This week at Green-Home-Building.com we are continuing our series on efficient home design. Let’s talk about one of the more ambitious sides of green home building; Green Power Systems. It is ideal if you are starting your design from scratch, but the principals can be applied to your existing design as well. The topics covered today are quite extensive, so we are going to provide an overview of the major detail. Use this as a starting point for your research. Remember, there is no such thing as too much planning!

 

There is a vast array of green power projects to choose from. These can include solar heating, photo-voltaics, geothermal, wind turbines etc. The ideal project depends on your location and resources. Since there is sun and win almost everywhere, let’s take a look at some basic of home solar panels (photo-voltaics) and wind turbines.

 

 

Solar Panels

 

green power projects

 

Solar panels are a great way to produce 100% clean power for your home. They are also ideal for cottages or remote places that do not have access to the utility grid. Many utility companies will even credit you for producing power above your monthly usage. Often the credit kW/h price is greater than the buying kW/h price. This is due to government incentives to produce more green power. When designing you should think about how much sun is in your location, energy storage (battery backups), tracking systems, and payback periods. The cost of solar panel technology is quickly dropping due to popularity and production volumes. They are certainly worth investigating, though they are not for everyone. Up front cost can still be fairly large. It may take several years to repay the initial green power project investment.

 

If you are like most people and cannot afford an expensive solar installation, then check out this great guide to building your own solar panels; Click Here

 

Wind Turbines

 

Wind turbines have an obvious advantage over solar panels; Wind still blows at night! So you can get a more distributed energy production over the entire day. If you’re selling a lot of power, this could be a bad thing. The utility grid is not in peak demand at night, so if you are producing a lot of power, there may be nowhere for it ‘to go’.

 

Just like the sun, the wind can be variable. Depending on your region, you may find that you have much more wind than sun (true in most northern countries). Much like solar panels, the cost of wind turbines is declining steadily. Depending on your power requirements, wind turbines can be more difficult to install than panels. Wind turbines needs to be placed high in the air for them to be effective. So unless you can safely build tall towers, this should be done by a professional.

 

 

Which is Better?

 

Like all green design concepts, the best choice depends greatly on your available natural resources. Do your research and find out what is available in your region. It may turn out that there is not enough wind or sun. Remember, a return on your green power project will only be possible if there is enough energy.

 

 

Build Your Own Renewable Systems!

 

Renewable energy systems can be expensive, why not build your own?

 

Click Here!