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Off the Grid Energy is a Green Solution For Reduced Household Costs and Energy Independence
By Colin Herbertson

Everyone knows that energy prices are going through the roof and what’s more, as a nation we have to import the lion’s share of our oil from other countries that might not necessarily have our best interests at heart. This contributes to our growing dependence on foreign nations for survival. The other aspect of this is our reliance on aging power infrastructure which is becoming increasingly prone to unexpected breakdown.

All in all, no wonder so many of us are now exploring the options of decreasing this energy dependence and looking at alternative energy sources with a more positive viewpoint. You may have heard the term ‘off the grid’. This simply means to live off the electrical grid. It is now possible to generate your own power and not only reduce your dependence on aging utility infrastructure, but say goodbye to those ever-increasing power bills.

The power generating technology which was hugely expensive not so many years ago is now well within reach of the average Joe (or Jill!). There are many professionally installed products available which can achieve this end but there is also a growing suite of DIY energy generating products which can be built and installed by anyone with basic skills and the desire to help their family survive the growing energy crisis.

Off the grid systems include:

• solar water heating using solar energy panels
• solar electricity using solar energy panels
• wind power using wind turbines or wind generators
• hydro-power using water turbines
• passive solar house design many of which are very handyman friendly
• alternative energy concepts such as magnetic energy allegedly using zero point energy

Let’s face it, we cannot live without electricity. Fact!

So how do we generate enough power at home to continue to enjoy our modern appliances? Generating electricity is a fairly simple process, the basics of which have been around for over two hundred years. You need a power source such as the sun, wind or water from which you will harness a low direct current (DC) voltage like that from a battery. This voltage is stored in large storage batteries similar to those found in your average automobile. To be used by normal household appliances, it is then converted into alternating current (AC) at normal mains voltages.

Although it sounds complicated, these systems are tried and tested and you can even do it yourself to save a lot more money. The modern solar and wind systems are low maintenance and operate automatically, without any help from you. The key to off the grid living is reducing energy waste such as turning off appliances that do not need to be on all the time, unplug appliances which are always on standby and do not leave lights on! Living off the grid can give you a new feeling of independence but like all things, do your research!

There are many alternative energy concepts now in the public domain, all you have to do is ACT NOW.

Copyright Colin Herbertson 2009

My name is Col Herbertson and I am an electronics technician working in the field of Exploration Geophysics. I am aware of the problems that the world is facing with the growing shortage of oil and energy. I believe that the solution to this problem is that we can all take small steps to become energy efficient. If you would like to find out more about renewable energy systems for your home, see here Renewable Green Energy

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