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Alternative power sources for a country house. Energy of the future: reality and fantasy. Alternative energy sources. Heat pump for home heating

Many people believe that cheap heating of a private house is possible only on mains gas. Let's think about what to do if it is not there, and there are no plans to sum it up, and what alternative energy can be for the house.

  • How does a wind generator work.
  • How to install a solar collector.
  • How to equip a heat pump.
  • How to choose an inverter.

Today, when energy prices are skyrocketing, and the cost of connecting to a pipe with "blue fuel" unreasonably high, an increasing number of homeowners are abandoning traditional energy sources and turning their eyes to alternative energy sources for the home.

Based on the knowledge of experts and the experience of site participants, we will tell you what can replace gas; how the wind, sun and heat of the earth become an alternative to electricity from wires - using them, you can light up and heat a country house.

Alternative source of electricity: wind catcher

That's what you call a wind generator. People have been using the power of the wind as a source of alternative energy for a long time.

Having come a long way, familiar windmills have turned into modern wind turbines capable of generating electricity.

How does a wind generator work

Everything is pretty simple. The wind flow rotates the blades of the wind wheel, thus causing the shaft of the electric generator to rotate.

The generator in turn generates electricity.

It should be remembered that the generator produces a non-constant voltage with different frequencies. In the event of a lack of wind, the wind power system includes a battery pack, where the electricity generated by the generator is supplied.

Among individual homeowners, wind turbines with a capacity of up to 10 kW are most widely used. There are three main types of wind turbine designs:

  • Small-bladed. Most often they have three blades. Differ in high efficiency and simplicity of a design. Disadvantages: due to the small area of ​​the blades, the initial start of the engine requires a wind speed of at least 5-5 m/s. Also, users note a high level of noise.
  • Multi-bladed. From 18 to 24 curved blades are mounted on the wind wheel. They start working at a wind speed of 2-4 m / s. They have a low noise level, but also a lower efficiency than small-blade wind turbines. Disadvantages: the complexity of the design, which makes it difficult to install a wind generator with your own hands, and the gyroscopic effect that occurs during their operation.
  • Rotary wind turbines - have vertically arranged blades that do not move in a straight line, but in a circle. Advantages: stable operation with constant wind, low noise level. A significant drawback of such a wind turbine design is low efficiency, not more than 18%.

Let's see how to make a wind turbine efficient in our conditions.

Interesting personal experience of the site participant Alexandra Kapustina (nickname on the forum Experienced 1406 )

– The wind generator should be placed on a site where there is as little interference as possible for the winds. Wind energy is a cubic function of wind speed. This means that small changes in wind speed cause significant changes in power output. For safety reasons, it is advisable to install a windmill farther from residential buildings. About the height of the mast - set as high as possible.

In the conditions of settlements near Moscow, a mast height of at least 15 meters can be recommended. And when you independently calculate the alternative energy supply system for a private house, you first need to find out how much energy is required from the system. To do this, you will have to determine the peak instantaneous power, as well as calculate two values ​​\u200b\u200bof the expected daily energy consumption - its maximum and average values.

It should be remembered that in our climatic conditions, windmills can operate at full capacity approximately 20-30% of the days a year, so the wind generator should be considered as an additional, backup power supply system for generating electricity to power household appliances.

sun catchers

How you can use the energy of the sun: the first thing that comes to mind is a solar battery.

No one can be surprised by the photocells placed on the roof of the cottage.

But our material will not be about them, but about a device capable of converting solar energy into heat suitable for heating or hot water supply at home.

Solar collectors

For an answer to the question of what a solar collector is, we turn to the deputy technical director of the company for clarification AquaBur Evgeny Kasatkin.

- The basis of the solar system or, more simply, the solar collector the principle of obtaining heat from solar radiation and further transfer of the accumulated energy to the hot water or heating system is laid down.

There are two types of solar collectors:

  • Vacuum solar collector. The removal of the potential in this system is carried out using vacuum tubes. A vacuum tube is a double glass flask with air pumped out of it. On the inside, the flask is covered with a reflective material that lets in solar radiation, but does not let it out. And in the inner part of the system, there are tubes with a rod in which the coolant is located. The vacuum layer makes it possible to save about 95% of the captured thermal energy.
  • Flat solar collector. The removal of the potential in this system is based on the absorption of solar radiation by the absorbing plate, after which the energy, in the form of accumulated heat, is transferred to the liquid carrier. The reverse side of the solar collector is covered with thermal insulation.

Which system to choose taking into account the work in our conditions

According to the head of the development department of the company "Vissmann" Mikhail Murashko:

– In cloudy weather, smog and scattered radiation, they work most effectivelytubular vacuum manifolds. And flat solar collectors are more optimal for use in areas with high solar insolation.

Evgeny Kasatkin:

– In winter and in the northern regions, the solar collector can be used as an additional system connected to the heating system or hot water. But we will get the best performance in the summer, when the system, with its proper installation and installation, can fully satisfy your need for hot water, without the use of indirect water heating systems.

Installing a solar collector will allow you to get almost free heat. If the system requires forced circulation of the coolant, then electricity is required only to operate the pump. And on a sunny day, the solar system can heat water to a temperature of 50-70 C.

Heat pumps

As the law of conservation of energy says: “Energy cannot arise from nothing and cannot simply disappear, it can only pass from one form to another.”

The earth, air and water contain a large amount of low-grade thermal energy that can be used to heat a house. It remains only to collect this dissipated thermal energy and "launch" it into the heating system of the house. For this, a special device is used - a heat pump.

What is this technology, the director of the company explains SagaTherm» Alexander Sagalovich:

– A heat pump is a refrigerating machine. Under normal conditions, heat energy is transferred from a hotter body to a cooler one. A heat pump can take thermal energy from a less heated body and transfer it to a hotter one, heating it even more.

The heat pump is able to extract heat energy from the following sources - air, water and land. In our conditions, it is most expedient to build a heat pump system based on the extraction of heat from the earth and water.

To pump 4 kW of thermal energy, we need approximately 1 kW of electricity. But electricity will also not disappear just like that, it will turn into thermal energy, because. The compressor also heats up during operation. Total - having spent 1 kW of electricity, we get 5 kW of heat.

What are the benefits of installing this device

Evgeny Kasatkin:

– The following table best demonstrates the benefits of using heat pumps.


Now we know how a heat pump works. Consider what types of systems are.

The choice of design will depend on the availability of additional free space or a reservoir on your site.

Namely:

  • vertical system. It is used if there is no place on the site for laying the pipe contour or there are no water bodies that do not freeze in winter. For the installation of a heat pump, 3 to 5 wells are drilled, with a depth of 50 to 150 meters.
  • horizontal system. Less costly than a vertical system, because there is no need to drill expensive wells. The pipe contour is laid at a shallow depth, usually about 1.5 meters, but a fairly decent area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site is required.
  • Water system. If near the site, no further than 100 meters, there is a reservoir that does not freeze in winter, then laying the pipe contour in it will be the most reasonable choice.

Features of operation of heat pumps

Like any engineering system, heating and hot water supply based on a heat pump requires a very thoughtful approach.

Alexander Sagalovich:

– Vertical and horizontal systems for arranging a ground heat exchanger are equally effective. A horizontal heat exchanger takes up a lot of space, but is much cheaper than a vertical one.

Drilling wells will cost more, but you can save space on the site.

For many, this is the only solution, because. the site does not allow to place a horizontal heat exchanger.

When arranging a horizontal ground heat exchanger, approximately 5 acres of land will be needed for every 10 kW of power. After completion of the work, this land can be used without restrictions, the only thing is that it will not be possible to build permanent structures on it. One way to use heat pumps as a heating circuit is to install a water-heated floor system.

Inverter - as part of an alternative energy source system

As mentioned above, the electricity generated by an alternative energy source is stored in batteries. But what to do next with this energy, because batteries give out direct current, unsuitable for connecting household electrical appliances? A current converter - an inverter - comes to the rescue. With this device, direct current is converted into alternating current.

The chief engineer of the company talks about the features of using inverters to create autonomous and uninterruptible power supply systems. "SibContact" Sergey Leskov :

– Inverters are built into various systems for the production of alternative energy containing a battery, thereby providing the whole house with electricity with a voltage of 220V and a frequency of 50 Hz. Inverters with a sinusoidal output voltage are an indispensable part of an autonomous power supply installation, since any, even the most sensitive equipment, can be connected to them.

When creating an autonomous and uninterruptible power supply system, inverters have a number of advantages compared to diesel and gasoline generators:

  • These elements of the system operate offline and do not require the presence of a person;
  • In idle mode, they consume a minimum of electricity;
  • Do not require special exhaust ventilation of the room;
  • Do not require soundproofing of the room.

Thus, the choice of an effective source of alternative energy for a country house is an integrated approach to solving many rather complex tasks that require knowledge, experience and skillful hands.

The lack of developed infrastructure in remote areas often forces owners to look for alternative energy sources for their homes. Technologies do not stand still, such things are no longer something exotic and hard to reach. In this article, you will find out what the market offers today as a replacement for connecting to the central power grid.

What are

Energy is always present in the environment in one form or another. These are the wind, the radiation of the sun, the flow of water, the warmth of the earth. It remains only to use them and transform them into the one that is needed. Consider what sources of alternative energy allow you to do this.

Solar panels

The principle of operation is based on the ability of electronic devices called photocells to convert the energy of sunlight photons into electrical energy. This example of alternative energy is the most common.

Batteries produced for private use use silicon photocells. They are of two types:

  • Polycrystalline. They are very fragile and therefore require careful handling. They have low efficiency - no more than 15%. Average service life is 20 years. The advantage is the low price.
  • Monocrystalline. More reliable. Service life can reach 50 years. Efficiency 25%. The disadvantage is the high cost.


Advantages of solar panels:

  • an inexhaustible source of energy for several decades;
  • ease of installation and maintenance, for operation there is no need for daily human participation;
  • durability;
  • no harmful effects on the environment and humans.

Their disadvantages are the high cost of equipment, which pays off for a long time, and dependence on the intensity of sunlight. If the sky is overcast, the power of the photocells is reduced.

Wind turbines

They are a combination of a wind turbine with blades mounted on a special mast and an electric generator. When air flows through this installation, the blades begin to rotate under their influence and set in motion the inner shaft connected to the gearbox.

This design allows you to increase the initial rotation speed. The gearbox is connected to a generator, which, when the rotor rotates, generates an electric current. Its surplus accumulates in installed batteries.

Depending on the location of the axis of rotation, wind turbines are divided into horizontal and vertical. The first type is more popular. Many models are equipped with an automatic turn in the direction of the wind, which significantly increases the efficiency of the unit.

The advantages of these devices are in many ways similar to solar panels. Efficiency can range from 25% to 47% depending on the specific model and weather conditions.

The operation of the wind generator does not depend on the time of day. All you need is the wind, and the stronger it is, the better. The cost of equipment is relatively low, but installation costs can be much higher.


The main disadvantages are noise during operation and low-frequency infrasound, which adversely affects health. For this reason, the mast with the device should be installed as far as possible from housing.

Biogas plants

Various waste products are used for work, for example, from domestic or farm animals and birds. In a sealed container, they are treated with anaerobic bacteria, which in turn release biogas.

To make the process go faster, the waste must be periodically mixed, for which a manual or mechanical mixer is used.

Biogas enters a special storage called a gas tank, where it is dried. Then it is used as ordinary natural gas. Fertilizer can be made from the waste left after processing.

Modern technologies for generating energy using biogas plants allow you to do this without performing unpleasant actions. Their main advantages:

  • independence from weather conditions;
  • savings on waste disposal;
  • the ability to use many types of raw materials.

The disadvantages include the following:

  • although it is a biologically clean type of fuel, when it is burned, a small amount of harmful emissions is released into the atmosphere;
  • it is convenient to use the installation only in areas rich in the necessary raw materials;
  • the cost of the equipment is quite high.


Heat pumps

It is more correct to call them an alternative source of heat. Are intended for the organization of heating and hot water supply of the house. They consume electricity, so they must be used in combination with other types of alternative energy.

The principle of operation is based on the ability of substances such as freon to boil at low temperatures. When it turns into a gaseous state, thermal energy is released. The installation consists of external and internal circuits, as well as a pump circuit. The outer one is buried underground or sinks to the bottom of the reservoir.

The freon circulating through it is heated under the influence of the environment, in the pump circuit under high pressure it passes into a gaseous state, as a result of which the temperature rises to 70 ° C. The internal one carries the coolant heated in the pump around the house.

Heat pumps are very efficient and able to provide hot water and heating all year round. At the same time, electricity costs are minimal - with a consumption of 1 kW of electricity, an average of 4 kW of heat energy is released.


What to choose

Let's figure out which alternative energy option is better. Solar panels are the most preferred option due to their simplicity and environmental friendliness. However, they do not operate at night.

Wind generators are well suited for areas where strong winds constantly blow. They function both day and night, but if the air flows weaken, the efficiency becomes zero. The best option is a combination of these two devices. Then you can be almost 100% sure that you will never be left without electricity.

Opt for a biogas plant if you keep cows, pigs or chickens on the farm, or if there is a farm nearby where you can take waste for processing.

And if you need hot water and heating, add heat pumps to your home system. They are not demanding in maintenance, there is no need to buy and store fuel somewhere, as is the case, for example, with a solid fuel boiler.

Photo types of alternative energy

For owners of private houses, there is an opportunity to significantly reduce utility bills or not use the services of heat, electricity and gas providers at all. You can even provide a considerable economy, and if you wish, you can sell the surplus. This is real and some have already done it. For this, alternative energy sources are used.

Where can you get energy and in what form

In fact, energy, in one form or another, is practically everywhere in nature - the sun, wind, water, earth - there is energy everywhere. The main task is to extract it from there. Humanity has been doing this for more than one hundred years and has achieved good results. At the moment, alternative energy sources can provide the house with heat, electricity, gas, warm water. Moreover, alternative energy does not require any super skills or super knowledge. Everything can be done for your home with your own hands. So what can be done:


All alternative energy sources are able to fully meet human needs, but this requires too large investments and/or too large areas. Therefore, it is more reasonable to make a combined system: to receive energy from alternative sources, and if there is a shortage, “to get” from centralized networks.

Use of solar energy

One of the most powerful alternative energy sources for the home is solar radiation. There are two types of installations for converting solar energy:


Do not think that installations work only in the south and only in summer. They work well in winter too. In clear weather with snowfall, energy production is only slightly lower than in summer. If your area has a large number of clear days, you can use this technology.

Solar panels

Solar panels are assembled from photovoltaic converters, which are made on the basis of minerals that, under the influence of sunlight, emit electrons - they generate an electric current. For private use, silicon photoconverters are used. In their structure, they are monocrystalline (made from one crystal) and polycrystalline (many crystals). Monocrystalline have a higher efficiency (13-25% depending on the quality) and a longer service life, but are more expensive. Polycrystalline ones generate less electricity (9-15%) and fail faster, but have a lower price.

This is a polycrystalline photoconverter. You need to handle them carefully - they are very fragile (single-crystal too, but not to the same extent)

Assembling a solar battery with your own hands is not difficult. First you need to purchase a certain amount of silicon photocells (the amount depends on the required power). Most often they are bought on Chinese trading platforms such as Aliexpress. Then the procedure is simple:

A few words about why the substrate for the solar panel (batteries) should be painted white. The operating temperature range of silicon wafers is from -40°C to +50°C. Operation at higher or lower temperatures leads to rapid failure of the elements. On the roof, in summer, indoors, the temperature can be much higher than +50°C. That's why white is needed - so as not to overheat the silicon.

Solar collectors

Solar collectors can heat water or air. Where to direct the water heated by the sun - to hot water taps or to the heating system - you choose. Only heating will be low-temperature - for underfloor heating, what is required. But in order for the temperature in the house not to depend on the weather, the system must be made redundant so that, if necessary, another heat source is connected or the boiler switches to another energy source.

There are three types of solar collectors: flat, tubular and air. The most common are tubular, but others also have a right to exist.

flat plastic

Two panels - black and transparent - are combined into one body. Between them is a copper pipeline in the form of a snake. From the sun, the lower dark panel heats up. copper is heated from it, and from it - the water passing through the labyrinth. This way of using alternative energy sources is not the most efficient, but it is attractive because it is very simple to implement. Thus, you can heat water in. It will only be necessary to loop its supply (using a circulation pump). In the same way, you can heat water in a container for or use it for domestic needs. The disadvantage of such installations is low efficiency and productivity. It takes either a lot of time or a large number of flat-plate collectors to heat a large amount of water.

Tubular collectors

These are glass tubes - vacuum or coaxial - through which water flows. A special system allows the maximum concentration in the tubes of heat, which is transferred to the water flowing through them.

The system must have a storage tank in which water is heated. The circulation of water in the system is provided by a pump. Such systems cannot be made on your own - it is problematic to make glass tubes with your own hands and this is the main drawback. Together with the high price, it hinders the widespread adoption of this source of energy for the home. And the system itself is very efficient, with a bang it copes with heating water for hot water supply and makes a decent contribution to heating.

Scheme of organizing heating and hot water supply from alternative energy sources - using solar collectors

Air collectors

In our country, they are very rare and in vain. They are simple and easy to make by hand. The only negative is that a large area is required: they can occupy the entire southern (eastern, southeastern) wall. The system is very similar to flat-plate collectors - a black lower panel, a transparent upper one, but they directly heat the air, which is forced (by a fan) or naturally into the room. Despite the seeming frivolity, in this way it is possible to heat small rooms during daylight hours, including technical or utility rooms:, cottages, sheds for living creatures.

Such an alternative source of energy as the sun gives us its heat, but most of it goes "to nowhere". To catch a small fraction of it and use it for personal needs is the task that all these devices solve.

Wind turbines

Alternative energy sources are good because they are mostly renewable resources. The most eternal, probably, is the wind. As long as there is atmosphere and sun, there is also wind. Maybe for a short period the air will be still, but not for long. Our ancestors used wind energy in mills, and modern man converts it into electricity. All that is required for this:

  • a tower installed in a windy place;
  • generator with blades attached to it;
  • storage battery and electric current distribution system.

The tower is built any, from any material. A storage battery is a battery, you can’t imagine anything here, but where to supply electricity is your choice. It remains only to make a generator. It can also be bought ready-made, but it is quite possible to make it from an engine from household appliances - a washing machine, a screwdriver, etc. You will need neodymium magnets and epoxy resin, a lathe.

On the motor rotor we mark the places for the installation of magnets. They must be at an equal distance from each other. We grind the rotor of the selected motor, forming “seats”. The bottom of the recess should have a slight slope so that the surface of the magnet is tilted. Magnets are glued to the carved places on liquid nails, filled with epoxy resin. The surface is then smoothed with sandpaper. Next, you need to attach brushes that will remove the current. And that's it, you can assemble and run a wind generator.

Such installations are quite effective, but their power depends on many factors: wind intensity, how well the generator is made, how effectively the potential difference is removed by brushes, on the reliability of electrical connections, etc.

Heat pumps for home heating

Heat pumps use all available alternative energy sources. They take heat from water, air, soil. In small quantities, this heat is there even in winter, so the heat pump collects it and redirects it to heating the house.

Heat pumps also use alternative energy sources - the heat of the earth, water and air

Principle of operation

Why are heat pumps so attractive? The fact that having spent 1 kW of energy for its pumping, in the worst case, you will get 1.5 kW of heat, and the most successful implementations can give up to 4-6 kW. And this does not contradict the law of conservation of energy in any way, because energy is spent not on obtaining heat, but not on pumping it. So no inconsistencies.

Heat pumps have three working circuits: two external and they are internal, as well as an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser. The scheme works like this:

  • A coolant circulates in the primary circuit, which takes heat from low-potential sources. It can be lowered into water, buried in the ground, or it can take heat from the air. The highest temperature reached in this circuit is around 6°C.
  • The internal circuit circulates a heating medium with a very low boiling point (typically 0°C). When heated, the refrigerant evaporates, the vapor enters the compressor, where it is compressed to high pressure. During compression, heat is released, the refrigerant vapor is heated to an average temperature of +35°C to +65°C.
  • In the condenser, heat is transferred to the coolant from the third - heating - circuit. Cooling vapors are condensed, then further enter the evaporator. And then the cycle repeats.

The heating circuit is best done in the form of a warm floor. Temperatures are the best for this. The radiator system will require too many sections, which is ugly and unprofitable.

Alternative sources of thermal energy: where and how to get heat

But the biggest difficulty is the device of the first external circuit, which collects heat. Since the sources are low-potential (there is little heat at the bottom), large areas are required to collect it in sufficient quantities. There are four types of contours:

  • Rings laid in water pipes with a coolant. The body of water can be anything - a river, a pond, a lake. The main condition is that it should not freeze through even in the most severe frosts. Pumps that pump heat out of the river work more efficiently; much less heat is transferred in stagnant water. Such a heat source is the easiest to implement - throw pipes, tie a load. There is only a high chance of accidental damage.

  • Thermal fields with pipes buried below freezing depth. In this case, there is only one drawback - large volumes of earthworks. We have to remove the soil over a large area, and even to a solid depth.

  • Use of geothermal temperatures. A number of wells of great depth are drilled, and coolant circuits are lowered into them. What is good about this option is that it requires little space, but not everywhere it is possible to drill to great depths, and drilling services cost a lot. It is possible, however, but the work is still not easy.

  • Extraction of heat from the air. This is how air conditioners with the possibility of heating work - they take heat from the "outboard" air. Even at sub-zero temperatures, such units work, though at a not very “deep” minus - up to -15 ° C. To make the work more intensive, you can use the heat from the ventilation shafts. Throw a few slings with coolant there and pump heat from there.

The main disadvantage of heat pumps is the high price of the pump itself, and the installation of heat collection fields is not cheap. In this case, you can save money by making the pump yourself and also laying the contours with your own hands, but the amount will still remain considerable. The advantage is that heating will be inexpensive and the system will operate for a long time.

Waste to income:

All alternative energy sources are of natural origin, but you can only get a double benefit from biogas plants. They recycle animal and poultry waste. As a result, a certain volume of gas is obtained, which, after purification and drying, can be used for its intended purpose. The remaining processed waste can be sold or used in the fields to increase yields - a very effective and safe fertilizer is obtained.

Briefly about the technology

The formation of gas occurs during fermentation, and bacteria living in manure are involved in this. Any livestock and poultry waste is suitable for biogas production, but cattle manure is optimal. It is even added to the rest of the waste for the "sourdough" - it contains exactly the bacteria needed for processing.

To create optimal conditions, an anaerobic environment is necessary - fermentation must take place without oxygen. Therefore, effective bioreactors are closed containers. In order for the process to proceed more actively, regular mixing of the mass is necessary. In industrial plants, electric mixers are installed for this, in self-made biogas plants, these are usually mechanical devices - from the simplest stick to mechanical mixers that “work” by hand.

There are two types of bacteria involved in the formation of gas from manure: mesophilic and thermophilic. Mesophilic are active at temperatures from +30°C to +40°C, thermophilic - at +42°C to +53°C. Thermophilic bacteria work more efficiently. Under ideal conditions, gas production from 1 liter of usable area can reach 4-4.5 liters of gas. But maintaining a temperature of 50 ° C in the installation is very difficult and costly, although the costs justify themselves.

A little about designs

The simplest biogas plant is a barrel with a lid and a stirrer. The lid has an outlet for connecting a hose through which gas enters the tank. You won’t get much gas from such a volume, but it will be enough for one or two gas burners.

More serious volumes can be obtained from an underground or above-ground bunker. If we are talking about an underground bunker, then it is made of reinforced concrete. The walls are separated from the ground with a layer of thermal insulation, the container itself can be divided into several compartments, in which processing will take place with a time shift. Since mesophilic cultures usually work under such conditions, the whole process takes from 12 to 30 days (thermophilic cultures are processed in 3 days), therefore a time shift is desirable.

Manure enters through the loading hopper, on the opposite side they make an unloading hatch, from where processed raw materials are taken. The bunker is not completely filled with biomixture - about 15-20% of the space remains free - gas accumulates here. To drain it, a tube is built into the lid, the second end of which is lowered into a water seal - a container partially filled with water. Thus, the gas is dried - already purified is collected in the upper part, it is discharged using another tube and can already be choked to the consumer.


Anyone can use alternative energy sources. It is more difficult for apartment owners to implement this, but in a private house you can at least implement all the ideas. There are even real examples of that. People fully provide for their needs and considerable economy.

Man consumes more and more energy every year. From 1970 to 2016, global energy consumption has quadrupled. Resource prices are rising and traditional sources are being depleted. In this situation, the owners of private houses can switch to new energy sources. And by making alternative energy sources for a summer residence and a private house with your own hands, you can save a lot.

What is alternative energy

Energy carriers are traditional and alternative. The division is conditional and changes over time.

Traditional types of organic products include:

  • oil;
  • natural gas;
  • coal;
  • peat.

Traditional energy carriers are non-renewable, although their reserves in nature are significant, but not endless. According to scientists, oil and gas will last for a maximum of 150 years.

The current practice of providing energy is not always economically viable. For example, electrification or gasification of a remote farm or a country house from a common network (work on installing support poles, pulling wires, laying pipes, locking equipment, as well as maintenance) is not economically viable. In this case, it makes sense for private houses and summer cottages to use non-traditional energy resources - alternative energy sources for the home.

Non-traditional types of energy are:

  • geothermal;
  • solar;
  • wind;
  • sea ​​wave energy;
  • ebb and flow energy.

Alternative new energy sources in comparison with traditional ones have a number of advantages, which determines their value - they are renewable sources (or inexhaustible), they are environmentally friendly. Alternative renewable sources for a private mansion or dacha are being implemented as wind generators, solar panels, heat pumps, or a combination of them.

The selection of installations for the production of heat and electricity is carried out taking into account the climatic and topographic conditions of the area where the private house is located. This allows natural renewable sources to be used most efficiently.

The use of solar energy in a private house

Solar radiation as an alternative renewable energy is the most promising substitute for traditional energy sources.

In Russia, in private country houses, alternative energy from the Sun can be used to generate electricity (solar batteries) and to generate heat, where solar collectors are used (the coolant is heated).

Ready-made installations that convert light into electricity, solar panels, can be purchased ready-made for a private house, but their cost is high.

It is quite possible to make a solar installation for a private building on your own. This will save a significant amount, but it will take time and effort to work. In addition, their efficiency is lower than that of industrial models.

For the manufacture of solar batteries, it is necessary to perform the following work:

  • buy solar cells (mono- or polycrystalline);
  • solder them together according to the scheme;
  • make a frame and a box (usually plexiglass is used);
  • reinforce the body of the product with a metal corner or plywood;
  • place the soldered photocells in the prepared frame;
  • mount such an installation in a regular place.

The installation of batteries is carried out on the most illuminated place on the roof, and you should consider how to adjust their slope.

Solar energy when used in a private home has many advantages over traditional energy sources:

  • inexhaustibility;
  • a large number of;
  • availability anywhere in the world;
  • environmental friendliness;
  • no noise;
  • low operating costs;
  • improvement of their production technologies.

There are also disadvantages of solar energy:

  • significant investment at the initial stage;
  • instability of energy supply (depending on the time of day);
  • high price of batteries;
  • the use of rare-earth and expensive ingredients in thin-film solar panels, which leads to their rise in price.

In Russia, alternative renewable sources are also used to generate heat, the most famous heat pump is a solar collector. With its help, as an independent unit, you can heat a private house or use a collector in combination with other heat sources.

The solar collector is a complex engineering device that you cannot do yourself.

wind energy

The work of the wind has been used by mankind for a long time - all sailing ships moved thanks to its strength, windmills, thanks to the wind, ground grain into flour.

The wind is an inexhaustible source of energy. Wind turbines, according to forecasts of power engineers, will provide more than 30% of the world's energy consumption by the middle of this century.

Today, great attention is paid to the use of the wind potential - modern analogues of windmills are capable of generating electricity and heat on an industrial scale.

Such a rise in the production of wind turbines has become possible due to the emergence of new composite materials. Their use has significantly increased the capacity of installations using wind energy - more than 10 times in just the last decade.

Today in Russia, wind turbines are industrially produced from the most compact to huge, there are wind turbines with a vertical and horizontal axis of rotation. To assemble the simplest device for a private country house, it is enough to have several magnets, wire and material for the blades.

Russia is in 56th place in the world in terms of the use of wind energy potential, yielding even to Luxembourg (3 times more wind power) and Cyprus (5 times more power). Given that Russia has a huge potential for wind energy, take, for example, the coast of the Far East.

The advantages of wind turbines are obvious:

  • free source of inexhaustible energy - wind;
  • the wind generator works constantly, the received energy is stored in batteries, i.e. it is always available;
  • environmental cleanliness and noiselessness of work;
  • the efficiency of work does not depend on the temperature regime - it can be used in northern latitudes, where solar panels are ineffective;
  • productivity increases in winter, as the wind is always stronger in winter;
  • the cost of equipment for the use of wind energy is much lower than that of solar panels, i.e. they pay off much faster.

When using a wind generator, this alternative energy source for a private house, the following rules should be considered:

  • for the productive operation of the installation, a stable (preferably strong) wind, open space is required;
  • the wind generator needs preventive care - once a year it is necessary to carry out maintenance according to the instructions;
  • installation of wind turbines is carried out on a mast of considerable height - you need high-altitude equipment and specialists in their installation, you should not mount them yourself.

Biofuels are another alternative source

From raw materials of plant or animal origin, as well as their metabolic products or organic waste, biofuels are obtained and used later as an alternative source of electricity and heat production for private homes.

According to the state of aggregation, biofuels can be:

  • solid - husk, wood chips, fuel pellets, briquettes, firewood;
  • liquid - ethyl, methyl alcohols, biodiesel;
  • gaseous - biogas, hydrogen.

There is a division of biofuels according to the method of its production:

  • chemical;
  • thermochemical;
  • biological.

There are a lot of different types of heating for private households, where alternative heat sources are used:

  • heating boilers for solid/liquid/biofuel;
  • thermal energy heat pumps;
  • solar collectors;
  • infrared heaters;
  • warm plinth.

In Russia, with its vast territories, it is far from always possible to connect to the gas pipeline - the work can be very expensive. Under these conditions, economically alternative sources of heating become profitable for private households:

  • briquettes;
  • pellets;
  • pellets from straw, peat, wood and wood chips, etc.

In Russia, rural residents in private homes actively use biofuels of various types of organic matter:

  • manure;
  • rapeseed, soybeans;
  • vegetable waste, etc.

In the presence of a private economy or at home, anyone can prepare biofuel. It can be made from manure. Under certain conditions, the initial products are fermented in special containers, after which the excess moisture is evaporated. As a result, biogas is released.

As the initial mixture is used:

  • horse manure, peat or straw;
  • manure + flax fire;
  • manure + household waste;
  • horse, cow dung.

The payback period for biofuel production equipment is several years, and the raw materials for its production are renewable energy sources. Using unusual sources, you can get energy for a private house for free.

Even schoolchildren know that the reserves of oil, gas and coal are not endless. Energy prices are constantly rising, forcing payers to sigh heavily and think about increasing their own income. Despite the achievements of civilization, outside the cities there are many places where gas is not supplied, and in some places there is not even electricity. Where there is such an opportunity, the cost of installation of the system sometimes absolutely does not correspond to the income level of the population. It is not surprising that do-it-yourself alternative energy today is of interest to both the owners of large and small country houses, and the townspeople.

The whole world around us is full of energy, which is contained not only in the bowels of the earth. Even at school, in geography lessons, we learned that it is possible to use the energy of wind, sun, tides, falling water, the earth's core and other similar energy carriers on a scale of entire countries and continents with high efficiency. However, it can also be used for heating a separate house.

Types of alternative energy sources

Among the options for natural sources of private energy supply, it should be noted:

  • solar panels;
  • solar collectors;
  • heat pumps;
  • wind generators;
  • installations for absorbing water energy;
  • biogas plants.

With enough funds, you can buy a ready-made model of one of these devices and order its installation. Responding to the wishes of consumers, industrialists have long mastered the manufacture of solar panels, heat pumps, etc. However, their cost remains stably high. Such devices can be made independently, saving a certain amount of money, but spending more time and effort.

Video: what natural energy can be used

The principle of operation and the use of solar panels in a private house

The physical phenomenon on which the principle of operation of this energy source is based is the photoelectric effect. Sunlight falling on its surface releases electrons, which creates an excess charge inside the panel. If you connect a battery to it, then due to lightning, a current will appear in the number of charges in the circuit.

The principle of operation of the solar battery is the photoelectric effect.

Designs capable of capturing and converting the energy of the sun are numerous, varied and constantly improving. For many craftsmen, perfecting these useful structures has become a great hobby. At thematic exhibitions, such enthusiasts willingly demonstrate many useful ideas.

To make solar panels, you need to purchase monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar cells, place them in a transparent frame, which is fixed with a strong case

Video: making a solar battery with your own hands

Ready-made batteries are placed, of course, on the sunniest side of the roof. In this case, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of adjusting the inclination of the panel. For example, during snowfalls, the panels should be placed almost vertically, otherwise the layer of snow may interfere with the operation of the batteries or even damage them.

The device and use of solar collectors

A primitive solar collector is a black metal plate placed under a thin layer of a transparent liquid. As you know from a school physics course, dark objects heat up more than light ones. This fluid moves with the help of a pump, cools the plate and heats up at the same time itself. The heated liquid circuit can be placed in a tank connected to a cold water source. By heating the water in the tank, the liquid from the collector is cooled. And then it comes back. Thus, this energy system allows you to get a constant source of hot water, and in winter also hot radiators.

There are three types of collectors that differ in device

To date, there are 3 types of such devices:

  • air;
  • tubular;
  • flat.

Air

The air collectors consist of dark colored plates.

Air collectors are black plates covered with glass or transparent plastic. Air circulates naturally or forcedly around these plates. Warm air is used to heat rooms in the house or to dry clothes.

The advantage is the extreme simplicity of design and low cost. The only drawback is the use of forced air circulation. But you can do without it.

Tubular

The advantage of such a collector is simplicity and reliability.

Tubular collectors look like several glass tubes lined up in a row, coated on the inside with a light-absorbing material. They are connected to a common collector and fluid circulates through them. Such collectors have 2 ways of transferring the received energy: direct and indirect. The first method is used in winter. The second is used all year round. There is a variation using vacuum tubes: one is inserted into the other and a vacuum is created between them.

This isolates them from the environment and better retains the resulting heat. The advantages are simplicity and reliability. The disadvantages include the high cost of installation.

flat

To make collectors work more efficiently, engineers have proposed the use of concentrators.

The flat-plate collector is the most common type. It was he who served as an example to explain the principle of operation of these devices. The advantage of this variety is simplicity and cheapness in comparison with others. The disadvantage is a significant loss of heat than other subtypes do not suffer.

To improve the already existing solar systems, engineers proposed to use a kind of mirrors called concentrators. They allow you to raise the water temperature from the standard 120 to 200 C°. This subspecies of collectors is called concentration. This is one of the most expensive options for execution, which is undoubtedly a disadvantage.

Full instructions for manufacturing the installation of a solar collector in our next article:

Use of wind energy

If the wind is able to drive flocks of clouds, why not use its energy for other useful things? The search for an answer to this question led engineers to create a wind turbine. This device usually consists of:

  • generator;
  • high tower;
  • blades that rotate to catch the wind;
  • batteries;
  • electronic control systems.

The principle of operation of a wind generator is quite simple. The blades, rotating from a strong wind, rotate the transmission shafts (in common people - the gearbox). They are connected to an alternator. The transmission and generator are located in the cradle or, in other words, the gondola. It may have a swivel mechanism. The generator is connected to the control automation and a step-up transformer. After the transformer, the voltage, which has increased its value, is given to the general power supply system.

Wind generators are suitable for areas where the wind is constantly blowing.

Since the issues of creating wind turbines have been studied for a long time, there are projects of a wide variety of designs for these devices. Models with a horizontal axis of rotation take up quite a lot of space, but wind turbines with a vertical axis of rotation are much more compact. Of course, for the effective operation of the device, a sufficiently strong wind is required.

Advantages:

  • no emissions;
  • autonomy;
  • using one of the renewable resources;

Flaws:

  • the need for constant wind;
  • high initial price;
  • rotational noise and electromagnetic radiation;
  • occupy large areas.

The wind generator must be placed as high as possible in order for its operation to be effective. Models that have a vertical axis of rotation are more compact than those with horizontal rotation

A step-by-step guide to making a wind turbine with your own hands on our website:

Water as a source of energy

The most famous way to use water to generate electricity is, of course, hydroelectric power. But he's not the only one. There is also the energy of the tides and the energy of the currents. And now in order.

A hydroelectric power plant is a dam in which there are several locks for controlled release of water. These locks are connected to the turbine generator blades. Flowing under pressure, water spins it, thereby generating electricity.

Flaws:

  • coastal flooding;
  • decrease in the number of inhabitants of the rivers;

To use the energy of water, special stations are being built.

The strength of the currents

This method of generating energy is similar to wind turbines, with the only difference being that the generator with huge blades is placed across a large sea current. Such as the Gulf Stream, for example. But it is very expensive and technically difficult. Therefore, all major projects remain on paper for the time being. However, there are small but ongoing projects demonstrating the possibilities of this type of energy.

Tidal energy

The design of the power plant, which converts this type of energy into electricity, is a huge dam located in the sea bay. It has holes through which water penetrates to the back. They are connected by a pipeline to power generators.

The tidal power plant works as follows: during high tide, the water level rises and pressure is created that can rotate the generator shaft. At the end of the tide, the inlets are closed and during low tide, which occurs after 6 hours, the outlets are opened and the process is repeated in the opposite direction.

The advantages of this method:

  • cheap service;
  • attraction for tourists.

Flaws:

  • significant construction costs;
  • harm to marine life;
  • design errors can cause nearby cities to flood.

Biogas application

During the anaerobic processing of organic waste, so-called biogas is released. The result is a mixture of gases consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The biogas generator consists of:

  • sealed tank;
  • auger for mixing organic waste;
  • branch pipe for unloading the spent mass of waste;
  • necks for filling waste and water;
  • pipe through which the resulting gas flows.

Often, a waste processing tank is arranged not on the surface, but in the thickness of the soil. To prevent leakage of the resulting gas, it is made completely sealed. At the same time, it should be remembered that in the process of biogas release, the pressure in the tank is constantly increasing, so the gas must be taken from the tank regularly. In addition to biogas, as a result of processing, an excellent organic fertilizer is obtained, useful for growing plants.

Increased safety requirements are imposed on the device and operating rules of such a device, since it is dangerous to inhale biogas and it can explode. However, in a number of countries of the world, for example, in China, this method of obtaining energy is quite widespread.

Such a biogas plant can be expensive

This waste recycling product can be used as:

  • raw materials for thermal power plant and cogeneration plant;
  • replacement of natural gas in stoves, burners and boilers.

The strength of this type of fuel is the renewability and availability, especially in the villages, of raw materials for processing. This type of fuel also has a number of disadvantages, such as:

  • emissions from incineration;
  • imperfect production technology;
  • the price of the apparatus for creating biogas.

The design of the biogas generator is very simple, but some care must be taken during its operation, since biogas is a combustible substance hazardous to health.

The composition and amount of biogas obtained from waste depends on the substrate. Most gas is obtained when using fat, grain, technical glycerin, fresh grass, silage, etc. Usually, a mixture of animal and vegetable waste is loaded into the tank, to which some water is added. In summer, it is recommended to increase the humidity of the mass to 94-96%, and in winter, 88-90% moisture is sufficient. The water supplied to the waste tank should be heated to 35-40 degrees, otherwise the decomposition processes will be slowed down. To keep warm, a layer of heat-insulating material is mounted on the outside of the tank.

Application of biofuel (biogas)

The operation of a heat pump is based on the inverse Carnot principle. This is a fairly large and rather complex device that collects low-grade thermal energy from the environment and converts it into high-potential energy. Most often, heat pumps are used for space heating. The device consists of:

  • external circuit with coolant;
  • internal circuit with coolant;
  • evaporator;
  • compressor;
  • capacitor.

Freon is also used in the system. The external circuit of the heat pump can absorb energy from various media: earth, water, air. Labor costs for its creation depend on the type of pump and its configuration. The most difficult thing is to arrange a ground-to-water pump in which the outer circuit is horizontally located in the thickness of the soil, since this requires large-scale earthworks. If there is a reservoir near the house, it makes sense to make a water-to-water heat pump. In this case, the outer circuit is simply lowered into the reservoir.

The heat pump converts the low-grade energy of the earth, water or air into high-grade thermal energy, which allows you to heat the building quite efficiently

The efficiency of a heat pump depends not so much on how high the ambient temperature is, but on its constancy. A properly designed and installed heat pump can provide a home with sufficient heat during the winter, even at very low water, ground or air temperatures. In the summer, heat pumps can act as an air conditioner, cooling the home.

To use such pumps, you must first perform drilling work

The advantages of these installations include:

  • energy efficiency;
  • fire safety;
  • multifunctionality;
  • long-term operation until the first overhaul.

The weaknesses of such a system are:

  • high initial price in comparison with other methods of heating a building;
  • requirement for the state of the power supply network;
  • noisier than a classic gas boiler;
  • the need for drilling.

Video: how heat pumps work

As you can see, in order to provide your home with heat and electricity, you can use solar energy, the power of wind and water. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. But nevertheless, of all the existing options, you can use a method that will be both inexpensive and effective.