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Mankind’s treatment of the environment has been horrific. You don’t have to be an expert to see this. Global warming has caused temperatures to rise exponentially and natural disasters have become a common occurrence in some parts of the world. One highly effective way of helping to save the environment is harvesting your own energy rather than relying on the main electric grid and government gas supply. Using renewable energy is something everybody should strive to do.
In this post, you will learn about the types of renewable energy that you can harvest yourself, at home, without anybody else’s support.
Using Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the easiest types of energy to harvest. According to the team from Aus Energy Solar, all you need are solar panels and you can begin. The installation of solar panels is something that’s pretty straightforward. You will of course need a professional company’s support but installation can be completed in under a day. The only real thing that you need to think about as far as solar panel installation goes is cost. The costs of solar panel installation can be huge depending on the amount of panels needed.
If you are intending on investing in solar energy then you need to make sure that you find the most professional, reliable company you can buy panels from. Buying panels from a company that is not professional or experienced is an extremely bad idea because they will most likely sell you panels that are not made to a high standard. The higher quality your panels are, the longer they will last. Make sure that you get enough panels to supply energy to your entire home. The company you hire will be able to tell you how many you need.
Harnessing the Wind
You can technically have your own mini wind turbines installed just like you can have your own solar panels built. However, it only makes sense to do this if you live in a part of the world that’s very windy like on the Orkney or Shetland Islands for example. Most of the residents on these islands have their own wind turbines because they get a lot of powerful, strong winds. If you do not get a lot of wind then a large turbine installation is not worthwhile because for one, they can be very expensive to install, and two, they do not last forever.
If you are planning on having turbines installed in your back or front yard, you are going to need to find out if you are actually allowed to. You might need planning permission. Also, neighbors might be able to make a legal claim against you, requesting that you do not go ahead with your turbine plans. The reason for this is that they can be very large, and noisy and ruin people’s views of surrounding nature and landscapes. It only really makes sense to install a turbine if you live in a rural area anyway, as otherwise, it’s unlikely you will get permission.
Consider Hydropower
Hydropower involves using fast-flowing water to generate energy. It is not something that the average person is able to use because most people live far from water that moves as fast as one would need it to in order for hydropower to become viable. If you are interested in using hydropower then you need to first make sure that you have access to water. You may also need to get in touch with your local town or county council to find out whether or not it’s legal for you to use local water to power your home.
Getting permission will be necessary if somebody else owns the water that you are using. In some parts of the world, river networks are entirely owned by private individuals. If you do not get the permission of the river’s owner (as in the owner of the river that runs beside your property) then you could end up getting into a lot of trouble. They may get in touch and ask you to take down your hydro system which could cost you a lot of money and mean you wasted your time setting it up.
Taking Care of the Environment
If you are concerned about the environment then you don’t only need to think about renewable energy. You also need to think about how you treat the environment. Make sure that you avoid single-use plastics and that you do everything you can to take care of nature, as you are a custodian of it.
Renewable energy is a highly effective way of saving money and saving the environment. You can use the different types mentioned above if you want to start doing this.
