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Complete renewable energy home solar power system consists of diy solar power panels and homemade wind power generator.
Alternative energy resources used to create free solar electricity to reduce power costs.
A lot of people today are saving heaps of money on their power bill by creating their own free solar energy panel electricity. There are volumes of information available online to help you create your own home solar power system.
Google search for homemade wind power generator, make small solar panel or an alternative power source that describes creating your own electricity, you will find dozens of websites that offer you a downloadable instruction package.
Make sure they offer a full 60 day money back guarantee. Fifty dollars would be top price to get a good instruction package, with online video tutorials as well as PDF instructions.
Connecting your home solar power system to the power grid allows you to qualify for net metering in many states. Net metering measures the excess power you generate with your combination of solar energy panels and homemade wind power generator and direct it back into your local power grid.
Solar Energy.
Solar energy is one source of free power that is renewable and accessible to all home owners. Solar energy can be attainable by all home owners, even if you can't afford to install commercial solar energy panels to power your entire house, you can begin using small solar panels and reduce your power consumption if only by the smallest of margins. All reduced power equals reduced electricity which means you save Money.
The money saved on your power bills can be put into making additional solar energy panels and further reducing the power and saving more money until you reach a stage were you are generating excess power than you use and start feeding the power back into the grid and this excess power is then credited to you and the power company starts paying you money.
Fossil fuels are not going to be able to sustain our energy consumption as the world heads into the future at the rate we are using this energy source. That alone is a good reason to build a home solar power system. Even a smallest power solar generator used to power your workshop or outside security lights is a start to saving our planet and the environment.
By generating your own solar energy we are producing less toxic fumes and using fewer chemicals that are the by-products of the energy sources we use today. Solar energy generators and small solar panels need very little maintenance to keep them working in peak condition for many years.
A diy solar power panels or grid inter-tied home solar power system does not have to be expensive exercise as you can start to build your home solar energy system for under $180. Complete inter-tied home solar energy system is going to cost you more and it depends on the number of solar panels you install.
With so many packages available on the Internet to find instructions on how to make a small solar energy generator you can be confident of receiving the right information but you have to be very careful as to the one you choose as there is a lot of energy packages that are complete rubbish.
You do not need to be an electrician and use expensive machinery or tools to build your home solar system, most likely the material is easily accessible from your local junk yard and hardware store.
Most packages available are easy to read, easy to follow, fully illustrated instructions to build and install your home power solar system and most internet packages explains the secrets to finding the inexpensive solar cells.
Wind Power.
Building a homemade wind power generator for home use is quickly becoming an attractive option for many environmentally conscious home owners to use as an alternative energy source helping to reduce both environmental damage and fossil fuel use.
Homemade wind power generator is becoming common place as home owners install them on large and small home solar power installation. A wind power generator converts the wind into a home electricity source. Which is free, unlimited, renewable, and naturally green!
Wind power generator works by transforming physical motion, natural wind flows to turn the blades causing rotation into electricity using strong permanent magnets. The free home electricity produced can then be wired to devices for immediate usage, stored in batteries, or wired back into the power grid.
Two things that are very important to know before you get too far into a diy homemade wind power generator system for your home are
1 You have to live in a windy area for a home wind power generator to function properly to supplement the homes energy needs. Home wind power generators needs lots of wind for it to operate correctly, otherwise you need to keep with solar energy.
2 Home wind power generator may only be an addition for the home solar power system.
You are probably trying to decide if you can learn how to build a diy wind power generator yourself - so you want to know...
- How much will a diy wind power generator cost to build?
- Can I get reliable, easy to follow wind generator plans?
- How long will it take to build a diy home made wind generator?
- Home made wind generator comparable to commercial models?
# Parts to build a homemade wind power generator easy to find?
Yes! - You can build a diy wind power generator for under $180 in about 2 weekends by following the guides in the packages.
Renewable energy [wind power] works on the same basis as hydroelectric power, only it is wind driven not water driven.
Summary.
Two relatively easy to install DIY projects to help with the energy crisis. Whether you go for the suns solar power or use wind power, you will be saving our natural resources and saving the planet and the environment.
Many illustrated guides are available online to teach you step by step how to make a small solar panels and diy home wind power generators.
How to make a complete home solar energy system with as many solar power panels as you want to install depending on your financial position to go partially or go totally off the power grid.
If you're into do it yourself, these guides will ensure the success to making your home less dependent on fossil fuels and more dependent on renewable energy while reducing your power bill.
If you assume that the average home pays over $200 per month that is a yearly cost of around $2400 for your electricity. Installing a home solar power system you start to reduce your power usage and that saves you money.
Use natural gas to heat or cook with. This could amount to several hundred dollars a year in power savings. Outside cooking is a way of life in some countries and you could adapt to the same reducing the power demand on your home solar energy system. This means less solar panels lowering the cost to make and install your solar system.
Using a do-it-yourself approach to home solar energy systems you can do your part to help the Earth's environment and remove part of your carbon footprint.
What the home owner needs to do now is use free clean renewable energy!
My Make Solar Power Package manuals have a wealth of information, all kinds of technical stuff, info on how to make solar panels, homemade wind power turbine generator, charge controllers, storage batteries, small solar panel wiring circuit diagrams and information you'll need to build a complete home solar power system and how to connect the solar power system to your home.
For Information visit Home Solar Power System
Bret Parker
Renewable energy enthusiast.
Solar power energy systems are not inexpensive. That said it's important to compare them within context of other types of home improvement projects. Home buyers and realtors view a solar photovoltaic or solar hot water heating system as a significant value-added improvement - similar to adding a deck or remodeling your kitchen. Plus unlike a deck or kitchen remodel, you also gain one-up on your power bills.
Solar power systems often get an additional financial boost as well: many jurisdictions and utilities across the USA offer attractive financial incentives to drive down the upfront capital costs associated with a solar power system.
Here are some foolproof ways to estimate the cost of a solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system and to figure out if a solar energy system makes sense for you. Let's start with a home photovoltaic (PV) system.
Step 1: Estimate your home's electricity needs
To get started, it's good to have a sense of how much electricity you use. You'll have a better point for comparison if you find out how many kilowatt hours (kWh) you use per day, per month, per year. Your utility bill should include that information.
Of course, the utility bill will also display your costs and many utilities include a graph that displays how your monthly energy use/cost varies throughout the year. That helps you estimate where your highest energy use is and at what time of year.
New Home Construction
If you are constructing a new home, then you'll need to estimate your demand based on the type of equipment you plan to install and your home's square footage. The pross call this "your load".
To figure out your anticipated load, create a table to record the watt use for each appliance. Each appliance - be it a water heater, electric light, computer, or refrigerator - should have a nameplate that lists its power rating in watts. Or you can get the information from the manufacturer's website.
Some labels list amperage and voltage only; to obtain watts multiply the two together (amperage x voltage = watts). In another column, record the number of hours each appliance is expected to operate. Then multiple the watts and hours together to estimate watt-hours used per day. Since it's hard to anticipate all electric loads (it may get tedious scouting out every toothbrush and mobile phone cell charger), you might want to add a multiplier of 1.5 to be safe.
Step 2: Anticipate the future
In 2005, average residential electricity rates across the USA ranged from about 6 to nearly 16 cents per kilowatt hour depending on where you lived. Average retail and commercial electricity rates have increased roughly 30% since 1999 and the upward trend will likely continue especially as costs for the coal and hydropower used to generate that electricity rise as well. So think about your home electricity needs and present and future cost in relation to one another.
Step 3: How much sun do you get?
The Florida Solar Energy Center has conducted a study to examine how a 2-kW photovoltaic system would perform if installed on a highly energy efficient home across the continental USA (http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-PF-380-04/).
The study accounted for all factors that impact a PV system's performance such as the temperature effect on the photovoltaic cells, the amount of sun peak hours in various regions, and the efficiency of inverter to convert solar derived energy from DC to AC.
As the study implies, solar photovoltaic systems work just about anywhere in the US. Even in the Northeast or in "rainy Seattle", a pv system can pencil out if designed and installed properly. In New York or New Jersey, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1270 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, in Seattle, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1200 kilowatt hours per year. In the Southwest, of course, those ratios will be much greater.
Solar contractors in your area can help determine the best size for your solar photovoltaic system.
Step 4: Size your system
In general, solar photovoltaic systems sized between 1 to 5 kilowatts are usually sufficient to meet the electricity needs of most homes. One advantage of grid-tied systems is that you can use solar PV to supplement or offset some of your electricity needs; therefore you can size your system to match your budget and always add to the system later if needed.
Also as a side note, here's a rule of thumb to remember to help you estimate the physical space your PV system might need: one square foot yields 10 watts. So in bright sunlight, a square foot of a conventional photovoltaic panel will produce 10 watts of power. A 1000 watt system, for example, may need 100 - 200 square feet of area, depending on the type of PV module used.
Step 5: Know your rebates
Many states and local jurisdictions offer rebates, tax credits and other types of incentives to homeowners for installing residential photovoltaic and solar domestic water systems. To view a comprehensive database of the incentives available for renewable energy visit http://www.dsireusa.org.
At the Federal Level, you can take advantage of a 30% tax credit (of up to $2,000) for the purchase of a residential solar system at least until December 31, 2008.
Step 6: Run the numbers
Although the cost for a solar PV system will depend on the size of the system you intend to install, your electricity rate, the amount of kilowatt hours you expect to generate, and the state/local rebates/tax credits that may be available, the formulas for calculating the returns are pretty much the same.
For those who appreciate having the formulas, use the ones listed below to do a quick ballpark estimate of how much a solar photovoltaic system might cost you.
Retail Price for Solar Photovoltaic System
+ Building Permits
- $2,000 Federal Tax Credit
- State or Local Tax Credit or Rebate
- Utility Rebate or Other Incentive
= Net Investment
Kilowatts of electricity generated from PV per year
x Kilowatt hours used per year
= Annual Kilowatt energy from the PV system
Annual Kilowatt energy from the PV system
x Current Residential Electricity Rate
= Annual $$ Saved
Yearly Excess PV Energy Produced
x $$ credit applied per watt
= Annual Value from Net Metering
Of course, a more accurate assessment can be made by a pro. Work with a solar power contractor to size and price the right system for you. As is true with any major purchase, don't hesitate to ask for several bids from different contractors.
Many solar power providers will provide you with a comprehensive estimate. Helpful information to know includes:
Total cost to make the system operational (labor cost for design and installation and equipment costs)
Equipment (Make and Model)
Warranty info
Permit costs, if needed
Tax, where applicable
Federal tax credits
State or local jurisdiction tax credits or rebates
Utility rebates
Expected Renewable Energy Certificates or Net metering credits
Expected operation and maintenance costs
Projected savings
Solar Thermal (also called Solar Hot Water)
Solar thermal systems capture the sun's energy to heat water and are one of the most cost-effective renewable energy systems. They are used to heat hot water tanks and/or a heating system. A solar pool heating system is another type of solar thermal system designed specifically to heat a pool or hot tub.
Generally it's worth investigating the economic viability of installing a solar hot water system if you have an electric water heater with utility rates of at least 5 cents per kilowatt hour and have tax credits or rebates available. (It may even be worth changing out a gas-powered water heater if your costs are at least $8/million BTU).
The formulas for costing out a solar water heater system are similar to estimating the cost for installing solar PV system. Many solar energy professionals can help you determine what system might work best for you.
Heating Your Swimming Pool with Solar Power
Although few jurisdictions provide financial incentives for using solar energy to heat a swimming pool or hot tub, in general, using solar power to heat your pool is a "no-brainer" from a return on investment standpoint.
The electricity used to heat a pool during the swimming season often amounts to the same amount of energy that homes-without-pools consume over a year. Combining a solar thermal system to generate heat for the pool with a solar thermal pool cover to retain the heat generated can further maximize efficiencies and extend your swimming season.
Most installers recommend that a solar collector used to heat a pool is sized at roughly half the square footage of your pool surface area. Solar thermal panels typically last 10 - 20 years and come with a 10-year warranty.
How long it takes to break even on the cost of your solar power pool system depends on where you live. In California or other parts of the Southwest, you'll break even in 1 to 3 years but places as "far north" as Canada, a solar pool heating system pencils out over a slightly longer period of time.
Find more solar panel, solar power, and solar energy information at Cooler Planet.
The 2003 the Northeast blackout affected 45 million people in eight US states. Those using alternative sources of energy such as solar panels were able to benefit from their independence from the grid. No food going bad in refrigerators, no sitting in the dark for them. The Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, has reported that electricity consumption and production have consistently expanded, resulting in an increased burden on a system not designed for such a large load, meaning that many people are turning to solar panels for security as well as financial and environmental reasons.
Solar power is a "green" and renewable power and doesn't emit harmful carbon dioxide, which means it's a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Close to 3000 pounds of CO2 per year can be saved by a typical home solar energy system, which works out to about 30 tons over its lifetime. These clean, green technologies will be the core of the next industrial revolution, according to Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth director.
The use of solar power drastically reduces electricity costs, and this is one of the most common reasons for choosing it. Federal and state governments offer solar incentives, which help to offset the initial expenses of a solar energy system. The 2005 Energy Policy Act provides two ways to be given a solar energy tax credit from the federal government. Solar energy rebates are also offered by more than 50% of US states.
An average of 164 watts of solar power per square meter is delivered to the Earth's crust by the sun. If we placed enough solar panels in the Sahara desert to cover just one percent of it, we could generate enough electricity to power the entire planet. This abundance of solar power means there's more than we'll ever need. But because the power sent out by the sun arrives as a mixture of light and heat, we can't use it as it is to directly power a car or a computer. This is why solar panels were invented - to convert the sun's power into a form we can use, like electricity.
Any extra electricity you create using your solar panels, if you're attached to the grid, will be paid for by the utility company. Accounting for a solar energy system's electricity production and enabling utilities to purchase excess energy from homeowners, net metering is allowed in 30 states. The most frequently used option is a single, reversible meter. As a solar energy system produces electricity, the kilowatts are used first to meet on-site energy demand. Excess electricity is then fed into the grid, turning the electric meter backwards, instead of being stored in a battery. The homeowner is credited for the extra kilowatts at the end of each metering period.
Excess electricity can be stored for use on days that are overcast. The ability to store excess electricity in batteries means you don't need to be attached to the grid even for cloudy days. In stand alone solar power systems batteries are charged with surplus electricity for night-time use. The life cycle of a battery is what determines its suitability for use with solar cells. The amount of electricity required, along with the size of the battery, will determine the number of hours energy will last during periods of no sunlight.
How is solar power produced? To produce solar power, you'll need a solar panel, which is composed of one or more solar cells. As sunlight falls onto a solar cell, the cell takes in light particles (called photons). Each photon contains power, and when soaked up, the photon releases an electron in the material of the solar cell. Electric wiring on both sides of the cell enable a flow of current as the photon is absorbed. Using this method, the solar cell produces electricity, which can be used immediately, or stored within a battery for future use.
Solar panels are made up of solar cells. An individual solar cell is not able to produce enough power for most purposes; therefore, several are joined in solar panels because of course, they create more electricity together. Solar panels are available in many types and sizes, the most typical of which produce as much as 50 W of electricity and consist of silicon solar cells. Interconnecting solar panels produce even more electricity.
A solar panel is a sizable flat, rectangular shape, usually somewhere between the dimensions of a radiator and a door. Power collectors, called solar cells, make up solar panels. A solar cell is usually 8-sided and blue-black in color, about the size of your palm. Just like the cells in a battery, these cells are intended to generate electricity. However, these cells use sunlight instead of chemicals to create electricity. Solar panels are also called photovoltaic panels (or PV panels), which comes from a combination of the Greek word for light, and electricity pioneer Alessandro Volta.
You may be curious about how sunlight is transformed into electricity. When the sun shines onto a solar cell, photons (light particles) are bombarded onto the upper surface of the cell. Each light particle then carries its energy down through the cell. The photons then transfer their power to electrons in the lower layer of the cell. The electrons use this energy to escape into the circuit by jumping the barrier into the upper layer. The movement of these electrons through the circuit generates the power for our lights and appliances.
Photovoltaic cells generate electricity from sunlight, but there are other methods for making solar energy. You can also get solar-thermal panels which heat water as opposed to creating electricity. Solar-thermal panels work differently than PV panels, and don't involve electricity. Although they seem similar to solar panels, instead of light particles being grabbed by solar cells, solar thermal panels have black glass which absorbs the sun's heat. Hot water is generated by directing water between the solar panels, heating it up as it goes, after which it is channeled into the water system and of course, comes out of the faucets as hot water.
It's incredible to think that the power transmitted by the sun in just one hour, is more than the whole world uses in a year. Designing (or redesigning) a building to take advantage of sunlight and heat is using passive solar power. This can be achieved by adding more insulation to your roof, or installing an extra south-facing window. Any "passive" adjustments like these would be installed either when the house is initially built, or during major renovation. Adding solar panels or other sunlight collectors would be referred to as active solar energy.
Any form of light that hits solar panels can be transformed to solar power, which means that even on gray days they can still create some power. You can receive back-up energy (for example at night) in one of two ways. One is that you can apply to be connected to the grid in the regular way, so that this acts as a back-up supply for when your solar panels are not operating as would be the case after dark. The other option is storing additional electricity from your solar panels in batteries which will then power your appliances and lights during hours of darkness.
In this environment of global warming and diminishing oil resources, it makes sense.to turn our awareness to natural and renewable resources. Solar power systems have become the most widespread source of renewable energy due to the fact that they make no clatter and manufacture no pollutants. Fitting photovoltaic (solar) panels while continuing to be connected to the grid is the most common method of changing to solar power. Any added electricity generated by the solar system is then fed into the grid. In this way the household can get paid for additional electricity produced, and can also acquire electricity at night.
Water bills can be cut by 50 to 70 % by using a first-rate solar water panel system. Apart from the evident environmental benefits of solar power, it makes financial sense. By combining both solar water panel and PV panel systems you can save even more. Installation costs for solar energy systems are high, although there are different grants available to help finance solar technology. A much more reasonably priced option is to assemble your own solar panels.
Traditional fuel sources are proving to be more tricky and costly to use, meaning an expansion in the value of solar power. Considering global warming and pollution it's apparent that traditional energy sources will no longer be viable. Renewable power sources, by definition, are limitless, unlike fossil fuel. As renewable energy technology continues to mature and the prices of accepted power sources rise, solar technology is starting to become more affordable.
Environmentally aware Hollywood celebrities, such as Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom, have taken their commitment further than recycling and driving hybrid cars. These actors have switched to using solar panels and other renewable power sources in their homes, slashing their energy use. Johnny "Captain Jack Sparrow" Depp's island in the Bahamas is to be powered by solar power rather than environmentally unfriendly generators. "Dallas" star, Larry Hagman has saved $24,000 per year by switching to solar power, taking his electricity bill from $37,000 to a mere $13,000 a year.
Actor, Edward Norton was so inspired by the solar panels installed in his own house that he created a program, in partnership with BP, to provide solar energy systems to lower income households in the LA area. Through the BP Solar Neighbors program a free solar system is offered to a low income household each time a celebrity buys one. An outstanding idea, the project has already had some of the best of Hollywood talent participating in it, including Owen Wilson, Alicia Silverstone and Will Ferrell. This project is probably contributing to the 30% annual growth of BP's solar division.
Around 50% the world's power supply will come from sustainable energy sources within the next 30 years according to forecasts from Shell. A great sustainable energy project is being shared by some of the top global corporations, including Total, General Electric and BP. The recent BP oil spill disaster has turned the world's attention to the increasing demand for alternative sources of energy and has increased public interest in solar energy as well as other renewable sources of power. The serious consequences of the oil spill have resulted in a substantial reshuffle of investment priorities, with American energy marketing campaigns placing a lot more focus on sustainable sources of power.
The United States is by far the major energy consumer in the world. 25% of the world's power consumption is by the US - even though it accounts for only 5% of the entire population of the earth. A 100mw solar energy plant in Israel will provide more than 200,000 people with electricity, and they have plans to build an even bigger plant in the future - a 500mw plant. The world's largest solar electricity system can be found in Bavaria, while around 1/2 of solar panels manufactured worldwide are used in Japan. When looking at these facts we can see how far America has to go in order to make the most of solar energy.
If you switch to using solar panels for your house, there are 2 aspects to the financial benefits. Using solar energy firstly means lower electricity bills. Second, if you stay connected to the grid, you've got the option to sell excess electricity to the utility company. With installation costs still being very high, the typical residential solar power system takes around 18 months to have paid for itself - although making your own solar panels is a less expensive option.
Many more individuals are creating their own solar panels now than ever before. Since solar system installation costs are still very high DIY solar panels are fast becoming popular. And the process is easier than you may think. DIY solar panels can be safe and highly effective if created and installed using a good instruction guide. Certainly, creating your own solar panels saves the initial installation costs which means the savings are even greater in the long run.
Property value can be increased by the addition of solar panels. According to HUD, for every $1,000 you save in annual utility bills the value of your home rises by $20,000. A house which is energy efficient is of great value in the eyes of a potential buyer. In addition to the other benefits, a solar system means a home has a back-up system during electricity blackouts. A home-buyer knows that if they buy a house with a solar power system installed, they are also buying peace of mind - knowing that during any power outages they will be unaffected.
Installing panels on a roof that faces east or west will still work - you don't have to have a south-facing roof. Another effective option is the ground-mounted solar system placed in a flat, un-shaded area. A pole, cemented into the ground holds the solar panel in place. Batteries which have been charged with any surplus electricity produced by the solar panels during the day can provide energy overnight.
Solar panels will still work with a roof that faces east or west and are not reliant on a south/north one. Another effective option is the ground-mounted solar system placed in a flat, un-shaded area. A pole, fixed into the ground with cement holds the solar panel in place. Your overnight energy can come either from the grid - if you're still connected - or from batteries which have been charged with excess electricity from your solar system during the day. To Find Out More Go To http://buildyourownsolarpanelsystem.com
