Building Solar Panels

Residential Wind Turbine

2009-09-21T13:28:00.007-05:00

I've been doing some research on Solar and Wind power, and I've come to the conclusion that before I spend thousands of dollars on some of the manufactured products, I want to try out a little Do-it-yourself project to make my own residential wind turbine. I live in Dallas, TX, and since 2006 the winds here have really been picking up. So much so that it's been causing rain to get into homes where the rain water does not usually reach. I should know, I had a plumber over to the house because I thought I had a leak in my bathroom, but he told me with all the winds and rain we've been having, the rain water was getting into my expansion joints two stories up! I didn't have a plumbing problem, I had a wind problem.

So, I started thinking about that and I figured that with all the winds, I should really take advantage of them and look into wind power. I recycle everything I can, so why not look into alternative power solutions. That's when I started doing my research and found a couple of articles to get me started:

Making A Windmill
Wind Power Solutions at Home

I looked up the author of the article and he has his own website where he sells guidelines with instructions and pictures of the components needed to make wind turbines and solar panels for my kind of prices...under $200!

I'm a Do-it-yourself kind of person, usually with wood working, but this will be the first time I tinker around with making a machine! Wish me luck and check out the site.

Solar Generator

2009-09-21T13:05:00.005-05:00

The sun is the most abundant and the cheapest source of energy, yet we do not exploit its potential. You would think that all cars would be solar powered by now, but that wouldn't be profitable for oil companies. In these times of depleting resources and increasing prices, solar energy proves to be the most beneficial and the most economical power solution.

What are the uses of solar energy?

Solar energy has multiple uses, especially in the current times of energy crisis. Solar energy finds its use in the following areas:

• Cooking: The solar energy can be used in cooking with the help of a cooking utensil called the solar cooker. This cooker uses just one fuel – the sun’s light. A typical solar cooker can cook food for five people. A solar cooker does not limit itself to boiling food: it can bake and roast as well. You just need to have a little patience while cooking with a solar cooker.

• Generating electricity: With solar energy, you can run all your electrical appliances. The solar generators store electricity in cells that you can use at night.

• Heating systems: With solar energy heating systems, you can keep your house warm without worrying about electricity bills.

What is a solar generator?

A solar generator is a device that converts solar energy into electrical energy. The sun’s light energy is converted into electrical energy by solar cells also known photovoltaic cells. The return on investment of a solar generator is very fast, thus making electricity available at very low costs. The solar generator also does away with our dependence on the government for electricity. In the current times of fast-depleting fuel resources, it is only wise that we look towards implementing alternate energy solutions.

A solar generator also helps store power in cells for later use. Thus, you can illuminate your house even when the sky is cloudy. The solar generator definitely proves to be a silver lining.

What are the advantages of using a solar generator?

Pollution-free: Using a solar generator paves way to a greener environment. It does not pollute the environment in any way. Moreover, it does not make use of any of the scarce fuels.

Cost-effective: The solar generator makes use of a free energy, thus helping save money. In the long run, the electricity produced by the solar generator turns out to be available for free.

Power storage: The solar generator helps store power for the rainy days, literally. It thus ensures that you have uninterrupted power supply to your home around the clock, everyday.

Low-maintenance: The solar generator is very easy to maintain, helping you save time, effort, and money.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at www.earth4energy.com

Install Solar Power

2009-09-21T12:55:00.007-05:00

With the world faced with a severe energy crisis, it is wise to invest in an alternate power solution at home. It not only helps the government fight energy crisis in a better way, but also helps save power for the rest of the world. Or maybe it just keeps you off the grid because you create your own power!

Among the alternate power solutions, the solar power system and the wind power system are the most popular being less cumbersome. Though wind power is a great idea, not all of us can implement it at our homes because of its pre-requisites. For implementing a wind power system, we need a large area and the average wind speed in the area should be 11 miles per hour. In comparison, the solar power system is easier to implement. All you need is abundant sun light.

The complete solar power system has different components. Most people implement a few of these components as per their needs. Let’s look at the various solar power components.

Solar cooker: The solar cooker is the most popular solar energy system implemented at homes. Let’s look at its advantages:

• Healthy cooking – The food cooked using a solar cooker is considered very healthy. You can cook for a family of five in a small cooking box at a time.

• Variety cooking – You can boil, roast, and bake using the same system!

• No fuel - The solar cooker does not use any other fuel other than the sun’s light, thus helping you save power.

• No emissions - The solar cooker neither emits any gases nor does it leave any residue. It makes for the most environment-friendly cooking system.

Solar generator: The solar generator is a device that runs all your electrical appliances using the solar energy. This device converts solar energy into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. The solar generator is also referred to as the solar lighting system. The solar generator stores electrical energy in cells for later use. Installing a solar generator at home is a great power-saving and cost-saving idea. Imagine running the electrical appliances without worrying about paying any bills!

Solar thermal system: Implementing a solar thermal system or solar heating system at home takes care of your home’s temperature needs. You can maintain a steady temperature at your house without worrying about bills. Thanks to its popularity, the heating systems will not only suit your budget but also please your eyes. These systems are no longer an eye sore.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at www.earth4energy.com

Wind Power Solutions at Home

2009-09-20T22:05:00.010-05:00

With the world’s ever-increasing demand of power being more than its supply, it is about time that we take concrete steps to save power. Apart from being conscious about the usage of power and water at home, one can employ pollution-free and cost-effective power solutions at our homes. Solar power solutions and wind power solutions are the two of the most efficient solutions that can replace the conventional power solutions employed at our homes.

These solutions can help you combat power outages, reduce your electricity bills, and also help the environment.

This article will explore the cost-effective wind power solution that you can employ at home.

Wind power solutions work best when the following conditions are met:

You have a house or farmhouse spread over a big area. Typically, wind power solutions are employed in areas that spread over an acre.
The average wind speed in your area is around 11 miles per hour. If you stay in a place that has little wind flow, your system will not work. Consult an expert before installing the wind power solution at home.
You need to draw water from external sources. You can install a wind power system even when you do not need to draw water from outside. However, if you need to draw water from outside on a regular basis, a wind power system offers the best solution.
Your house needs a lot of uninterrupted power supply (UPS). Combating those power outages is easy with the pollution-free wind power systems. You need no longer worry about a break in your work because of a power uncertainty.

A typical wind power system comprises of a tower and five blades to churn out wind energy. The length of the wind tower varies depending on the location of your house. You may need a longer tower if you are in low-wind zone; you can work with a shorter tower if you live by the beach. Using a wind generator, this wind energy can be converted into useful electrical energy to be employed at home for running various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more efficient than convention power systems.

If you are confused with the wind power jargon, here’s a piece of information for you. The terms, wind mills, wind turbines, and wind generators are used to refer to the same machine.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at www.earth4energy.com

Making a Windmill

2009-09-20T21:53:00.008-05:00

A windmill is a device that converts wind energy into other types of energy. It uses wind power to make mechanical energy for rotating its blades which in turn help produce electrical energy. The windmill is a very useful machine in times of energy crisis. The windmill started producing electricity lately; it used to be a popular method for pumping water and towing boats.

In the current situation of extreme energy crisis across the globe, it only makes sense that we look for alternate power solutions. The advantages of wind power are tremendous. The windmill proves to be an economical option, especially in farms and in the countryside. A windmill may not be the optimum solution in a highly-populated area.

What are the prerequisites for setting up a windmill?

There are two important pre-requisites for a windmill:

• The place where the solution is to be implemented should have an area of at least one acre. It is not advisable to set up a windmill in a smaller area as the windmill blades will not be able to capture enough wind power for the windmill to work.

• The average speed of wind in the area should approximately be 11 miles per hour. It is not advisable to employ the windmill at a site where factors like high-rise buildings and tall towers block the wind. You also need to make sure that the wind speed is consistent at your site.

What are the components of a windmill?

You will need the following components to make a windmill for the process of producing electricity by wind power:

• Blades: These blades are responsible for making use of the wind energy. Blades are typically made of wood or plastic.

• Tower: The tower is the pillar that holds the system high enough to be able to use the wind. They are made up of hard material such as poly-vinyl chloride.

• Shaft: The shaft is used to join the blades to the tower, at the same time allowing them to rotate smoothly.

• Base: The base of the windmill is what holds the tower and the blades.

How is a windmill set up?

You will find ready-to-install windmill kits in the market. Consult an expert to choose the one that best suits your place and needs. If you would like to choose the components personally and set the windmill on your own, make sure you seek professional help; a mismatch of size in the components will make your windmill useless.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at www.earth4energy.com

Building Solar Panels

2009-09-14T17:42:00.019-05:00

I've been doing some research on Solar and Wind power, and I've come to the conclusion that before I spend thousands of dollars on some of the manufactured products, I want to try out a little Do-it-yourself project to make my own solar panels and residential wind turbine. I want to start with a homemade solar panel I can hopefully build right in my garage and then I want to try tackle building a small wind turbine. I live in Dallas, TX, and we get lots of sun here and the winds have really been picking up for the past three years. So, I figure I should get some good results right away from either project.

I found these articles below to get me started with researching the the benefits of using solar power as well as the process of building a solar panel.

Install Solar Power
Solar Generator

I looked up the author of the article and he has his own website where he sells guidelines with instructions and pictures of the components needed to make solar panels and wind turbines for my kind of prices...under $200!

I'm a Do-it-yourself kind of person, usually with wood working, but this will be the first time I tinker around with making a machine! Wish me luck and check out the site.