You may have found that your energy bills have been increasing. You’re not alone! If you’re suffering from having to spend more on heating and lighting your home, then now is a great time to think about alternative sources of energy.
Such alternative sources often have the added bonus of being more friendly towards the environment too.
Before choosing a home energy source of this nature, however, it’s important that you consider the scope of your project. There may well be a number of options open to you.
Solar Power
Solar energy is an extremely powerful and abundant energy source in many parts of the world. As a result, this is also one of the most cost-effective approaches that are available for home users.
Solar panels need to be installed in open spaces to harness this energy. Solar power can be trapped from any area but areas receiving a lot of sunlight are clearly more likely to access solar energy. DIY energy sources with solar power inputs hardly need any maintenance and are relatively consistent in their nature.
The solar panels or the photovoltaic cells consist of silicon which helps in absorbing the incoming solar radiation. A certain amount of the sun’s rays gets absorbed as soon as the light strikes these cells.
The sunlight is made up of electrically charged particles of light energy known as photons. When the semiconductor material consumes the sunrays, the photons hit the electrons and displace them. A negatively charged surface develops when a certain amount of electrons are displaced to the surface. The negatively charged surface has a positively charged underside. Hence, a strong voltage potential is built up following up with the energy production.
Geothermal Power
The geothermal energy is basically obtained from the heat reservoirs lying under the earth’s surface. The temperature of the earth’s crust up to a depth of 10 feet maintains a relatively constant reading of 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can install a ground-coupled heat pump to access this energy. This mechanism moves the heat energy from a certain location to a compressor.
These geothermal units can be installed either by digging trenches or by drilling holes vertically into the ground for placing a “polyethylene pipe”. If space is not a constraint these pipes can also be installed through horizontal trenches. This setup will render the house with heated air during the winter. During summer, the water goes back to the earth and cools off.
The geothermal power is a reliable, tax free and non-polluting energy resource unlike some other home energy sources. Besides this is one of the best DIY energy sources for residents living near places prone to volcanic activities.
Harnessing the Wind
Wind power is yet another valuable DIY energy source. The greatest benefits of this power resource are its free flowing availability and money saving properties. Wind turbines can be constructed on large, uninterrupted expanses of land. Wind flow will drive the blades of the turbine to rotate. This rotation will create mechanical energy which in turn gets converted into electrical energy.
The two types of turbines that can be installed to tap wind power are:
1. Horizontal axis wind turbine
2. Vertical axis wind turbine
The horizontal axis wind turbines are more frequent in usage. The energy produced by these machines can power homes as well as commercial establishments. The second variety on the other hand does not require a constant flow of wind. The energy production of this turbine type is much less than the first.
Keith Barrett writes about environmental issues, climate change and a range of news items relating to the green movement. He enjoys spreading the word online too!
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