Electricity generation - best way for self-sufficiency.?

Question

We are looking for an inexpensive way to generate our own electricity on a site which at present has none. Can we build our own wind turbine? If so, how?? How expensive would solar panels be to power a 2-bed, single storey house. We have all the usual "gumf", computers, tv, stereo and washing machine (aaa rated, of course". Only two adults in house so usage not too great.

We, unfortunately, have no stream for water power.

Answer 1

The best way - probably with some assistance with a UK government grant, covering part of its cost, I think upto a 1/3. Very helpful :)

Which method you use for generation depends on how you could generate sufficient energy to more than pay back the cost of your installation quickly enough.

Wind-
you need sufficient wind strength availability, siting factors come into play here. See site below on how to check.

Solar-
again, depends on your site, and how much generation you could do.

There's a good government sponsored site, detailing options and some grant info at http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home/

You can calculate how wind speeds and thus how much potential energy you could generate here:
http://www.bwea.com/noabl/

Good luck! I'm gonna do something similar in my next home, this year.
Rob

Answer 2

As to the capacity of a generating system, it will depend a lot on the amount of heating and air conditioning you will need. In Martinez CA I have a 6 kW photovoltaic system that takes care of all my electrical needs, including heating, but not water heating. I live alone, though, and am frugal with electricity use. The house is about 2200 sq ft.

If you want continuous power you will need batteries. Even a combination of wind and solar will not give you power 24/7.You could build a wind turbine, but considering all the research and testing that produced commercial units, I doubt if you could approach the efficiency of manufactured ones.

One could consider the cost of getting power from the nearest point the utility serves. It could be less costly than going self sufficient. Or it might eliminate the need for a wind turbine and batteries.

A lot of things to consider.

Answer 3

Please don't even consider solar panels. Not enough power produced even on sunny days, and how many of those do we get. A fair sized wind turbine should be able to do it, You could also consider having your own generator.
What you need to do first is a wattage count. I.e. go round and check the wattage of each unit, including lamps, etc and then talk to a generator supplier or wind turbine supplier.
Can't help much more than this with details given. You could google wind turbine or generator etc and see what comes up. Good luck.

Answer 4

Wow... Multi-questions in a question. First I am not to certain what cars will run on your Biofuels. Can you suggest the standard models which have been in production for ten to fifteen years which will operte properly on these Biofuels? And the gasoline stations which sell Biofuels, could you please tell me their names and locations? Certainly battery lead and battery acid will be a junking problem, as will accidents due to splashed battery acid in car collisions. Just visualize six heavy duty truck batteries flying through the air at 75 miles per hour or faster. I sure don't want to be on the receiving end of those head knockers. As to the situation of the car being the culprit...Well, how about all those jet planes flying up in the upper atmosphere right close to where the ozone layer is? Shouldn't we be converting all jet planes into electric planes first? i mean the cars are some 20,000 feet below the ozone or something. The jet planes are right close to it.

Answer 5

I would consider a combination solar/wind system. It's always either windy or sunny . . .

As for the wind, a simple google search will send you to several sites that sell kits including the all important rotor. It would be more economical to purchase a kit than to buy the pieces to build one.

As for solar, it's not cheap . . . yet. Prices are coming down.

Make some calls. Some cities, counties, and states have rebate programs in place to pay for as much as 1/3 of your costs to install a system AND you can write off the rest.

Answer 6

I don't know where you're based, but if you're in the UK, you might have come across a series called 'It's Not Easy Being Green', where a family (the Strawbridges) are setting up their own version of the Good Life, using solar panels, water wheels, recycling tanks, compost toilets, the lot.

They seem to be fairly successful and there are lots of useful hints in their series and book. Check out their website:

http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/

Answer 7

My dad's almost got his house 100% energy self suffcient. but it's taken him ages to do..
couple of good ideas tho'
12v lighting, instead of 240v mains.. lower useage and loads easier to setup.. there's loads of wind gen's that output 12v and normally you'd need to step it upto 240v, but a 12v lighting won't require the transformer or storage, you can use 12v car batteries..ebay's a good place to look for boat wind turbines.
hot water solar panels are another way of reducing energy requirements, but in the UK your gonna be lucky if you get 6 months worth of free hot water..
watch out for your local planning office, i know mine is a right pain when it comes to putting up a wind turbine in my back garden.. but i'm in an urban area and it all depends on the neighbours..
good luck..