Archive for February, 2009

The facts about home wind power – is it right for your home?

Wind energy is one of today’s most invaluable energy sources It is fuelled by the wind, meaning it doesn’t pollute the air unlike power plants which depends on combustion of fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. Wind is formed by the heating of the atmosphere and the earth’s rotation, making it an inexhaustible and least expensive renewable energy source today. But is a wind powered home really a viable option?
With the current state of our environment today, now more than ever do we need to turn to using such renewable energies. Many residential homes mostly in farm lands and open fields installs their own wind turbines as source of energy
The first thing to consider in installing a wind turbine generator in your homes would obviously be the wind. The area should be clear of obstructions to the wind such as tall buildings and trees as it might affect the efficiency of the turbines to gather electricity According to American Wind Energy Association, it is best if the home is located on one acre or more due to the size of a small wind turbine. To lower wind turbulence, it should be high above any objects on the ground With an average home requirement of 9,400 kilowatt-hours per year, a turbine should be rated 5 to 15 kilowatts.
Individual turbines vary in size and power output from a few hundred watts to two or three megawatt, the typical domestic system would be 1 – 6 kilowatts. It can be retrofitted into any homes without the need for re-wiring There are two basic types of home wind turbine : the horizontal and vertical axis. Horizontal axis needs to be directed at the wind The vertical axis, although it can face any direction the wind is blowing requires more ground space than horizontal axis turbines.
Neighbours must also be considered when installing a wind turbine Inform them of your plan and keep the turbine away from neighbouring houses as much as possible to avoid conflict.
Wind turbines have its own advantages and disadvantages Other than providing a clean, limitless energy source, other advantages include low expenses. Wind turbines require very little maintenance and can last for about 20 years This typically lowers electricity bill by 50 to 90 percent. A major disadvantage is that wind turbines relies wholly on the speed and direction of the wind Wind energy cannot be stored with the use of batteries, thus may not meet timely electric needs. The noise produced by the motors and concerns over TV reception interference are also listed as disadvantages, but the modern technology today allows home turbines to run with less noise than a washing machine, and it has been proven that turbines does not affect TV signals. Coupled with solar power, a home wind turbine can really save you money and help save the environment at the same time.

Solar Shingles: Solar Energy for the Home

With the rapid advancement of solar power we are now seeing new products enter the market containing “integrated solar panels”.

For example, solar shingles. Essentially, these are ordinary roof shingles which are made out of photovoltaic materials. They perform the same function as an ordinary roof shingle, but have the added capability of producing electricity.

The advantage of these thin “solar panels” is that they can now be integrated right into one’s building materials – so instead of having solar panels on your roof, you would now have a solar roof.

Home Solar Power Systems – Read This First

For many years, scientists have always looked into using solar energy as an unconventional way of harnessing energy to meet human needs. Further researches have now given us various machines that work on this type of unconventional energy. Today we have prototypes of solar powered cars, solar heated homes and even solar powered heaters. Some of these amazing machines have now been extensively distributed and are now available for use in many green homes in areas of the world.

Have The Money For Solar Panels or Wind Generators And Get Rid Of Your Electric Bills

Save up to 80% by learning what this important report could do for you. Let me explain.
All around our planet, energy bills are soaring. All of us have seen the prices of gas jump to record highs. Prices will rise again and we are all aware of this. We know that the demand will continue to rise. Countries like China and India are developing at an incredible rate. All of this progress requires huge amounts of energy. Therefore we are facing energy shortages.

Solar Power Options

Alternative energy is becoming more prominent now, and environmental concern is no longer for the “tree huggers”. People are starting to wake up and see that our planet is slowly being destroyed by pollution and lack of responsibility. This site is designed to help entrepreneurs who are interested in the exciting world of alternative energy breakthroughs, and to provide an alternative energy news source for investors and the general public. We hope that you enjoy the alternative energy news provided, which is updated weekly, as well as our Letter From The Editor, our pages focused on each individual alternative energy source, and our website features, including interviews with experts, op-eds, a list of alternative energy stocks, wind energy research reports, stock quotes, useful links, and info on seminars. In the 1970s Americans responded to high oil prices with alternative energy projects and more fuel-efficient cars. But when prices dropped in the 1980s, we threw caution to the wind—along with the energy projects.