Tariffs for “classic” energy carriers (gas, coal, gasoline, oil) are steadily increasing from day to day. And that is understandable. After all, humanity has long traditionally used non-renewable energy sources. And there are a lot of them in nature, but still a limited number. Someday the time will come when they will run out. And you have to switch, at least on a private level, to something else. To make alternative energy sources for your home with your own hands is the best option for a private trader, owner of a small building or compact production that does not require huge energy costs.
Forecasts of economists and scientists
Some scientists warn: the natural resources used by mankind may not be enough for the representatives of the living generations, not to mention the descendants! It is estimated that in modern conditions an ordinary family spends up to 40 percent of its budget on paying for light, heating, gasoline for a car. And according to the conservative forecasts of economists, this share can grow up to 70%! Therefore, for many representatives of the so-called middle class (and not only), alternative energy sources for the home, created by their own hands, are an excellent and very economical way out of the current situation.
Most popular
In fact, almost any natural factor can be converted into energy. For example, wind, sun, power of water, heat of the earth's interior, decomposition of biomass. The most popular use of alternative sources of energy is the sun and wind. However, this issue has not been adequately addressed at the legislative level. Theoretically, all resources belong to the state. Therefore, using such types of alternative energy sources as wind power or solar radiation, you will most likely have to pay a tax.
Wind
People have been using this kind of energy for a long time (a vivid example is windmills that existed in ancient times). About forty years ago, wind turbines began to be actively built. Do-it-yourself alternative energy sources for the home (mini-wind generators), as a rule, consist of special blades for collecting wind connected directly to the generator or through a gearbox. It should be borne in mind that such a device is effective only in areas where there are constant winds (for example, on the coast of the sea). You also need to remember that windmills will be effective only with a mast height of fifteen meters (which is quite problematic in the private sector).
Varieties
There are low-speed windmills. They are designed for wind speeds of up to six meters per second and are characterized by the presence of multiple blades (sometimes up to thirty). Such devices are low-noise, they are also launched in light winds, but they have low efficiency with a rather high windage. Fleet windmills use wind up to fifteen meters per second. They have three or four blades, are quite noisy and have high efficiency. Of all the species, they are the most common in the world. Rotary wind generators have the appearance of a barrel with a vertical arrangement of the blades. They do not require orientation downwind, but they have the lowest efficiency.
How to use
Installing windmills as alternative energy sources with your own hands is quite simple. First you need to mark the place under the mast in the yard or in a convenient place on the site where the wind is constantly blowing (having analyzed the location previously). It is necessary to lay a solid foundation, so that a high (better - more than 15 meters) mast is firmly held on the ground. A wind turbine (or several appliances) should be selected high-speed. You can buy it in a store, but for those whose hands "have grown correctly", do it yourself according to the relevant drawings. Such information is now quite a lot in the media and specialized literature.
Advice
Choose the option that, according to user reviews, will seem the most reliable and feasible in operation. At the time of connecting the machine, as experience shows, it is better to call a professional electrician. He will surely tell you how your windmill connects correctly, even if there is a tutorial and instructions. And one more thing: in order to energize several light bulbs and devices from this energy (for example, a TV or a computer), it will be necessary to install several windmills at once. So think about how much you can afford it. Do not forget about the main condition - the presence of a constantly blowing wind. After all, installing a wind generator in a dense forest, as they say, is a waste of time and money. In general, it is quite possible to make and install windmills as alternative sources of energy with your own hands in a private house both financially and physically.
The sun
His energy is truly inexhaustible. And besides, quite promising to use. We all saw on TV the European versions of the “smart home”, where both heating, lighting, and water are heated by the use of solar energy. It is interesting that in one year so much solar radiation enters the surface of the soil and water that it (if fully used for energy) would be enough for all of humanity for many thousands of years! It remains, as usual, only to take what is "lying" underfoot. And this is not so simple. The catch lies in the rather low efficiency of photovoltaic converters and solar installations invented by mankind. But in this direction, constant work is being done by scientists.
Solar plants
Such high-tech devices as alternative solar energy sources for the home, of course, you can make (and even need) with your own hands. Just get ready for the fact that this will most likely be not so simple, and you cannot do without certain skills or the help of a specialist!
For heating water
The most appropriate and simple use of devices is for heating water. Direct and indirect heating are separated. Direct include a variety of greenhouses, tanks for heating water in the sun, hotbeds, glazed loggias, verandas, for example. This type of heating allows you to use free solar energy to generate heat in any convenient place: on the roof, in any open space. Non-freezing liquids (antifreeze) are used as a heat carrier, and subsequent energy transfer takes place in heat exchangers-storage devices. Of these, water is also taken for heating and domestic needs.
It is interesting
By the way, there is a children's designer "Alternative Energy Sources" ("Expert"), which allows you to collect up to 130 projects. Children from the age of five can also join in the creation of windmills, use mechanical, water, solar energy to generate electricity.
Solar panels
The development of alternative energy sources has led to the creation of solar cells as the most efficient way to use solar radiation. This type of panel is a system of semiconductors that convert solar energy into electricity. Such systems provide uninterrupted and reliable, cost-effective supply of electricity to a private house. They are especially effective in hard-to-reach areas. For example, in the mountains, where there are many sunny days in the year, and the “official” electricity supply is absent or suffers from irregularities. Or in an area where there are frequent interruptions in the supply of electricity from the main source.
Installation Benefits
A similar installation has the following advantages:
- does not require laying a cable to the supports, which significantly reduces the cost of production;
- minimized installation and maintenance costs of batteries;
- environmental cleanliness of the extracted energy;
- low weight of solar panels;
- utter noiselessness during operation;
- quite a long period of use.
disadvantages
The problems of alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, are:
- in the laborious assembly process;
- that they take up a lot of space;
- sensitive to mechanical damage and pollution;
- do not function at night;
- their effectiveness is highly dependent on sunny or cloudy weather.
Mounting
Alternative energy sources - solar panels - are mounted with certain skills quite easily. First, you need to select the necessary materials for the design. We will need high-quality photocells (made of mono- or polycrystalline silicon). It is better to take those whose work is effective even in cloudy weather - polycrystals that are readily available in the set. We buy cells of one manufacturing company, so that everything is compatible and interchangeable. Conductors connecting the photocells will also be needed. The case is made of aluminum corners. Its dimensions are determined by the number of cells. For external coating - plexiglass. For fastening to the roof of the house we use self-tapping screws. For soldering wires - an ordinary soldering iron. In general, nothing “military”. With the help of good instructions, usually attached to the kit, you can figure it out for yourself. In extreme cases, invite a neighbor in the country as assistants.