Thursday, January 1, 2009

Home Built Wind Generator - Kits vs Do It Yourself

By Adrian Fletcher

It may sound a bit ambitious to think that you can sack your power company but many people are thinking about this for many different reasons. The number one reason, of course, is money.

Electricity bills go up and the rate at which they inflate seems to be breaking all previous records. Whether there are genuine supply and demand reasons for this increase or other factors like greed or politics behind it all, the truth remains that people are warming to alternatives. One such alternative is a home built wind generator

Why a Home Built Wind Generator?

Well, why not is the best possible answer.

You get free energy once the wind generator in up. It costs little to no money to maintain the generator. Sounds like a good plan, but there are a few prerequisites. You need a fair degree of wind blowing your way to make it viable. You also need a spare piece of land to erect the turbine.

Kits Compared To Home Grown

The popularity of alternative energy has encouraged many products to be launched in the home built wind generator field. Basically, you can buy a kit or you can buy plans and build the generator from scratch. The kit is easier to put together and requires less expertise but will cost more. If you do it yourself you have more scope to customize your turbine for your location or needs.

Anyone with simple DIY skills will be able to erect a home built wind turbine from a kit. It's not only good for your utility bills but an interesting project to take on. Prices will differ based on the size of the turbine.

For the home built wind generator made from scratch, there are a number of books as well as websites which feature schematics for different models and sizes. The rotor blades can be fashioned out of wood, metal and even PVC and the motors can be found in a variety of places.

It is all a matter of your mechanical and electrical abilities as well as craftiness in substituting materials. However, hopefully the end result is a home built wind generator that actually produces a little energy.

For most people, a home built wind generator will be a useful addition to your existing energy sources, like the grid. It is unlikely it will completely power your home. More likely it will provide the power for a few appliances. Even so this will reduce your electricity bills and is just a start to your alternative energy power sources adventure.

A home built wind generator will not only save you a few dollar on your bills, it will help the environment and diminish your carbon footprint. Every little bit helps..everyone has a part to play. - 16463

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