Tuesday, August 18, 2009

DIY Wind Energy - A Simple But Powerful Way to Save Money

By Tristan West

There is an awful lot of talk about going green these days, especially with the election of President Obama and the seemingly eco-friendly Democrats dominating Congress. As individuals we can do our part by tapping into diy wind energy to create electricity to power our homes. It is surprisingly easy to do and very cost effective.

It is amazingly easy to build a residential wind turbine. Windmills, as they are often called, require very little experience to building. Easy to follow plans are available that lay the process out step by step.

In addition, building a DIY wind energy turbine does not cost a fortune. In fact it is incredibly affordable. For less than $200 you can buy everything you need at your local home improvement center or hardware store. The materials and tools you need are not anything out of the ordinary.

Scientifically speaking, a wind turbine or windmill uses wind to generate kinetic energy which is then converted into electricity. The wind catches the windmill blades and causes them to spin. The spinning motion is where the energy is created.

Everyone has at least seen a picture of an old fashion windmill. While the newer wind turbine does not look like this type of windmill, the principle is the same. Used for generations as a source of power in the Netherlands, the interesting windmills we see in photographs and paintings have served a very important purpose.

In the past, windmills were used to harness power to crush grain into flour. Our purposes are different and our windmills are more advanced, but the method is the same. Now, wind turbines are used to create the power we need to run our appliances and heat and cool our homes.

Living in a windy climate will work to your advantage, but it is not necessary to benefit from this technology. It is true that the more wind you have the more DIY wind energy you can create. But, technology has made advancements that have made it possible to take advantage of this available energy source even with minimal wind. There are two types of wind turbines, the conventional windmill style wind turbine and the vertical wind turbine.

Of course, the windier the climate that you live in, the more electricity you should be able to generate. But if you do not live in an especially windy geographic location you can still take advantage of DIY wind energy. There are basically two different types of wind turbines. There is the conventional, which is the one that we are used to seeing, and then there is a vertical wind turbine.

Vertical wind turbines are much more efficient than their traditional counterparts because they have more blades and are therefore much more efficient as they pick up and utilize more wind. These types of turbines also take up less space. They can even be utilized on patios and balconies by condominium and apartment dwellers.

As we have noted in this article there are many, many ways in which we can tap into the power of diy wind energy to create electricity to power our homes. There is also of course, the fact that we will be doing our part to use earth-friendly forms of energy as opposed to nasty fossil fuels that pollute our world.

About the Author:

0 comments: