With the continuing increase of energy from the energy companies, the emissions of greenhouse gasses and the reduction of fossil fuel availability the use of alternative fuels and alternative energy sources are a growing trend. This hot item can be easily pursued by any homeowner by installing their own DIY wind turbines or solar panels. Kits are available for purchase through many sources, but you can also save yourself a bundle by doing it yourself.

This "new" way of powering your home has actually been in existence for hundreds and hundreds of years. The sun itself has been the only light and fire source for many ancient civilizations. Wind power has been harnessed by using windmills since at least the ancient Persian era. When you construct DIY wind turbines you will find that you can reduce your electric bill by anywhere from 50% to 90%.

Sometimes you can produce enough energy for your home and still have some left over that you can sell back to the utility company. This way not only do you save money, but you make money too! The windier an area that you live in the more energy you will be able to produce. On those days when there is no wind you can refer to your stored energy cells and power your home from them.

When building DIY wind turbines there are several ways to go about it. If you don't have access to tools and left over parts you can put together a wind turbine from a kit. For the more adventurous and those wanting to save even more money, you can put it together from PVC piping, left over gears and aluminum sheeting among other construction items. There are five parts to a wind turbine: a generator, blades, a mount to turn the blades into the wind, a tower to attach the blades to and batteries attached to an electronic control. On the latter the batteries are used to store the energy to use on those less windy days or to sell back to the utility companies.

The generator on your DIY wind turbine should have enough power behind it to produce the energy your home requires. Do-it-yourselfers have used old computer tape drive motors and permanent magnet DC motors that produce around 12 volts from a low RPM motor. High RPMs will run too fast for your turbine to keep up with.

The airfoils, or blades, can be made from such materials as PVC piping four to six inches diameter and up to 24 inches long. You would simply quarter off the pieces of pipe and cornered to form the blade shapes. These would be hooked up onto a tooth and gear mount which would in turn be attached to the tower. Depending on where you live, you may need to reach a height of 80 feet to capture the wind you need for your energy.

You will find yourself living off grid in no time as you put together your DIY wind turbines on your property or roof. Green energy is renewable and a terrific way to become self-sufficient.