3 ways 2_save

© Copyright TheOffGridPowerPlant.com 2011

Disclaimers:

The contents of this report are based on the author's own experiences and

research, and are for information purposes only. The author accepts no

responsibility or liability whatsoever for the outcome of following the advice or

instructions in this report. E&OE

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Photographic copyrights are as credited.

n today's cash-strapped times, everyone is looking for ways to save money.

Today's world is reliant on electricity like never before, yet the costs keep

going up and up. In this free report, I'm going to show you three ways you

can generate your own electricity at home, and save yourself a fortune in the

process. You can even turn a profit with what I'm going to describe here, as (in

some parts of the world) power companies are required by law to purchase

surplus electricity from you.

I

A few questions to ask yourself before you start...

The first question you should ask yourself when it comes to generating your own

electricity is: Is this a feasible thing for me to do?

If you live in a house in the country or in a suburb, then generating your own

power is going to be a more “doable” proposition for you than if you live in a

rented apartment. Many of the processes I'm going to describe in this report will

require structural additions or open space, so if you live on the 24th floor of a

high-rise apartment block (say), you're not going to have much option but to

stick with the power company.

Likewise is you live in rental property, public housing, or local authority

accommodation, you're going to need your landlord's consent before you do

anything, so ask first before you start. If the answer is “yes” and your landlord

has no objections, get it in writing to avoid any misunderstandings later on.

Even if you are a homeowner, there may be local planning laws, bylaws,

ordinances or deed restrictions that could prevent you installing any kind of

power generating system, so again, ask first before you start and be sure to get

any permissions in writing.

The next question to ask yourself is: How long is it going to take me to break

even? To a certain extent that depends on what type of system you're going to

build, and if you're going to build something yourself from scratch or buy an off

the shelf system.

How much electricity do you want to generate? If you want to disconnect

yourself from the mains grid completely, you're going to need a much more

heavy duty system than if you just want to power an outbuilding (a garage for

example) or safeguard your deep freeze from power failures.

Finally, how technically competent are you? If you cannot tell one end of a

screwdriver from another, some of the systems I'm going to describe here will

probably not be for you. Each system requires a number of skills – both to set

up and maintain, so some technical knowledge is a must.

Of course, you can always pay someone to erect an maintain the system for

you, but that will add to your costs and lengthen your break even period. If,

however, you're a dab hand with a power drill, and have the space to erect some

of the equipment I'm going to show you how to make, read on because this

could be the the most enlightening report you read all year.

The methods I'm going to describe here are designed to charge batteries which

will store your electricity. You will need to connect up a transformer to convert

the DC generated power to AC, and a power inverter to raise the voltage to 120v

or 220v (depending on the mains electricity voltage where you are) before it can

be used.

1. Wind turbines

When people think of “green” energy, this is

one of the first things to come to mind; after

all, commercial wind farms are springing up all

over the place, and politicians like to hail them

as the energy source of the future.

Erecting a wind turbine is certainly doable and

needn't be too expensive.

The first thing to do is set-up your generator. You can build one from scratch,

but the best way is to get hold of a permanent magnet motor. You can pick them

up on eBay in 12, 24, or 48 volt configurations for around $300 new, and about

half that price used.

Contrary to popular belief, a car alternator doesn't make a very good wind

turbine generator – mainly because it needs to spin a lot faster than a wind

turbine is capable of doing.

Then fabricate your 3 blades. PVC pipe cut in half is best for this. You'll need to

adjust the length to fit the type of motor you're using. This is most important:

Too long and it can damage your generator, too short and the blades won't turn

unless there is a strong gale.

You'll need to fabricate a hub to attach the blades to. Cut a disk from sheet

metal (aluminum is best) and machine it on a lathe until it is perfectly circular,

then drill a hole in the exact center the size of the spindle on your generator.

Getting it round and centered is of crucial importance as vibrations can damage

your generator very quickly.

Attach the blades to the hub so that they catch the wind, and balance them to

avoid any vibration. The way you arrange the blades will determine which

direction your generator turns, and which axis will be positive and which one will

be negative.

Now it's time to build your tower. It

should be at least 12 feet tall – the

taller the better as the higher you can

get your turbine, the more wind it will

catch. The tower should be placed as

far away from tall buildings as

feasible. If space is limited, make

sure it's taller than the nearest

adjacent building. You should, of

course, choose a spot well away from

overhead power cables or telephone

wires.

You can build the tower yourself out of pipe (2 – 3 inch aluminum pipe is

recommended) or adapt a radio tower or parking lot light pole.

Connect 10 – 20 gauge extension lead cables to your generator, and run them

down the outside of your tower. Raise your tower and secure it with guy wires to

keep it vertical in high winds.

You're now ready to connect up to your batteries. Be sure to put a diode in the

circuit so the batteries don't discharge when the wind isn't blowing.

Pros:

Easy to build

Parts readily available

Not too expensive

Cons:

Only works when the wind is blowing

Machine shop (or access to one) required

May fall foul of local planning laws, complaints from neighbors, etc.

2. Solar panels

Solar panels are probably the ultimate form of green energy. There are no

moving parts, they are completely silent, and maintenance is minimal. You can

set them and forget them As long as the sun shines, your batteries will be

charged up and you'll have plenty of electricity.

There are two types of solar panel: Active and Passive. Most solar experts

agree that the best way to utilize solar technology is to have a combination of

both active and passive solar panels.

Active solar panels use photo-voltaic (PV) technology to turn sunlight into

electricity. Passive solar panels use the heat from sunlight for home heating and

hot water.

A sloping roof is ideal for this type of technology, although you can mount them

at ground level. Either way, you should choose a spot that gets sunlight all year

round and doesn't have any shade from overhanging trees or adjacent buildings.

You can build your own active panels, or you can purchase them from a

specialist retailer. Obviously, building your own works out a lot cheaper.

Active solar panels can either be stand-alone units mounted on your roof, or you

can have your roof space covered in PV roofing shingles to maximize the

amount of space available. The size of shingle to use is mainly dependent on

the area of roof space to be covered and the pitch of the roof.

Once installed, the active panels are simply wired up to your batteries as

described earlier.

Passive solar panels won't generate electricity for you, but they will save you

money on your electric bill by reducing the need to heat both room space and

water; indeed, during the summer months you may be able to switch off your

water heater altogether!

There are two types of passive hot water heaters: One tank, and two tank.

With a two tank system, water is pumped through passive solar panels on the

roof. This preheats the water prior to it going into a conventional hot water

heater or boiler. You still use another system to heat the water, but as the water

is warm rather than cold, it requires much less energy to do the job. In places

which have a combination of high temperatures and long hours of strong

sunshine, this system may be all that's required to heat the water enough to

comfortably take a shower or wash dishes.

In a one tank system, a combination of water and antifreeze is pumped through

the solar panels, and then through a transfer coil inside the hot water cylinder

(see diagram above). This is a closed loop system, so the fluid from the solar

panels never comes into contact with the hot water. As the fluid is recirculated

and never gets completely cold, this is generally all the heating required for hot

water most of the year. In dark winter months, though, a conventional

immersion heater may also be necessary to supplement this system.

Passive air heating systems work in a similar way to the one tank system

described above. Instead of a transfer coil, the fluid is pumped through a heat

exchanger (similar to a car radiator) and an electric fan blows the heated air

through ducts to rooms. Fans and pumps can be powered by PV panels and

batteries making the entire system independent of the regular power grid.

To build your own passive solar panels, do the following:

First of all, decide how

large your solar panel is

going to be. Roof space

available will be the

ultimate determining factor

here, but as a general rule,

you should allow 20 square

feet for the first two

residents and 8 – 14

square feet for each

additional resident

depending on the climate

where you live (the cooler

the climate, the more space

required).

Decide where you're going to place your solar panel. The location should be as

described earlier, but you should also find a space where your solar panel will fit

over roof joists so that it can be easily secured. If you have a wood burning

stove or fireplace, make sure you have a spark arrestor fitted. If you don't,

sparks from the fire can burn holes in your solar panel.

Purchase the wood you'll need for the base. Preferably this should be

hardwood like Teak or Cedar as this will be the most hard wearing and long

lasting, but if you're on a budget, plywood will do. Cut the wood so it forms a

square or rectangle.

Attach lengths of 2 X 4 lumber (with one of the 2” sides downwards) to the edge

of your base. Secure with wood screws, evenly spaced. This is going to form

the frame. Again, hardwood is best for this.

Coat the entire panel in a good quality wood preservative and allow to dry.

Obtain a glass fiber mat to line the panel and keep the heat in during cold

weather. Thin wall insulation, Styrofoam tiles, or bubble-wrap can also be used

in a pinch.

Next, you'll need to obtain an aluminum sheet the size of your panel. Make sure

it is completely clean, then coat it in red oxide primer. Allow to dry, and place on

top of the insulation. Attach to the base with screws.

Purchase lengths of copper pipe and 90o elbow fittings. The goal is to have the

copper pipe zig-zag across the panel at around six inch intervals, so you'll need

to calculate how much pipe and how many elbow fittings to get depending on

the size of your panel.

Drill a centered hole the size of the copper pipe you intend to use in one of the 2

X 4 sections near the upper left-hand corner of the frame, and a corresponding

hole in the lower right-hand corner of the frame.

Run the pipe through the top hole all the way to the bottom of the frame, attach

a 90o elbow fitting and approximately 6 inches of pipe, then another elbow fitting

and a length of pipe all the way to the top of the frame. Repeat the process until

the entire panel is covered with the last downward section of pipe exiting the the

panel via the bottom hole. You can secure the pipe to the base if you want, but

this generally isn't necessary.

Solder all the connections to make sure they're watertight.

Attach a garden hose to one end of the pipework, turn the water on and check

for leaks.

Paint the entire inside of the panel matt black. Make sure everything is covered,

especially the copper pipes. Give it 2 – 3 coats to ensure total coverage.

Cover the entire panel in a sheet of plexiglass. Attach it to the frame with strong

adhesive or drill holes and use small screws. If you have an exceptionally large

panel, join several sections of Plexiglas together with special fixings. Your

Plexiglas supplier can advise you about this. The goal here is to keep the panel

air and water tight so it retains heat.

Mount the panel onto your roof with “L” shaped fixings. Get heavy-duty

galvanized ones which won't rust.

You then need to plumb the panel in. How you do this depends on whether

you're using a one or two tank hot water system, or a passive air heating

system.

Pros:

Quiet

Efficient

Unobtrusive

Cons:

Not particularly suited for areas that don't get a lot of sunlight

3. Bio-diesel generator

This is probably the simplest way to generate your own electricity as the

technology and components are readily available. It's not as green as the

others; there is a waste product (exhaust gasses) but it's an off the shelf solution

you can start to use right away.

There are two ways you can use a bio-diesel generator: Directly – just plug your

appliances straight in, or indirectly – use it to charge up batteries like the

previous two systems.

You can pick up a diesel generator on eBay quite easily. Prices range from a

few hundred dollars to tens of thousands depending on how powerful a one you

get. A high wattage AC generator will be much more expensive than a low

wattage DC one, for example. A low wattage DC generator is usually fine if

you're going to combine it with one of the systems described above.

You can make your own bio-diesel at home quite simply. The main ingredient is

vegetable oil, and you can often pick this up for free. Restaurants have to pay

to have this stuff taken away once its been used, so if you can find a fast food

outlet near you and make friends with the owner, chances are you'll have a

ready supply and a win/win situation for you both.

Converting the oil into bio-diesel isn't rocket science, and anyone who didn't

flunk high school science class can do it. Take adequate precautions, though.

Some of the chemicals used in the process are both toxic and dangerous. Wear

protective clothing including an apron and gloves. It's best to perform the

conversion outside and to have a water supply handy to wash off any chemicals

that may come into contact with your skin. Follow all directions and precautions

that may be printed on chemical containers.

Firstly you must prepare the oil for conversion. If you're using waste oil from a

restaurant, you'll need to filter out any food residue (bits of french fry, chicken

batter etc.) that may still be in the oil. You may need to warm it up to room

temperature to get it to flow smoothly. A funnel lined with cheesecloth is best to

filter the oil, but you can also use a commercial coffee filter. Repeat the process

until the oil is clear and clean.

Next step is to get rid of any water that may be in the oil. Water contamination

may occur because of condensation in the container while it's sitting in the

restaurant waiting for you to collect it. Water contamination can slow down the

conversion process, and could even make your bio-diesel turn into soap!

To get rid of the water, you basically have to boil the oil. This is probably the

most dangerous part of the whole process, so take adequate precautions: Wear

protective clothing, have a foam fire extinguisher handy, and do the job outside

and away from buildings – so if the oil does catch fire, you won't burn your

house down!

Heat the oil to boiling point (212o f/ 100oc). Stir it to avoid steam pockets forming

and splashing the oil everywhere, or drain the water off the bottom if you're

using a vessel with a drain plug. When the boiling slows, raise the temperature

to 265 oF / 130 oC for 10 minutes, then allow it to cool.

For the next phase you're going to need some chemicals: Lye (either sodium

hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) – which you can get at soap maker supply

stores, and methanol – which you can get from specialist suppliers and

racetracks (you can use antifreeze, but the result may not be as good).

Dissolve the lye and methanol to form sodium methoxide. Then mix the sodium

methoxide with the oil. To ensure all the ingredients are mixed evenly and

thoroughly, a commercial blender is best for this task. The mix ratio should be 3

– 5 grams of lye and 200 milliliters of methanol for every liter of oil. The amount

of lye is going to vary slightly depending on what the base oil was used for. Do

a test batch first to get the ratio right before you attempt to do a whole tank full.

Pour the mixture into a glass bottle and leave overnight. In the morning you'll

find that a byproduct, glycerin, has formed and sunk to the bottom of your

container.

Skim the bio-diesel off. If you want, you can use the glycerin to make soap, or

you can just throw it away.

Let the bio-diesel sit in a sealed container for about a week. This is to allow any

residue or bits of glycerin that may be suspended in the fuel to settle. Filter the

bio-diesel using the same method you used for the unprocessed oil, then store it

in another sealed container until you're ready to use it in your generator.

Bio-diesel has a higher octane than regular diesel, so you may need to adjust

the generator's injection timing. See your generator's instruction manual about

how to do this.

Pros:

True recycling – turning a waste product into energy

Base fuel is easy to come by, and (in many cases) free

Generators are easy to come by

Cons:

Initial generator purchase can be expensive

Noisy

Not a constant power source as you need to turn the generator off for refueling,

maintenance, etc.

Conclusion

So which system is best? They all have their pros and cons. In an ideal world,

a combination of all three would work wonders. You could have a bank of active

solar panels with a wind turbine for cloudy days feeding to a battery bank with a

low-wattage DC generator running on bio-diesel to keep the batteries topped up

when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. Couple that with a passive

solar water heater and air heater and you can kiss your high energy bills

goodbye.

In this report I've only been able to scratch the surface of the many ways there

are to generate electricity and save money on your power bills.

In particular, there hasn't been the space to explain how to make your own

active solar panels. The process can seem a bit complicated but it isn't difficult if

you know how. It isn't as expensive as you might think, either.

This site, http://theoffgridpowerplant.com/solar/ explains the process in detail.

Warmest regards,

Steve Pearce