Saturday, August 8, 2009

DIY Wind Power Made Easy

By Jeff Campbell

Wind power and solar panels are growing in popularity as the cost of non-renewable energy resources continue to rise. It has become very clear to most that gas, coal and oil will not be able to continue to supply our energy needs at the current pace of consumption. If you are considering DIY wind power as an energy option for your home, you are not alone. Harnessing the earths natural unlimited energy sources is an option that only makes sense. Undertaking this project will not only save you money personally but it will save our planet as well.

Natural energy production using renewable energy sources is an excellent option in the 21st century. Wind power and solar panels are being installed by home owners throughout the world. In addition the technology for creating this type of energy continues to improve making it a more viable solution to our energy needs every day. It is not only readily available and renewable, its production does not leave a carbon footprint.

DIY Wind Power and How it Works

Whether you refer to wind power generators as turbines or windmills matters little. The two names are pretty much synonymous. Wind power generators, or turbines, or windmills if you prefer, have blades that rotate by the power of the wind and that turning motion, or torquing of the axis captures the energy that is converted into electricity.

The spinning of the blades is what is known as kinetic energy. Kinetic is simply another way of saying physical. The kinetic energy then spins the blades and the energy is collected by the motion generated from the wind. Simply put, the faster the blades spin, the more energy is generated. In the case of a home wind generator, that energy is collected and stored in a battery and can be tapped at any time when an electrical power source is needed.

Can DIY Wind Power Really Save Me Money

There is no question that that DIY wind power will save you money on your power bill. How much it saves you will depend on the size of your wind power generator and how much wind you have where you live. It will also depend on how efficient your wind power system is in creating and storing the energy you collect.

Fortunately, it is not very expensive at all to build your own wind power system. Using parts purchased at a local home improvement store, you can build your own home made wind powered generator for less than $200 in materials. Furthermore, you dont need a lot of construction or building skills to build it. Almost anyone can take on this do-it-yourself project with success.

How Much Power Will by Home Need

Most homes use on average approximately 100,000 KWH up electricity per year. With that in mind, a wind turbine that creates between 5 to 15 kW should do the trick. Of course, the larger the turbine is, the more energy it will collect from the wind. It is even possible to create enough wind power that you not only completely cover your utility bill but you can also sell any unused electricity back to your power company and make some money from them.

The only down side of homemade wind turbines is that they can be noisy. If properly maintained they are not exceptionally noisy. When the wind blows, the movement over the blades creates a whistling sound. Improperly cared for parts will make extra noise as does any moving machinery. Keeping the properly maintained and oiled is extremely important for minimizing sound. It is also a better option to build your turbine out of PVC rather than wood as wood will not hold up nearly as long.

As stated before, constructing your own DIY wind power is not difficult. It is a project that can be handled by just about anyone that is enthusiastic enough to take it on. It can actually be quite enjoyable... and very fulfilling.

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