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Renewable Energy Off the Grid

Renewable Energy Off the Grid

This page contains information on why and how to generate renewable energy while living off the grid, also you will find useful tips on how to satisfy most of your power needs without having to rely on the city for electricity. Generating your own power off the grid is very essential if you want to declare your independence and be fully or mostly self suffecient. Spending around $700 on wind generators and solar panels can reduce your power costs more than $1300 a year (especially if you build them and install them yourself), plus you will feel good about using green and renewable energy.

Benefits of Generating Renewable Energy

You can cut your electricity costs by 80%, or even make your power company pay you, and of course, you will feel good to know that you're doing your part to save the planet from pollution. These are uncertain times, energy costs continue to soar, natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate, and pollution and global warming continue to worsen. While it can all seem distant and overwhelming, the solution to each of these issues actually lies within each of us. Our actions today can create change. Our daily decisions do have an impact on the world at large.

Harnessing the power of wind and sun is not only possible by most people, but it's increasingly affordable and easy to set up. But before discussing ways to harness wind and solar energy, it's very important to note that, the first step to start, is by changing our behaviour. Right now, even though renewable energy is not exactly cheap and often not very accessible in its current state, there are still plenty of ways you can cut down on energy costs. Here are just a few:

  1. Turn off your appliances when you’re not using them. Computers and televisions continue to use energy even when they’re in standby mode.
  2. Instead of always using your dryer or dishwasher, consider air-drying your clothes and dishes at least some of the time, and only run your dishwasher, dryer, or washing machine with full loads.
  3. Use energy-efficient fluorescent lightbulbs in your household lamps.
  4. Set your thermostat at a comfortable but moderate temperature – not too warm in the winter, not too cool in the summer.
  5. Take shorter showers and avoid baths.
  6. Maintain your vehicle – regular tune-ups insure that you get maximum fuel efficiency. When you drive, be aware that excessive speeds and rapidly accelerating and braking uses more gas.
  7. Seal your windows and doors. Preventing warm or cool air from escaping will make a significant difference in your utility costs.

If you are seriously considering using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power to heat and cool your home, then you MUST implement the suggestions above. There’s simply no value in using a wind or solar generator if you continue to leave lights and appliances on when not in use, use more water than is necessary, etc.

Advantages of Solar Power

Solar power systems have many benefits. They are quiet. They don’t produce any pollution. They are reliable, there are no moving parts to worry about, so they require minimal maintenance. Another great advantage of a solar power system is that it’s modular. The cells (or building blocks) are available in a wide variety of wattage, ranging from a mere fraction of a watt to more than 300 watts. Large solar power plants have higher megawatts, but most individual systems are much smaller. You can choose the solar power modules required to deliver the power you desire for your system.

One downside of solar energy is that much of the sun’s energy is lost during the process of transferring sunlight to electricity. To solve this challenge, larger and more efficient panels continue to be manufactured all the time. And while they are still less efficient than they ultimately might be, they are still the renewable energy system of choice because they require so little maintenance and are quite durable.

A solar panel system should last around fifty years, as long as it was properly installed. A pretty wise investment, all things considered! If you choose to install your own solar power system, you will appreciate its quiet, low-maintenance, pollution-free, safe and reliable operation, as well as the degree of independence it provides.

Advantages of Wind Energy

Wind power actually works a lot like hydroelectric power. Both of them simply require a driving force that creates kinetic energy. With hydroelectricity, it’s water that creates a driving force. With a wind generator, or turbine, wind is the driving force.

A wind generator consists of three basic parts:

  • Rotor blades: Rotor blades transfer energy from the wind and turn it into kinetic energy.
  • Shaft: When the rotor blades rotate, they turn the shaft, which transfers mechanical energy into the generator.
  • Generator: Generators utilize the principle of electromagnetic induction. When the magnets are rotated around a conductor, they generate electricity.
  • Wind generators are really that simple. Electricity is generated by magnets rotating around an electrical coil.

The power of the wind is used to rotate the magnetic field around the coil, and this causes the atoms and electrons to be displaced. Kinetic energy is created, and this energy is then turned into electricity.

When you’re trying to calculate the cost-effectiveness of a wind turbine, you must consider two things: energy costs and wind speed. The basic rule of thumb is that the average wind speed in your area should be be at least 10 mph. If finances are a concern, wind turbines begin to make economic sense at about 10 cents per kilowatt hour.

Today, wind turbines are becoming more economical to produce, as well as more and more efficient all the time. You can expect to see wind turbines powering rural homes and being used more often in windy areas – even turbines used in the ocean will soon become a common occurrence.

More information: We hope this page was helpful and provided you with some information about generating renewable energy, you can also check our other page Raising Animals. Or for more information check out our main page for more survival scenarios here Survival Guide, knowledge is light, and knowledge can enhance your life. good luck!

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