High energy costs and an environmentally battered planet affect each and every one of us in one way or another. The fact of the matter is it is actually quite possible for a good percentage of us to slash our power bill while helping to save the planet. Yes, kill two birds with one stone simply by resorting to renewable energy and the most convenient and practical way to do that is arguably through the use of Home Made Wind Power Generators.

As depicted in the name, the function of wind power generators is to produce power by utilizing the wind as fuel. This is obviously beneficial as wind is natural, free and unlimited in supply. Having that said, it is not always feasible or viable. For example, the wind resource in the locality must be of a certain level and the wind tower or structure must not pose any detriment to the surrounding. And are they cost-effective over the conventional form of power?

Wind power generation is based on the principle of energy conversion. Basically, the wind energy turns the windmill which is connected to a turbine alternator or converter to produce electrical power. Traditional windmills are just water pumps but modern wind power generators are complete power systems that come with safety, high-wind survival, lightning and electrical overload protection and emergency shutdown features. Most are equipped with options for storage and interconnection to local utility grids for credit or sale of overflow power.

A wind power home is a noble proposition these days but there are criteria to be fulfilled. Ideally, the house sits on a good-sized plot in a relatively spaced-out rural or sub-urban neighborhood. Surrounding wind resource is steady and even. The tower height of the wind system is functionally adequate and is in compliance with building requirements, along with other neighborhood aspects such as noise, endangerment and other hazards or inconveniences. The local supply grid also supports the interconnection of excess power for reverse credit or sale.

By nature, constant good year-round supply of wind is rare. That’s why wind power generators are typically used in mutual complement with another renewable energy source namely solar power, sunlight supply of which inherently also is not continuous throughout either. Even if wind power is deployed only as a supplement to the utility grid, it will be beneficial nonetheless in slashing power bills and good for the environment.

It’s not rocket science to make wind power. There is plenty of information and literature at your finger tips over the internet. A handful of those DIY handbooks actually do a very neat job in guiding even the totally uninitiated to construct their own wind power generators from scratch. It’s possible to not only slash your power bills but also get paid for the excess that is channeled back onto the utility grid. On top of that, there’s the feeling of gratification from knowing that you have contributed to the green movement.



By: Ben Dave

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You are considering a conversion to solar electricity in your home. Immediately you wonder “How much is this going to cost?” Consumers often make the mistake of thinking the cost is related to their home’s size, but that is probably the least significant factor in determining solar panel prices. Granted, a bigger house will sometimes use more energy and have more roof space, but those generalities aside, the home’s size is a minor consideration.

More important is the amount of direct sunlight you receive on your southern exposure (i.e. geographic location), the amount of power you consume and the amount of that consumption you plan to replace with solar power. The combination of these factors will determine the number of panels needed and therefore impact the price. Also, different panels have different efficiency ratings. Efficiency rating describes the amount of power the panels can generate per square inch. It quickly becomes clear that you must first know how many panels you need before individual solar panel prices are a concern.

With that having been said, you can estimate solar panel prices at around $9 per watt. Do the following calculations to determine how many total watts you need.

1) First, take the Kilowatt hours (KWH) from your monthly electric bill and divide by 30 to get your kilowatt hours per day.

2) Next, estimate how many hours each day that your location receives direct sunlight – this will only be an estimate because you’ll usually get more sunlight in the summer and less in the winter.

3) To get the amount of power you will need to generate during the direct sunlight hours, divide the daily kilowatts by the daily direct sunlight hours estimate.

4) Finish by multiplying the result by 1,000 to convert the kilowatts back to watts.

As an example: If you use 1,000 KWH per month, divided by 30, you use 33.33 KWHs per day. If you get 5 hours of direct sunlight per day, you need to collect 6.66 Kilowatts per direct sunlight hour throughout the day (33.33 daily kilowatts divided by 5 hours = 6.66 kilowatts needed per hour). 

Multiply the resulting 6.66 by 1.2 to properly size your system and to account for fluctuations in direct sunlight and you get 7.99 Kilowatts needed during each hour that the sun is shining (6.66 * 1.2). Finally, multiply this result by 1,000 to convert back to watts and you get 7,990 watts per day. So replacing 1,000 KWHs per month of electricity will require that you can generate 7,990 watts during peak hours. At $9 per watt, it will cost approximately $72,000.

Remember that although you are generating enough power during the peak sunlight hours to meet all your energy needs for the full day, you will still need a way to power your home after the sun goes down. You can do this in one of two ways.

Extra energy can be stored in batteries for use when needed. Plan on an additional 25% cost for batteries if you go this route. The other option is to sell the excess power back to the electric company during the hours that you are producing more than you consume.

Then during the dark hours you would run on public electricity. Selling back the excess power will partially or fully offset the electric expense during the non-peak hours. Either way, you can see that solar panel prices are only a portion of the total cost for solar powering your home. If this seems confusing, read through it a couple times and it will start to make sense.

We prefer the do it yourself method to get the very lowest cost for solar power. You can save thousands of dollars on  solar panel prices, batteries, and all the other components needed, so give serious consideration to building your own system.

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