Do-it-yourself unconventional energy. Do-it-yourself alternative energy sources for the home

The issue of electricity production has not lost its relevance over the years. It seemed to scientists that with the advent of nuclear power plants, humanity would receive an unlimited amount of energy and would never ask this question again. But everything turned out to be somewhat different - the reserves of uranium U 235 necessary for nuclear power plants are not endless, and now in many countries, even in the USA, there is a shortage of it. There are methods of obtaining other necessary fuel, for example, plutonium P 239, by artificial methods, but this is far from sufficient. It comes to the point that it is necessary to use previously created nuclear weapons to extract the embedded nuclear charge from them for use at stations.

To solve the energy issue completely, many developers turned their attention to alternative sources of electricity.

These traditionally include the following:

• solar panels;
• wind generators;
• the warmth of the earth;
• biogas generator;
• the power of the tides, some others.

Let's look at the use of these alternative sources of electricity in more detail.

Through the sun's rays, approximately 1000 kW of power is transferred to the Earth annually, which is equal to the energy released when 100 liters of diesel fuel is burned. It's pretty a large number of, and its development occupies the minds of many modern researchers. The best option today for using solar radiation is solar panels, often combined in groups of several dozen into large blocks, the so-called panels. The operating principle of such products is simple - photons from the rays of the sun, passing through the batteries, create a potential difference on the semiconductor material, which causes the movement of current in the electrical circuit.

A typical battery of this type, having a surface area of ​​60–80 cm 2, with good sunny weather can provide a current of about 1 A, which is enough for charging mobile phone, listening to the radio and other simple tasks. If you build a large panel of 40–50 such elements, you can obtain, respectively, an energy source of 40–50 A current and 20–25 V voltage. This power will be enough for more serious tasks: room lighting, charging car battery. To cover the electricity needs of a private home, the entire surface of its roof is covered with such solar panels.

Solar alternative power generation is a good option for generating electricity, but the method has several disadvantages, the main ones being the high cost of organizing your own power plant, as well as complete dependence on weather conditions: in the case of cloudy weather, the generated power will be very small.

Wind generators

Wind turbines are widely used in many developed countries of the world: Holland, Denmark, Japan, the USA and others. Their use is especially effective in mountainous areas or on sea coasts, where strong winds constantly rage. The power of a modern power plant from wind generators is enough to cover the needs of large agricultural facilities remote from civilization, or the infrastructure of small cities.

The design of a wind turbine is as follows: it contains blades of a certain shape, which are rigidly connected to the rotor of an electric generator installed inside. When the blades move, the rotor rotates and the generator produces electricity. The larger the blades, the more rotation they create, the stronger and the more often the wind occurs in a given area, the more electrical energy the electric generator will produce. It is calculated that the minimum wind speed at which a wind generator can operate is about 2 m/s. If the constant wind speed is more than 8–10 m/s, then the generated electricity will be enough to power the power grid of a private home.

The disadvantage of this method is that the battery included in the system breaks down quite quickly (due to too frequent charge-discharge cycles), and its cost is a significant part of the entire wind installation. The wind can damage structural parts, which will require regular repairs.

More and more often you can see people equipping windmills for their homes. Despite some difficulties, they are able to work with goals and bring many benefits to the owner.

Geothermal springs

Deepening into the bowels of the Earth showed: under the surface layers - heat. This can be seen in such phenomena as, for example, geysers - fountains of hot water gushing from underground. The heat of the earth also belongs to alternative energy sources - it is very convenient to use it with heat pump. True, it is worth noting that the operation of the pump also requires the supply of a certain amount of current, but, as practice shows, the ratio of the power expended on the pump in relation to the power received from the heat of the bowels of the earth is approximately 1:4–1:6, which completely covers the costs and makes this method very profitable.

Implementation principle this method is also quite simple - a well is drilled into the ground to the high-temperature zone, where a heat pump is then installed. It serves to cool hot underground water, and as a result, additional energy is released, which is sent to the consumer through special communications.

The benefits of using this method of generating electricity are obvious, but there is also a significant disadvantage - for a house with an area of ​​150 m2 you will have to spend on necessary work and equipment about 20-30 thousand dollars.

Biogas plants

Considerable popularity in last years biomass use has increased. Its essence is that from various biomass (stillage, bird droppings, manure and other similar substances) during fermentation a special gas called cellulosic ethanol is released. Here, alternative electricity can be obtained by simply burning the gas thus obtained.

To realize this idea, scientists have developed special biogas plants, which are now sold at fairly affordable prices. It is most beneficial to use them on various farms, where biological waste is an integral part of the production cycle. Having spent once on a biogas structure, a farmer can get an excellent source of gas close to natural, which can ultimately be easily converted into both heat and electricity.

Another interesting alternative energy source that is widely used in maritime countries. Thanks to the natural ebb and flow of the tides, the water is constantly moving. If you install water turbines at a certain depth, then, using this movement of water masses, they will generate quite considerable power. It is noteworthy that even taking into account the low speed of water from the ebb and flow of tides, water turbines can show high operating efficiency. This can be seen in the world's largest tidal power plant, located in France and capable of producing as much as 240 MW of power.

As a conclusion, it is worth saying that these are not all possible ways to obtain current. They are constantly being improved and developed, but the greatest practical results have been achieved using these methods. They are already able to compose a worthy alternative traditional options obtaining electricity, and in some cases completely replacing them.

Electricity bills are an inevitable expense for any modern person. Centralized power supply is constantly becoming more expensive, but electricity consumption is still growing every year. This problem is especially acute for miners, because, as you know, cryptocurrency mining consumes a significant amount of electricity, and therefore the bills for its payment may exceed the profit from. Under such conditions, it is worth paying attention to the fact that almost all natural resources can be used to convert into electricity. Even in the air there is static electricity, all that remains is to find ways to use it.

Where can I get free electricity?

You can get electricity from anything. The only condition: a conductor and a potential difference are required. Scientists and practitioners are constantly looking for new alternative sources of electricity and energy that will be free. It should be clarified that free means no payment for centralized energy supply, but the equipment itself and its installation still costs money. True, such investments more than pay off later.

On this moment Free electricity comes from three alternative sources:

Method of generating electricity	Features of energy generation
Solar energy	Requires installation of solar panels or a glass tube collector. In the first case, electricity will be generated due to the constant movement of electrons under the influence of sunlight inside the battery, in the second, electricity will be converted from heat from heating.
Wind energy	When there is wind, the windmill blades will begin to actively rotate, generating electricity, which can be immediately supplied to the battery or network.
Geothermal energy	The method consists of obtaining heat from deep in the soil and its subsequent processing into electricity. To do this, a well is drilled and a probe with a coolant is installed, which will take away part of the constant heat existing deep in the earth.

Such methods are used both by ordinary consumers and on a large scale. For example, huge geothermal plants have been installed in Iceland and produce hundreds of MW.

How to make free electricity at home?

Free electricity in the apartment must be powerful and constant, so to fully ensure consumption, a powerful installation will be required. The first step is to determine the most suitable method. So, for sunny regions, installation is recommended. If solar energy is not enough then wind or geothermal power plants should be used. The latter method is especially suitable for regions located in relative proximity to volcanic zones.

Having decided on the method of obtaining energy, you should also take care of the safety and security of electrical appliances. To do this, the home power plant must be connected to the network through an inverter and voltage stabilizer to ensure the supply of current without sudden surges. It is also worth considering that alternative sources are quite capricious in terms of weather conditions. In the absence of appropriate climatic conditions, electricity generation will stop or be insufficient. Therefore, you should also acquire powerful batteries for storage in case of lack of production.

Ready-made installations of alternative power plants are widely available on the market. True, their cost is quite high, but on average they all pay off in 2 to 5 years. You can save money by purchasing ready installation, and its components, and then independently design and connect the power plant.

How to get free electricity at your dacha?

Connection to centralized system energy supply is a problematic process and often dachas are left without electricity for a long time. This is where installation can come to the rescue diesel generator or alternative ways production

Often absent from dachas great amount electrical appliances. Accordingly, energy consumption is significantly less. First you need to determine the predominant period of time that will be spent indoors. So, for summer summer residents, solar collectors and batteries are suitable, for the rest, wind methods.

You can also power individual electrical appliances or illuminate a room by collecting electricity from grounding. Scheme for obtaining free electricity: zero - load - ground. Voltage inside the house is supplied through the phase and neutral conductors. By including the third load conductor to zero in this circuit, from 12W to 15W will be directed into it, which will not be recorded by metering devices. For such a circuit, it is imperative to take care of reliable grounding. Zero and ground do not pose a risk of electric shock.

Free electricity from the ground

The earth is a favorable environment for generating electricity. There are three environments in the soil:

• humidity - drops of water;
• hardness - minerals;
• gaseousness - air between minerals and water.

In addition, electrical processes constantly take place in the soil, since its main humus complex is a system in which a negative charge is formed on the outer shell, and a positive charge on the inner shell, which entails the constant attraction of positively charged electrons to negative ones.

The method is similar to that used in regular batteries. To generate electricity from the ground, two electrodes should be immersed in the ground to a depth of half a meter. One is copper, the second is made of galvanized iron. The distance between the electrodes should be approximately 25 cm. The soil between the conductors is poured saline solution, and wires are connected to the conductors, one will have a positive charge, the other will have a negative charge.

In practical conditions, the output power of such an installation will be approximately 3W. The charge power also depends on the composition of the soil. Of course, such power is not enough to provide energy supply in a private home, but the installation can be strengthened by changing the size of the electrodes or connecting them in series required amount. After conducting the first experiment, you can roughly calculate how many such installations are needed to provide 1 kW, and then calculate the required amount based on average consumption per day.

How to get free electricity from thin air?

Nikola Tesla was the first to talk about generating electricity from thin air. The scientist's experiments have proven that between the base and the raised metal plate there is static electricity that can accumulate. Moreover, the air in modern world constantly undergoes additional ionization due to the functioning of many electrical networks.

The soil can serve as the basis for a mechanism for extracting electricity from the air. A metal plate is placed on the conductor. It should be placed above other nearby objects. The outputs from the conductor are connected to a battery in which static electricity will accumulate.

Free electricity from power lines

Power lines carry enormous amounts of electricity through their wires. An electromagnetic field is created around the wire carrying current. Thus, if you place a cable under a power line, then at its ends a electricity, the exact power of which can be calculated by knowing what power the current is transmitted through the cable.

Another way is to create a transformer near power lines. A transformer can be created using copper wire and rod using the primary and secondary winding method. The current output power in this case depends on the volume and power of the transformer.

It is worth considering that such a system for obtaining free electricity is illegal, although there is no actual illegal connection to the network. The fact is that such wedging into the power supply system damages its power and can be punishable by fines.

Free electricity from surge protector

Many seekers of free electricity have probably found versions on the Internet that an extension cord can become a source of endless free energy, forming a closed circuit. To do this, you should take a surge protector with a wire length of at least three meters. Fold the cable into a coil with a diameter of no more than 30 cm, connect it to the socket of the electrical consumer, isolate all free holes, leaving only one more socket for the plug of the extension cord itself.

Next, the surge protector must be given an initial charge. The easiest way to do this is by connecting an extension cord to a functioning network, and then shorting it out in a split second. Free electricity from an extension cord will supply power lighting fixtures, but the free energy power in such a network is too small for anything more. But the method itself is quite controversial.

Free electricity from magnets

A magnet emits a magnetic field and, as a result, it can be used to generate free electricity. To do this, you should wrap a magnet with copper wire, forming a small transformer, which, by placing it near the electromagnetic field, you can receive free energy. The power of electricity in this case depends on the size of the magnet, the number of windings and the power of the electromagnetic field.

How to use free electricity?

When deciding to replace centralized energy supply with alternative sources, you should take into account all the necessary safety measures. To avoid sudden voltage changes, electric current to devices must be supplied through voltage stabilizers. You should definitely pay attention to the dangers of each method. Thus, immersing electrodes in the soil implies subsequent flooding of the soil with a saline solution, which will make it unsuitable for further plant growth, and systems that accumulate static electricity from the air can attract lightning.

Electricity is not only useful, but also dangerous. Incorrect phasing can lead to electric shocks, and a short circuit in the network can lead to fires. Providing electricity to your home at home requires a detailed study of the methods and laws of physics.

It should also be taken into account that most methods do not provide stable power and depend on many factors, including weather conditions, which are impossible to predict. Therefore, it is recommended to either store energy in batteries, and have a backup power supply just in case.

Forecast for the future

Already now, alternative energy sources are widely used. The lion's share Electricity consumption is accounted for by household electrical appliances and lighting. By replacing their power supply from centralized to alternative, you can significantly save your budget. Special attention Miners should consider alternative sources of power supply, since mining with a centralized power supply can take up to 50% of the profit, while mining with free power will generate net income.

All more houses switches to power from solar panels or wind power plants. Such methods provide much less power, but are environmentally friendly sources of energy that do not harm the environment. Industrial alternative power plants are also being constructed.

In the future, this area will only be supplemented with new methods and improved analogues.

Conclusion

It is possible to extract electricity even from thin air, but to cover all consumption needs it is necessary to design an entire system of alternative electricity generation. You can take the easy route and buy ready-made solar panels or wind power plants, or you can put in the effort and assemble your own power plant. Nowadays, free electricity is not a fully explored area and opens up a lot of opportunities for independent experiments.

The lack of developed infrastructure in remote areas often forces owners to look for sources of alternative energy for their home. Technologies do not stand still; such things are no longer something exotic and difficult to obtain. In this article you will find out what the market offers today as a replacement for connecting to central power grids.

What are there

Energy is always present in the environment in one form or another. This is the wind, the radiation of the sun, the flow of water, the heat of the earth. All that remains is to use them and transform them into the one that is needed. Let's look at what alternative energy sources allow us to do this.

Solar panels

The operating principle is based on the ability of electronic devices called photocells to convert the energy of photons from sunlight into electrical energy. This example of alternative energy is the most common.

Batteries produced for private use use silicon photocells. They come in two types:

• Polycrystalline. Very fragile and therefore require careful handling. They have low efficiency - no more than 15%. Average term service for 20 years. The advantage is low price.
• Monocrystalline. More reliable. The service life can reach 50 years. Efficiency 25%. The disadvantage is the high cost.

Advantages of solar panels:

• an inexhaustible source of energy for several decades;
• ease of installation and maintenance, operation does not require daily human intervention;
• durability;
• no harmful effects on the environment and humans.

Their disadvantages are the high cost of equipment, which takes a long time to pay for itself, and dependence on the intensity of sunlight. If the sky becomes cloudy, the power of the photocells decreases.

Wind generators

They are a combination of a wind turbine with blades mounted on a special mast and an electric generator. When air flows pass through this installation, the blades begin to rotate under their influence and drive the internal shaft connected to the gearbox.

This design allows you to increase the initial rotation speed. The gearbox is connected to a generator, which generates electric current when the rotor rotates. Its excess accumulates in installed batteries.

Depending on the location of the rotation axis, wind generators are divided into horizontal and vertical. The first type is more popular. Many models are equipped with an automatic rotation system in the direction of the wind, which significantly increases the efficiency of the installation.

The advantages of these devices are in many ways similar to solar panels. Efficiency can range from 25% to 47% depending on specific model and weather conditions.

The operation of a wind generator does not depend on the time of day. All you need is wind, and the stronger it is, the better. The cost of the equipment is relatively low, but installation costs can be much higher.

The main disadvantages are noise during operation and low-frequency infrasound, which negatively affects health. For this reason, the mast with the device should be installed as far as possible from housing.

Biogas plants

They use various waste products for work, for example, from domestic or farm animals and birds. In a sealed container, they are treated with anaerobic bacteria, which in turn release biogas.

To make the process go faster, the waste must be stirred periodically, for which a manual or mechanical stirrer is used.

Biogas enters a special storage facility called a gas holder, where it is dried. Then it is used as regular natural gas. The remaining waste after processing can be used to make fertilizer.

Modern technologies for obtaining energy using biogas plants allow this to be done without performing unpleasant actions. Their main advantages:

• independence from weather conditions;
• savings on waste disposal;
• the ability to use many types of raw materials.

The disadvantages include the following:

• although this is a biologically friendly type of fuel, when burned it releases a small amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere;
• It is convenient to use the installation only in areas rich in necessary raw materials;
• the cost of the equipment is quite high.

Heat pumps

It would be more correct to call them an alternative heat source. Designed for organizing heating and hot water supply at home. They consume electricity, so they must be used in combination with other types of alternative energy.

The principle of operation is based on the ability of substances such as freon to boil at low temperatures. When it turns into a gaseous state, it releases thermal energy. The installation consists of external and internal circuits, as well as a pump circuit. The external one is buried underground or sinks to the bottom of the reservoir.

The freon circulating through it heats up under the influence environment, in the pump circuit under high pressure it turns into a gaseous state, as a result of which the temperature rises to 70 C°. The internal one carries the coolant heated in the pump throughout the house.

Heat pumps are very efficient and can provide hot water and heating all year round. Electricity costs are minimal - with the consumption of 1 kW of electricity, an average of 4 kW of heat energy is released.

What to choose

Let's figure out which alternative energy option is better. Solar panels are the most preferred option due to their simplicity and environmental friendliness. However, they do not work at night.

Wind generators are well suited for areas where strong winds constantly blow. They function both day and night, but if the air flow weakens, the efficiency becomes zero. The best option is a combination of these two devices. Then you can be almost 100% sure that you will never be left without electricity.

Opt for a biogas plant if you keep cows, pigs or chickens on your farm, or if there is a farm nearby where you can take waste for processing.

And if you need hot water supply and heating, supplement your home system with heat pumps. They do not require maintenance; there is no need to buy and store fuel somewhere, as is the case, for example, with a solid fuel boiler.

The hydrocarbon reserves on our planet are not endless, so alternative energy that runs on renewable energy sources is rapidly gaining popularity. The houses are equipped with solar panels and wind turbines. The share of energy generated by solar and wind power plants is growing. In 2010 it was equal to 5%. This makes you think about building a small power plant at home.

How to choose an energy source

There are many options for obtaining alternative electricity, popular and not so popular. Some of them are not suitable for our latitudes, and some are dangerous.

A heat pump, which pumps heat from the soil into the house using the principle of a refrigerator, is suitable only for residents of geothermal areas. An attempt to build it on one’s own property will cost a resident of the Moscow region frozen out to a depth of two meters upper layer soil. Will suffer from freezing root system trees and shrubs that will subsequently become diseased or die.

Biogas is suitable for extraction at large enterprises, where there are no problems with fuel for bioreactors. In private farming, there is little benefit from biogas; the average subsidiary farm will not be able to produce required quantity fuel. It will have to be imported, which will lead to fixed costs for delivery. Do not forget that the production of biogas is explosive and requires control over the equipment, which is difficult to implement at home.

There are more suitable alternative energy sources for a private home. These include:

• Solar energy.
• Wind energy.
• Energy of water flow.
• Wood gas obtained from the thermal decomposition of wood without access to air.

Unlike biogas, they are suitable for use in private homes and are safe when used correctly.

But not everyone has a stream on their property or access to large amounts of wood, so it makes more sense to consider renewable energy sources, which are available everywhere. These include sunlight and wind.

To convert alternative energy there is ready-made solutions with your own hands. They allow you to convert it into electricity as efficiently as possible and are suitable for implementation in a private home.

Solar power plant

Backup power supplies based on solar panels are well suited for those places where there are constant power outages. Due to their high cost, their use is impractical where there are no problems with electricity. A solar power plant installed to save money will pay for itself only after 8-10 years. During this time, lead batteries will become unusable, and their replacement will entail additional expenses. The funds spent on replacing batteries will increase the cost of the power plant and push back the payback period by another 3-5 years.

Required Components and Assembly

A solar panel is assembled from photovoltaic cells, which vary in shape and size.

Solar cells are grown from silicon and are divided into two types: monocrystalline (mono-Si) and polycrystalline (poly-Si).

Monocrystalline elements have 20% efficiency and a service life of up to 30 years. For their normal operation you need sunlight hitting the batteries at right angles. With scattered light, the power of such elements is reduced by three times, and even the slightest shading of one element takes the entire chain out of the generation mode.

Therefore, SES (solar power plants) built on mono-Si elements need systems that monitor the position of the sun and rotate the panels after it. The panels must not be allowed to become dirty; for this purpose they are equipped automatic system cleaning. At small solar power plants, solar panels are washed by hand.

Power plants based on mono-Si panels are suitable for regions with a large number of sunny days a year. In cloudy weather their effectiveness is close to zero.

Polycrystalline elements have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include low cost and effective work in diffused light.

They have more disadvantages:

• Lower efficiency - 12%.
• Shorter service life - up to 25 years.
• Increased degradation at temperatures above 55 °C.

Solar poly-Si batteries are installed in areas with a predominance of cloudy days. The ability to transform scattered light allows them to be mounted without auto-rotation systems. In addition, they do not need to be washed frequently. Due to their low cost and unpretentiousness, polycrystalline solar cells are widely used in homemade solar power plants.

Assembling your own solar power plant It’s better to start with the selection of components. Its power will directly depend on them. To make a classic SES you will need:

1. Photovoltaic cells.
2. Bus for connecting elements.
3. A sheet of glass or clear plastic.
4. Aluminum profile.
5. Epoxy resin with hardener.
6. Wires with a cross section of 4 mm².
7. Wall panel.
8. Solar battery controller.
9. Inverter 12−220 V.
10. Circuit breakers.
11. Terminal blocks for fuses.
12. Schottky diodes.
13. Lead-acid battery with a capacity of at least 150 Ah.
14. Battery terminals.

SES components connection diagram:

You need to start by assembling the solar panel. Cut pieces 7 cm long from the bus and solder them to the negative contacts of the photocell located on the front side. Repeat this step with each photocell.

The resulting “semi-finished products” must be connected in series, soldering the negative terminal of one element to the positive terminal of the next. The number of photocells in the circuit (module) must be such that a voltage of 14.5 V appears at its terminals. When using half-volt cells, 29 of them will be needed. To prevent reverse current from occurring when one element in the circuit is darkened, it is necessary to solder a Schottky diode into the gap of the negative bus of each photocell.

You can make a solar battery from one module, but its power will be minimal. Therefore, solar panels are assembled from several parallel-connected modules.

Degrease the glass and carefully glue it to it assembled modules. Use epoxy resin as glue; when it hardens, it does not become cloudy and does not prevent light from reaching the photocells. Do not use other glues, even if they seem good.

After the epoxy has set, install the glass into a frame made of aluminum profile, having previously drilled a hole in it for the wires. Solder the terminals of the modules to the wires and push them out. To seal it, fill the entire structure with epoxy.

Frozen epoxy resin will glue the glass to the frame and protect the photocells from moisture and dust.

Features of installation at home

collected solar panel can be installed on the roof, but the best option would be to install it on the south wall of the house. The panel installed on it will be exposed to sunlight almost all daylight hours.

Hang the shield on the wall and secure the controller, inverter and terminal blocks with fuses inserted into the shield. Place the wires into the panel and connect them according to the diagram. Remember that when charging the battery releases toxic gases, so it must be placed in a well-ventilated area.

When powering indoor lighting from an inverter, part of the energy is lost during conversion. To avoid wasting reserves from an autonomous energy source, install a lighting system at home that runs on 12 volts.

Solar collectors for heating

When talking about solar power plants that convert light into electricity, we cannot fail to mention another type of solar panels.

Solar collectors are used in heating and hot water supply systems and are:

• Airborne.
• Tubular.
• Vacuum.
• Flat.

Inside the air collectors there are plates coated with a light-absorbing composition. They are heated by the sun and give off heat to the air circulating through the collector, which is used to heat the home.

To increase the working surface area in air collectors, corrugated plates are used.

In the building tubular collectors there are glass tubes painted inside with black paint. Sunlight hitting the paint heats it up. The heat is then transferred to the water running through the tubes.

Vacuum manifolds are a type of tubular manifold. In it, colored tubes are inserted into transparent ones with large diameter. Between them there is a vacuum, which reduces heat loss from the inner tube.

The simplest and cheapest of all are flat-plate collectors. They consist of a plate, under which there are tubes with circulating water, covered with a layer at the bottom. thermal insulation material. The efficiency of flat-plate collectors is the lowest.

Connection diagram to the water supply system:

The air from the collector enters the house directly, and the water first enters the boilers, where it is heated by heating elements to the desired temperature. From the boiler hot water It is supplied to the kitchen and bathroom, and it is also used for heating.

How to make a wind generator

Solar power plants do not work at night or in cloudy weather, and electricity is always required. Therefore, when designing alternative energy for your home with your own hands, you need to provide it with a generator that does not depend on the sun.

A wind generator is ideal for use as a second source of energy. It can even be assembled from used spare parts, which will significantly save your money.

List of what you will need to assemble a windmill:

1. Generator with magnetic excitation from a truck or tractor.
2. Pipe with an outer diameter of 60 mm and a length of 7 meters.
3. One and a half meters of pipe with internal diameter 60 mm.
4. Steel rope.
5. Staples and pegs for fastening the cable.
6. Wires, cross section 4 mm².
7. Boost gearbox 1 to 50.
8. PVC pipe, diameter 200 mm.
9. Circular saw blade.
10. Two EC-5 connectors.
11. A piece of steel sheet, 1 mm thick.
12. Aluminum sheet, 0.5 mm thick.
13. Bearing for the inner diameter of the mast.
14. Coupling for connecting the shafts of the generator and gearbox.
15. Pipe for the inner diameter of the bearing, length - 60 cm.

All these materials are sold in construction and auto stores. New gearboxes with a generator are expensive, so it’s better to buy them at a flea market.

Making a wind wheel for home

The main element of any windmill is the blades, so they need to be made first.

To determine the sizes, use the table.

The wind wheel should ideally have the same power as the generator, but due to excessive large sizes the resulting wheel is not always possible. Therefore, most often the power of the blades is much lower than that of the generator. There's nothing wrong with that.

Cut PVC pipe into segments equal to the length of the blades. Saw them in half along the longitudinal axis. Redraw the markings on the pipe halves and cut out the blades along it. Saw off triangles from the blanks. Cut out the mountings for the blades from a steel sheet and drill holes in them. Take a circular saw blade, drill holes in it and bolt the blades to the blade.

Assembly, installation and connection

Dig a hole and concrete a pipe with an internal diameter of 60 mm in it. Take a seven-meter pipe and, stepping back 1 meter from the edge, install brackets on it. Weld a bearing into the same edge of the pipe using argon welding.

Bend a frame from a steel sheet and weld a pipe to it from below that fits into the bearing. Attach the gearbox and generator to the frame by connecting their shafts. Install 2 stoppers in the form of pins at the bottom of the frame and at the top of the mast. They will not allow the frame to rotate more than 360 degrees. Make a weather vane from an aluminum sheet and attach it to the back of the frame. Drill a hole at the base of the mast for the wire.

Connect the wire to the generator and pull it through the frame and mast. Place the wind wheel on the gearbox shaft and secure it to it. Insert the frame into the bearing and rotate it. It should rotate easily.

The assembled windmill looks something like this:

1. Blades.
2. Circular disc.
3. Gearbox.
4. Coupling.
5. Generator.
6. Vane.
7. Weather vane mount.
8. Bearing.
9. Limiters.
10. Mast.
11. The wire.

Drive pegs into the ground so that the distance from the mast to each of them is the same. Tie the cables to the brackets on the mast. To install the mast, you need to call a truck crane. Do not try to install the wind generator yourself! IN best case scenario you will break the windmill, in the worst case, you yourself will suffer. After lifting the mast with a truck crane, point its base into the previously concreted pipe and wait until the crane lowers it into the pipe.

The rope must be tied to the peg in a taut state. Moreover, all the cables must be tied so that the mast stands strictly vertically, without distortions.

The wind generator must be connected to charger via EC-5 connector. The charging itself is installed in the panel with the SES equipment and is connected directly to the battery.

So as not to lose household appliances, during a thunderstorm, always disconnect the windmill from the charger.

The assembly of the power plant is completed. Now you will not be left without electricity, even if your lights are turned off long time. In this case, you will not have to spend money on fuel for the generator and time for its delivery. Everything will work automatically and will not require your intervention.

Tariffs for “classic” energy resources (gas, coal, gasoline, oil) are steadily increasing day by day. And this is understandable. After all, humanity has long traditionally used non-renewable energy sources. And although there are many of them in nature, they are still limited in number. Someday the time will come when they will run out. And you will have to switch, at least on a private level, to something else. Make alternative energy sources for your home with your own hands - the best option for a private owner, 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 humanity may not be enough for representatives of current generations, not to mention their descendants! It is estimated that in modern conditions an ordinary family spends up to 40 percent of its budget on paying for electricity, heating, and gasoline for a car. And according to conservative forecasts of economists, this share could grow to 70%! Therefore, for many representatives of the so-called middle class (and not only) alternative energy sources for the home, created with 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, water power, warmth of the earth's interior, decomposition of biomass. The most popular are the use of alternative energy sources from the sun and wind. However, this issue has not been addressed in sufficiently at the legislative level. In theory, 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

This kind of thing has been used for a long time ( shining example - windmills, which existed in ancient times). About forty years ago they began to actively build wind power plants. Alternative energy sources for the home, created with your own hands (mini wind generators), as a rule, consist of special blades for capturing wind, connected to the generator directly or through a gearbox. It must be borne in mind that such a device is effective only in areas where there are constant winds (for example, on the sea coast). You also need to remember that wind turbines will only be effective with a mast height of fifteen meters or more (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 many blades (sometimes up to thirty). Such devices are low-noise, start even in light winds, but have low efficiency with a fairly large windage. High-speed wind turbines use winds of 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 shape of a barrel with vertical blades. They do not require orientation to the wind, but they have the lowest efficiency.

How to use

It is quite easy to install wind turbines as alternative energy sources with your own hands. First, you need to mark a place for the mast in the yard or in a convenient place in an area where the wind constantly blows (having previously analyzed the location). Pledge required solid foundation so that the high (preferably more than 15 meters) mast stays firmly on the ground. A windmill (or several devices) should be chosen to be high-speed. You can buy it in a store, or for those whose hands have “grown properly”, you can make it yourself according to the appropriate drawings. There is now quite a lot of such information in the media and specialized literature.

Choose the option that, according to user reviews, seems the most reliable and feasible to use. When connecting the machine, as experience shows, it is better to call a professional electrician. He will probably tell you how to connect your windmill correctly, even if there is a tutorial and instructions. And one more thing: in order to power several light bulbs and devices (for example, a TV or computer) from this energy, it will be necessary to install several windmills at once. So think about how much you can afford. Do not forget about the main condition - the presence of a constantly blowing wind. After all, installing a wind generator in a deep forest, as they say, is a waste of time and money. In general, it seems quite possible to make and install windmills as an alternative energy source in a private home, both financially and physically.

Sun

His energy is truly inexhaustible. And also quite promising to use. We've all seen European versions on TV." smart home", where heating, lighting, and water heating are produced through the use of solar energy. It is interesting that in one year so much solar radiation reaches 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! All that remains, as usual, is just to take what is “lying” under your feet. And this is not so simple. The catch lies in the rather low efficiency of photoelectric converters and solar power plants invented by mankind. But scientists are constantly working in this direction.

Solar power plants

It is certainly possible (and even necessary) to make high-tech devices such as solar alternative energy sources for the home with your own hands. Just be prepared for the fact that this will most likely not be so easy, and you won’t be able to do it without certain skills or the help of a specialist!

For heating water

The most appropriate and simple use of devices is for heating water. Divide straight and indirect heating. Direct include a variety of greenhouses, tanks for heating water in the sun, greenhouses, 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 coolant, and the subsequent one occurs in storage heat exchangers. It is from them that water is drawn for heating and domestic needs.

By the way, there is a children's construction set “Alternative Energy Sources” (“Connoisseur”), which allows you to assemble up to 130 projects. Children aged five years and older can also get involved in the creation of windmills and use mechanical, water, and solar energy to generate electricity.

Solar panels

Development has led to the creation of solar cells as the most effective way use of solar radiation. This kind of panel is a system of semiconductors that convert solar energy into electricity. Such systems provide an uninterrupted, reliable, cost-effective supply of electricity to a private home. They are especially effective in hard-to-reach areas. For example, in the mountains, where there are many sunny days a year, but the “official” electricity supply is absent or irregular. Or in an area where there are frequent interruptions in the supply of electricity from the main source.

Installation benefits

Such an installation has the following advantages:

• does not require laying cables to supports, which significantly reduces the cost of production;
• minimized costs for installation and maintenance of batteries;
• environmental cleanliness of the energy produced;
• light weight of solar panels;
• complete silence during operation;
• quite long period of use.

Flaws

The problems with alternative energy sources such as solar panels are:

• in the labor-intensive assembly process;
• the fact that they take up a lot of space;
• sensitive to mechanical damage and contamination;
• do not function at night;
• their effectiveness is highly dependent on sunny or cloudy weather.

Installation

Alternative energy sources - solar panels - are quite easy to install with certain skills. First you need to select necessary materials for construction. We will need high-quality solar cells (made of mono- or polycrystalline silicon). It is better to take those whose operation is effective even in cloudy weather - polycrystals, which are easily available in the kit. We buy cells from the same manufacturer so that everything is compatible and interchangeable. You will also need conductors connecting the photocells. The body is made of Its dimensions are determined by the number of cells. For outer covering- 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 included with the kit, you can figure it out yourself. As a last resort, invite your dacha neighbor to help.