Residential wind power systems

With growing concerns over the supply and price of fossil fuels, in addition to environmental issues. Many homeowners are investigating alternative options for heating and power. Residential wind power systems are just one of these alternative technologies and perhaps the cheapest in terms of price per Kwh (kilowatt hour).

Power produced from winds using turbines is efficient, clean and renewable. However, more importantly, as more and more consumers investing in wind power home systems, the prices are coming done making the return on investment even more attractive.

The technology and therefore efficiency of these wind turbine systems is constantly improving, using data from many large scale wind farm facilities worldwide such as the Altamont Pass, Buffalo Gap and Capricorn Ridge Wind Farms in the USA. Muppandal Wind Farm in India and the Barrow Offshore Wind farm in the UK. Modern wind turbine designs have benefitted greatly from these projects resulting in cost effective and efficient small scale wind turbines now available for local energy production in the domestic markets.

This advancement of technology means that it is now possible to install wind power in your home for less than a $1000 in the form of DIY kits. If you are prepared to source all the parts and materials yourself, further savings can be made resulting in a wind powered home for less than $500! Basic mechanical skills will be required if you go the DIY route but it’s probably a lot easier than you think. Common household tools and a good manual are the only other requirements for a DIY wind power project.

When it comes to choosing a manual or guide for building your wind power turbine it is essential to choose one where the author has in fact constructed a successful wind power system. You would be amazed at the number of people that are jumping on the alternative energy bandwagon just to make a quick buck!

The manual that we feel is the easiest to follow also provides clear illustrations and all the support required for even the most inexperienced DIY’er. This manual was created with the complete novice in mind and guides you through the complete build and installation process. As a bonus the author also includes a complete guide on making your own solar panels and includes examples of wind generators he has built and installed for less than $100!

Want to save hundreds of dollars every time you get your power bill or even become totally self sufficient for energy? Check out this great wind and solar construction manual here.

Algae - the answer to our Oil Dependency

It will come as no suprise to learn that many families are cutting back on expenditure due to gas prices. The cost of commuting to work for many is now a burden on theior financial resources. This has created a huge interest in alternative sources of fuel for automobiles and a rush to offset our dependence on oil.

Biodiesel was possibly the first alternative fuel to be touted as a possible mainstream option to gas. Produced from crops like soya and corn using simple technology, biodiesel initially became the popular and many reckoned that this fuel was the answer to our needs. However, biodiesel production is not without problems. Using food crops to produce fuel means less food is produced, in addition with many farmers jumping on the biodiesel bandwagon the cost of corn and soya rose sharply as they could sell crops at higher prices for biodiesel rather than food. In any case traditional food crops like soya and corn are simply not very efficient at producing oil, an acre of soybeans produces around 50 gallons of oil and corn is even worse at 20 gallons!

So, although biodiesel seems like a good idea, if it is to be produced in large quantities and at competitive prices, a new source will be required.

Enter algae, once regarded as a nuisance, algae is now being shown in a new light. One acre of algae will produce approximately 10,000 gallons of biodiesel per year (around 200x more efficient than corn). This incredible output is one of the major reasons why many believe that algae biodiesel could be the fuel of the future. It would take just 15000 square miles of algae farms to produce enough biodiesel to power all the vehicles in the USA!

It is even possible to create cost effective algae biodiesel on a small scale, even at home simply for personal use. The process is fairly simple and does not require a great deal of knowledge and skill, reducing or eliminating your dependence on fossil fuels while reducing cost of fuel (small scale biodiesel from algae can be produced for less than $1 per gallon). Algae biodiesel has a number of advantages over other fuels:-

• Algae are not food crops and therfore have no effect on crop prices nor do they displace food production
• Algae grow fast even in areas not suited to conventional crops and no fresh water is requires, algae will thrive in saltwater environments as long there is sunshine
• Algae sequesters massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Algae was in fact responsible for creating the Earths present day oxygen rich atmosphere millions of years ago by recycling CO2 and producing oxygen