Renewable Energy Sources for Your Home

 We all know that the earth is running out of energy resources and that we as human beings have to take responsibility by using cleaner and greener energy sources. It is a known fact that we are going to run out of oil some time in the not too distant future, and we can already feel this in our pockets when we fill up on gas or when we open our utility bills.

 Because we are depleting the earth’s energy resources so quickly, many home owners are doing the responsible thing and look into alternative energy solutions. This shows that we are evolving into a more responsible society. Alternative energy sources can also make a lot of financial sense as  often comes at lower cost to the household.

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 There are many  alternative energy source options to choose from. Here are some to consider:

Solar Power

The sun is the largest provider of energy to earth, even the gas that you use in your car can be seen as stored energy from the sun. Solar power is available in abundance and not difficult to harness. It can be used in a variety of ways. 

Solar panels can provide most of a home’s energy when there is a lot of sunshine, or it can supplement the electricity supply on cloudy days. Extra electricity from solar panels can actually be fed into the power source and in this way replace some of the electricity used on cloudy days by households elsewhere in the coutry. In an ideal situation your solar panels would generate enough or more electricity than what you need on a daily basis. 

The solar panels are used to charge a large bank of batteries from which to draw electricity during the night. In case of a shortfall, electricity from the grid can be used, or in case of an excess supply the extra electricity can be fed back into the power grid, making up for the shortfall experienced on another day. There are other ways of converting solar power into electrical energy, but it is more complex and probably not applicable to the average household. 

With the right equipment solar power can be used to transform water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be stored for later use to be released by combustion or fuel cells. Power companies can do this to store excess solar energy for use on cloudy and rainy days to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity.

Wind Power

Wind power is an alternative source of energy that can be harnessed when the sun is not shining, and can be used in addition to and in conjunction with solar power. In stormy weather energy from wind can help to make up on the shortfall of energy usually provided by the sun.

Hydroelectric Power

Any running water close to your home could be turned into a source of electricity. A creek or a small river could supply a surprisingly large amount of energy. This could be used on its own or in addition to solar and wind power to supplement the electricity from the power company.

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