Examples of the use of alternative energy in the form of ready-made solutions and do-it-yourself devices

Hydrocarbon reserves on our planet will sooner or later run out. Even taking into account the introduction of various technologies to save them, the depletion of coal, oil and gas reserves is not far off. The cost of energy resources is rising and people understand that only they themselves can take care of the safety of their budget. Therefore, they pay attention to alternative energy sources. In addition, interest in alternative energy is also caused by the banal absence in some places of the “benefits of civilization” in the form of gas and electricity. It often turns out that supplying electricity or gas to some settlements is not economically justified, and residents cannot do this at their own expense. Therefore, owners of private houses do it themselves or purchase various installations for generating heat and electricity. After all, energy is contained in sunlight, wind, the bowels of the Earth, ebbs and flows. In addition, they use temperature differences, the energy of falling water and other sources of alternative energy. In this material we will talk about various interesting DIY installations in the field of alternative energy.

As you know, the surrounding nature is full of energy. Surely, everyone has heard that it is possible to quite effectively use sunlight, wind, tides and other renewable energy sources. Moreover, this energy can be used on the scale of an entire country, or it can only be used to provide energy to a private home or cottage.

Below are some examples of installations that convert alternative energy into light and heat:

• A solar panel;
• Installation for biogas production;
• Wind generator.

If you have available funds, you can purchase such installations and pay for installation. Due to the presence of stable demand for such installations, manufacturers abroad and in Russia have launched the production of similar products. But if you are limited in funds, then you can try to make such installations yourself.

Let's look at some examples.

The operating principle of all types of heat pumps is based on Carnot cycles. The installation is a refrigerator. During operation, it takes in low-potential energy as it cools. And then it converts it into thermal energy with high potential. The environment can be air, earth, water. These substances contain a certain amount of heat at any moment. The heat pump includes the following main components:

• The external circuit in which the natural coolant is located;
• Internal circuit filled with water;
• Compressor;
• Evaporator;
• Capacitor.

Like a household refrigerator, such systems use freon. The outer circuit, as a rule, is immersed in a well with water or simply in a reservoir on the surface. There are options when the outer circuit is buried in the ground. But this is expensive and not always possible.

There are ready-made heat pump solutions, and there are do-it-yourself models. How to make this device for using alternative energy with your own hands? First you need to find a compressor. If you have an old air conditioner or refrigerator, you can remove it. The power required for heating is up to 10 kW.

The heat pump collector can be installed either horizontally or vertically. The second option is used if there is not enough space. Then several wells are drilled into which the circuit is lowered. If the location is horizontal, then the collector is buried approximately 1.5 meters into the ground. A heat exchanger in water is made when the heated housing is located near the shore of a natural reservoir. The condenser will require a capacity of 120-140 liters. A copper coil is placed in it, where freon circulates.

The evaporator can be made of a plastic container of the same volume as the condenser. A copper coil is inserted into it, which is combined through the compressor with what is in the condenser.

When making a system with your own hands, the evaporator pipe is usually made from a piece of sewer pipe. Using the pipe, the flow of water is regulated. The evaporator is lowered into a body of water. When water flows around it, it starts the process of freon evaporation. That, in turn, rises up into the condenser. There it gives off thermal energy to the water in which the coil is located. This water heats the house by circulating through the heating system.

It is worth noting that the temperature of the water in the reservoir is not so important. The main thing is that she is there all the time. If the pump is designed and installed correctly, it can heat the house in winter. Even if the water temperature in the reservoir is very low. In the summer, the heat pump can act as an air conditioner to cool the room.

Solar panels

This is perhaps the most common use of alternative energy. In this case, the source of alternative energy is sunlight, and it is converted into electric current. can be viewed via the link.

Solar batteries are offered as part of ready-made solutions and you can make them yourself. If these are factory-made installations, then, as a rule, the kit includes a controller, an inverter, sometimes batteries, the necessary wires and fasteners. Although you can find many offers where solar panels are sold separately.

As for making solar panels with your own hands, for many this activity has become a real hobby. Sometimes there are even exhibitions on the use of alternative energy. On them, enthusiasts show solar panels that they made with their own hands.

To make solar panels yourself, you need to buy photocells (mono or polycrystalline) and solder them into a series circuit. The number of cells is determined by the required voltage and power output of the battery. It is impossible to make photocells with your own hands. The technology is complex and can only be implemented in a factory environment.

So what needs to be done step by step:

• Solder photocells into a series circuit;
• Attach them to a stele, polycarbonate or other material that allows sunlight to pass through. Execution varies. Photocells are located between the glasses, and the joints are insulated. Sometimes the elements are simply fixed to the glass with a protective automotive film;
• Make a housing for the battery from aluminum corners;
• Install the panel with photocells into the housing;
• Connect the panel with other elements of the solar system.

Biogas is a clean fuel produced without harming the environment. The technology for its production is based on the activity of anaerobic bacteria. Food waste is used as a raw material for biogas synthesis.

Waste, both liquid and solid, is placed in a container. This should be a sealed container equipped with a screw. It is used to mix this mass. In addition, the following must be provided:

• Entrance for loading waste;
• Output for residual waste that has not been recycled;
• Gas outlet pipe.

The tightness of the installation must be carried out especially carefully. If gas is planned to be taken from the tank periodically, then a special valve must be provided. With its help you can relieve excess pressure if necessary. When biological waste decomposes in this installation, hydrogen sulfide and methane, which contain carbon dioxide, are released.

In general, creating a plant for biogas synthesis with your own hands is not an easy task. Usually, in practice, ready-made solutions are used, but some craftsmen independently make such installations to obtain alternative energy. To do this, you need to solve several problems outlined below:

• You need to arrange a place for the container. Its volume is selected based on how much waste will be processed simultaneously. To ensure efficient operation of the installation, you need to fill it 2/3 full. The container itself can be made of metal or concrete. As for productivity, 100 m3 of gas is obtained from 1 ton of food waste;
• Organize heating. To speed up the process, the waste container must be heated. There may be several options here. For example, a coil around a container or a heating element under the container. Anaerobic bacteria become active when heated to a certain temperature. Therefore, heating is necessary;
• Automation. The heating should turn on when a new batch of waste is loaded and turn off when a certain temperature is reached;
• A gas electric generator is needed to convert the resulting biogas;
• Collection of waste raw materials should be organized. This waste can be used to fertilize garden beds.

Such installations for generating biogas are used in the USA and China in various private households and farms. The main problem here is to organize the continuous production of biogas. And this will require a constant flow of food waste or manure.

Without electricity, life in any home is almost unthinkable: electricity helps in cooking, heating the room, pumping water into it and simple lighting. But what should you do if there are no communications yet where you live, then alternative sources of electricity will come to the rescue.

In our review, we have collected several common alternative sources of electricity in everyday life, which are widely used both in Russia and in European countries and on the American continent. In many ways, they are, of course, more expensive and more difficult to operate than the central power grid; however, the financial investment will be fully justified by high-quality and reliable service, as well as the creation of a favorable environmental environment.

Electric generators

The most popular alternative energy source in Russia, which is most in demand in private country houses. Depending on the type of fuel used, electric generators are diesel, gasoline and gas.

Diesel generators have many advantages, including efficiency, reliability and a low risk of fire. If you use a diesel generator regularly, it is much more profitable than models running on gas or gasoline. The fuel consumption of diesel equipment is not high, the price of diesel is also kept at a low level, and it will not require expensive repairs.

The disadvantages of a diesel generator are the large amount of gases released during operation, noise and the high cost of the device itself. The price of “average” equipment with an output power of about 5 kW is on average about 23,000 rubles; however, in one summer of work it completely pays for itself.

Gasoline generator ideal as a backup or seasonal power source. Compared to diesel generators, gasoline generators are small in size, make little noise during operation, and are lower in cost - the average price of a 5 kW gasoline generator ranges from 14 to 17 thousand rubles. The disadvantage of a gasoline generator is its high fuel consumption, and the high level of carbon dioxide emitted will require you to place the electric generator in a separate room.

Gas generators- perhaps the most “profitable” models for use in everyday life, which have proven themselves excellent from all sides: they can run on both natural gas and liquefied fuel in cylinders. The noise level of this device is very low, and the durability is the highest; at the same time, prices lie in a moderate range: for a “home” device with a power of about 5 kW you will have to pay about 18 thousand rubles.

Life under the sun

Every year another alternative source of electricity is becoming more and more popular - solar energy. It can be used not only to generate electrical energy, but also to provide autonomous heating. Solar panels of various sizes, which have a battery and an inverter, are installed on the roof, and sometimes on the walls; some time ago we wrote about innovative technology - tiles with built-in photocells (). Here are the benefits that solar panels provide:

• Use of renewable energy source;
• Absolutely silent operation;
• Environmental safety, absence of any emissions into the atmosphere;
• Simple installation, possibility of self-installation.

You can especially often find solar panels in the European and Russian south, where the number of sunny days in both winter and summer exceeds the number of cloudy ones. But there are some nuances that also need to be remembered:

Even in the sunniest weather conditions, the total power of all installed photocells is unlikely to exceed 5-7 kW per hour. Therefore, if we take into account at least a rough estimate that heating a house requires energy at the rate of 1 kW per 10 square meters, we get that only a small country house can live on a completely “solar” power supply; two- or three-story houses will still require additional energy sources, especially if the consumption of water and light is also high.

But even if the house is small, then at least 10 square meters of land will have to be allocated for the installation of equipment, so on a standard six hundred square meters with a vegetable garden and garden, this seems unlikely.

And, of course, there are quite “natural” difficulties - this is the dependence on daily and seasonal fluctuations in solar radiation: no one guarantees us sunny weather even in summer. And one more point: although the photocells themselves do not emit toxic substances during operation, their disposal is not so simple; you need to take them to special collection points - just like used batteries.

The cost of a finished station starts from 100 thousand rubles, which also does not suit everyone. However, solar energy can be used in a “cheaper” way: install a collector on the site to heat water - it will capture heat during the daytime, even on cloudy and rainy days. In principle, the heating manifold completely satisfies the daily need for hot water, and its price starts from 30,000 rubles. But this type of equipment does not generate electricity and is able to function only in the southern regions, where solar activity is quite high.

With the wind!

Installations for converting wind energy into electricity are no longer a fantastic technological future - just look at the fields in Germany and Holland to be convinced of the ubiquity of wind turbines.

A little school physics: the kinetic energy of the wind is converted into mechanical energy of rotation of the turbine, and the inverter, in turn, generates alternating current. It is necessary to remember this: the minimum wind speed at which electricity will be generated from the flywheel is 2 m/s, and it is optimal if the wind speed is in the region of 5–8 m/s; This is why wind generators are especially popular in the northwestern regions of Europe, where the average annual wind speed is very high. By type of construction, wind generators are divided into horizontal and vertical: this depends on the mounting of the rotor.

The horizontal design of the generator is good for its high efficiency; a small amount of materials will be used during installation. But you will have to face some difficulties: a high mast will be required for installation, and the generator itself has a complex mechanical part, and repairs can be very difficult.

Vertical generators can operate over a wider range of wind speeds; but at the same time, their installation is much more complicated, and additional fixation will be required to mount the motor.

To smooth out the difference between the windy season and the calm season and to supply the house with electric current uninterruptedly, the wind station is usually equipped with a storage battery. Another alternative to installing a battery to a wind farm would be a water storage tank, which is used for both heating and hot water supply. In this case, you will be able to save a little on the purchase - however, the cost of the wind generator will still remain high: about 300 thousand rubles, without a battery - about 250 thousand.

Another nuance that should be taken into account when setting up a wind farm is the need to create a foundation for the equipment. The foundation must be strengthened with special care if in your area the wind speed periodically exceeds 10 -15 meters per second. And in winter, it will be necessary to ensure that the wind turbine blades do not ice up, this greatly reduces the efficiency. In addition, vibrations and noise from the operation of a wind turbine are the reason why it is advisable to place the station at least 15 meters from a residential building.

Live benefit

Biofuels are now being talked about as an “ecological technology of the future” everywhere. A lot of controversy and conflicting reviews have flared up around it: it is attractive as a fuel for cars because it has an attractive price, but many drivers suspect the negative impact of the biomaterial on the engine and power. Let's leave aside automobile problems: after all, biofuel can be used not only as fuel for vehicles, but also as a source of electric current: it can replace gas, gasoline and diesel when refueling equipment.

Biofuel is produced by processing plant residues - stems and seeds. To produce biological diesel, fats from the seeds of oil crops are used, and gasoline is produced by fermentation of corn, sugar cane, beets and other plants. Algae are recognized as the most optimal source of biological energy, since they are unpretentious in cultivation and are easily converted into biomass with oily properties similar to oil.

This technology also produces biological gas, which is collected during the fermentation of organic waste from the food industry and livestock farming: 95% of it consists of methane. Environmental technologies make it possible to collect natural gas in...landfills! 1 ton of useless garbage produces up to 500 cubic meters of useful gas, which is then converted into cellulosic ethanol.

If we talk about the domestic use of biofuel to generate electrical energy, then for this purpose you need to purchase an individual biogas installation that will produce natural gas from waste. It is clear that this option is only feasible in a country house that has its own biological waste dump on the street.

A standard installation will give you from 3 to 12 cubic meters of gas per day; the resulting gas can then be used to heat the house and refuel various equipment, including the gas power generator, which we wrote about above. Unfortunately, biogas plants are not yet available everywhere: you will have to pay at least 250,000 rubles for one.

Tame the flow

If you have your own running water (a section of a stream or river), then building an individual hydroelectric power station would be a good solution. In terms of installation, this type of energy generator is one of the most complex, but its efficiency is significantly higher than that of all the above-described sources - wind, solar, and biological. Hydroelectric power stations can be dammed or damless; the second option is more common and accessible - you can often find the synonymous name “flow station”. Based on their design, stations are divided into several types:

The most optimal and common option, which is suitable for making it yourself, is a station with a propeller or wheel; You can find a lot of instructions and useful tips on the Internet.

The most difficult and inconvenient solution would be a garland installation: it has low productivity, is quite dangerous for people around, and installation of the station will require the consumption of a large amount of materials and a lot of time. In this regard, the Daria rotor is more convenient, since the axis is located vertically, and it can be installed above the water. At the same time, it will be difficult to mount such a station, and the rotor must be manually untwisted when starting.

If you purchase a ready-made mini-hydroelectric power station, its average cost will be about 200 thousand rubles; Self-assembly of components will save up to 30% of the cost, but will require a lot of time and effort. Which of these is better is up to you to decide.

The hydrocarbon reserves on our planet are not endless, so alternative energy that runs on renewable energy sources is rapidly gaining popularity. The houses are equipped with solar panels and wind turbines. The share of energy generated by solar and wind power plants is growing. In 2010 it was equal to 5%. This makes you think about building a small power plant at home.

How to choose an energy source

There are many options for obtaining alternative electricity, popular and not so popular. Some of them are not suitable for our latitudes, and some are dangerous.

A heat pump, which pumps heat from the soil into the house using the principle of a refrigerator, is suitable only for residents of geothermal areas. An attempt to build it on your own plot will cost a resident of the Moscow region the top layer of soil frozen to a depth of two meters. Freezing will damage the root system of trees and shrubs, which will subsequently become sick or die.

Biogas is suitable for production at large enterprises where there are no problems with fuel for bioreactors. In private farming, there is little benefit from biogas; the average subsidiary farm will not be able to produce the required amount of fuel. It will have to be imported, which will lead to constant delivery costs. Do not forget that the production of biogas is explosive and requires control over the equipment, which is difficult to implement at home.

There are more suitable alternative energy sources for a private home. These include:

• Solar energy.
• Wind energy.
• Energy of water flow.
• Wood gas obtained from the thermal decomposition of wood without access to air.

Unlike biogas, they are suitable for use in private homes and are safe when used correctly.

But not everyone has a stream on their property or access to large amounts of wood, so it makes more sense to consider renewable energy sources, which are available everywhere. These include sunlight and wind.

There are ready-made DIY solutions for converting alternative energy. They allow you to convert it into electricity as efficiently as possible and are suitable for implementation in a private home.

Solar power plant

Backup power supplies based on solar panels are well suited for those places where there are constant power outages. Due to their high cost, their use is impractical where there are no problems with electricity. A solar power plant installed to save money will pay for itself only after 8-10 years. During this time, lead batteries will become unusable, and replacing them will entail additional costs. The funds spent on replacing batteries will increase the cost of the power plant and push back the payback period by another 3-5 years.

Required Components and Assembly

A solar panel is assembled from photovoltaic cells, which vary in shape and size.

Solar cells are grown from silicon and are divided into two types: monocrystalline (mono-Si) and polycrystalline (poly-Si).

Monocrystalline elements have 20% efficiency and a service life of up to 30 years. For their normal operation, sunlight hitting the batteries at right angles is necessary. With scattered light, the power of such elements is reduced by three times, and even the slightest shading of one element takes the entire chain out of the generation mode.

Therefore, SES (solar power plants) built on mono-Si elements need systems that monitor the position of the sun and rotate the panels after it. The panels must not be allowed to become dirty; for this purpose they are equipped with an automatic cleaning system. At small solar power plants, solar panels are washed by hand.

Power plants based on mono-Si panels are suitable for regions with a large number of sunny days a year. In cloudy weather their effectiveness is close to zero.

Polycrystalline elements have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include low cost and efficient operation in diffused light.

They have more disadvantages:

• Lower efficiency - 12%.
• Shorter service life - up to 25 years.
• Increased degradation at temperatures above 55 °C.

Solar poly-Si batteries are installed in areas with a predominance of cloudy days. The ability to transform scattered light allows them to be mounted without auto-rotation systems. In addition, they do not need to be washed frequently. Due to their low cost and unpretentiousness, polycrystalline solar cells are widely used in homemade solar power plants.

It’s best to start assembling your own solar power plant by selecting components. Its power will directly depend on them. To make a classic SES you will need:

1. Photovoltaic cells.
2. Bus for connecting elements.
3. A sheet of glass or clear plastic.
4. Aluminum profile.
5. Epoxy resin with hardener.
6. Wires with a cross section of 4 mm².
7. Wall shield.
8. Solar battery controller.
9. Inverter 12−220 V.
10. Circuit breakers.
11. Terminal blocks for fuses.
12. Schottky diodes.
13. Lead-acid battery with a capacity of at least 150 Ah.
14. Battery terminals.

SES components connection diagram:

You need to start by assembling the solar panel. Cut pieces 7 cm long from the bus and solder them to the negative contacts of the photocell located on the front side. Repeat this step with each photocell.

The resulting “semi-finished products” must be connected in series, soldering the negative terminal of one element to the positive terminal of the next. The number of photocells in the circuit (module) must be such that a voltage of 14.5 V appears at its terminals. When using half-volt cells, 29 of them will be needed. To prevent reverse current from occurring when one element in the circuit is darkened, it is necessary to solder a Schottky diode into the gap of the negative bus of each photocell.

You can make a solar battery from one module, but its power will be minimal. Therefore, solar panels are assembled from several parallel-connected modules.

Degrease the glass and carefully glue the assembled modules to it. Use epoxy resin as glue; when it hardens, it does not become cloudy and does not prevent light from reaching the photocells. Do not use other glues, even if they seem good.

After the epoxy has set, install the glass into an aluminum profile frame, pre-drilling a hole in it for the wires. Solder the terminals of the modules to the wires and push them out. To seal it, fill the entire structure with epoxy.

The cured epoxy resin will glue the glass to the frame and protect the photocells from moisture and dust.

Features of installation at home

The assembled solar panel can be installed on the roof, but the best option would be to install it on the south wall of the house. The panel installed on it will be exposed to sunlight almost all daylight hours.

Hang the shield on the wall and secure the controller, inverter and terminal blocks with fuses inserted into the shield. Place the wires into the panel and connect them according to the diagram. Remember that when charging the battery releases toxic gases, so it must be placed in a well-ventilated area.

When powering indoor lighting from an inverter, part of the energy is lost during conversion. To avoid wasting reserves from an autonomous energy source, install a lighting system at home that runs on 12 volts.

Solar collectors for heating

When talking about solar power plants that convert light into electricity, we cannot fail to mention another type of solar panels.

Solar collectors are used in heating and hot water supply systems and are:

• Airborne.
• Tubular.
• Vacuum.
• Flat.

Inside the air collectors there are plates coated with a light-absorbing composition. They are heated by the sun and give off heat to the air circulating through the collector, which is used to heat the home.

To increase the working surface area in air collectors, corrugated plates are used.

The body of the tubular collectors contains glass tubes, painted inside with black paint. Sunlight hitting the paint heats it up. The heat is then transferred to the water running through the tubes.

Vacuum manifolds are a type of tubular manifold. In it, colored tubes are inserted into transparent ones with a large diameter. Between them there is a vacuum, which reduces heat loss from the inner tube.

The simplest and cheapest of all are flat-plate collectors. They consist of a plate under which there are tubes with circulating water, covered at the bottom with a layer of heat-insulating material. The efficiency of flat-plate collectors is the lowest.

Connection diagram to the water supply system:

The air from the collector enters the house directly, and the water first enters the boilers, where it is heated by heating elements to the desired temperature. Hot water is supplied from the boiler to the kitchen and bathroom, and it is also used for heating.

How to make a wind generator

Solar power plants do not work at night or in cloudy weather, and electricity is always required. Therefore, when designing alternative energy for your home with your own hands, you need to provide it with a generator that does not depend on the sun.

A wind generator is ideal for use as a second source of energy. It can even be assembled from used spare parts, which will significantly save your money.

List of what you will need to assemble a windmill:

1. Generator with magnetic excitation from a truck or tractor.
2. Pipe with an outer diameter of 60 mm and a length of 7 meters.
3. One and a half meters of pipe with an internal diameter of 60 mm.
4. Steel rope.
5. Staples and pegs for fastening the cable.
6. Wires, cross section 4 mm².
7. Boost gearbox 1 to 50.
8. PVC pipe, diameter 200 mm.
9. Circular saw blade.
10. Two EC-5 connectors.
11. A piece of steel sheet, 1 mm thick.
12. Aluminum sheet, 0.5 mm thick.
13. Bearing for the inner diameter of the mast.
14. Coupling for connecting the shafts of the generator and gearbox.
15. Pipe for the inner diameter of the bearing, length - 60 cm.

All these materials are sold in construction and auto stores. New gearboxes with a generator are expensive, so it’s better to buy them at a flea market.

Making a wind wheel for home

The main element of any windmill is the blades, so they need to be made first.

To determine the sizes, use the table.

The wind wheel should ideally have the same power as the generator, but due to the excessively large size of the resulting wheel, this is not always possible. Therefore, most often the power of the blades is much lower than that of the generator. There's nothing wrong with that.

Cut the PVC pipe into lengths equal to the length of the blades. Saw them in half along the longitudinal axis. Redraw the markings on the pipe halves and cut out the blades along it. Saw off triangles from the blanks. Cut out the mountings for the blades from a steel sheet and drill holes in them. Take a circular saw blade, drill holes in it and bolt the blades to the blade.

Assembly, installation and connection

Dig a hole and concrete a pipe with an internal diameter of 60 mm in it. Take a seven-meter pipe and, stepping back 1 meter from the edge, install brackets on it. Weld a bearing into the same edge of the pipe using argon welding.

Bend a frame from a steel sheet and weld a pipe to it from below that fits into the bearing. Attach the gearbox and generator to the frame by connecting their shafts. Install 2 stoppers in the form of pins at the bottom of the frame and at the top of the mast. They will not allow the frame to rotate more than 360 degrees. Make a weather vane from an aluminum sheet and attach it to the back of the frame. Drill a hole at the base of the mast for the wire.

Connect the wire to the generator and pull it through the frame and mast. Place the wind wheel on the gearbox shaft and secure it to it. Insert the frame into the bearing and rotate it. It should rotate easily.

The assembled windmill looks something like this:

1. Blades.
2. Circular disc.
3. Gearbox.
4. Coupling.
5. Generator.
6. Vane.
7. Weather vane mount.
8. Bearing.
9. Limiters.
10. Mast.
11. The wire.

Drive pegs into the ground so that the distance from the mast to each of them is the same. Tie the cables to the brackets on the mast. To install the mast, you need to call a truck crane. Do not try to install the wind generator yourself! At best, you will break the windmill, at worst, you will suffer yourself. After lifting the mast with a truck crane, point its base into the previously concreted pipe and wait until the crane lowers it into the pipe.

The rope must be tied to the peg in a taut state. Moreover, all the cables must be tied so that the mast stands strictly vertically, without distortions.

The wind generator must be connected to the charger via the EC-5 connector. The charging itself is installed in the panel with the SES equipment and is connected directly to the battery.

To avoid losing your home appliances, always unplug your windmill from the charger during a thunderstorm.

The assembly of the power plant is completed. Now you will not be left without electricity, even if your lights are turned off for a long time. In this case, you will not have to spend money on fuel for the generator and time for its delivery. Everything will work automatically and will not require your intervention.

The issue of electricity production has not lost its relevance over the years. It seemed to scientists that with the advent of nuclear power plants, humanity would receive an unlimited amount of energy and would never ask this question again. But everything turned out to be somewhat different - the reserves of uranium U 235 necessary for nuclear power plants are not endless, and now in many countries, even in the USA, there is a shortage of it. There are methods of obtaining other necessary fuel, for example, plutonium P 239, by artificial methods, but this is far from sufficient. It comes to the point that it is necessary to use previously created nuclear weapons to extract the embedded nuclear charge from them for use at stations.

To solve the energy issue completely, many developers turned their attention to alternative sources of electricity.

These traditionally include the following:

• solar panels;
• wind generators;
• the warmth of the earth;
• biogas generator;
• the power of the tides, some others.

Let's look at the use of these alternative sources of electricity in more detail.

Through the sun's rays, approximately 1000 kW of power is transferred to the Earth annually, which is equal to the energy released when 100 liters of diesel fuel is burned. This is quite a large number, and its development occupies the minds of many modern researchers. The best option today for using solar radiation is solar panels, often combined in groups of several dozen into large blocks, the so-called panels. The operating principle of such products is simple - photons from the rays of the sun, passing through the batteries, create a potential difference on the semiconductor material, which causes the movement of current in the electrical circuit.

A typical battery of this type, having a surface area of ​​60–80 cm2, in good sunny weather can produce a current of about 1 A, which is enough to charge a mobile phone, listen to the radio and other simple tasks. If you build a large panel of 40–50 such elements, you can obtain, respectively, an energy source of 40–50 A current and 20–25 V voltage. This power will be enough for more serious tasks: lighting a room, charging a car battery. To cover the electricity needs of a private home, the entire surface of its roof is covered with such solar panels.

Solar alternative power generation is a good option for generating electricity, but the method has several disadvantages, the main ones being the high cost of organizing your own power plant, as well as complete dependence on weather conditions: in case of cloudy weather, the generated power will be very small.

Wind generators

Wind turbines are widely used in many developed countries of the world: Holland, Denmark, Japan, the USA and others. Their use is especially effective in mountainous areas or on sea coasts, where strong winds constantly rage. The power of a modern power plant from wind generators is enough to cover the needs of large agricultural facilities remote from civilization, or the infrastructure of small cities.

The design of a wind turbine is as follows: it contains blades of a certain shape, which are rigidly connected to the rotor of an electric generator installed inside. When the blades move, the rotor rotates and the generator produces electricity. The larger the blades, the more rotation they create, the stronger and the more often the wind occurs in a given area, the more electrical energy the electric generator will produce. It is calculated that the minimum wind speed at which a wind generator can operate is about 2 m/s. If the constant wind speed is more than 8–10 m/s, then the generated electricity will be enough to power the power grid of a private home.

The disadvantage of this method is that the battery included in the system breaks down quite quickly (due to too frequent charge-discharge cycles), and its cost is a significant part of the entire wind installation. The wind can damage structural parts, which will require regular repairs.

More and more often you can see people equipping windmills for their homes. Despite some difficulties, they are able to work with goals and bring many benefits to the owner.

Geothermal springs

Deepening into the bowels of the Earth showed: under the surface layers there is a high temperature. This can be seen in such phenomena as, for example, geysers - fountains of hot water gushing from underground. The heat of the earth also belongs to alternative energy sources - it is very convenient to use it using a heat pump. True, it is worth noting that the operation of the pump also requires the supply of a certain amount of current, but, as practice shows, the ratio of the power expended on the pump in relation to the power received from the heat of the bowels of the earth is approximately 1:4–1:6, which completely covers the costs and makes this method very profitable.

The principle of implementing this method is also quite simple - a well is drilled in the ground to the high-temperature zone, where a heat pump is then installed. It serves to cool hot underground water, and as a result, additional energy is released, which is sent to the consumer through special communications.

The benefits of using this method of generating electricity are obvious, but there is also a significant disadvantage - for a house with an area of ​​150 m2 you will have to spend about 20-30 thousand dollars on the necessary work and equipment.

Biogas plants

The use of biomass has gained considerable popularity in recent years. Its essence is that from various biomass (stillage, bird droppings, manure and other similar substances) during fermentation a special gas called cellulosic ethanol is released. Here, alternative electricity can be obtained by simply burning the gas thus obtained.

To realize this idea, scientists have developed special biogas plants, which are now sold at fairly affordable prices. It is most beneficial to use them on various farms, where biological waste is an integral part of the production cycle. Having spent once on a biogas structure, a farmer can get an excellent source of gas close to natural, which can ultimately be easily converted into both heat and electricity.

Another interesting alternative energy source that is widely used in maritime countries. Thanks to the natural ebb and flow of the tides, the water is constantly moving. If you install water turbines at a certain depth, then, using this movement of water masses, they will generate quite considerable power. It is noteworthy that even taking into account the low speed of water from the ebb and flow of tides, water turbines can show high operating efficiency. This can be seen in the world's largest tidal power plant, located in France and capable of producing as much as 240 MW of power.

As a conclusion, it is worth saying that these are not all possible ways to obtain current. They are constantly being improved and developed, but the greatest practical results have been achieved using these methods. They are already able to provide a worthy alternative to traditional options for generating electricity, and in some cases completely replace them.

Electricity bills are an inevitable expense for any modern person. Centralized power supply is constantly becoming more expensive, but electricity consumption is still growing every year. This problem is especially acute for miners, because, as you know, cryptocurrency mining consumes a significant amount of electricity, and therefore the bills for its payment may exceed the profit from. Under such conditions, it is worth paying attention to the fact that almost all natural resources can be used to convert into electricity. Even in the air there is static electricity, all that remains is to find ways to use it.

Where can I get free electricity?

You can get electricity from anything. The only condition: a conductor and a potential difference are required. Scientists and practitioners are constantly looking for new alternative sources of electricity and energy that will be free. It should be clarified that free means no payment for centralized energy supply, but the equipment itself and its installation still costs money. True, such investments more than pay off later.

Currently, free electricity is obtained from three alternative sources:

Method of generating electricity	Features of energy generation
Solar energy	Requires installation of solar panels or a glass tube collector. In the first case, electricity will be generated due to the constant movement of electrons under the influence of sunlight inside the battery, in the second, electricity will be converted from heat from heating.
Wind energy	When there is wind, the windmill blades will begin to actively rotate, generating electricity, which can be immediately supplied to the battery or network.
Geothermal energy	The method consists of obtaining heat from deep in the soil and its subsequent processing into electricity. To do this, a well is drilled and a probe with a coolant is installed, which will take away part of the constant heat existing deep in the earth.

Such methods are used both by ordinary consumers and on a large scale. For example, huge geothermal plants have been installed in Iceland and produce hundreds of MW.

How to make free electricity at home?

Free electricity in the apartment must be powerful and constant, so to fully ensure consumption, a powerful installation will be required. The first step is to determine the most suitable method. So, for sunny regions, installation is recommended. If solar energy is not enough then wind or geothermal power plants should be used. The latter method is especially suitable for regions located in relative proximity to volcanic zones.

Having decided on the method of obtaining energy, you should also take care of the safety and security of electrical appliances. To do this, the home power plant must be connected to the network through an inverter and voltage stabilizer to ensure the supply of current without sudden surges. It is also worth considering that alternative sources are quite capricious in terms of weather conditions. In the absence of appropriate climatic conditions, electricity generation will stop or be insufficient. Therefore, you should also acquire powerful batteries for storage in case of lack of production.

Ready-made installations of alternative power plants are widely available on the market. True, their cost is quite high, but on average they all pay off in 2 to 5 years. You can save money by purchasing not a ready-made installation, but its components, and then independently design and connect the power plant.

How to get free electricity at your dacha?

Connecting to a centralized energy supply system is a problematic process and often dachas remain without electricity for a long time. This is where installing a diesel generator or alternative mining methods can come to the rescue.

Dachas often lack a huge number of electrical appliances. Accordingly, energy consumption is significantly less. First you need to determine the predominant period of time that will be spent indoors. So, for summer summer residents, solar collectors and batteries are suitable, for the rest, wind methods.

You can also power individual electrical appliances or illuminate a room by collecting electricity from grounding. Scheme for obtaining free electricity: zero - load - ground. Voltage inside the house is supplied through the phase and neutral conductors. By including the third load conductor to zero in this circuit, from 12W to 15W will be directed into it, which will not be recorded by metering devices. For such a circuit, it is imperative to take care of reliable grounding. Zero and ground do not pose a risk of electric shock.

Free electricity from the ground

The earth is a favorable environment for generating electricity. There are three environments in the soil:

• humidity - drops of water;
• hardness - minerals;
• gaseousness - air between minerals and water.

In addition, electrical processes constantly take place in the soil, since its main humus complex is a system in which a negative charge is formed on the outer shell, and a positive charge on the inner shell, which entails the constant attraction of positively charged electrons to negative ones.

The method is similar to that used in conventional batteries. To generate electricity from the ground, two electrodes should be immersed in the ground to a depth of half a meter. One is copper, the second is made of galvanized iron. The distance between the electrodes should be approximately 25 cm. The soil between the conductors is filled with saline solution, and wires are connected to the conductors, one will have a positive charge, the other will have a negative charge.

In practical conditions, the output power of such an installation will be approximately 3W. The charge power also depends on the composition of the soil. Of course, such power is not enough to provide energy supply in a private home, but the installation can be strengthened by changing the size of the electrodes or connecting the required number in series. After conducting the first experiment, you can roughly calculate how many such installations are needed to provide 1 kW, and then calculate the required amount based on average consumption per day.

How to get free electricity from thin air?

Nikola Tesla was the first to talk about generating electricity from thin air. The scientist's experiments have proven that between the base and the raised metal plate there is static electricity that can accumulate. In addition, the air in the modern world is constantly subject to additional ionization due to the functioning of many electrical networks.

The soil can serve as the basis for a mechanism for extracting electricity from the air. A metal plate is placed on the conductor. It should be placed above other nearby objects. The outputs from the conductor are connected to a battery in which static electricity will accumulate.

Free electricity from power lines

Power lines carry enormous amounts of electricity through their wires. An electromagnetic field is created around the wire carrying current. Thus, if you place a cable under a power line, an electric current is generated at its ends, the exact power of which can be calculated by knowing how much power the current is transmitted through the cable.

Another way is to create a transformer near power lines. A transformer can be created using copper wire and rod using the primary and secondary winding method. The current output power in this case depends on the volume and power of the transformer.

It is worth considering that such a system for obtaining free electricity is illegal, although there is no actual illegal connection to the network. The fact is that such wedging into the power supply system damages its power and can be punishable by fines.

Free electricity from surge protector

Many seekers of free electricity have probably found versions on the Internet that an extension cord can become a source of endless free energy, forming a closed circuit. To do this, you should take a surge protector with a wire length of at least three meters. Fold the cable into a coil with a diameter of no more than 30 cm, connect it to the socket of the electrical consumer, isolate all free holes, leaving only one more socket for the plug of the extension cord itself.

Next, the surge protector must be given an initial charge. The easiest way to do this is by connecting an extension cord to a functioning network, and then shorting it out in a split second. Free electricity from an extension cord will be fine to power lighting fixtures, but the amount of free energy in such a network is too low for anything more. But the method itself is quite controversial.

Free electricity from magnets

A magnet emits a magnetic field and, as a result, it can be used to generate free electricity. To do this, you should wrap a magnet with copper wire, forming a small transformer, which, by placing it near the electromagnetic field, you can receive free energy. The power of electricity in this case depends on the size of the magnet, the number of windings and the power of the electromagnetic field.

How to use free electricity?

When deciding to replace centralized energy supply with alternative sources, you should take into account all the necessary safety measures. To avoid sudden voltage changes, electric current to devices must be supplied through voltage stabilizers. You should definitely pay attention to the dangers of each method. Thus, immersing electrodes in the soil implies subsequent flooding of the soil with a saline solution, which will make it unsuitable for further plant growth, and systems that accumulate static electricity from the air can attract lightning.

Electricity is not only useful, but also dangerous. Incorrect phasing can lead to electric shocks, and a short circuit in the network can lead to fires. Providing electricity to your home at home requires a detailed study of the methods and laws of physics.

It should also be taken into account that most methods do not provide stable power and depend on many factors, including weather conditions, which are impossible to predict. Therefore, it is recommended to either store energy in batteries, and have a backup power supply just in case.

Forecast for the future

Already now, alternative energy sources are widely used. The lion's share of electricity consumption comes from household electrical appliances and lighting. By replacing their power supply from centralized to alternative, you can significantly save your budget. Miners should pay special attention to alternative sources of power supply, since mining with a centralized power supply can take up to 50% of the profit, while mining with free power will generate net income.

More and more homes are being powered by solar panels or wind power. Such methods provide much less power, but are environmentally friendly sources of energy that do not harm the environment. Industrial alternative power plants are also being constructed.

In the future, this area will only be supplemented with new methods and improved analogues.

Conclusion

It is possible to extract electricity even from thin air, but to cover all consumption needs it is necessary to design an entire system of alternative electricity generation. You can take the easy route and buy ready-made solar panels or wind power plants, or you can put in the effort and assemble your own power plant. Nowadays, free electricity is not a fully explored area and opens up a lot of opportunities for independent experiments.

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