchase a kit. These kits are so uncomplicated that any teenager should be able to assemble one.

Later on, after completing a kit or two, you may have the confidence to buy the parts separately, which will save you even more money. One of these kits would be enough to run a few tools in your shed or the lights in your garage or a pump on the pond or pool. If you linked a few of them together, you could start to reduce your home’s dependence on the grid just by harnessing the energy of the sun. Wouldn’t that be great?

Solar panels have been around for a long time and so people remember when they needed strong sun light to be of any use, but public awareness has not kept up with the rate of technological development. Solar panels are much more sensitive now and they can create electricity from light using powerful photo voltaic cells (PV’s) – they do not have need of blazing sunshine to work any more.

So, if you want to go down the route to independence from the electricity grid, the first thing you have to do is locate a set of solar panel diagrams or plans or a kit. You may be able to get these from your hobbyist store too or you can get them from a website that specializes in sustainable or alternative energy sources.

Once you have all your parts and your plans, it will only take you a few free hours to assemble your solar panel and have it working for you. The next one will take even less time as you get used to it

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

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Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power

Everybody these days is aware of the issues of climate change, or as the experts used to call it, global warming. It appears that even those people who call themselves experts do not know what is taking place. It is not very heartening. However, what everybody does know, even without so-called expert advice, is that the rate that we are using fossil fuel up is untenable, that that means that prices will rise and that it looks like the West is on the slippery slope.

So, what can we do about that? People are looking for leadership and assistance to reduce their dependency on traditional sources of energy like the national power grid and the petrol station, but the people that are in charge of these resources are loathe to give any real advice in case they lose their hold on society. People are starting to want to make themselves less reliant on the customary power suppliers and would like to go it alone. Unfortunately, most people do not know where to turn for advice, but they have some vague notion about putting up their own solar panels.

However, without any easily understandable government financial support or recommendations, people are struggling to do their best alone. And the fact is that the professional installation of your own solar panels is expensive. It costs thousands of Dollars, Euros or Pounds, wherever you are, which is why many people are looking into a do-it-yourself (DIY) solar energy system.

Unfortunately, without any proper guidance, home-made solar panels will barely run a low energy light bulb in the midday sun. A better way is to buy a self-assembly kit from a reputable company and put it together yourself, following their instructions. After all, we all know that the labour constituent of any job is often equal to or more than the cost of the components being installed. These kits come with everything you need to install your own solar panels.

These self assembly solar power packages are well put together and the instructions are normally well written and easy to follow. However, it is worth buying from one of the better known, big companies like GE, but you can do this from a web site that specializes in home sustainable energy systems.

You might like to turn the assembly of a few of your own solar power units into a family project, because that will teach the younger members of the family about how worthwhile energy conservation is and introduce them to electronics.

These home solar panel systems are completely expandable, so you do not have to deprive yourself of that new dishwasher, although the fact is that modern appliances are using less energy than their older counterparts did.

Just imagine if you had a bank of your own solar panels and you became 50% independent of the national grid. And then you put in a few more panels when you had the time and eventually became totally independent of the grid! And then you began adding a few more and were actually selling electricity back into the grid. It is all possible when you have your own solar panels.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with a favourite subject, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power

Many people are fed up of the escalating cost of electricity, but they do not know what they can do about it. They have switched lights off; they have not turned lights on; they have unplugged devices on stand-by and they have turned the central heating down and the air con up and it has only saved them pennies. Yet still the electricity bills go up on a regular basis. It is very exasperating.

We have all heard of alternative and sustainable sources of energy, but the question is: how can ordinary people instigate these technologies into their own homes? One phone call to a professional solar power installation company will persuade anyone that solar power is only for the wealthy.

Similarly with wind power generation. A single unit, which may or may not satisfy the electrical requirements of one standard family will cost in the region of $45,000 and it is thought that, if it meets expectations, that it will pay for itself in ten years time. $45,000 is too much money for most people, but having to wait ten years to realize that investment is too long for most individuals too.

So, at first glimpse, it looks like the average person is at the mercy of the oil companies and the electricity generators. However, it does not have to be like that. There are other means of approaching the problem and removing yourself from the control of energy providers. The first method would be to buy the solar power units and install them yourself. That would save you a lot, maybe up to 50%. But you could go a stage further and make the solar panels yourself as well, which would save you a great deal more money.

The fact is that the more of your own labour that you can put into the scheme, the more you will save, because the labour constituent in any task usually amounts to about 50% of the costs. We all know how costly it is to call a plumber in to fix a leaking pipe or a roofer to replace a slate. $100 for a slate? $100 for a dribble of solder? No, it is the tradesman’s time and the same is true of solar panel fitters.

The way out is to learn how to make the solar power units and fit them yourself. It is not hard. Any teenager can can learn how to do it and so can you. Take it from me, learning how to assemble and fit solar panels is not hard. Just try it and see for yourself. You will astound yourself and your friends. You may even transform it into a business!

The thing to do is get a reliable kit or a plan from a trusted source. This could be a neighborhood hardware or hobbyist store or from a specialist website on the Internet. Once you have your design, you can buy the pieces of equipment. They are commonplace and available in most DIY shops. Then it will take you about a day to construct a solar panel that will supply about 100 watts.

This may not sound like much, but it will power many types of small machines or two standard light bulbs. The trick is to keep adding to your bank of solar panels until you are entirely free of the electricity grid or even selling electricity back into it.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power

I do not know whether you have ever thought of it, but you can get off the grid. The electricity grid that is. Is it anything that you are interested in? For some people, getting off the grid is the Holy Grail of modern life. We all feel that we are being squeezed dry by the energy firms and our soldiers are being killed on a daily basis to safeguard the West’s supply of oil.

If the same quantity of money was invested in developing alternative technology, we would not have to import so much oil, but that would mean less profits for the energy bosses too. So the average guy on the street loses out to the rich oil tycoons and people are milked for money and soldiers die on both sides.

You cannot rely on these people to help you use less energy, it is not in their interest. The only thing you can do is take the bull by the horns and sort yourself out. Get yourself off the grid, save yourself money in the long term and help save the planet and our soldiers too.

It is often presumed that self-sufficiency in energy is only for nerds, but this is not true, it is now within the bounds of every family or household. If you have plenty of money, a solar or wind powered system will cost you about $45,000 and it will take about ten years to recoup your investment by getting off the grid. However, you can get the same apparatus for much less than half that amount.

The fact is that technology has advanced rapidly in the field of solar power, as it has in every other technological sphere. Scorching sunshine is no longer essential to create a steady flow of electricity and prices have dropped. However, labour prices have risen and over-compensated for this fall. Herein lies your opportunity.

It is not hard to make your own solar panels and the components are readily obtainable in even small towns. The same holds true for systems that will create electricity from wind or water. The trick is to get a detailed diagram from which to build your solar panels or other equipment.

These plans are readily available online from specialist web sites and the pieces of equipment are available from DIY or hobbyist stores. Once you have made your sustainable energy resources, they are virtually maintenance free, although you may have to top up the batteries with sulphuric acid or distilled water.

Living off the grid is a magnificent feeling. Knowing that you are out of the clutches of the oil tycoons brings more freedom and the next time there is a power cut or a price rise, you can just give a smile and forget about it, because you will be living off the grid.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite subject, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Technorati Tags: alternative, climate change, energy, fuel, global warming, health, home and family, other, science, solar energy, Solar Power, sustainable, technology, uncategorised, wind power