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We live in an age marked by a heightened awareness of environmental issues. Everywhere, there is a conscious effort to switch to alternative modes of power generation that do not pollute the environment, are sustainable and do not rely on the consumption of our already dwindling reserves of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. Wind power, a popular alternative energy, dates back to the time of the early settlers who used the power of the wind for crushing grains with the help of gigantic windmills having ’sails’ measuring 10 to 20 feet. However, it was not until 1979 when Danish engineers developed petite electricity generators fitted with light PVC blades capable of producing electricity that wind power became practically feasible. Those were the very first “Wind Turbines” which the world saw.

The success of the Danish engineers didn’t go unnoticed by the world and other nations were quick to follow in their footsteps. As a result, soon after their first appearance, wind turbines came up in great numbers all across the US and the UK. What made alternative energy so popular was their ability to help the user save on electricity bills and also lessen their dependence on the local utility company. However, wind energy was not without a few disadvantages. The most serious drawback was due to the highly unpredictable nature of the wind itself. Low wind speeds have always posed a major problem for wind turbine systems. Another problem with the turbines was the noise associated with them. No wonder, they were often dubbed as ‘roaring monsters’ due to the great noise made by the rotors. However, use of better bearings and careful redesigning of the inner mechanism have reduced the noise to a mere intermittent ‘wheezing’ heard during times when the turbines are spinning at high speed. In fact this is one of the top reasons why wind turbines are rarely installed in residential areas or close to human habitation.

While wind power was slowly getting accepted across a growing number of regions across the world, a new form of alternative energy surfaced to take the world by surprise. Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearson and Daryl Chaplin of Bell Laboratories accidentally discovered the mother of modern solar cell in the form of silicon semiconductors while researching on the behavioral pattern of non-metals. The solar cell was soon developed and everybody was amazed to discover how effective they were, when clustered together in the form of a solar panel, to generate electricity that could easily light up a small home. Solar power caught the people’s imagination and very soon companies and manufacturers everywhere started making and installing solar panels. The US government also expressed its endorsement of this new technology by staring to offer incentives, grants and rebates for every installation undertaken within the country. The users saw the benefits in the form of slashed electricity bills and hassle-free supply of current that needed no raw material or maintenance. The only drawback that solar power suffered from was its inability to perform after dark.

The unavailability of solar power after dark is a problem that is not completely irresolvable. To ensure uninterrupted power supply for 24 hours, and also to significantly reduce electricity bills one might go for the following setup.

Install both solar panels as well as wind turbines for the home. While the solar system will generate power during the day, the turbine will ensure uninterrupted power supply at night.

Installing a battery bank with the system offers excellent protection against times when everything else fails. Batteries can easily store some amount of the generated power that can be used during times when both the systems are unavailable.

Get the system connected to the grid so that all surplus power can be sent back to the grid, helping you make a neat little profit from selling power to the utility.

It doesn’t take much to make money from the system. With both units running simultaneously, the consumer will not only need any current from the grid but will also flood it with his or her own generated current.

The demand for solar and wind power for residential use has already picked up considerably, and it is expected to do so more in the future. Even though there are still a few technical glitches, they are like nothing that cannot be resolved in the near future.

So, are you all set to make the switch to ’solar’ and ‘wind’ power? People across the world now know the advantages of installing a solar or a wind power system at home. By doing this you are now only contributing to clean up the environment, but the benefits are financial as well as you can reduce your power bills. Take help of a manual that will help you install it step by step by showing you where to set it up, how to do it, how to wire the system, where to get the parts and the batteries from and will inform you about the safety instructions too. This is the best way to get things started off smoothly, especially if you are new to the subject of alternative energy.