Generating green energy

Generating green energy

Nowadays it has become easier for people to generate their own alternative energy. Not
to mention that traditional forms of energy might run out, such as coal or fuel. That is
why scientists try to come up with new and better ways to generate energy. Tesla
Battery Powerwall, for example, charges using electricity generated from solar panels.
However, the price is a bit high and there are still changes to be made in order to be
used on a daily basis. The pros are stable energy price, low greenhouse gas emissions,
reliability and continual source of energy.

Generating your own electricity can be suitable depending on your location and
situation, and there are a number of small scale technologies available:

Micro-hydro systems

Solar PV systems

Small wind turbines

The alternatives that you can use are grid connected system, stand-alone power
systems and generation technologies.

In the case of Powerwall, you need a battery, but if you use a grid connected system you
dont need it. The electricity grid acts as a battery but it isnt a free service. You will buy
electricity from the grid at retail prices, but generally get less than retail for excess
electricity you sell back into the grid. However, it is the electricity retailer that decides the
amount of electricity that you sell back, as well as the price for the buy back. Another
downside is that a stand-alone power system can cost as much $25,000 per kilometre.
The alternative to this is a stand-alone power system. This type of system uses a
combination of renewable generation sources, a battery bank, smart controller/inverter
and often some kind of back-up like a diesel generator. Solar PV, micro hydro and small
wind turbine are technologies that you can use .

Micro-hydro systems for houses and buildings are less than 5kW, and in many cases
less than 1kW. Small-scale hydro is best suited to rural areas on streams or waterways
that flow all year round. The more vertical distance you have between the the
source where you take the water and the turbine is locatation of the turbine, the more
electricity you can generate.
Solar PV systems convert solar energy to electricity. Arrays of solar PV (PhotoVoltaic)
panels can be sized to suit the space available, for example on the rooftop. Domestic
PV systems tend to be in the 1 to 3 kW range, with each kW covering an area of roughly
eight square meters.
In order to make such a design you can either use a specialised software that allows
you to perform the entire process from the preliminary assessment of producibility to the
realization of the project documentation or you can buy Teslas battery, Powerwall. A
third option would be to make a diy project. You can make it by following the Tesla
Battery example, but instead of using the Powerwall you can use a 12 V sealed Leadacid battery.
Array Specs:

3 x 45 Watt solar panels

Morningstar Sunsaver Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT)

12 V sealed Lead-acid battery

12 V cigarette lighter

12 V load (little light or an old computer fan)

You can do this in four steps:

1. Assembling the pieces the cells will be attached to a non-conductive material.
2. Connecting the cells solder the cells but remeber to leave an inch between them by
using bus wire.
3. Wiring your panel first connect the final bus wire to a diode, then connect the wires,
and last step connect your panel to a charge controller
4. Mounting your panels you can mount the pannel on various places. If you insert the
pannel into a box and place pexiglass on top, you can even mount it on a cart.
Tip: work safely and ask the assistance of a specialist for safety concerns.
Small wind turbines are suitable if you are in a location with consistent, strong wind.
Otherwise, you might not get the amount of energy that you need.
Using green energy is not just a trend but it is a responsible way to limitate the pollution
and to help mainain a clean environment. It is our responsability to educate our children
and grand children to protect and respect the nature, and to build a future that is safe.