It would be nice to go green but it needs to make sense money wise. We have a 1,300 square foot home on the beach home with plenty of sun. Our electric bill is 100 bucks a month give or take. How much will solar panels cost and how many solar panels will we need to effectively power our home.

DIY Solar panels

Earth-Energy.BestReviewed.Net – Learn to build small residential wind power generators easily with plans you can find at the link above. They allow you to build inexpensive turbines ($150-$200, seriously) that can produce as much power as turbines that sell in stores for at least $700-$1200. These plans let you build a well-engineered turbine that will stand up to strong winds and make a relatively large amount of power from slower winds, as well. You stand to save a lot of money b learning …

Frustrated about increasing electricity-bills? “How To: Solar Panels Installation” System is probably what you need. Many users already found out that this technique provides quick results almost instantly. By reading this quick article you’ll be able to learn more about how it works.

Getting some basics

The concept behind this “How To: Solar Panels Installation” System is quite simple – there are few excellent guides on the Net that demonstrate how to assemble professional Solar-Cells by using materials that can be found at any local hardware store. It is important then to choose the right guide; check for real customers case studies, make sure it provides descriptive illustrations, photos, and tech support. This way or another, here are just a few advantage & advices to help you better understand this topic.

What is in it for us?

By now we clearly notice how it brings several key-benefits:

* Requires no more than a weekend to be installed.

* Can work for anyone, no matter where he/she lives on the globe.

* Leaves us almost unaffected by any possible energy crisis.

* Cuts down on the usage of non-renewable enr. resources.

* Uses natural and clean resources.

Advice

In order to optimize it, make sure to place the solar-paneling unit in a spot that gets the most sun at all times of the year.

Summarizing this article

It isn’t just about saving thousands each year; this powerful “How To: Solar Panels Installation” System enables us to preserve our planet. Without any question – there are plenty other benefits provided by this unique idea, simply because it brings a real change to this industry. The best advice would be to try it as in most cases it will take you no more than a single weekend to have it working.

www.ecopoweredhome.com A Simple method to create cheap DIY Solar Panels and save on electricity http

Renewable energy

Well Fiction or Fact? Is our planet really in as bad a shape as scientist say it is? That use to be a very controversial subject. But now the subject is hitting much closer to home. The homemade wind power generator has made it’s mark and it’s popularity is growing in leaps and bounds every year according to statistics. It’s not being too reputed that our air quality isn’t what it use to be and that certain climate changes are imminent. Although it’s too late in the game to place blame and the obstacle at hand is to find a remedy for our fastly decaying atmosphere.

Scientist have known, and have been saying since the early 1960’s, that climate changes were taking place as a result of carbon dioxide, a bi-product of burning organic products for fuel, and that if we didn’t address it soon that we would be facing drastic changes in the atmosphere such as the melting away of our planets ozone layer which protects us from the suns direct ultraviolet rays and extremely high tempuratures. while this article isn’t about climate changes it is about taking measures to slow down or at least try to for obvious reasons. As individuals we can use measures that could very well   help, in a big way, if everyone saw it as a moral obligation to do something by way of energy efficiency to quite possibly curb the effects that have already begun.

One way is to make our homes as energy efficient as humanly possible without getting too drastic as to get into any long term debt. DIY (do it yourself) is a very cost effective way to incorporate many, of what would normally cost tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollar, type of items in privately owned homes at a mere fraction of the cost and a homemade wind power generator would be no exception for it too, although can have high quality, depending on which wind plan owners decide to select. Considering the simplicty of wind power generators they are all basically the same in how they function, but design may differ in some ways.

Homemade wind power generators are very cost effective and can save tremendously from month to month year after year. Home owners can save hundreds of dollars each month, add resale value to their property in the thousands, the government also gives incentives for installing such devices by way of tax breaks and rebates which vary from state to state. One would think that the main reason for installing a home generator system would be for reasons already stated above, although this may be true for some and at one point in time most probably was the greatest motivator, now the primary reason should be because of our planets atmospheric predicament and the reasons above are just added bonuses.

A DIY wind generator capable of producing adequate power (1000 watts) to operate an average home can easily be constructed for from $100-300 between a select group of DIY wind plans. These homemade wind power generators are just as high in quality as far as being maintenance free for years, physically professional looking and generally taking only a couple of days to completely install one.

 



By: Donald Whitehead

About the Author:

For more information visit Renewable energy

Half a lifetime ago, when my wife and I first got a taste for remote RV living, we decided very early on that solar power had to be the way to go. Despite rapid advances in solar technology — even way back then — many fellow travelers were surprised when they learned our RV was “solar powered”.

Granted, that tiny house-on-wheels was getting on in years, and there was still a general belief among caravanners and motorhomers that solar power was “too expensive” and “too technical”. But whatever their reasons, I’m here to tell you that solar-charged 12 volt battery power was then, and still is, worthy of serious consideration — regardless of the size or age of your traveling rig.

In fact, even the most basic system — such as ours was then — provides not only a significant boost in self-sufficiency, it also saves enough money to recover your outlay in under three months. Even today.

For example, a 30-watt, self-regulating solar panel costs around $280 to $350 here in Australia. If you then factor in a no-maintenance, deep-cycle battery of at least 75 amp-hour capacity — to be installed in the RV — at maybe $180, plus suitable cabling, a salable plastic battery box (vented to the outside), and miscellaneous hardware for, say, $50 more, your total outlay shouldn’t be much over $600.

After that, every night you make use of your on-board power, on a “no hook-ups” campsite, you stand to save between $15 and $25 on tourist park fees. Sometimes more. On those figures, the whole set-up pays for itself in maybe 30 nights or less!

True, sufficient power would normally be available from your towing vehicle’s standard battery over one or two nights, but if the vehicle doesn’t move for two or three days the engine will almost certainly need a run for an hour or more to “top up” the charge taken out of the battery. And with single-battery set-ups, there is always a risk of over-using your power, resulting in a flat battery!

On the other hand, if you prefer the overnight security and companionship of a tourist park, an unpowered site — those nice, quiet spots down the back — saves maybe $3 – $8 per night. Which means you could still have your investment back in the bank within six months.

No matter how you look at it, solar was — and is — the way of the future. It’s clean, efficient, silent, and requires almost zero maintenance. And once the initial outlay has been covered, basic power needs from that point on are free.

However, there is a downside. (Isn’t there always?) A fixed solar array — on the RV roof, for instance — needs to be receiving the sun’s rays long and strong to adequately replenish the battery’s charge. Parked too long in the shade, or suffering through a lengthy stretch of rain-filled skies, can knock out a single-battery power supply in two or three days, even with judicious use. For that reason, some travelers have an additional, portable solar panel that can be constantly repositioned to catch the sun’s most direct rays, for as long as possible.

Nevertheless, in the four years we owned that well-traveled little van we had very few problems. (Mind you, we have always carried “conventional” backup in the form of a small petrol generator, and our vehicle has always been dual-battery equipped to share the campsite power needs.)

And about that tricky technology? Well, if a techno-slouch like me can have the whole system installed and operational in under two hours, anybody can!

What we did was: (1) mount the solar panel directly onto the RV roof (with sealant carefully applied in and around the ***** holes), then (2) run the panel’s cabling down into the van (through the corner of the all-seasons hatch) into a cupboard. Being a self-regulating solar panel, a regulator was not necessary between panel and battery, so the cables were fixed directly onto the battery.

The battery was housed in a robust plastic storage bin with a close-fitting lid, which I further sealed with silicone. Two lengths of 6 mm plastic hose vented the box to the outside through the caravan floor (inside the cupboard). Battery terminals were fitted with heavy-duty extension straps that passed through the side of the box to the outside to facilitate normal connection via alligator clips, a portable 12 volt socket, or sometimes a low capacity inverter. All holes in the floor and the battery box were fully sealed (both sides) with silicone sealant.

As for maintenance, all that’s required is an occasional wipe-down of the solar panel, and a general examination of wiring and seals from time to time. I also put a multimeter across the battery terminals every so often to see how it was tracking. (Of course, this reading is only accurate after the battery has “rested” for a half hour or so, i.e, no charge in or out.)

OK, we’ve learned a bit more about solar power since then, so we did some things differently second time around. But these differences were, essentially, because our fulltime travel now needs more than twice the power, with quite a lot more in reserve. So gizmos and gadgets are scattered throughout. But when we think back on that tiny, “drag-it-anywhere” caravan, with its most basic, D.I.Y. solar power set-up, we still get to feeling warm and fuzzy. (Self-sufficiency in the bush will do that!)

For our money, solar power and RVs are made for each other; it’s impossible to imagine a wandering life without either.