You Can Live Off the Grid
The lack of power, the rapid consumption of non-renewable energy, the ever-increasing requirements for power supply, the daily warnings concerning our environment are enough indications to let us know that it’s time to take action. So, what can be done? For starters, how about living off the grid? If you are suprised by that proposition, let me tell you that living off-grid not only improves the environment and helps conserve power; it also reduces your electricity costs substantially. Now, there’s a real-life benefit apart from how you will greatly benefit the world. Trust me, you will feel good about doing this.

If you wish to learn how to go off-grid go to:: The Off Grid Solar Power Report

First, let’s take a look at the advantages of living off the grid.
• Reduced reliance on exhausting resources: Who wants to depend upon public utilities forever? Living off the grid helps you rely only on yourown resources and not the ones supplied by the government or corporations. How many times have you gotten angry when faced with a power outage in the midst of some important job or a party? Wouldn’t it be great to take charge of such factors affecting your life? With alternate energy solutions, you can. Check this out and see how you can save your money: The Off Grid Solar Power Report

• It doesn’t cost a thing when you use naturally available resources: Think about how you’ll feel when you no longer have to pay for the electricity you use. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to use all you want and not give a thought to the electric meter? You can utilize the available and abundant power that nature herself supplies to light your home and make your meals. Your quest for power can now be satisfied with solar and wind power solutions.  
• Reduced power bill helps you save money: How would you like it if the electricity bills stopped coming to your mailbox? The alternative power solutions give you a return on investment quickly, thus making the power supply to your home eventually free|eventually making the electricity to your home FREE! 
• Helping to prepare the way for a better world: Aren’t you thankful for those who long ago planted trees, knowing they may not see the trees fully mature? The trees were planted for future generations. Help secure the future of coming generations by providing them  with a healthier, more ecologically sound world.

With many contraptions and inventions popping up in all four corners of the earth, the best thus far is the home wind energy.

How Do These Home Energy Turbines Work?

The home wind energy turbine, placed typically at home on a prop or tower, gathers kinetic energy (energy resulting from an object’s motion) from the wind and converts to electricity that matches with your home’s electrical system.

For normal home use, the home wind energy serves up simultaneously by the wind turbine  to a local convenience for the hose hold gear. If the wind speeds are below cut-in speed (7-10 mph) there will be no output from the turbine supplying home wind energy. All of the needed power is purchased from the utility.

The output of the home wind energy turbine is enhanced as the speed of the wind increases, while the power output is decreased proportionately. When the home wind energy turbine produces more power than the house needs, the extra electricity is sold to the utility. This is all done automatically. There are no batteries in a modern home wind energy generator.

How Does The System Save Money?

The home wind energy turbine typically lowers your electricity bill by 50 to 90 percent, and has a potential to lower electric bills to a monthly average of $10 to $20 for the year. The amount of money a small home wind energy turbine saves you in the long run will depend upon its cost, the amount of electricity you use, the average wind speed at your site, and other factors.

Before the installation of a home wind energy system, here is what you should consider? If you own a home in an urban area, having a home wind energy system is most likely not feasible becuase of its size. With the exception of the very small home wind energy turbines, which requires a property size of approximately one acre or more.

The financial side of a home wind energy system is very sensitive to the average wind speed in the area, and to a lesser extent, the cost of purchasing electricity. As a general rule of thumb, at an average of 10 mph wind speed one will be paying about 10 cents/kWh for electricity. Home wind energy systems are quite common in a number of states.

The Environmental Impact Of Using A Home Wind Energy System

Home wind energy turbines produce no pollution. Over its life, a small home wind energy turbine can offset approximately 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and other gases which cause climate change). And as a bonus, the home wind energy system does not require regular maintenance as they are generally designed to have a life span of 20 years

Should you then need to consider an earth friendly way to generate electricity at a small scale, you might need to consider this system.

See Also: Advantages of Wind Energy

Solar power systems can save the average homeowner a lot of money each year by reducing or eliminating their electricity bills. If they install a properly sized solar panel array they can easily generate all of their power from sunlight and never have to worry about another utility bill again. Some homeowners, though, encounter problems that prevent them from getting the return on investment that they had hoped for. However, many of these issues can be overcome with recent innovations and improvements in solar technology.  These innovations apply with both a purchased solar panel and a DIY solar panel.

Having a house with proper orientation to the sun is probably the biggest concern for most homeowners. For solar power systems to operate at peak efficiencies, a home has to have a roof that faced south if they were located in the northern hemisphere. This ensures that the solar panels have a good amount of sun exposure throughout the day, as the sun travels across the sky. This was a critical concern in years past as older solar panels were very specific in their need to have a constant sun exposure for most of the day to generate power. If their positioning was even a little bit off, it could have a major impact on the amount of power they could generate

This problem is solved in modern solar panels by using more efficient solar cells. Besides producing more electricity with similar amount of sunlight, these newer solar cells can also tolerate a more severe angle relative to the sun. Many locations that were not good choices for solar power before can now be used because of this wider tolerance. This makes them a perfect fit for installations that have a lees than perfect alignment for maximum solar power generation. These newer solar panels can still generate a lot of power even when they are out of a traditional alignment with the sun and also do a great job in periods of diminished sunlight as well.  Because these newer solar panels don’t need to pointing directly at the sun all the time, they don’t need to be turned during the day like a lot of older panels.  This makes it much easier to do a homediy solar panel install.

This is much better than older solar panels that needed a large, continuous amount of sunlight to generate electricity. Because of this, older panels were inactive when the sun was rising in the morning and setting in the late afternoon. There is sunlight at these times, but not enough to cross the threshold these older panels need to produce power. Newer panels will produce power proportional to the amount of sun even during these periods of lower amounts of sunlight. These panels produce maximum electricity when the sun is at peak, but can generate power in proportion to the amount of sunlight, as long as some light is striking the panels. So, these more modern solar panels can produce more average power per day and therefore more total power through the year. The additional power this will provide can add significant savings and allow the homeowner to justify a solar power system for their home.

One of the best ways to increase the resale value of your home is with a solar power system.  Whether the system can provide all the power needs of your house, or simply supplements power from the electric company, any solar power system is sure to significantly increase your home’s value.  A simple diy solar charger is a great way to start.

Skyrocketing cost of grid power is fueling the demand for solar energy as it is clearly a clean stable source of electricity for homes as well as businesses. More and more consumers are taking a serious look at solar energy especially homemade solar heater systems as a way to combat the rising cost. If you are considering installing a system in your home, make sure to read our homemade solar heater review of kits available for do-it-yourselfers who want to convert to solar energy. Billions of dollars have been spent in the United States over the past couple of decades in promoting and developing this technology. We discuss some of the benefits of solar energy and homemade solar heater in this article.

It is estimated that the cost of the equipment to power a home with solar energy is 90 per cent cheaper than it was in the 1970s. As the cost of conventional energy continues to spiral up, homemade solar heater systems and solar energy are increasingly being embraced by consumers.

In the majority of instances, special solar photovoltaic cells are installed on the rooftops of homes to convert solar energy into electricity for home use. It is true that the initial investment is quite expensive but this money should be recouped in savings on electricity bills over time and significant savings can be made in the long-term.

In regions of the country that see more sun, solar power can meet or supply in abundance the electricity needed for a household during certain times of the day. Excess electricity can be stored in batteries or in certain areas it can even be sold back to electricity supply companies.

Here are some of the main benefits of solar energy:

* It’s cheap – Once you make the initial investment to have solar technology installed in your home it is a free source of energy. After the savings from your monthly energy bills have paid off the initial investment in the system, the savings become pure gain for you. There may be tax incentives to help you cover the expense of going solar. What is more it will add significantly to the value of your home. With the public becoming ever more focused on stopping climate change, the popularity of green homes is surging so investing in a homemade solar heating system and solar energy will add value to your home and make it easier to sell.

* It’s clean – Solar is one of the cleanest and environmentally friendly sources of energy out there. Homemade solar heater and turning to solar energy is how you can do your part to fight global warming.

* It’s easy – Solar energy systems require very little maintenance. Unlike traditional sources of energy, once your solar energy or homemade solar heater is constructed, you won’t have to be concerned about adding extra fuel or paying the invoices or maintenance AND you will have a constant source of energy.

* It’s consistent – If you use solar energy you do not have to worry about power failures. Even if your traditional source of electricity fails you will still have a back-up. If your home is located in an area so remote that access to centralized sources of power is difficult to obtain then solar energy is an outstanding option.

* It’s tidy – Even if you live in a region with dense population, you won’t have any problems putting in solar panels. Since they slot easily into the roof of your home there is no need for them to take up precious garden space. Also, while the panels themselves are costly, they are very easy and quick to install.

* It’s cordless – Modern stand alone appliances powered by sun energy are cordless as they don’t need to plug in to anything. For example, you can install solar powered garden lights that you simply place in your garden that run of the sun’s energy. These also have sensors that detect light so they automatically turn on or off according to the light.

Photovoltaic cells in the home can be spendy if you don’t know how to build a good one. However, it is not the only way to make use of the sun’s energy. More and more, homes built in cooler parts of the country are being built to leverage the sun’s energy for warmth. This includes optimal home design that use methods like large glass windows on the southern side of the house to heat it during colder seasons. Trees can be used to protect the home from too much sun exposure during the summer months.

Another option is to use the sun to provide hot water from the home. This technique is accomplished by installing black painted water pipes through a box that mimics the greenhouse effect by trapping in the warm air while it is placed outside the home for maximum sun exposure. In hotter regions, it is possible to provide the entire home with free hot running water with this system.

Solar energy isn’t for everybody. Where you live will determine whether or not it is the right choice for you. If solar panels are not viable for you, or you are unsure if you are ready to take the plunge, you should still consider buying solar appliances when possible. Many appliances such as fountains, watches, video cameras, radios and so on, are now available as solar appliances. These all eliminate the need for batteries and/or wiring.

~Ralph Somers, Editor

Ralph’s Green Energy Guide