It seems you can't open a paper without hearing something about either the price of energy or the harmful effects fossil fuels are having on our environment.  For that reason, many people are turning to alternative energy sources to save money and the planet.

There are many clean, renewable energy sources available today.  Two of the most common, and viable for individual homeowner use, are solar power and wind power. For wind power you can get a wind turbine such as the Sunforce 44447 900W Whisper Wind Turbine

In order to convert the power of the sun into energy you will need solar panels.  These will convert that energy into electricity and send it to the electrical grid or store it for later use.

Solar panels, as you can imagine, tend to work better in some areas of the country than others. Obviously you will need a lot of sunny days in order for this to be a viable source of electricity for your home.

One thing to consider, though, is that even in the sunniest climates you still have night.  That means you will lose about ten hours of electricity generating time every day.

Wind power requires a wind turbine to harness wind energy and convert it into electricity.  Turbines can now be small enough for home use and can generate around 60% of the electricity your home needs.

You will need to have your turbine mounted in an open area.  If you have trees or other obstructions that block the wind from your turbine the effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

Building your own turbine is something that thousands of people have been doing since it's easy to do and very inexpensive. You won't miss out on any of the energy savings with a home built turbine...it'll work just as well as  the ones you can buy.

Between the combination of high energy bills and advances in technology it is now viable, and advisable, to use alternative energy sources.  You can save a lot of money as well as help keep the environment clean.