Alternative energy sources are all the rage these days. Of course there is good reason for this trend. People are tired of paying too much for electricity and are looking for ways to cut or eliminate their monthly electric bill. Some are doing so well with current wind, solar, or other alternative energy solutions that they have not only been able to eliminate their monthly energy costs, but are actually making money feeding surplus electricity back into the grid!
     What ever your motivation, there has never been a better time than now to take control of your electricity needs and start keeping more of your hard earned money where it belongs...in your pocket instead of the power company's account. The options are abundant and run the gambit from professionally installed systems provided by businesses specializing in nothing other than alternative energy system integration, to equally effective do-it-yourself (DIY) systems for even greater savings.
     What is amazing is the number of programs at state and federal level (within the United States) that have funding available to off-set the cost of integrating a residential or commercial alternative energy system with your current public utilities electric delivery system. Or in some cases getting completely off the grid at a fraction of what you would expect it to cost given state and federally funded incentives to lower the burden on the grid. To find out more about some of the tax benefits you can gain while saving money every month by making your own electricity, visit: http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm. For some ideas on what reasonably priced wind turbines are selling for these days and to see what the cost might be if covered under a government backed program. Cost off-set for a system may be covered by the government, visit: Home Wind Turbine Kits

    If you are like most of us, you are more than fed up with the amount you have to pay every month for electricity. With so many options available it is high time we get busy doing something about. There are reasonably priced solutions out there that can end the strangle hold the power company has on us folks living "on the grid". However, before you jump into a wind turbine project, you really should do your research ahead of time. This would include actually determining if enough wind is available at your site location to make a wind generator a viable option for generating electricity off-grid. It would be pretty disappointing to sink money into an alternative energy project like a wind turbine system only to find out you ordered the wrong mast height and mounting equipment. Or, even worse yet, after you buy a wind generator system and install it, then you find out that you do not have enough wind to generate the electricity you need! One of the best resources we have found to help with evaluating a site for wind generator placement can be found at: WindPoweringAmerica.gov. <-- They have a lot of great information online for your research purposes, so take your time and explore the various links. One thing to note though is to be sure you are looking at the right data for your wind project. If you visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) link; be sure you are looking at the correct mast height for your application. There can be significant differences in available wind power density at a 10-meter mast height vs. those available at a 50-meter mast height.


Find Wind Maps For Your Project Planning

Ready to jump straight into harnessing the wind to meet or off-set your electricity needs?

Few people are more often associated with generating electricity from the wind then Hugh Piggott. He is truly a pioneer and expert authority when it comes to knowledge of alternative energy. The reference that follows, or any of the great solid references you can find in the side menu are worth every penny!

How to Build a Wind Turbine - Axial flux DIY windmill plans, by Hugh Piggott