I forgot to mention in my last post that GreenDIYEnergy provides a free bonus that details how to create homemade wind power. I haven’t had time to try this out yet, but if you want to try wind power over solar power, or in addition to solar power, then this is a great bonus for you.
I hope to give it a try in the near future, I’ll let you know what I find…
Hello all, it appears that I’m overdue for an update on my search for homemade energy (I wound up focusing on homemade solar energy). If you don’t want to read any further, I’ll get straight to the point – I used a guide from GreenDIYEnergy and successfully built 2 solar panels, click here to get the step by step instructions for generating your own homemade power.
If you are looking for the details as to why I went the route I went and how it turned out, read below.
Why I choose GreenDIYEnergy:
First of all, I knew that I wanted to start with homemade solar energy, but didn’t want to rule out homemade wind energy. Now, there’s definitely some free web sites out there, but looking at them, I wasn’t confident that they would provide enough details for me to actually be successful at creating homemade energy. So, I decided to pay a few bucks and get a more detailed guide.
Overall, the guide is great – it teaches you step by step how to make a solar generator system with as many panels as you want to put in it and either go partially solar powered or get totally off the electric grid with full solar power. Oh yeah, and the guide is fully illustrated, so if you’re a visual learner, they’ve got you covered. The steps are explained clearly enough that a novice like me was able to get homemade solar energy in a just 3 days after I started the project
Using GreenDIYEnergy’s guide you can build a solar powered generator or grid inter-tied solar power system for under $200 – for the inter-tied solar power system the cost depends on the number of panels you put on your grid and what you are going to power.
And last I checked this guide is selling for really cheap, check their website here and grab a copy if it’s still cheap.
Building a solar powered generator to take your house completely off the grid is not impossible, it might cost more than $200 to go completely off electricity but in the end you make your investment back in savings on power bills.
If there is one negative to the guide it’s that you get the guide and are excited to start building, but they don’t provide any of the materials. Now, I didn’t expect the guide to come with materials, but I felt like a kid at Christmas the just got a cool toy but had to wait to get batteries for it.
I will say that all of the items needed to build a solar powered generator are listed along with where to get them and in some cases what you can expect to pay for them. For the most expensive item, it explains how to find them free or almost free from other businesses.
Oh yeah and you do not need to be a carpenter or electrician. You don’t need any pieces of expensive machinery – everything you need is easily accessible. If you can read and follow instructions you can build a solar powered generator using this book.
Outcome
I built several panels and overall GreenDIYEnergy’s Guide to Homemade Solar Energy has changed the way I look at energy. Their approach will made me less dependent on fossil fuels and more dependent on renewable sources of energy that exist freely in our world. And of course, along with becoming less dependent on fossil fuels, I’m paying less each month to the utility company.
I’m a big believer in homemade energy and the small price I paid to get my homemade solar energy system up and running was totally worth it.
Now, I’m not completely off the grid, but so far I’m saving 20%-40% per month on my utility bills. So, doing the math, I’ve already saved about $150. So, I’ve easily paid for the guide and and am getting close to paying for the actual materials.
If you’re still reading at this point, all I can say is – what are you waiting for, go for it, get the guide here and start generating your homemade solar energy.
Two Approaches to Homemade Power
I’ve spent several hours recently doing research on various homemade power options. I found several different options, but homemade wind power and solar power seem like the most likely candidates, so below I’ve listed out some of facts about each method. I know it might seem basic, but I’m no expert on this stuff, so I needed to get back to the fundamentals and understand how this stuff works.
Once implemented in the home, solar power can be used to heat the home. You can also use solar power to generate hot water. When you use solar power in the home, you not only lower utility bills, but also add value to your home when you come to sell it.
The most basic technology used in solar power is the solar electric panel. These panels use photons in order to generate electricity. These photovoltaic (PV) panels can be free standing rigid sheets used to harness the sun’s energy. They can also be set into the roof, or you can get peel and stick laminates, depending on your roof type.
The sun’s energy is converted to electricity through a modified grid system. This system is no different to the usual grid system found in the home, except that it also converts solar energy. The system also has a meter installed that reads how much solar power the home has used compared to normal electricity. The meter subtracts the solar energy electricity, and the amount left is the figure applied to the utility bill.
When you use solar power in the home, it is also capable of storing energy. If there is a surplus of energy, it can be used at a later time to light your home, heat rooms and generate hot water.
About Homemade Wind Power
Homemade wind power is generated using a home wind turbine which is a device that generates electricity much like the commercial versions do, only on a smaller scale. The turbine is designed to provide electricity only for one residence, which can help lower the electrical bills for that residence significantly.
Some wind turbines are connected to a tower, but I’ll assume that we are interested in turbines that are not connected to towers since wind tower will require that you have a relatively large piece of land. Some wind turbines are installed without towers. A home wind turbine, for instance, can be connected to the top of a house, or mounted on a pole off the side of the home, and can be used to catch wind.
For those areas where there is a significant amount of wind, the systems can be quite cost effective. A home wind turbine has the potential to reduce electricity bills but as much as 90% in really good months, though the most realistic assumption that should be made is that it may cut electricity bills in half. In order to even reach a 50% reduction, an average wind speed of at least 10 miles per hour is needed.
Summary
Simply put, both form of energy work well, are environmentally friendly, and can save you a lot of money in the long run. I found that a disadvantage of both forms of energy is the upfront cost. I checked a couple of websites and it appears that either method can easily cost $5,000 – $10,000.
However, it also appears that there are some ‘Do it Yourself’ methods for generating homemade energy. Since I’m on a tight budget, my next step is to research the feasibility of those methods. I found this YouTube Video that makes the Do it Yourself methods look feasible. Look for an update on Do it Yourself methods for creating homemade power soon.
My wife Jamie and I are big supporters and believers of natural, organic, and holistic approaches to life (you can read more about this in the About Me section) .
For years now, I’ve wanted to use homemade energy (wind and solar are the ones I’m most familiar with) in my house. I had always thought that “when I get some money” I’m going to invest in solar panels (or some other homemade power supply). Well, I have 2 kids under 2 1/2 years old, a mortgage, and student loans to pay off, so I don’t know when that day is going to come.
But since using natural energy is a cause I believe in and with a tough Wisconsin winter right around the corner (and insane utility bills along with it) I decided to start doing some research and see what sort of options for home made power we have.
I was very optimistic that this could be done since I had 2 specific examples – the company I work for uses geothermal energy and we have a family friend that uses all solar energy (I think the electric company even pays them on months where they generate more energy than they use). Now, both of these examples had WAY bigger budgets than me, so I can’t follow their examples exactly, but I know it’s possible.
My initial focus was on homemade solar energy or homemade wind energy, because like said above, those are the ones I’m most familiar with. But, I’m open to any homemade power sourcethat is environmentally friendly and will save me money.
-Micah
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