Saturday 21 July 2012

Using Wind Turbines to Power Your Home


Using Wind Turbines to Power Your Home
          
The first thing to look at, before you ever consider converting to wind power, is the area where you live. A windmill solution obviously requires wind. More specifically you want wind speeds that exceed 8MPH on average. Even 8MPH is considered a low-wind-speed area for wind turbines. 12MPH average is ideal.
To start, take the time to look at the wind speed charts that fit your area:
If You Live in the UK or Europe: http://www.xcweather.co.uk             
Assuming that the average wind speed in your area is above 8MPH, then continue on to the other considerations listed below. If you don’t live in a suitable area, then you should consider a solar power conversion instead.
Convert Your Home Today:
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Wind Turbine Considerations
Once you’ve determined that wind power is suitable for your area there are a few other things you need to consider.  Really this is just about asking some questions and then answering them. Taking the time to do so will ensure you choose a wind power system that fits. Especially if you are planning to live off the grid, you should take the time to answer these questions before you start.
Your Power Needs
The first thing that needs to be considered is your power needs. Are you simply looking to reduce your power bill with a single small windmill? Or, will you want to power your entire home?
If you’re looking to power your whole home, you should take the time to calculate your actual power requirements. If you take the time to download Earth 4 Energy, their guide comes with a calculator and instructions on how to do this (you’ll need this guide anyway).
Storing Power from Wind Turbines
From the answer to your first question you then need to consider building a storage system for your wind turbine. A simple array of batteries can be designed to store as little or as much power as needed.
If you’re only building a small wind power solution to reduce your power bills then this is likely less of a concern.
On the other hand if you’re looking to live off the grid, you will need to consider energy storage. You should use your calculation for your power needs to design this part of your system. Take into consideration how much power you will need to store and for how long.
If you have weeks where there is less wind than usual, ensure that you have a large enough battery array to compensate (or better yet work to reduce you energy needs by using high efficiency bulbs and appliances).
Having a Backup Plan
Finally, for those who plan to live entirely off the grid, you should consider your backup plan. For most of us consistent power is a requirement. Ensure that you design your wind turbine solution with a backup plan. Generally a small gas generator is enough to ensure you have power if something goes wrong. 
 Reducing Your Energy Needs before Going Green
With simple instructions available on how to convert to homemade wind power or DIY solar panels for as little as $200, many people are taking the alternative energy more seriously. When choosing to take on a DIY conversion project the first question most people ask is will one windmill or one large solar panel be enough? There are too many factors involved here to answer that question for you. But one way to start is to ensure your home is efficient in the first place. In this article we will walk you through some steps that will help you reduce your energy consumption before you start converting your home. 
Reducing Your Energy Needs
One often overlooked step in converting a home to green power is reducing your energy needs in the first place. The average home uses inefficient lighting, power hungry appliances, and poor heating/cooling solutions.  An important step to reducing your energy needs is to look at the inefficiencies in your current system.
Consider:
  1. Replacing old incandescent bulbs with fluorescents or led bulbs will cut your power consumption from light in half.
  2. Replacing old, inefficient, appliances may reduce your energy bills by as much as 30% by itself.
You should also look at your current heating/cooling solutions. For example an electric hot water heater could potentially be replaced by a solar water heater. Maybe that inefficient air conditioner can be replaced with a more efficient heat exchanger.
If you need help choosing more efficient appliances, an excellent resource for this is put out by the Canadian government: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/EnerGuide/home.cfm.  It’s called Energuide, and it covers everything power consumption of home appliance to energy requirements of large commercial air conditioners.
Spend some time looking through that guide and calculating how much you can reduce your power consumption in different areas of your home.  By simply taking a look at everything in your home that consumes energy, you will find ways to reduce your energy needs before you start.
You don’t necessarily have to go all out and spend $10,000 replacing everything – but things as simple as changing your lighting will reduce your energy needs before you start your conversion project.
More Related  Articles  on Alternative Energy  at  http://www.vunamer.com/    

Here is a great guide video you may find very helpful

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