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Electricity bills have been constantly rising for a long time but it has now reached the stage where power is playing a major factor in the household budget. The growing cost of electricity together with the environmental problems created by burning fossil fuels, is forcing more people to think green and explore the possibility of creating their own renewable power supply.

Building your own solar panels or a wind turbine is very tempting but how realistic is it? Can a self build solar panel or home made wind generator really result in a noticeable difference to a normal household power bill? Or are they just wishful thinking and marketing hype?

There are several factors that impact the answers to these questions. The answer will be a product of where you live and how far you wish to go with your DIY power station.

One of the main factors that affect the output of home made solar panels will be the exposure that your house has to the sun. It is obvious that a cave deep in the heart of a forest is not going to gain much from a solar panel! So check how the sun moves over your house, how many hours of direct sun does your house get? The encouraging news is that most homes should not have any trouble in collecting enough solar power to create electricity from a home made solar panel.

The same logic is true when considering a home made wind turbine; you will need wind to turn it! In most locations the wind cannot be relied upon as the only source of power--it simply fills in the gaps left by solar power quite nicely. Luckily when the sun stops shining the wind tends to blow.

The amount of power that can be generated from a DIY power station will depend upon the size and nature of the devices being used.

Solar panels which produce electricity are also known as 'photovoltaic cells' or 'solar pv modules' The amount of electricity that you can expect to achieve from a solar panel is calculated by surface size and weight and typically will lie between 5 and 50 watts, although multiple cells can easily be linked together. Any excess electricity that is created can be stored in batteries for use at a later time.

The power that can be generated from a DIY wind turbine is obtained from the square of the blade diameter (double the diameter and you get 4 times the power) and the cube of the wind speed (double the wind speed and you get 8 times the power). Although you can't choose the wind speed, you can select the blade diameter. Usual domestic wind turbines will have a diameter of around 6-8 feet and a typical domestic electrical system would be capable of creating 1 - 6 kilowatts with a wind speed of about 6-10miles per hour.

A home renewable energy power station consisting of a home made wind generator and solar panel is not only feasible but extremely practical. With a bit of research it is possible to find plans for constructing DIY wind turbines and solar panels and these do not demand any great degree of skill or unusual tools. In fact, all of the elements are easily obtained from local sources and the whole building process shouldn't take more than a few days.

Can a DIY domestic power station save you money, yes it certainly can. Either you can feed electric items in your house directly from the free renewable electricity, or if you are able to connect your home built power system to the power grid then you can offer your electricity to your power company.

Home power generation is not only a reality; it is an easy way to reduce your power bills. Who knows, maybe all houses will have a renewable energy source in the future.