Billcashey's blog: "Earth For Energy"

When we talk about "living off the grid" in terms of energy supply, many people immediately think this requires giving up modern amenities luxuries, but with advances in modern home wind turbines and home solar power systems, this simply isn't the case.

Another stereotype is that only earth loving hippies would ever be able to go completely off the grid, but windpower and home built solar panels can be reality for everyone. Of course it is true the more modern appliances and facilities you have plugged into your power grid will require a larger investment in your windpower or home build solar panel system.

There currently has been an increasing demand from residents for more renewable energy technologies that can be used in the home, and this demand continues to grow. As a result more efficient and easy to use components have been developed to make this possible with windpower generators and home build solar panels. Living off the grid is now a reasonable and realistic goal for anyone who may be interested in saving on their energy consumption.

Using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy is a fairly simple process. By harnessing these natural energies, you will be able to feed power back into your home.

A low voltage direct current is fed converted through an inverter and made into a usable house current (AC) which can then substitute power to your home. The excess current generated from your windpower or home built solar source will be stored in battery banks where it can be used during more high demand times or times when main power sources aren't accessible.

Living off the grid with renewable energy from wind and solar power can be almost completely automated. Besides the maintenance of your batteries and checking your windpower rotors/blades, there will be virtually no special attention needed.

You will, of course, need to monitor your energy use and ensure you don't exceed the supply your wind power generator or home solar panels feed into your home power board. The key to ensuring your success living off the grid is making sure the size of your windpower or home build solar source is enough to meet your home energy needs.

When you know, living off the grid can be an exhilarating experience, especially when you're able to construct your own wind power source or building solar panel yourself. Energy freedom will bring in many monetary and financial rewards and you man never need to worry about power outages again.

When starting out it is important to undertake your research to determine the alternative energy source that will work best in your geographical location. For some windpower sources will be the better option, while other will find more success with their home solar panels in realizing the possibility of living off the grid.