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Go Off Grid...Your Very Own Renewable Energy
Author: Avery Mann
There are legitimate reasons to go off grid. Anyone who lives in very rural or remote areas, knows to well about the advantages and disadvantages of going off grid. The costs of local utilities are so high, in most cases it is not a question of going green but rather a purely financial one. Whatever your reason for researching off grid power, your options have now turned green. Solar and/or wind energy are the only options available in this case. Your best bet is solar, unless the area you are looking into is a windy one. Even in that case, I still recommend that solar power be your main source of off grid energy. Did you know that the small amount that hits your roof, greatly surpasses all the energy that is transported through the utility company electric wires? That is the reason many people who have switched over to solar power, either go off grid, or sell back to the utility companies for a profit. It is for that reason, installation of a proper system can more than handle all your electricity needs.
There is a reason I prefer solar to wind, when it comes to household energy requirements. Both solar panels and wind turbine rotors are considered to be a form of a collector. Naturally one can see that the area of just one solar panel is much greater than the surface of a small wind rotor with a number of blades that rotate to turn the electrical generator. While both offer a renewable non- polluting source of energy, it should be noted that solar has no moving parts to break down, and requires very little maintenance. To properly access wind flow and generate enough electricity, wind turbines are installed on high towers that rise above any trees or surrounding buildings. It is advisable to get your neighbors permission before installing such a structure. For whatever reason you chose not to have a high enough tower, it won’t matter when it comes to generating adequate energy. It is better not to install a wind turbine in the first place, rather than to not have it high enough. There is simply little energy in low winds that you can convert into usable electricity.
The Sun Will Always Shine
Off Grid Solar Is the Future
Today we are finally realizing that the future of the Earth depends on weaning mankind off of petroleum and other fossil fuels. Here is another fact that will astound you. The entire total of fossil fuels on Earth can be matched by the solar energy output of the sun on Earth, in less than three days. It is not politics and greed alone that has kept us from pursuing solar energy until recent times. The technology for home solar has greatly improved. It started in the mid 1970's, with the advancements in Photovoltaic applications. Photovoltaic, also referred to as PV, is according to Wikipedia, the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting solar energy (sunlight, including ultra violet radiation) directly into electricity. The development of transistor and accompanying semiconductor technology, has drastically increased photovoltaic power and efficiency. Today, commonly available solar panels are 12% efficient, which is four times greater than only a few years ago.
Another very important aspect is that contrary to most contractors’ misconception it is not a difficult installation. An average home has more than enough roof area to produce enough solar electricity to supply all of its power needs. All that is needed is an inverter, which converts direct current (DC) power from the solar cells to alternating current (AC), which are what most home appliances run on. A solar home, except for the obvious changes to the roof, will look and operate just like any home does when it was connected to the power line.
Let the Sun Free You From the Grid
Do-It- Yourself and Save
There is another misconception that needs clearing up. You should know is that contrary to popular belief, residential solar installation is very affordable. You don’t need to hire a builder or solar contractor, which could run you tens of thousands of dollars. With the correct instruction and guidance you can do-it-yourself. You must be careful however, because many instructional books and guides are confusing and have complicated diagrams. So before getting started you must find the correct step-by-step instructions. You don't need to be a builder. Anybody can make solar panels. It's really quite easy to make solar panels once you know a few industry secrets. You must make sure that the guide you chose has step by step instruction, detailed diagrams, plenty of pictures and video teaching aids.
So how much will it actually cost to make your own solar panels? You can, with the right instruction, build your solar panels for less than 0 each. I suggest that if you don’t have the time or you’re just not willing to put in the effort, you can hire a couple of competent handy men to implement the project, and still save thousands. Real people, not corporations, have come up with efficient and extremely affordable programs that walk you through step by step instructions, on how to build and install renewable energy for your home.
My own extensive research has helped me narrow down the best of the best instructional guides, complete with blueprints, photos, and in the case of my number one choice, video for that do-it-yourself solar power and/or wind turbine project you might be considering. Obviously, I can’t go into great detail in this article, but if I have piqued your interest, you can get all the facts of this or many other ideas on how to go green at my site Possibly GREEN. There you’ll find the right ways to live a greener life, including information on how to convert your car inexpensively, and even find green jobs in your area.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/go-off-gridyour-very-own-renewable-energy-1239398.html
About the Author
At 57, I consider myself to be a Jack Of All Trades And Master Of Nothing. I was a struggling actor for 25 years. During that time I learned a little about a lot of things, and would like to pass along some of that knowledge. I live in California with my beautiful wife and a menagerie of pets.
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A. Global warming is a scam. Most scientists are backing away from it now.
B. Since the price of crude oil is over $60 a barrel technologies like oil from coal and oil from the tar fields in Canada are now VERY profitable. There is 100 times more oil in these resources then in the ground in Suadi Arabia, Iraq and Iran COMBINED but the production of it produces way MORE pollutants. Oh Well…
C. There is no other viable fuel source right now. Oil is used for everything, not just your car (about 5% of usage) there is no other fuel source that even comes close to replacing it. Alternitive oil from coal and tar pits is the future., just watch…
I would go to google and click on ‘advance search’. Fill in some search criteria and the bottom text input box is “search within a site or domain” and type in wikipedia.com there. This way you can search the body of the articles. good luck!
Good point
Since we are in Africa and there is lots of sunlight.
The reason why it had not taken off was because our electricity is the cheapest in the world and solar panels are very expensive here in SA.
But
Since our cheap electricity is not reliable it maybe worth while going that route now.
The technology exists to convert coal to a usable light oil – the Germans used ‘Fischer-Trosht’ method in ww2, S Africa used it during Apartheid Embargo times, France using some of its nuclear electric capacity to convert coal to diesel fuel fraction for road use. England’s and some other European countries with coal tar industries skim a little oil off also. A nuclear plant near coal burning power plant could generate electricity to send out over existing power plant grid and take the old coal fuel and convert it to road use diesel for transport like French pattern. If Coal was used to power the conversion plant the air might get a bit dirty- but no more than using coal to run power plant generator, the 25% of coal used to provide the needed energy to convert the other 75% of coal is about the same loss as electric generation losses. Nuke power is a bit cleaner and part of waste heat from nuke plant is preliminary heating of coal use. Could be done on large scale in 5 years after commiment- S Africa setup a couple of theirs 2 years after political decision was made. More efficient than coal burning to generate electricity to charge batteries for electric cars.
absolutely it is possible
for those of you who believe we woul just be slaves to the new “Big Hydrogen” companies. Honda and toyota are planning on selling hydrogen generators that you can use to fill your car.
link to the Home Energy Station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Energy_Station
Has climate change, global warming and alternative energy made old dirty forms of power production obsolete?
Especially when one takes into consideration these facts: the costs of cleaning up after the natural disastors they help cause, if they can even be cleaned up quickly and succesfully, (see the katrina clean up, then imagine one or two of those every year) can be prevented by in part not using them. The fact that new green clean power gets cheaper every day and coal, oil and other non-renewable energy sources get more scarce every day and are many times located in hostile areas. The fact that there would be great loss of life and habitable area and expense involved in nuclear power accidents or terror attacks. The fact that damage to the environment and the current mass extinction of species is caused by them from the climate change they help cause. And the most critical fact, the disruptions to the global food supply that will result from there continued use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsolescence
The abondonment of old dirty power would lead to an explosion of the green energy sector and that sector would be able to meet demand as it increases in size to fill it.
Why do something vastly more expensive and destructive then something else that will serve the same function in a much improved way?
Why has no one recognised the business opportunities that could be gained by using and selling solar power?
Surely there must be some eco-friendly investor who could invest in solar power in SA? In Germany there are a few churches that have panels on their roofs, and sell the surplus energy to finance themselves, and farmers and private homeowners do it too.
http://www.yoursolarpowerhome.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
Where are the “Richard Bransons” of the world? Are they afraid of God´s power/energy ??
I wish all South Africans a powerFULL weekend!
Do you think the U.S. will end up turning back to coal if we ever get short on oil?
The U.S. has huge amounts of coal reserves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#World_coal_reserves . Do you see the country turning back to this should an oil catastrophe occur, since neither oil companies nor the government have shown themselves interested in aggressively investing in renewable-energy research?
Is a Hydrogen Economy possible ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Iceland
If Iceland can do it why can the US ?
Help finding renewable energy power plant?
Hello, a few weeks ago on wikipedia I found a type of power plant that generated power by using greenhouses at the base of a structure to generate heat, which would heat the air in the structure. This would cause the air to rise which on the way up would turn turbines in the structure. I have been trying to find it again but I haven’t had any luck. Anyone know the name of the type of power plant.