Every day, we all consume electric energy whether through the use of our handy MP3 players, laptops, stereo systems, televisions or massive home heating and air conditioning systems.  We all need and consume power yet most of us have never considered making “homemade electricity.” 

Can you build your own electric generator? Is that even possible? Yes.  But before we go into the “hows” and “whys” let’s talk about electricity. 

Electricity is a form of energy just like warmth and light. Naturally occurring electric sources however, are hard to find and most only produce little power. Take for example the static electricity that makes your arm hair stand up in an air-conditioned room. Fortunately one basic law about energy is that it can be converted from one form to another. Therefore, our electric energy is just a consequence of converting any energy source to electricity. And because of that we can miniaturize tense power generation.

The most common way to produce homemade electricity is through the function of a solar panel. Solar panels consist of photovoltaic cells or in simple terms light energy to electrical energy converters. Light rays from the sun trip the photovoltaic cells which produce voltage. The electric potential produced from each cell is relatively small. Because of this cells are either connected in series or parallel in order to produce the coveted voltage level. But, solar panels have drawbacks. First, they are expensive to buy. Secondly, they have a low efficiency rank compared to other electric generators. So if you plan to produce your homemade electricity using solar panels just prepare your wallet.

Another common way to produce homemade electricity is to convert wind to electricity. A wind generator is used for this method. Basically a wind generator is a dynamo (the undiversified name for any motor or generator) connected to a turbine that is rotated by the force of the wind. The turbine collects the wind energy while the dynamo converts the mechanical force of the wind to electricity. As stated above a dynamo is a undiversified term for a motor. If a dynamo converts electrical energy to mechanical energy it is a machine. If it converts mechanical energy to electricity it is a generator. Compared to solar panels, wind generators put up a relatively higher efficiency. However, the wind turbine must be oriented where the wind is strongest for better electric production.

Both solar panels and wind generators will not produce electricity if there is no sunlight and wind respectively. Storing their generated energy in a battery is one solution to this job. Care must be properly ascertained when using batteries especially those with high “mAh” ratings. When short-circuited they can produce fatal levels of electric current.

There are several viable options for creating your own homemade electricity.  It is just a matter of a little research, a little trial-and-error and of course a little patience before you can generate practical amounts of electric energy. Just remember to take safety precautions when dealing with physical phenomenon. You don’t need to fry your Ipod or worse - fry yourself!