Have you decided to generate some power yourself? It’s becoming more and more popular these days, especially as politicians keep making noises about soaring energy prices – and alternative energy generation equipment keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.

For most people, the choice is solar or wind generation. Not too many people have a sufficiently reliable stream running through their back yard; even less would be allowed to dam it to get the head required. And then what happens in a drought?

Solar is practical pretty much anyware the sun shines, as long as there is a large enough area with a good solar exposure. However, it is still relatively expensive and we understand government subsidies have now all but disappeared.

We looked at the economics of solar power in some detail – and generated some heat ourselves – back in March 2002.

Unfortunately, wind generation is not exactly suitable for the quarter-acre block in the suburbs.

Uninformed (dare we say ignorant?) councils don’t like the idea of towers being erected in the back yard nor do they like those big spinning things which can upset the neighbours.

Here's the shunt regulator, mounted in a junk case with dummy loads and cooling fan. Its just one possible arrangement

But for anyone in a windy area in the sticks, especially those off the electricity grid, generating your own power from the wind is most definitely a practical solution these days.

In fact, we described just how to do that yourself using a modified washing machine motor in a series of articles between December 2004 and March 2005 (back issues of these or the March 2002 issue of SILICON CHIP are available at $8.80 each inc GST and p&p).

In addition, several suppliers now have efficient, effective wind generation kits available. While, say, 250-500W doesn’t sound all that much, if you are in a relatively constantly windy area, that is certainly enough to keep your batteries charged and give you power when you want it.