Posts tagged: turbines

Jun 12 2009

Cooling Your Home with Solar Energy

When traditional energy sources are not reliable enough, or when you want to save on your energy bills, you can harness solar or wind energy to cool down your home. And an even better reason to do this is to help clean up the environment by using fewer pollutants in your energy production.

Furthermore, if you’re living off the power grids, and the weather is hot the whole year round, you should definitely consider alternative energy to cool your home. One option is a simple DIY home solar cooling project.

One way of cooling your home is by running water through the house. This can lessen the temperature of the building, while at the same time produce a calming and tranquil effect within the residence. This type of system doesn’t require a lot of energy, and can be run with solar or wind energy. There are buildings that allow lake water to flow through them.

A simple way to get water flowing through your home is by using a basic wind turbine. All you need are three blades, mounting, control system, batteries, tower, and a generator. You can pick a DIY kit online. When choosing the DC motor, be sure it’s adequate to run the pump you’ll be using. You can opt for a low-RPM motor, that generates 12 volts in 200 to 300 RPM.

If you’re making your own blades, you can use an iron pipe, cut in half. Once you have the required number of blades, place them in front of the motor. Then mount a thin, wide, metal object, to catch the wind. The tower should be at least forty feet tall, to be effective. At that height, your wind turbine can sustain the needed speed for the generator to run smoothly.

Some buildings incorporate passive cooling designs, to keep temperatures cool within the house. These can be in the form of awnings, window shades, reflective windows, and trees. You can use sod roof as well. This can help cool down a structure.

If your house has not yet been built, you can choose to use ecologically-friendly materials, such as straw and bale. These can provide proper insulation for your home. This is why you should talk to the construction company about your green requirements.

Both you, and the environment, will benefit when you use alternative energy to cool your home. There will be less carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere, and as a homeowner you’ll be utilizing resources that are freely available.

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To learn where you can find complete and step-by-step instructions on how to install DIY Wind and Solar Power systems, along with pictures, videos, and and diagrams, please see http://findportablesolarpower.com/diysolarpower/popular-diy-wind-solar-power-guides/
TO learn more about the types of DIY solar power projects you can try at home, please visit http://findportablesolarpower.com/diysolarpower


Apr 28 2009

Learn How To Build Residential Wind Generators

Residential Wind Generators

What would you say if your neighbor told you she was going to install a residential wind generator? You would be impressed – right? The truth is that it is not difficult to install these devices and many homeowners are taking the challenge to install their own residential wind generator as a cost-effective means to utilizing renewable energies.  It isn’t exactly snap-your-fingers easy to build residential wind generators either, but with the proper plans and a motivated installer you can be installing one in no time.

When setting out to install a wind generator, you will need to do some research and purchase an instruction manual or guide to follow.  Remember that you get what you pay for when it comes to instructions.  Make sure you find a manual that is easy to read with detailed instructions.  There are also many online resources and forums to help guide you through your wind generator installing process.

Familiarize yourself with the basics when starting your residential wind power project. There are four basic components to residential wind generators to consider.  You must be familiar with the towers, the batteries, the turbines and the tail and propeller assembly.  The tools generally required to build a home wind generator are simple: you will need wrenches, a saw and a drill along with a few more tools.

One essential item that will need to be purchased when you decide to install a home wind generator is the motor.  The motors on residential wind generators do require regular maintenance and oiling for continued efficiency, but this is a small price to pay for the cost effective energy these systems provide.

A home wind turbine does require a fair bit of real estate for mounting and installation. You will need to consider height, width and ultimate accessibility for periodic maintenance.  Depending on your target energy output, your propellers or blades could get up to 8 feet in diameter (4 ft blades).

It takes a little work to install residential wind generators, but there is really nothing overly complicated about the process and in the end can be fairly inexpensive. Once you are operational and you see your electric bills getting smaller each month, you will realize that it was all worthwhile.

So learn how to install residential wind generators for yourself and take advantage of the opportunities free electricity can provide.


Apr 12 2009

What Are Green Energy Sources

Many homeowners today are looking into integrating green energy sources for developing more energy efficient homes and businesses.  A green energy source is power generated through renewable resources, such as the sun, wind and water.  The other benefit of green energy sources is their low contribution to global warming, pollution and other environmental issues.

The most popular of green energy sources is the sun.  Energy captured from the sun is called solar energy.  Of the green energy sources, solar energy is the most popular because it offers multiple options for use.  It is possible to harness electrical energy from the sun using solar panels consisting of photovoltaic cells that convert energy from the sun into electricity you can use in your home or business.  There are also solar hot water collectors that use the heat of the sun to produce hot water.  These solar green energy sources are readily available and increasing in popularity as most homes and businesses can have them mounted on their roof and they can take advantage of lowered utility costs.

The most efficient of green energy sources is wind.  Wind has been used to power water pumps for centuries, but has grown in popularity to generate electricity via residential wing generators.  Wind is the safest and cleanest of the green energy sources as it produces no pollutants and does not contribute to global warming.  Wind energy is harnessed by erecting a turbine that spins in the breeze generating electricity.  Unlike the sun, which can be found almost anywhere, in order to utilize wind as a green energy source, you must live in an area where wind is readily available.

Water is also a viable participant of green energy sources.  Water is less widely used as a green energy source for homes, as not all homes have an available stream to produce the needed electricity.  The Amish have used water to power entire shops using conveyer belt systems, so it is an old practice, but it is still being used successfully today.  As with solar and wind energy, energy harnessed from moving water is almost completely pollutant free and is generated from a renewable resource.

Green energy sources are available for use to combat global warming, our dependence on fossil fuels and to lower our monthly budget.  Investing in green energy sources for your home and business needs can add dollars to your wallet and years to the life of our Earth.

Apr 05 2009

Renewable Energy Technologies

In many countries today, quite a lot is being said about utilizing renewable energy technologies – particularly in light of the rising oil prices. But some people might still be wondering exactly what renewable energy is.

Renewable energy is power which has been generated from renewable resources – in other words, it does not “run out” or eventually become depleted. It can be continuously re-created.

It’s not just the prices of oil that has people searching for clean and renewable energy sources. Global warming concerns, and international pollution problems, have triggered this concern as well. Governments around the world have begun to support research on improving the renewable energy technologies.

Currently, the five common renewable energy sources are biomass, hydropower, geothermal heat, wind, and solar power.

Biomass

Biomass consists of organic material which has been produced by animals and plants. Biomass energy uses stored energy from the sun. This is a result of the natural process which any plant uses to survive – photosynthesis.

Because we can always grow new crops and trees, biomass is considered a form of renewable energy. Furthermore, organic waste can be used to create biomass as well.

Some commonly used biomass fuels include crops, wood, garbage, and manure. When these materials are burned, they emit heat which produces steam, that can in turn be used to create electricity. Some biomasses are converted into other usable energy forms, such as methane gas or biodiesel.

Hydropower

Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. It was used in ancient times to grind grain. Coal was once the only source of power in the United States. But in 1880, the first Hydropower plant was built, and since then, more of these have been erected in order to provide the people with electricity.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy comes from within the Earth itself. The steam or heat which comes from the center of the earth can be used to regulate the temperatures of buildings, and to generate electricity as well.
This is considered one form of renewable energy because water can always be replenished by rain, and because the earth’s core maintains its temperature.

Wind Power

Even the ever-present wind can provide a renewable energy source. Wind is created because the uneven heating on the earth’s surface causes the air to move. Thus, wind power is essentially a bi-product of solar power. Wind propellers are used to collect the wind’s kinetic energy, which turns turbines that are in turn used to create electricity.

Solar Power

This form of renewable energy will be available as long as the sun shines. Solar energy can either be used as thermal energy, or it can be converted into electricity.

As a thermal energy, it can be used to heat water or spaces. Through the use of solar cells or similar photovoltaic devices, it can be used to create electricity. The heat of the sun can also be used to create steam, which turns turbines and thus produces electricity.

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To learn more about renewable energy and its different forms, please visit http://livingclean.com/alternativeenergy

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