Using a Wind Generator For Renewable Energy

People have been using wind energy to water animals and drain land for literally centuries, and now you can use the power of the wind to lower your energy costs, and help make your home more environmentally friendly.

Building Your Wind Generator
The most important part of making renewable energy from the wind is making sure that you build a windmill that will work for the average wind speeds in your area. For most people on the North American continent, wind energy will be stronger in the winter and less productive in the summer. To build a productive wind generator, you will need to do a little research to find out exactly what you need to make renewable energy, and then build your windmill. For most people, creating renewable energy from wind power does take some learning experiences.

So, you're thinking about getting into clean energy by building your own wind generator, huh? The cleanest energy available right now is wind energy and you can build a wind generator to capture that power for a small investment of time and money. Building a generator means you can cut your energy bill by 30-100%. Building a wind generator is like recycling: you'll be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

So, you're thinking about getting into clean energy by building your own wind generator, huh? Good idea. With all the news about a looming energy crisis and global warming, lots of other people are trying to learn more about how to be more responsible and self-sufficient. The cleanest energy available right now is wind energy and you can build a wind generator to capture that power for a small investment of time and money. Here are the four questions I am asked the most by people who want to try building their own windmill.

Q: Why Should I Build a DIY Wind Generator?
A: Take a look at your electric bills by month for the last 3 years. You'll notice that it's going up...way up! Chances are you're paying 10-20% more on energy today than you were 3 years ago. Building a generator means you can cut your energy bill by 30-100%. Also, as our population grows the load on the power grid is rising too. If you live in California you've heard of rolling blackouts because of the lack of power at peak times. Building a wind generator is like recycling: you'll be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Q: How Much Energy Will I Be Able To Make?
A: This depends on your energy demand and location. Windy areas can make as much as 10kw of energy. Calm areas can produce in the range of 2-4kw. The typical American home uses 30kwh of electricity a day. That means you could make all the power you need with 3 wind generators running 24 hours a day. It depends on what percentage of your electricity you want to replace.

Wind Power as a Viable Solution to Alternative Energy Needs

By: Warren Peters

Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company's grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one's energy needs while also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient.

In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to go primitive, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.

Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers.

In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total green energy systems costs.

In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called net metering laws. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn't really be a role for the federal government, the Energy Department's Craig Stevens says.

And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it's unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for ... your electricity, according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric's director of regulatory policy.

However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, It's quality power that strengthens the grid.

Source