Alternative sources for energy is for sure a hot topic today and as energy prices continue to increase, it’s only getting hotter. So go ahead and look online and you’ll find a pretty much ending supply of articles and information products on the subject. However; there’s just one glaring problem.

That’s that almost without exception, they all focus on just two aspects of alternative sources for energy. Those being solar, and wind energy generation systems. How to design and build them. Where to buy them. Along with general information on them. Wind turbines, and solar panels in all their shapes, and forms.

So is that all there is to alternative sources for energy and “living green” off the grid? Simply hooking yourself up with a nice set of solar panels on your roof or a wind turbine up on a tower, and away you go? The answer to that is that for some folks is.

Now what about thinking “out of the box” though? What about challenging yourself to come up with new systems that can be put to use in your home because after all, if you stop and think about it, we really are only at the dawning age of alternative sources for energy.

What About Hydrogen Gas for Cooking and Heating Your Home?

Take hydrogen gas for instance because it really is some pretty amazing stuff. You can use it for cooking, just as you would with standard gas that you buy off the grid, and you can save it up for heating your home, or a hot water tank. Also best of all, you make it yourself out of ordinary water, and the kicker is it causes “zero pollution” when it’s burned.

Don’t forget that you can also power a generator or fuel cell with this gas too, so it’s easily converted right back to electricity that way. Still more is that because it’s only steam that comes out of the exhaust pipe there aren’t any noxious exhaust issues, so you can run a generator right in your home.

Hydrogen gas is made by splitting water molecules into their separate atoms. Water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms that are bonded with 1 oxygen atom. So when hydrogen burns, it’s (oxidized) and the only exhaust that’s emitted is steam. You read that right. It’s converted right back into to water.

Furthermore, as alternative sources for energy go, hydrogen gas is one of the easiest to make. Now because it is a flammable gas, there is definitely a number of associated safety issues that need to be addressed but none the less you can make, contain, and burn some today if you want to “see it in action” for yourself.

Simply full a glass with water, add about 4 teaspoons of ordinary table salt, and then plug two wires connected to a 9 volt battery into it. Presto! One wire will begin giving off bubbles of hydrogen gas, and the other wire will be bubbling off oxygen.

To contain them, simply fill a test tube with water, insert it into the glass of water “up-side down” over the wires and as the bubbles drift up into the tube they’ll displace the water until it’s filled with hydrogen, and oxygen gas. Bring it out, touch a match to it, and, “poof”, it burns, and returns back to water.

So hydrogen gas is one more solution to the problem of storing power created by sources of alternative energy. You see, while you may have an abundance of electricity when the sun is shining, or the wind is blowing, just as soon as night falls, and the weather changes, things change.

Put Biodiesel Fuel on Your List of Alternative Sources for Energy

It’s a fact that right now in the area where you live there is a free supply of biodiesel fuel in the form of used cooking oil sitting in a tank behind every restaurant, and fast food business. Now if you live, say in a larger city, this available supply could definitely be substantial.

The deal is though that a lot of folks are catching on to this free supply of oil that can be converted biosiesel fuel to heat homes and power vehicles, but there is a catch. That is that dealing with old used cooking oil is an incredibly grimy task, so a lot of folks try using it, and then quit.

It’s just not something that you would do on the side on a lark. Rather, it takes planning and preparation but once you’ve equipped yourself with the proper means for gathering, transporting and processing used cooking oil into usable biodiesel fuel, you’re set.

Just imagine fueling your car or truck up from your own 500 gallon private tank of carbon friendly biodiesel fuel that cost you a fraction of the price of standard filling station fuel. Also wouldn’t it be nice to heat your home without having to worry about high heating oil costs?

Step one is to start in researching what it takes to clean, purify and blend used restaurant cooking oil into usable biodiesel fuel, by doing some some small batch experiments. Once that’s done and you have thorough understanding of the process, it’s on to step two.

That’s figuring out how to get your hands on a truck or trailer that’s equipped with a large tank and pump, so you can use it to gather and haul your base used oil with. After that’s done, then you can start in processing your product in, say 30 to 50 gallon lots for storage.

Now granted, as far as alternative sources for energy go, this one is messy and by the time you’re fully equipped to process and store biodiesel fuel in large quantities, your going to be out some start up capital as well. Also don’t forget that your vehicle, and heating system also have to be converted to use it.

Just the same though, this stuff can get you off the power grid by powering a diesel generator, it can heat your home, and it can also run your vehicle. So do the math and it’s not hard to see why so many people all over the planet are rolling up their sleeves, gathering this stuff up, and processing it.

The real story about diy solar panels, is that your entire system will be made up of components that you will have to piece together to one degree or another. Now granted diy solar panels aren’t done with duct tape, and coat hanger wire but just the same, unless you buy a complete, brand new, off the shelf solar power system, you’re going to be doing some innovating.

Then there’s always the option of crafting together a solar power system made from used panels, and components that in some cases believe it or not, can be had for free. You see, over time solar panels degrade just like anything else stuck out in the elements, and they end up being discarded. So how degraded are they? As the old saying goes, “one mans trash is another mans treasure”.

Important Tips for DIY Solar Panels

• Rule number one, is to get to know the product line before you shop for anything. Also understand that just because you procure your solar power system in pieces, it’s no guarantee that you will in fact save any money in the long run. Would buying a car one part at a time be any cheaper? Of course not!

• If you’re considering buying used solar cells to fabricate your diy solar panels out of, you need to become familiar with used solar cells in general. What they look like as they degrade, and also how they function. You see, paying 25% of cost for used cells that have 25% of their life left in them is in fact “no savings” at all. You see, it’s a numbers game where the life expectancy of the product is factored against their discounted price, and you have to come out better than simply paying full price for brand new product.

Scouting Out Used Solar Power System Components

• Start learning to think out of the box with regards to how and where you can find discount, or used solar cells, and solar power system components. By now you may have already seen the tips online that suggest that you contact contractors. The problem there, is that’s a “no brainer”, and you’ll probably end up having to take a place in line with everyone else who putting together diy solar panels now. What about setting up a website? What about contacting boat repair shops? What about police auctions?? What about placing adds in local papers. Start brain-storming!!

• Chiropractors get to meet all the people in town with bad backs, so why not start up a little solar power system repair, and installation business on the side. Why you can even offer to replace degraded panels for free, if you get to keep the old ones you’re replacing. Don’t let the fact that you don’t have a contractors license stop you either because you can pick up a handyman license for around $100 tomorrow if you want to.

Be Careful Buying Used Electrical Components Online

• Beware of buying solar power system components online from sources and venues that don’t have a verifiable track record, and reputation. Remember that in the end, they are electrical components, and just like any other types of electrical components, there are always shady folks looking to unload their broken crap on unsuspecting buyers. Always remember that if the deal seems just too good to be true, as the old saying goes, it probably is.

You Can Always Get Bigger and Better

• Another thing to consider is that once complete your diy solar panels, your project is really never completed. Keep in mind that it can always get “bigger and better”, so try to start thinking long term as you plan for your solar power system, and how you are going to acquire what you need to build it. Start networking online with other like minded people who you can share information with because you, and they will both benefit from it.

Why is it that when ever our government leaders talk about solar home power they seem to always be referring to a new national grid system powered by huge public works projects, like wind farms? Are they that far behind the times, or is it that they just don’t want to let the public know the real truth about solar power homes?

The truth, is that for the vast majority of buildings across the planet there is more than enough sunlight hitting their roofs to supply them with all the solar home power they need. All it takes, is for people just like yourself to take the money that you’ve been spending on utility bills, and use it instead to install solar panels for home use to harness it.

Your Initial Steps Towards Solar Home Power

• The very first thing you need to do is to research all the government solar home financial incentives that are available in your area. Now there is a fairly hefty federal tax rebate deal in the U.S., but for the most part, most local solar home incentives tend to be rather tight fisted. (Permit fee waivers, etc.) Just the same, solar home power incentives can add up collectively to real savings that has the potential to quickly add up to thousands of dollars. Also if you live in a county like Sonoma County County, California where the politicians aren’t in the pockets of utility providers, the solar panels for home use incentives can make conversion to a solar home incredibly easy. Now get ready though because while you won’t have to slash your way through a mountain of red tape, they’re terms none the less can be a little on the complicated side. Even so, once you start reading up on what’s available, and start doing the math it will most likely have a direct impact on your solar home power plans.

More Options in Solar Panels for Home Conversion Projects

• Keep an open mind and definitely think out of the box. If you’re like most people for instance, the first item you’re going to gravitate to is standard solar panels for home use. Now this is good because the odds are that you will end up with at least one on your building. But what about solar roof tiles for instance? The fact is that they’ve gone through several advancements that have made them the new shining star of the solar panels for home use products industry. For instance there are now even curved “Spanish style” solar tiles. They’re also more cost effective now as well. Then what about a solar water heating system? For sure if you have a swimming pool, and are currently heating it with a conventional system, something like this should be way up towards the top of your list.

Used Solar Panels for Home Conversion

• What about “used” solar panels for home power conversion? You see, as more people convert to a solar home, increasingly more used panels are created. Some folks just don’t have a lot of room, so they require maximum solar home power from their panels. As soon as they pass their peak performance level, they replace them. What this means is that right now there are used solar panels for home use out there that still have 5 to 8 good years left in them that you can pick up at a discount, and in some cases even for free. After all, after a few years of service your solar home system really is made up of a bunch of used parts anyway.

Solar Power Homes on a Limited Budget

• Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you need a big budget to get started on a solar home. There are loads of “quick fit” solar power home products that you can buy, and install on smaller projects as the money comes available, and it can start with something as basic as a solar outdoor lighting kit. Or, what about a solar power attic fan and while you’re at it, what about blowing some extra insulation up there as well? Then there solar home products like sun powered ceiling fan kits with fan assemblies that cost no more than standard fans. Remember that every dollar invested in solar panels for home use, is just one more dollar you don’t hand over to a utility company.

• Go online and network with other people who have already made the solar home power conversion. You see, there’s no doubt that there will be lessons to be learned along the way. The question is though, do you want to learn them the easy way or the hard way? There are some real clever people out there who have a lot to share, and don’t forget that people have been improvising systems together for their solar power homes for decades now. Join an online solar home forum, or better, yet join a few of them. Another thing you can do while your at it, is to become more more politically active for the the “solar home power” cause. It really is pathetic how our elected officials on both the national, and local level do so little to promote real incentives for their constituents to convert to a solar home.

• Can you really build a usable homemade wind turbine for $200?
• How much power will it produce?
• What are some engineering problems you will encounter?

If your property will support a homemade wind turbine then you really need to start narrowing in your focus on making one. You see even if it’s a small unit that puts out very little actual power, the experience you will gain from making it you can put to use further down the road. Hey! The cost of gas and electricity is only going up.

Now perhaps you may have already noticed that DIY articles on how to build your own homemade wind turbine are pretty much a dime a dozen online. It seems that just about everyone wants to hold themselves out as an expert these days but I see just glaring problem and that is that they all seem to make it all look just a bit “too easy”.

For instance, the first thing you need to be aware of is that it takes a “good amount” of steady wind to power a homemade wind turbine and a good “breeze” just won’t cut it. As an example, perhaps you may have noticed that commercial wind-farms are located in high wind areas and even now offshore.

Another thing to take into consideration that the vast majority of DIY wind turbine information products fail to mention is that water can ruin your homemade wind turbine real quickly. So what this means, is that if you live in a “wet climate area”, that’s just one more thing that’s not in your favor.

Also if you’ve seen any of the articles that proclaim to show you how to build a homemade wind turbine for $200 or less, don’t believe it. For one thing good motors that will function as generators (if you want to use a motor) are getting harder to find and then there’s the problem of your propeller.

Now if you have seen any of the articles that explain how to cut propeller blades out of a hunk of plastic pipe do keep in mind that propellers made this way are highly inefficient. Consider looking online for an actual low cost wind propeller that will make full use of the wind you have available.

A good quality propeller that’s designed and built for powering a wind generator will deliver maximum performance and it’s that extra level of performance that can make the difference between a homemade wind turbine that actually makes electricity for you on low wind speed days.

At the same time keep in mind that the larger your propeller the greater the amount of stress on your support structure. Now a small propeller spinning like a “bat outa hell” is really no problem but once you move to a larger propeller, vibration, and stress do become an issue.

Perhaps you may have driven past a commercial wind farm and wondered to yourself why the huge propellers on the generators seem to be turning so slowly. Well now you know why they use gears to spin the generator at a high RPM while the larger blades spin at safe low speed.

Still yet another item to address, is the tower that your homemade wind turbine is going to be mounted on. Now if you plan on building a small light generator to simply to have some fun with then you can easily get by with the flimsy tower made from water pipe and guy-wires that you may have already seen in the DIY articles online.

Something like that will work great for powering a couple of lights or a small laptop but if you plan on building a larger scale unit to provide a usable amount of power for your home, you’ll need something different. You’ll for sure need a taller, more heavy duty tower.

There are some great information products online that deal strictly with buying, and building towers for a homemade wind turbine and the monetary figure that most of them hold out, is that 50% of your total cost will be for your tower alone. Even so this isn’t chiseled in stone.

For instance I read a fantastic article on the topic that showed pictures and explained how a group of people cut a tall pine tree to fashion a tower out of in the forest area that they were working in. A highly effective solution, using what they had at hand.

The Bottom Line on Building a Homemade Wind Turbine

• A $200 unit spinning a motor that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand is going to generate minimal power.

• Electrical components exposed to open weather in a wet climate will quickly deteriorate.

• A large well designed and balanced propeller is needed to drive a generator capable of producing a sizable quantity of power, but it must be geared down to prevent vibration problems.

• A homemade wind turbine large enough to produce a usable amount of electricity requires a tall, secure, well built tower.

When most people think of ways to store unused electricity that’s produced by solar panels, almost without exception the first thing that pops into their mind is batteries and the last thing they think of is hydrogen storage. The big downside with batteries though, is they tend to render the energy stored in them less cost effective.

Their problem is that batteries are expensive, and good batteries are even more costly. They also eventually wear out, and in the end they really do store a limited amount of power when it comes down to it. It just takes a heck of a lot of money to install a battery bank that will sustain a home.

Converting Electricity From Solar Panels to Hydrogen Storage


So then what about storing electricity in the form of hydrogen to power a hydrogen fuel cell? You see, making hydrogen gas from water using electricity is simple. In fact you can see the process in action yourself by simply inserting two wires into a glass of salt water then connecting the other ends of the wires to a 9 volt battery

Hydrogen gas can be burnt or ran though a fuel cell and it creates no pollution because it simply oxidizes right back to H2O. (Water)
Now if you think that hydrogen can only be stored as a gas, you are wrong. Hydrogen storage in gas form just presents too many problems, with the biggest one being that it’s highly explosive.

The second problem with hydrogen storage is that converting it to a liquid form is infeasible due to the extremely low temperature it must be chilled to. Also to store non liquified hydrogen gas it must be compressed upwards to 5,000 psi, and stored in heavily fortified containment vessels. 5,000 psi is a heck of a lot of pressure.

So now perhaps you already know the very latest developments in hydrogen fuel cell technology has the compressed gas contained in cylinders in vehicles. Small tanks that are about the size of a scuba diving tank, and even then a lot has gone into developing ways to protect them in the event of an accident.

So as simple, and easy as it is to convert electricity from solar panels to hydrogen gas, it really is only the problems of containing it in sufficient quantities that are holding people back from making use of this amazing crystal clean power source. However; there is a solution.

Storing Hydrogen in Chemical Form?

This solutions revolve around chemical storage technologies. That is reacting hydrogen to bond with other atoms to from solid, or liquid substances. Substances that can safely stored, and later be reversed reacted to release the hydrogen in gas form.

These options completely eliminate the need for high pressure storage vessels, and along with it so much of the risk that’s connected to converting and storing electricity from solar panels to hydrogen. Even so, producing, storing, and then reconverting virtually all of these substances does present yet another list of technological problems.

Metal hydrides are considered to be among the most sensible of these hydrogen storage solutions. Not only are they the most stable, but they contain a high amount of hydrogen by weight. However; along with high stability comes issues that revolve around getting metal hydrides to release the gas contained in them.

In short, they’re highly endothermic, and have to be cooked at temperatures up to 390º F in order for them break down into their separate components. A process that consumes some 3% of the stored energy in basically what amounts to high temperature pellet stoves.

Then there is are the problems that revolve around producing the actual pellets in a home electricity to hydrogen conversion system. You see, the only real option for the incremental introduction of metal hydrides into a sealed, high temperature furnace system is pellets.

So then there is the option of liquids such as ammonia. Ammonia is one nitrogen atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms, and is in fact relatively simple to produce. Another positive aspect of this liquid is that the only byproduct after a reversal reaction to release hydrogen, is nitrogen that can be 100% converted back to ammonia.

The process for making ammonia using hydrogen is quite simple. In short, they are both introduced into a pressurized heated reaction vessel in the presence of an iron catalyst. There’s no byproducts either, so basically hydrogen and nitrogen are introduced at one end of the system, and pure ammonia comes out at the other.

The bottom line is that batteries really are the heavy lead “ball and chain” around the neck of alternative energy systems for the home. The good news however; is that more advanced chemically based hydrogen storage systems are being developed, but practical application of them really is decades down the road.

Storing Energy From Solar Panels in the Future Future

In the not too distant future people who have solar panels on their homes will look back on battery energy storage systems as a dated, and inefficient technology of the past. Their homes will most likely have conversion systems that react, store then reverse react chemicals, using hydrogen to power fuel cells.