Can We Really Alleviate Global Warming With Homemade Energy?


Global warming is the burning hot topic at almost any gathering – be it of friends, office colleagues or corporate honchos. Now what is this Global Warming?

In simple terms, the gradual increase of temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere has been termed as global warming by the scientists and they had even speculated that the Earth’s climate has to go through global warming since it is a natural phenomenon.

As for ourselves, we have heard, seen and experienced a radical change in the weather across the globe; it has become quite different and in some parts, extreme, than what it was, say 20 years back. Due to this, heat waves have occurred in many places; worst affected is Russia where a million acres of wheat and death of thousands of people had stunned the nation.

Widespread natural catastrophes like floods in New England, Nashville, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Pakistan have wiped out over 20 million precious lives. No one can forget Hurricane Katrina, last year’s Typhoon Ketsana and even the latest Typhoon Konson, all of which had been results of global warming.

This climate change has caused tornadoes, hails and droughts across countries and continents. Scientists and environmentalists are working on war-footing basis to minimize the causes of global warming and devise ways and means for delaying this; one of the most prominent being reducing carbon dioxide emission.

Scientists around the world are trying to educate people of a number of ways that will reduce this emission, some of these being using gas-electric hybrid cars, mass transportation for commuting, recycling and reusing materials like plastics, paper, glass, aluminum and even by acquiring energy efficient appliances as also by creating homemade energy.

Homemade energy is the use of renewable energy sources like the solar and/or wind power that we can use to power up our homes. In recent years, it has become quite popular since it not only provides us the opportunity to save energy and reduces the electricity bills but also goes a long way in saving the earth by not emitting harmful carbon dioxide and being truly green.

Homemade solar power systems using solar panels and homemade wind power systems trap energy from the sun and the wind, respectively to generate electricity and meet our energy requirement. Nowadays, homemade solar panels and wind power energy systems built from inexpensive yet durable materials have brought down the initial installation expenditure.

Depending on the location of your residence and the climate thereof, you can choose and install the appropriate renewable power system. If you reside in a sunny area you can install homemade solar panels, whereas homemade wind turbines will prove beneficial if your home has wind in abundance.

However, if you are among the lucky few to enjoy both these renewable power sources, you can install both these power generating systems. These renewable energy sources not only pave the way for a greener future and provide electricity during brownouts but are also positively inclined towards maintaining the balance of the environment.

Scientists have opined that greenhouse gas emissions of solar PV plant including production and installation are eight times less than that of a coal-fired plant. It can even earn you money if the energy produced is more than consumption, which will move the electric meter in the opposite direction, thereby making the electricity company pay you.

A small step in the way we lead our lives can prove to be a big leap in affecting the lives of the Earth’s future. Some simple decisions and activities in our everyday life, like turning off the lights when not in use and minimizing water wastage can make a difference and save our planet.

We should not only do our bit but should also make our friends and relatives aware of the effects of Global warming and the steps necessary to be taken to avert the impending disaster looming over our future. Homemade energy is truly the solution to this problem.

The Benefits Of Using A Digital Multimeter For Home DIY Projects


A digital multimeter is most sought after instrument if you are planning to start your own home solar power project. It is the most useful and multipurpose instrument which can really be boon for you, provided it is from a reputed company and has a good model.

In fact the multi meter has three devices which are built in one instrument. It has voltmeter to measure the electric current in volts, the ammeter measures the amount of the current and digital multimeter measures the electric resistance of the device. Electric resistances is measured in terms of ohms, the modern good quality multimeter are designed in such way that can be easily operated.

The good quality multimeter has a plastic case and has easy to use selector knobs with a screen on the top part which shows the digital reading. Before purchasing a multimeter, some precautions are absolutely must; you should look for a large screen, quite big, so that you can see the readings easily in the sunlight. Most the times when these multimeters are used in sunlight, the reading is not clear.

Below the screen is a large knob called the function switch, this switch will help you to select different modes of the operation. With this switch you can easily shift between voltmeter and ohmmeter with the turning of the dial, this is the reason; you should look for the large switch, which is easy to operate.

The function switch have normally eight positions, with the V marking which are normally three in umber are used to measure the voltage. Both measurements can be done i.e. AC/DC; you can obtain the measurements in miilivolt range.

There are two more markings A~ and A=, A~ measures AC current and A= measures DC current both in amps. The marking which is of horse shoe upside down Ω measures resistances in ohms, if you have to measure voltage, the digital multimeter has to be turned on, it will again go to startup procedure.

Normally when the digital readouts light up, the device goes through the self-diagnostic mode, after this it is ready to be used for various functions. The function switch V= is to measure the DC volts, the black and red leads when connected to multimeter at the right places can start the function.

Simply connect the red lead at the point marked as VΩ and black lead at the point marked as COM. To measure amps, the leads need to be connected differently by setting the function on switch A= position and connect the black lead to COM terminal.

Red lead has to be connected to the terminal marked as 300mA, now your device is ready for different functions. The result you will get in milliamps as you are connected to 300mA terminal.

The third functions of the device is its ability to measure in ohms, it is the measurement of the resistance in an electric circuit. It must be remembered to disconnect your multimeter after you use it, and should be safely stored in your tool box.

You must also keep it safe that the battery does not get drained, it is such a wonderful device and you must ensure it is properly handled. There are many good brands of multimeter available in the market, choose the best one.

For more tips and suggestion on how build your own DIY Photovoltaic (PV) panel on a small budget, check out the Power4Home guide by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home reviews on this blog for more information.

Used Solar Panels – Smart Option To Lower Home Solar System Cost


New solar panels are a bit costly so if you are on a tight budget, you can buy some used solar panels. The price difference between the new solar panel and the used one may be considerably high.

And if you have luck on your side, you can get a working solar panel for just a fraction of what a newer panel would have cost you. Now the question is how much these solar panels will cost normally.

Well that depends upon whether you install these panels yourself or hire a professional to do the job for you and in that case it’s going to cost you more. It also depends upon the capacity you want to install at your residence. For example you can calculate the cost by planning capacity generation or decide how much investment you going to make i.e. $6 to $9 a watt and add the required installation charges which can be considerable.

So it will be good idea to purchase your Photovoltaic (PV) panels from a wholesale store to get it at low prices. Also, keep in mind that the technology is constantly improving and the governments are also encouraging environmentally clean technologies by providing subsidy.

At a wholesale shop you might get attractive offers of newly launched models of solar cells or get special discount if any particular company wants to clear its stock before launching new model. Wholesale store have a lot of verities of products manufactured by different companies that compete and have different price lists. So you can get a solar panel more situated to your budget.

PV panels can also be purchased from any online store and it doesn’t require you to be very expert even when buying used panels, but it is always helpful if you know the basic guidelines. While taking any decision it should always be kept in mind that the technology involved in solar cell manufacturing is constantly improving and comparatively newer solar cells are used these days.

You can find that a few older solar cells are still being used. The first thing you will notice about these older solar panels is that they are rather much larger than the newer ones when compared under same wattage category. So they are going to acquire more space and if you have got enough space, these older used solar panels can be very cost effective options to go green.

So after getting these used solar panels, the first thing you should do is to remove the Photovoltaic cells from the base on which they are mounted to. After dismounting them you should inspect them for loose connector, cracked and damaged solar cells due to moisture or otherwise. These are the very common ailments of solar cells which can be easily repaired by re-soldering and tightening the loosed connections.

Because of these common causes, some house owners think that the entire solar panel is faulty and just replace them. Due to high cost of traditional electricity, many people are now beginning to think to use this technology to save money as well as benefiting the economy.

People are beginning to mount their residence with residential solar cells created particularly for residential use. Many stores have opened up selling brand new as well as used solar panels. Due to tough economy or otherwise some people might prefer used or cheap PV panels.

Homemade Energy Program

If you are thinking of ways to cut down your home solar power system cost even further, why not make your own solar panels. Check out Ben Ford solar guide for step by step instruction on how to get started.