Renewable Energy Systems – A Householder’s Answer to an Energy Crisis

Most people are not aware of exactly how accessible renewable energy systems are to the common person. The popular misconception is that renewable energy systems are suitable only for governments and industry to use. The likely reason for this is the existence of huge hydroelectric projects, massive wind farms and the like.

In reality, there are many ways that the average person can benefit from renewable energy systems. In some cases, particularly in rural and remote areas, these are more viable options than getting electricity from the grid. Since renewable energy is made from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind, rain, waves and geothermal heat, the kind of power generator used will vary according to the local conditions. Solar energy should obviously be used only in places that get bright sunlight for almost the entire year.

These days increasing numbers of people are opting for renewable energy systems because legislation has made it financially more viable. Government offers tax rebates and in some cases, subsidies, to people who opt for these methods. This help to reduce the initial costs to some extent.

A person, who is really serious about generating electricity at home, either because of non availability of the grid or due to high power costs, has many options these days. There are many ‘do it yourself’ generator kits available, most particularly for solar and wind power. These help to reduce installation costs, as does buying second hand units. As the demand for these small sized generators increase, the unit cost decreases. At the same time there is increased investment in developing the various technologies further, thereby making them more efficient and less expensive. At the rate at which this is happening, the percentage of households which depend on renewable energy systems will keep increasing, making them even more financially viable.