 | Cheap Solar & Wind Power |
My Tennessee Cabin Setup: Off The Grid Cheap! My cabin is in a mountain hollow with no access to electricity or cellular telephone service. My complete off-the-grid system cost me under $1,700. I started with two 120 watt 12V - 18V solar panels. You can get them cheap on Amazon or eBay. I built the solar panel frame out of 2"X4" pine studs. Insted of a voltage regulator, I used more batteries than 240 Watts of power could charge with 12 hours of sunlight. In the near future I will buy a VW voltage regulator. I purchased 12 car batteries with top post from a local company that rebuilds automotive batteries ($24 each). I bought 30' of battery cable and 32 inexpensive terminal clamps. I finished it off with a RV 1500 Watts continous Power Inverter. I have a desktop computer with a LCD monitor that is only turned on during the daytime. I have my high speed internet with Wildblue Satellite ($49.95 mo.). I use MagicJack for my VOIP telephone. I also have a compact refridgerator, microwave oven, 20" LCD TV, and three CFL light bulbs. My 240 watt setup runs it all just fine. I did have 3 days in a row with no sunshine and the batteries still had the power I needed. If I am not at the cabin for an extended period of time, I will disconnect the solar panels from the batteries to keep from overcharging. I know I could get by with one 120w solar panel and six car batteries, but I didn't want to be without juice if the sun didn't shine for a few days. I have a pot-belly type wood stove I use it for heating and cooking. I also use it for heating water. I also have a 2 burner gas grill I use for outside cooking. I was thinking about adding a windmill. In this part of the country, when the sun is not shinning, it is because we have thunder storms with strong wind.
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| Wind Power: Use A Windmill To Generate Electricity |
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Electric power generated by wind is one of the most efficient renewable power resources available. Many cities worldwide have started to convert to wind power to supplement their energy supply. It is potential to have a green energy supply by taking the time to build a wind generator. Not only are you helping the environment, but also you can save money at the same time. You may be wondering why you should build a wind generator when you can just purchase one, but commercial wind generators cost in the thousands to buy. The materials needed to build a wind generator, the DC motor, batteries, towers and hub, are fairly inexpensive. It is achievable to build a wind generator for under $400 and that means realizing the return on your investment years before you would have buying a professionally installed commercial model. Even if you invest in better quality materials when you build a wind generator, you will still find your total cost way below that of the professional installation.
The slickest setup I have ever seen was two vertical wind generators mounted on a utility trailer. The trailer was parked in his front yard along a busy highway. The cars and trucks driving past the parked trailer would produce regular wind gust up to 30 mph! This setup produced more than 50% of his household electricity. Since his vertical wind generators were mounted on a licensed trailer, zoning rules and laws did not apply. American Wind Energy Association (Wind power electricity) |  |
| Solar Power: Generate Electricity With The Sun |
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Solar panel electricity systems provide reliable, pollution free energy from a renewable resource better known as the sun. Solar electricity systems are becoming more affordable as advancements are made in photovoltaic designs and construction. Adding to the affordability, many solar electricity systems are able to participate in net metering in several states. This means that as your solar panel electricity system produces more power than you are using, your meter runs backwards resulting in an even swap of power that you use at other times when you exceed the power supplied by your own solar panel electricity system. There are good guides on how to build solar panels for homes in the market and you need to choose the most suitable one based on your needs. Go for those with clear and concise instruction manuals, directions and suggestions on where to find the parts.
Do it yourself and save over 60%! If a company quotes you a price of $20,000 to install a solar power setup for your home, It should cost you less than $8,000 to do it yourself. Now with state and federal grants plus tax credits, your total cost could be under $4,000! For this low cost, you could break even on your solar power setup within three years! The most efficient solar systems use concave mirrors that heat oil. The hot oil heats water to power steam turbines. This system works good for large power production, but is too bulky for home use. However using mirrors to heat water for home use is very efficient. Heating water is normally 30% of your power bill. Solar hot water systems are very cheap to build and simple to install. It only takes a few hours of sunlight to produce 24 hours of hot water. Solar electricity explained |  |
| Hydro Power: Make Electricity From Falling Water |
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Don't be fooled into thinking you need a Hoover dam to generate hydro electricity. This type of alternative home energy makes use of water currents in order to turn turbines to run generators. Once again, this is not really a new technology. Like windmills, waterwheels were often used to harness the power of a nearby river in order to grind grain into flour. Hydroelecric power is the cheapest setup you can get if your property has a creek or river.
Using a simple overshot water wheel, you only need a small stream with enough water to fill a four inch (4") pipe. If you have a strong steady flow, you can generate as much hydro electricity as a half dozen solar panels. Make sure your water wheel is at least 60 inches in diameter. The bigger, the better! Use a couple of jack shafts so you can really spin a car alternator or generator, and you will have juice 24 hours per day! If you have a larger stream that will fill a eight inch (8") pipe, with a bigger water wheel and dual car alternators, you won't need storage batteries. With the larger stream, you will be selling electricity to the power company! If you have a good year around stream flowing through your property, forget about solar and wind power! You can build a darn good hydro power plant for under $500! Hydro electricity rules! Hydro electricity Wiki |  |
| Automotive Alternators & Generators: The Cheap Alternative |
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Inexpensive generators and alternators. A car alternator is the top choice if your hydro or wind device can spin it at least 1,200 RPM. A car alternator normally has a built in voltage regulator. The best alternator to use is a Delco one wire alternator. The one wire connects to the battery. How simple is that! Delco brand one wire alternators are popular for marine and farm tractor applications. You can normally buy rebuilt alternators from auto parts stores for under $90. You need to hook up at least one battery for an alternator to work.
Another option is a Volkswagon Generator from a 1967 to 1979 Beetle or Van. The VW van generator puts out a little more juice. The VW generator also has a shaft sticking out the back side. This is helpful if you want to add a tachometer or brake. The VW generator starts producing electricity at very low RPMs and works great for windmills. Make sure to also get the Volkswagon voltage regulator to go with it. If you shop around, you may find a used VW generator and new voltage regulator for under $100 total. The Volkswagon voltage regulator will also work for solar panel setups to keep from cooking your batteries. |  |
| Marine & Car Batteries: Don't Get Ripped Off On Storage |
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The commercial batteries for pricey wind and solar power generation are a big ripoff. For the same price as one commercial battery, you can buy eight (8) rebuilt or used car batteries. Two car batteries would give you the same storage a one commercial battery. Our local battery recycler sells rebuilt automotive batteries for $24 each. You can buy junk yard car batteries that are in good condition for around $20. Use the larger 24 and 27 series batteries. These sizes are normally used in V8 powered cars, minivans and light trucks.
Another alternative to commercial batteries, are deep cycle marine batteries. The deep cycle marine batteries are half the price and have almost identical storage capacity. Since marine batteries are made to take tons of abuse, I would say they are better. Golf cart batteries are good too, but most are only 6 or 8 volt. You can double up 6 volt batteries to make 12 volts, but this could be costly. Two golf car batteries could equil four 12 volt automotive batteries. Compare the cost. If you have a local cheap source for golf car batteries, go for it. |  |
| Power Inverters: Change 12V DC to 115 Volt AC |
| Get the power inverters made for the RV (motorhomes and camper trailers) industry. Since there are so many RV power inverters sold, the market is competitive thus reducing price. RV power inverters are made to take a lot of abuse, and are better made than those sold in solar and wind power kits. Since the maximum power for any 115 volt appliance is 1,500 watts, the 1,500 watt power inverter is the best deal for the money. Most 1,500 watt inverters will handle burst loads up to 3,000 watts just fine. Buying two 1,500 watt inverters may be cheaper than getting one 3,000 watt power inverter. Using one 1,500 watt inverter for each circuit in your home should work fine. |  |