Wind Power Generation Solar Power Energy Generation Guide
Wind Power Generation Producing Clean Electricity For Your Home
By J K Hellios
Driving along the coast or high up mountains, you may
have seen rows and rows of tall turbines from large
wind farms. This is wind power generation, the production
of clean wind power, producing electricity without emissions
and using a renewable source of energy, the wind.
Unlike the high emissions produced with fossil fuel
sources like oil or coal. These fossil fuels will eventually
be depleted, and their cost will continue to rise, as
their sources become more scarce.
Many people know, there are a number of options to
review when seeking to generate solar power at home,
but wind power generation just for your own home? You
may have seen farms with one or two wind turbines to
generate their own electricity, but wind turbines in
suburbia? Is it really possible?
Reduce Your Power Consumption With Energy Efficient Appliances
You may be looking for a wind turbine to serve your
home, but is not four stories high in your backyard.
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CWEA) says it
can be done, but it needs some work and a lot of calculations,
to get enough wind energy to power everything inside
your home.
The first step, says CWEA is to reduce your consumption
with energy-efficient appliances, effective home insulation
and replace all your incandescent bulbs with compact
fluorescent lights and so on. Reducing your power needs
will help to reduce the cost of your wind turbine.
Calculate Your Power Needs For A Year
Once you reduce your power needs, you must calculate
how much energy you use for a year, including your peak
periods. If you have all this information on hand, you
can start to look at the types and costs for turbines
to use for your home.
These turbines range in size, from those used to charge
batteries, to those used on sailing boats, in homes
or meet specific requirement for generating enough power
to meet a specific need.
Larger Wind Turbines For A Home
But, to power homes and even commercial buildings,
you need a much larger wind turbine. There are some
with the option to work with the national electricity
grid, and there others with options to take yourself
completely off the grid.
The smaller turbines supply less power and are used
only to supply power for specific use. These are easier
to install and use less space. The smaller turbines
also offer you more design choices.
Design Choices For Smaller Turbines
For example, a turbine that is a miniature copy of
the horizontal, three-bladed windmills you see on wind
farms, or a vertical shaft where the "blades"
spiral like the double-helix pattern of a DNA molecule.
The larger turbines could supply most of the power
to your home, but you need to consider free space limitations
for your installation in a suburban backyard. These
may not exceed four stories in the backyard, but some
may still be higher than your home.
A Combination Of Solar And Wind Power
Then there is the extra cost, location issues, and
more maintenance needs. But, the larger turbines are
more cost effective in the long run. Another option
is to use a combination of solar panels and wind turbines.
You can use the CWEA website to calculate your power
consumption, choosing and running your own wind turbine.
When switching to wind power at home, it is imperative
to do this type of calculation and estimate in detail
before you start shopping for a turbine.
You will be making a major investment for the long-term
and you want to do it right the first time, so you can
get the best out of your wind turbine for wind power
generation in your home.
About the Author:
J K Hellios has written a number of articles on alternative energy, solar
power and renewable energy including
Renewable Energy Sources,
Wind Power Pros And Cons,
Alternative Fuel Car,
Solar Powered Homes,
Solar Powered Lights,
Solar Powered Cars.
Keep a lookout for more articles available on this website
soon.
Little Known Wind Power Facts.....
Wind energy has become a topic for debate. Though it
costs quite a lot to initially set up the wind farms
to power homes and businesses, in the long run it begins
to pay off.
Many cities and countries around the globe are looking
at ways they can help the Earth’s environment and using
the wind is one of the best answers besides solar power.
Fossil fuels cannot be relied upon for future use for
heating and cooling your home. It is time to start thinking
about using the wind as a source of energy.
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