Also known as microgeneration, renewable sources of energy include such things as solar panels, heat pumps, biomass boilers and wind turbines. In general terms, each of these and the other renewable options will allow the homeowner to generate some of their own energy and even sell the remainder back to the grid. As a potential buyer – what is not to like?

Heat pumps

There are two types of heat pump available for the domestic home. The ground source heat pump which gathers heat from a series of tubes buried in the garden and the air source heat pump which sucks in air from outside and extracts heat from it before sending it indoors. Both of these can be a great addition to most homes.

If your home has a gas boiler, a heat pump is unlikely to add much value (gas is still a cheaper way to heat your home), but for those people who heat their home using electricity or oil, a heat pump is going to help you save significant amounts. For any potential buyer this is going to be a plus and would save them having to install the system themselves.

Solar Panels

There has been some concern recently that homes with solar panels may be harder to sell, especially if they are tied into a contract with an energy supplier. While this may put off some buyers, the actual savings they could make should outweigh any concerns they may have.

Solar panels which have been paid for and installed by the owner entitle the new owner to a feed-in-tariff which could be as much as 43p/KwH. For those who have a free system, the tariff is taken by the installer, but the savings on electricity are for the home owner. This can be hundreds of pounds a year at no additional cost.

Wind Turbines

These sources of energy are more unusual than other renewables, but they can be an attractive proposition for buyers. When carefully positioned they can be unobtrusive and they are also very quiet.

Getting planning permission for wind turbines can be tricky (especially in urban areas) so if you already have one of these installed, your buyer knows that they will not have to do the leg-work with the council to get the permission.

Finally the savings and the feed-in-tariff associated with a wind turbine are bound to improve the saleability of your home and may add a few thousand to the asking price.

The Green Deal

It is true that installing some renewable energy sources isn’t cheap, but it is worth weighing up the viability of installing before you put your home up for sale. The government is introducing the Green Deal towards the end of this year which will allow homeowners to borrow the money needed to install this type of technology. This loan will pass from the current owner to the new owner if a house is sold.

It is unlikely that this will put off buyers, because the government has said that the savings made will outweigh the costs of the loan. So your new buyer will have cheaper bills and an energy efficient home.

So, even if you don’t think you can afford to make these types of improvements to your home, there really is no reason not to look into the possibilities. Not only will you set your home apart and add value, you will also be improving the environment.

About the author:

Justin Elliot is the CEO of Find Energy Savings, a company dedicated to help find you the best deals on eco-friendly energy resources.

Are you considering investing in a solar power system? If so then you need to realize that you’re not alone because they are in fact thousands of people choosing solar power as an energy source to power their homes.

You need to take the time to decide a few things and also to figure out if home solar power systems would work to get your home the electricity you need. This article is going to tell you how you can decide if solar power is right for your home.

Before making a decision with regards to solar power being installed in your home, one should take the following things into consideration:

One: Will you be living in your home for a long time? This is important because installing home solar power systems in a home means that it stays with that home because you wont be able to take it out and take it with you. So, you have to make sure that you are going to be in your current home for long enough to get back what you invest into a solar power system.

Two: Is there an adequate amount of space on the roof of your home to allow for the installation of solar panels, and in such a way, that they will be exposed to a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day? Ideally, solar panels should be for installed on an area of the roof that gets the most sunlight each day. Never have them installed on any part of the roof that is in the shade of nearby trees.

Three: Are you scared of heights? This is something one needs to take into consideration if you intend installing your own panels because of course you will need to climb up on the roof in order to do so. If you don’t feel confident walking around on your roof, then you should rather consider having the panels installed by someone else.

Four: Do you want to install a solar power system yourself, or have someone do it for you? This is important to decide for two reasons. One is that you have to make sure if you are going to have the work done for you that you find a reputable company. Two is that it will be more expensive to have the work done for you. So, take time to definitely take this into consideration.

While the four factors discussed above of the most important things you’ll need to consider, you should also invest a suitable amount of time into learning whatever you can about home solar power systems. Only then should you go ahead and actually have one installed. Above all, make sure that you do consider those points which have been discussed in this article.

Originally posted 2009-09-26 06:09:11.

The company that specializes in plastics, partnered with Swift’s Scottish designer, Renewable Devices, to install the revolutionary small wind turbine in the U.S. households.

What sets the Swift apart from other small wind turbines is the reduced noise it produces. In addition, the turbine can be attached to rooftops instead of towers.  With it’s five blades and “outer diffuser” ring, the company claims vibration is reduced, resulting in only 35 decibels of noise.

With the turbine’s seven foot diameter and two fins to help it face the wind, it can rotate 360 degrees and it automatically shuts down in very strong winds.  All the elements of its unique design allow the Swift to generate up to 1.5 kW of power in 14 mile per hour winds.  This equates to approximately 2000 kilowatt hours per year, which is about a quarter of the electricity consumed by a typical U.S. household.

At a cool $10 000 to be installed, this turbine does not come cheap.  However, the upfront cost is significantly lower when state tax credits of $1000 for households, and $4000 for businesses is taken into account.

According to Jessica Lehti, Cascade’s senior product marketing manager, this Michigan-based plastics company has already installed 9 Swift turbines in America, and still has at least 25 orders to go.

With a customer base split between residential consumers and businesses, the company is in high hopes that it can sell the Swift to anyone with economic or environmental purposes in mind – even while the economy is in turmoil.

But we disagree with Cascade – not anyone is going to fork out $10 000 just so they can help the environment.  Furthermore, the electricity savings realized by households will only cover their investment after 12 years!

Unless people have the money, we are not sure why anyone would want to waste $10 000, when they could easily make their own small wind turbine at home. Although it would be less efficient than commercial ones, if you built enough of them, you could easily make 2000kW hours of power per year.

In fact, many people all over the U.S are making their own power systems at home, and they are showing others how to do it with step-by-step instruction manuals.  We have a list of these manuals in our reviews section if you feel the need to make your own energy at home.

To conclude, as much as we like the commercial Swift wind turbine, it is not affordable enough for average households to install. So, until techology and prices improve, we are better off making our own renewable energy solutions at home.

Originally posted 2008-11-15 19:36:55.

In short, a switchgear is the most intelligent kind of fuse box one could possibly own, taking control over an entire grid of systems in a city’s purview.

There are many reasons why having such a system at your hands is important, and it all begins with a simple idea of convenience.

Instead, when one debates the power of a cityscape, they may think about just the larger buildings at hand. Although, they would be mistaken to do so. A city’s power is not simply its buildings, but is in fact its residential areas as well, which means multiple houses on multiple streets all under the same review of needed functions.

The use of a switchgear is to the benefit of anyone overseeing the vast realm of power that stems from the switchgear. By having a localized place, we have a significant upgrade to our once arcane thoughts about electricity. Issues that once used to take days of sifting through wires, now takes moments to assess.

An additional advantage of switchgears has to do with the power to control certain areas of a city.

Think for just a moment about how your air conditioning at home operates. Granted, think about it if and only if you are so lucky to have central air conditioning. In such an analogy, you probably think about the thermostat where you no doubt regulate the temperature of your house, or how hard the electricity has to be working. In the same way that you can change a single degree on a thermostat and create a fiscal change, you can change a switchgear to alter cities.

Now, it is not so much as important as what you use a switchgear for as it is how you use one. One may often drive past huge fields of electrical cords and electrical towers and not realize that they are controlled by a switchgear and affect the way power runs into one’s city limits. However, by having an understanding for the way your city uses their electrical prowess, you can likely influence their decisions, and create a better platform from which to save money in the future. Believe it or not, how your city saves can often impact the way you are going to be saving in terms of levees and tax votes come election season. Those issues may seem unrelated, but a switchgear’s concern know no bounds.

Maria is an electrical engineer who specializes in electrical safety training.

The first and most obvious consideration is how much sunlight your region gets. If you live in a desert area or at a higher altitude you’re in luck. For those in other parts of the country, be aware that the brighter the sun, the better.

For solar panels to harvest enough sunlight to produce more than a little electricity, what’s required is full, bright, shadow-free sunlight. Without it, your panels will not generate as much power. So if your area tends to be cloudy, be aware that not as much power will be harvested at certain times.

The major problem facing homeowners with solar panels is shadow. That is just what it sounds like. When your panel or even part of your panel is shaded, the voltage output becomes lower. And even a small bit of shade can affect output quite dramatically.

During certain times of the day shadows are to be expected, like early or later on the day. This is not a concern because at these times the sun is at an extreme angle, so there is little power being generated anyway. However it is important to avoid shadow during the midday hours of between about 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when the sun is directly overhead.

Panels should be installed on mounts that are angled toward the sun. By doing that you can ensure that you are getting the most production from the modules. If possible make an adjustment to the angle of your mounting rack on a seasonal basis. That’s because the sun’s position is different in summer than it is in winter.

Finally, it’s important to properly maintain your solar panels. The good news is that because there are no moving parts there is really very little maintenance required. Basically, you just have to keep them clean.

Rain will do the job for you if it comes on a regular basis and lasts long enough. If not, all you have to do is to take a hose to them to be sure that dirt doesn’t build up. One tip, so you can avoid any problems, is to only use a hose during cooler parts of the day, and never during prime energy generating hours when the panels will be hotter.

Watch the video to see how easy it is make your own solar panels and eliminate your power bill. Go to http://www.goinggreensavinggreen.com now and start saving now.

Originally posted 2010-10-31 12:23:18.

Solar energy is not only the cleanest energy you can find, it also takes an important part in almost all natural process in our planet. So why can’t we manipulate the energy and use it properly for our daily need to substitute the nearly extinct natural energies? Solar energy is making a big impact today. In the world we live, we have put major strain on natural resources. Solar energy facts for kids in New Zealand are considered unnecessary by some. When winter hovers over New Zealand, it may seem that day after day is cloudy and grey – especially in some parts of New Zealand.

Solar energy’s potential is off the charts. The sun’s energy, known as solar radiation, can be converted into various forms of power, such as electricity and solar-thermal (or heat). Solar energy technology is fairly new, and it has some downsides that have not been resolved yet. The cost of producing electricity via solar energy is 12 cents per kWh using solar thermal and 23 cents per kWh using PV cells, according to Gilbert Metcalf.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of solar energy is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about the causes of land pollution.

Wind forecasting played a significant role in enabling large-scale wind power penetration and we believe that forecasting PV production is less complex and will have similar results for enabling industry growth. Wind energy in Spain has now entered a dynamic phase where the serious challenges that arise when wind energy becomes one of the main energy supply technologies need to be met. Current policy direction signals how an intermittent power source can be integrated into the electricity market in significant quantities.

Wind, solar, tidal and biofuels are all garnering significant attention, research and investment. Opportunities abound, yet capital costs remain high. And the cost of the energy generated is more expensive than comparable fossil fuels, especially since the rapid price declines experienced by fossil fuels during the latter part of 2008. They publish a comprehensive guide and are located in their own renewable energy powered workshops, showrooms and demonstration site in Herefordshire. Wind energy plants work on the principle of aerodynamic force. The wind striking the rotor blade creates positive pressure below the sail, whilst there is negative pressure above the sail.

Renewable energy provides more jobs per unit of output and per dollar spent than conventional energies do. Economic woes and high unemployment rates influenced Spain’s’94 decision to invest in renewable energy. Renewable energy is no less reliable than energy generated from more traditional sources and using it does not mean that you have to change your lifestyle or your appliances. Using renewable energy can be as simple as using the sun for drying clothes or can mean taking advantage of more sophisticated renewable technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) cell systems, which use the sun’s heat and light to generate energy, wind turbines or ground source heat pumps which extract energy from underground. Renewable energy is important for the environment as it produces little or no greenhouse gases. The exception is biomass which is considered as being ‘carbon neutral’.

Now you can be a confident expert on the causes of land pollution. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on the facts about solar energy.

Sandra Creel is the author of this article. EnergySavingSite.info offers resouces on land pollution and the causes of land pollution. You may reprint this article provided this paragraph and all links are kept unchanged.

Originally posted 2009-12-05 15:35:31.

People are already up in arms about wind turbines ruining scenic landscapes, and environmentalists are worried about birds getting caught up in the blades. But what if there was a solution?  An idea so revolutionary that it is hard to imagine…

It appears there is. Time magazine even named it one of the best inventions of 2008. It’s called the “Flying Electric Generator”.

So what is it?

The FEG is a type of “rotorcraft” that hovers above the ground and generates power from strong high altitude winds.  But what’s amazing about it is that it is lifted by the wind. To keep it from flying off, it is tethered to the ground, from which the electric current is sent back down to earth.

As the FEG lifts higher, it reaches stronger winds, which enable it to produce more power.   In fact, it has been said that these high altitude winds or jet streams are so strong that using just 1% of them could power the entire planet.

And when will it become operational?

So far the only demonstration of an operating FEG was done in Australia, where they used electricity to get it off the ground.  The experiment was very successful, showing that even in light winds close to the ground, the FEG hovered there perfectly.  Next they plan to test a larger rotorcraft at 240kW tethered at up to 15,000ft. And then they will scale up even further to FEG’s with four rotors, capable of producing ten to forty megawatts of power – which is far more than the current highest wind turbine capacity of five megawatts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gExAQq2VzgQ

People have had there doubts about how lightning or turbulence at high altitudes could affect the FEG.  For lightning, a warning system is in place where the FEG is then simply brought down to earth.  The turbulence is not such a problem since the rotorcraft acts very much like a kite, and will simply settle back to how it was after a big gust of wind. And a GPS and gyroscope combination will be used to control its pitch and roll.

So, how much power production is possible?

According to the San Diego based company, Sky WindPower Corporation, an array of 600 FEG’s rated at 20MW, and operating over a ground space of 200 square miles could produce over three times as many megawatt hours per year as the 28,572,902MWh produced by the Palos Verde Arizona nuclear plant in 2003.

And just 43 of these FEG arrays operating at 85% capacity could produce up to 3,883,185,000MWh of power – that’s the total power consumption of the U.S. in 2003.

And how much will this power cost us?

According to a careful study made by Sky WindPower Corp, in the long range the cost of an FEG of ten megawatt capacity would be less than 2 cents per kilowatt hour (including land use costs).  This is less than the energy costs of fossil fuels. But obviously site selection and proximity to existing power lines are very important factors.

What’s next?

Since the FEG’s are still in the testing phase, we are not quite sure how long it will take before we see any hovering in the distance. But one thing is for sure is that if all goes to plan, we may see airborne wind generators power the planet.

Originally posted 2008-11-23 22:47:13.

When evaluating wind generators for sale you need to realize that this isn’t like shopping for a vehicle. Generally wind generator distributers don’t have displays filled with wind generators that you could pick and choose from. For most instances suppliers could have a website or possibly a catalogue at their main office that you can look through and identify the models that are most suited to your needs. The same as automobiles, you will find that dated types will probably be cheaper than more recent ones.

Of course, this is true of all choices in life rather than just cars or power turbines. A less recent unit can perhaps be everything that you need to fill your green energy scheme in any case. Let’s face it most people don’t have to have the most up-to-date, most popular, units of whatever to be able to be satisfied in the course of their daily lives. So long as something functions properly, lasts quite a while, and takes care of their needs the average person is content.

Everything from house devices to automobiles fall into this attitude and that’s why plenty of people are seeking out good buys on windmills or other eco-friendly power equipment. Although newer wind turbines often have a greater energy production, performance score, and superior materials they could need more maintenance as well. Keep in mind more sophisticated doesn’t definitely mean better in the end. For this reason its best to use well known designs that have good customer-based reviews and a track record for reliable operation.

It’s also possible to come across used wind turbines available for purchase if you look hard enough. Although this specific part of the market is modest it is accessible and you will from time to time save as much as one half or even more on your buying price. A second hand wind turbine perform just as long as a new turbine given that it’s been looked after correctly. Providing a second hand unit a good home also prevents it from being ending up in the scrap yard, which further decreases pollution.

When researching wind generators it’s best to check out any merchants prior to committing to purchase something. The online world is an easy way to make a bad buying decision. Thankfully, there are also a lot of genuine dealers that are operating trustworthy businesses, and from whom you could find a good bargain.

Once you buy your generator make sure to service it or have a qualified person service it at appropriate intervals it. Failure to keep up with the maintenance can lead to lesser power output and eventually the turbine can lock up. This is not anything you prefer to see take place so care for your wind turbine.

There are various locations to buy wind generators for sale plus a variety of reasons for seeking them. Usually however people seek out sales on these items to be able to become environmentally friendly, to save money on their energy bills, or a mixture of both.

Get more informaton on wind turbines for sale and also browse through various other posts related to building your own solar panels as well as learn how to lower power costs by going green.

Originally posted 2010-03-01 12:44:07.

A new kid on the block is arriving for regions where steady wind is not an abundant, nor a perpetual source. This advancement in wind turbine engineering is called the aeroturbine.

Windmills or wind turbines are fantastic for very windy areas of the world. Cities and towns near oceans do rather well with respect to harnessing wind energy to turn into electricity. The aeroturbines however, have handled some of the problems with wind generator technology. The noise that has been generated is greatly reduced significantly, and these new models virtually take away any threat to birds which frequently fall victim to the gigantic blades of the wind turbine.

With the wind turbine, there is also the issue of harnessing wind on the top of high buildings. They cannot be placed here due to the of the enormity of the systems as well as the cost involved.

This new design is a double-helix wind turbine. This has been designed to be placed on the tops of tall buildings to harvest energy from the wind. The propellers are different from the large blades of turbines. They are some what similar to the electric egg-beater if you were trying to describe the look of the propeller to someone. They are harmless for birds, can harness wind from many directions, and unusual gusts will still be useful for the generation of energy.

These units are not expected to be high maintenance and a large selling feature is their cost effectiveness and ease of production. In addition, aeroturbines are not be inhibited by snowfall. This will make them useful in areas where snow is a major factor most of the year. A wind of about 6 miles per hour will start one working and there is no demand for a uninterrupted wind. Aeroturbines also have a characteristic which will regulate them during high winds should the turbine begin going into over-speed mode.

Aeroturbines can be set up to be used with solar PV (photovoltaic) systems. They may also be installed vertically or horizontally. This means they can be integrated easily into any existing structure. The efficiency depends on how high above ground they are, forty feet is the recommendation and they shouldn’t be located near anything that will block the wind.

Aeroturbines should be for sale soon for all types of applications, houses, industries and institutions, etc. It will be awesome to see this new technology applied all over the world to help move towards cleaner, renewable energy sources.

To get more information on wind power generation, visit Dave Owen’s site “Wind Power Facts and Info”. You will find many ways to save money and generate your own green power.

Originally posted 2010-02-17 12:42:11.

The main parts of a wind turbine are the generator, blades, mounting, tower and control panel. That doesn’t sound too difficult to put together, but the most expensive wind turbines are designed with computers for a reason…to maximize energy production.

To maximize your energy production and save the most on your energy bill, these are the wind turbine parts you should focus on:

The Generator: Is one of the most important components of a wind turbine which transforms wind power into usable electricity by reversing the direction of a DC motor shaft. You can use any DC motor such as a car alternator, old electric lawn mower motor or inexpensive DC motors in power tools if your goals for electricity production are small.

If you want to take it up a notch, invest in a good generator such as those produced by Ametek and focus on the RPM, voltage, amps and size of the motor. Ideally, you want to focus on a motor with a low RPM rating under 400 RPMs, which produces over 12 volts.

A low RPM rated generator will produce more electricity at lower wind speeds. So if you are not expecting consistent high winds in your area to drive your energy production, a lower RPM rated generator is usually the best option.

If dirt cheap is still on your mind, you can attach the wind blades to a larger hub and use a belt to drive the DC motor, basically like shifting gears on a bike. This will allow the motor to generate electricity at lower wind speeds. However, this will require more torque from the wind blades which will result in lower RPMs. Use a meter and test which configuration works best.

Wind Blade: Is another important component of the wind turbine and just as important as the generator. The RPMs of the wind blades are the result of two opposing forces: the blade’s ability to capture wind which is offset by the wind resistance of the blades. Homemade wind blades can have poor balancing if not properly constructed, which will result in lower RPMs produced, and more stress to the generator shaft bearings.

The most expensive wind turbines use the three blade configuration due to low wind resistance, good balance, and efficient wind capture to maximize RPMs.

If you choose to use a high RPM rated generator with larger hub, using a five blade configuration will increase your wind blade torque, but the additional wind resistance to the blades will lower your RPMs. Again, test and see which maximizes your home energy production.

Making your own wind blades out of PVC pipe or wood can be a low cost solution to building your own wind turbine. However, wind turbine blades designed with computers and made out of carbon fiber can be purchased from a commercial vendor for a relatively low cost and produce more electricity than homemade blades.

Choosing inexpensive wind turbine parts has its advantages in the short run, but investing in quality parts can provide you with a wind turbine that will last longer, has increased energy production, and will save you more money in the long run.

About The Author: Keith Garrett is a wind energy and solar power enthusiast for the home. His website at www.solarwind4homes.com offers knowledge and tips to the homeowner on transitioning to renewable energy in the 21st century.

Originally posted 2010-05-01 20:24:20.