Is Home Steam Power Generation The Next Big Thing?
Is home steam power generation an idea whose time has come? The nation, and even the world, are at a crossroads when it comes to energy considerations. Our petroleum sources are running dry and the costs for the oil we have are skyrocketing. And with the current horrendous economy, people are looking for ways to save money while also saving the planet.
But even as our need for alternative energy sources increases, people are looking everywhere but at steam--or so it seems. The usual suspects that are considered as possible energy sources include clean coal, nuclear power, solar heating, and even windmills. Often left out of the equation is a power source that is a century old: steam. Water vapor.
Think that steam is an old-fashioned, outmoded energy source? Then think about this. In the late 1800s through the early 1900s, steam ships and cars reached efficiencies and speeds that are hard to match even with today's powerful combustion engines. In point of fact, steam is one of the most powerful forms of independent energy available--and yet it also one of the most dangerous if not handled correctly. The bigger problem with home steam power generation is that it can be difficult to harness the energy from it in a way that is efficient. In other words, many attempts in the past have actually required more energy to run the generator than they actually created.
However, today more and more research is going into developing better and better generators and steam powered engines. Whereas when we think of the steam engine,, we tend to think big: like the steam engine in a locomotive, or at huge power plants, today, the steam generator is getting smaller, making it available for more and better uses. More and more websites are popping up selling smaller units that have a range of functions, all powered by steam.
These devices, used largely for heating purposes, are being sold for anywhere froo $1,500 to $3,000 and are actually quite portable. This trend toward lower costs and smaller sizes seems to suggest that soon, companies will latch onto ways that the home user can benefit from them.
Steam, incidentally, is the result of heat being applied to water. At a pressure of 3200 pounds per square inch, and a water temperature of 720 degrees fahrenheit, the steam becomes "supercritical" and achieves a density the same was liquid water. The modern steam engine uses these pressures because super-critical pressures cause the steam to produce heat much faster.
While there's still much research to do in the area of steam power generation, there are a large number of DIY ("do it yourself" ) kits online that show you how to create steam engines for your vehicle and even to power your house as its primary energy source. The better kits provide detailed instructions and a process diagram to get you through the creation of this generator.
The average consumer might not be quite ready for home steam power generation. The person who likes to tinker and see if he can improve things around his home might want to dry one of the DIY kits, however, and see if he can beat the wave. Because make no mistake: although wind power designs are growing all the time, the wave of the future is at least partly steam-powered.
