There has been a good deal of debate about what is often called “free” energy—energy that can purportedly, with the right engineering science, be drawn straight out of the atmosphere, and in very abundant supply. The debates are about whether the stuff actually exists or not, what it would actually cost were it to be harnessed, and if it does exist is it truly as abundant and efficient as it's being made out to be by proponents of research and development into this potential alternative energy source.

When one hears the phrase “free energy device”, one might be hearing about one of several different concepts. This might mean a device for collecting and transmitting energy from some source that orthodox science does not recognize; a device which collects energy at absolutely no cost; or an example of the legendary perpetual motion machine. Needless to say, a perpetual motion machine—a machine which drives itself, forever, once turned on, consequently demanding no energy input ever again and never running out of energy—is out of the question. However, it is not so simple to say that a new technology for harnessing the energy “floating” in the atmosphere is impossible. New technologies replace old ones all the time with abilities that had just been “impossible”. Harnessing the Energy of the atom for allowing for vast quantities of energy was “impossible” until the 1940s. Flying human beings were an “out of the question” matter until the turn of the 20th century and the Wright Brothers' flight.  

The biggest claim of the proponents of “free” energy is that enormous amounts of energy can be drawn from the Zero Point Field. This is a quantum mechanical state of matter for a defined system which is attained when the system is at the lowest possible energy state that it can be in. This is called the “ground state” of the system. Zero Point Energy (ZPE) is sometimes referred to as “residual” energy and it was first proposed to be usable as an alternative form of energy way back in 1913 by Otto Stern and Albert Einstein. It is also referred to as “vacuum energy” in studies of quantum mechanics, and it is supposed to represent the energy of totally empty space. This energy field within the vacuum has been likened to the froth at the base of a waterfall by one of the principal researchers into and proponents of Hal Puthof. Puthof also explains, the term 'zero-point' simply means that if the universe were cooled down to absolute zero where all thermal agitation effects would be frozen out, this energy would still remain. What isn't as well known, however, even amidst practicing physicists, are all the logical implications that descend from this known aspect o quantum physics. However, there are a group of physicists—myself and colleagues at several research labs and universities—who are examining the details, we ask such questions as whether it might be possible to ‘mine’ this reservoir of energy for use as an alternative energy source, or whether this background energy field might be responsible for inertia and gravity. These questions are of interest because it is known that this energy can be manipulated, and therefore there is the possibility that the control of this energy, and possibly inertia and gravity, might yield to engineering solutions. Some progress has been made in a subcategory of this field (cavity quantum electrodynamics) with regard to controlling the emission rates of excited atoms and molecules, of interest in laser research and elsewhere.

What is a wind turbine? You may hear a wind turbine referred to as a windmill or wind generator. Although the terms are used interchangeably, there is a minor difference. The wind turbine is a machine that exploits wind power to make mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is either used as is or changed to electricity. A windmill uses the mechanical energy as is for extracting water or for grinding jobs, whereas the wind generator is the one that produces electrical energy. Are there different kinds of wind turbines? Wind turbines are split into two types according to their orientation:

Watch How You Are Able To Simply Build a Wind Generator

1. Horizontal Axis Turbines – The turbine blades turn along a horizontal axis.
2. Vertical Axis Turbines – The blades in these turbines rotate along a vertical axis.

The horizontal axis wind turbines are most popular. They are more functional than vertical axis turbines. What are some of the benefits of using a wind turbine to produce electricity? We will now look at some of the benefits of a wind turbine:

• They Save Power: As the wind turbines use a free energy, the wind, they prove to be a very cost-effective way of producing electricity, thus helping not only save power but also create power for the world.
• Cost Saving: The only expense involved in installing a wind turbine is the initial cost and the cost of maintenance. The energy is free and there is no other fuel.
• Environment-Friendly: Wind turbines don’t give off harmful gases or otherwise adversely affect the environment.
• They Provide a Consistent Power Supply: A wind generator helps you become independent of the the local power company. No more blackouts!

Self Build Wind Energy

What are the factors you should think about before installing a wind turbine? Although installing a wind turbine is very advantageous for you and for the rest of the world, you need to be careful not to set it up in the wrong conditions. You need to take into consideration these conditions before deciding to install a wind turbine. Two conditions should be met:

• At least one acre of clear space
• Local wind speed must be around 11 mph
• The base and tower need to be sufficiently strong to stand up to turbulence
• Ensure that the tower’s height and the distance between the wind generator and the cells are optimum.

A Domestic Wind Generator in the Making

Everywhere you turn, from TV or advocacy groups to the Obama administration, people are talking about solar power. Why all this interest in solar energy? There are a few disadvantages, but where are also a lot of advantages that have so many people excited. Overcoming the disadvantages can be accomplished if you have some knowledge and are willing to put in a little work yourself.

Advantages

Never-ending energy source

There is a never-ending supply of solar energy because it is produced by the sun all the time. Every day, all year the sun is producing energy. While solar power will continue to be available as long as the sun keeps shining, there is a limited supply of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. The price of these limited fossil fuels will continue to increase as more and more are used up. The opposite is true of solar energy! It will never run out and the cost will continue to go down as technology gets better and better.

Free energy

As long as you can look out the window and see the sun shining, solar electricity will continue to be free. The ongoing cost of solar electricity is almost nothing aside from maintenance of the equipment. You can completely disconnect from the power grid if you install enough solar panels. This is called off grid living. Some people intentionally stay connected to the electric grid, are able to generate more power than they use and actually get paid for the extra electricity by the power company!

No greenhouse gasses

For those people worried about global warming, solar energy is the solution! Solar electricity produces absolutely no greenhouse gasses, unlike fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, solar energy is a great way to do it. There are no emissions of any kind produced by solar power.

Lower dependence on foreign oil

One of the biggest threats to national security is widely considered to be dependence on foreign oil. Dependence on foreign oil is considered by many people to be one of the biggest threats to national security today. Our dependence on foreign oil can be reduced by the use of solar energy. Any power that is currently generated with foreign oil can be directly replaced by domestically produced solar electricity.

Disadvantages

Initial cost

Most people consider initial cost to the be the biggest disadvantages to solar electricity. The initial cost of solar panels can be quite high, while the ongoing costs of solar electricity are very small. If you want to see how much it would cost to install enough solar panels to power your home and get a spreadsheet to do the calculations, please take a look at Solar Panel Cost.

With the required know-how, the initial cost can be reduced a great deal by building solar panels yourself. If you are looking for instructions on how to build your own solar panel, check out Do It Yourself Solar Panel.

Space

Solar panels must be oriented so they point to the south and also need enough space for all the panels. Solar panels work best in areas that get a lot of sun. Solar maps are available that show the average sun in every part of the country. A larger score means that a solar panel of the same size will produce more electricity than a solar panel in an area with a smaller score. If you live in an area with a lower score, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that you can’t use solar electricity, however you will need more solar panels to generate enough electricity for your house.

As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar energy. The advantages of solar power, though, outweigh the disadvantages. If you build your own solar panel, you can avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building your own solar panel, take a look at GreenDIYEnergy Review.