Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Home Made Wind Power

Fuel shortage and environmental damage, these are two of the biggest current global issues and it's long been known that the made-to-measure solution to them is renewableenergy. Hydro, solar and wind power spontaneously come to mind. Played out correctly, we will never have to kowtow to oil, gas or coal again and the environment will be spared of the kind of pollution we are now seeing from them. The good news is Home Made Wind Power Generators and their solar counterparts are well within reach of the common households these days. 

With wind power generators, we literally get energy out of air, more specifically moving air called wind. This invisible but precious natural resource is free and green. It?s also practically endless in certain regions. However, it?s important to note that the wind resource must be of a certain level in order for the deployment of windmills to be feasible. The tower must not have to reach very high to avoid ground turbulence and the wind-speed is ideally in excess of 10 miles per hour. 

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. 

There are a few factors to take into account for a wind power home. For instance, the size of the available space on the compound of the house, the presence of enough quality wind, the required tower height pertaining to regulations and neighborhood acceptance, the noise, safety and other effects on the surroundings are some of the predominant considerations. Another significant factor is whether excess power from the home generators can be sold or credited back onto the power grid of the local provider. 

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.

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