Whether or not you’re ready to heat your entire house using solar energy, there are some simple ways you can start going solar. Imagine how much you would save each month simply by using the sun for all your cooking needs? What you will want to look for are sun ovens, and they can satisfy all your cooking needs if so desired. You can purchase a solar cooking device for approximately one hundred dollars, and just give it about an hour or so and it is ready to go. As you can see, this is just one example of what you can do to take care of your cooking needs and save money.

If you want the luxury of a swimming pool or hot tub, you can have one that’s environmentally friendly if it’s solar powered. The traditional approach here has been with gas units or those powered by electricity. Accomplishing this is not terribly involved, and in fact you can purchase a kit to make the change from electric/gas to solar. So it is very clear that you can take advantage of the benefits of solar power to heat your pool or anything else.

Solar energy can easily be used with greenhouses to help your plants stay healthy and grow better. What you can also do is buy material that will protect the plants from extremes of outside weather changes. That approach will make it possible to grow the plants you like regardless of how low the temps drop.

A solar powered greenhouse can maintain an environment that’s warm all year round. You could even visit local nurseries to find out what they use. Growing food is another option that we are sure somebody does, and you will save even more with that.

Solar energy truly is your friend, and it is available for anyone with motivation to use it. Some people only decide to have a few solar power devices in and around their home, and that is fine too. There are also other means of alternative and renewable energy sources, so do not limit yourself in any way.

When you really look at it, solar energy and alternative energy are more popular because people are genuinely concerned about making a difference. It really does seem practical to use solar power because all the efforts are geared to making it more affordable rather than more costly. If you have been sitting on the fence with solar energy, then maybe you should take a closer look.

The Original Post is Located Here: Why Solar Energy Makes Good Sense

Due to the United Kingdom’s location in the northern temperate zone, the waves which reach the nation’s shores are predictable.  The winds far out at sea that create these waves are consistent and therefore easily measured. Available power that can be generated from the water’s renewable energy is anticipated from these measurements, and prime locations for wave farms are chosen from these findings.  Thanks to the steady nature of the prevailing winds off the United Kingdom’s north shore, the resulting waves’ energy potential can be anticipated five days in advance.

Pondering water power as an alternative energy source is nothing new in the United Kingdom.  The oil crisis of the 1970s prompted many researchers to turn to the possibilities of renewable energy.  At the University of Edinburgh, Stephen Salter invented a wave energy converter nicknamed Salter’s Duck.  This device was shaped like a teardrop and designed to bob on the ocean’s waves.  The bobbing motion would swing a pendulum located inside the floating “duck”, producing electricity.  This electricity would be transferred to lines hanging from the floating device to dedicated collection points connected to the grid.  Reportedly, the device could capture wave power with 90% efficiency.  Unfortunately, falling oil prices and a miscalculation of the production cost doomed Salter’s Duck.  It was never tested in the ocean.

Currently, a project is underway in the United Kingdom known as the Wave Hub.  Its intention is to demonstrate the methods by which wave power can be collected and transformed into electricity.  As part of the Wave Hub, a variety of wave energy converters will be used to demonstrate the operation of wave power’s conversion to electricity.  The devices will be tested in other areas, and upon completion of testing, be connected to the grid at locations agreed upon by the government.  Over the course of several years, electricity production will be studied in order to determine the most efficient water energy converters.  Not only does this allow researchers to develop effective methods by which to harness wave power, but the resulting electricity produced by the research is fed to the grid.

The island upon which the United Kingdom resides is an ideal place to harness and study the renewable energy found in wave power. There is wide range of Wave and Tidal Power Energy Manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

Plus, suppliers and consultants are located all over, so get started in making the most of renewable resources now!

The Original Post is Located Here: Catching A Wave In The United Kingdom

Usually a pioneer in new technologies, the United States is far behind when it comes to the use of biofuels.  Much of Europe uses these biofuels, with many countries generating at least a quarter of their heat from this source.  Sweden heats over thirty five percent of homes, businesses, and other buildings using biofuels and operates boilers that work at an astounding ninety percent efficiency.  When considering the large strides taken by so many other nations, it is hard to comprehend why we have not taken similar measures.

Political motive aside, however, it is rapidly becoming common knowledge that we must wean ourselves from fossil fuels and biofuel is by far the most commonly accepted alternative.  Safe, clean, and sustainable, biofuel can be used in existing systems with only minor alterations, making it a cheaper and more fluid transition for the millions of Americans who would need to upgrade automobiles and heating systems.  The question is not whether we need to wean ourselves from this dependence, but rather how to go about making the change.

Many public transportation systems and college transport vehicles have already made the change to biofuel.  While this is only a small step, it shows the public that biofuel is reliable and effective without causing need for fossil fuels.  The consumer market, however, seems to be easier to convince than many in the energy production industry.  Many facilities seem to ignore the concept altogether, even as emissions standards change in an attempt to create new methods of energy production.  Tax incentives for consumers offer great encouragement in a struggling economy, but the idea is only sustainable if there is a constant and easily accessible source of biofuel in every area of the nation, presenting problems for early adopters of the new technology.

The attempted weaning of the United States from fossil fuels to biofuels will need to undergo a shift in its targets to be largely successful.  While attempts to start with consumers and end users have been moderately successful, it is industrialists, businesses, and energy producers that must be encouraged to begin implementing the fuel en masse, creating a viable market and the consensus among consumers that the fuel will be available universally.  When this is achieved, the consumer market will be much more receptive to a cheaper and cleaner source of fuel.

The Original Post is Located Here: How The U.S. Can Wean Itself Off Fossil Fuels With Biofuels

Much renewable energy is harnessed for the production of electricity to power homes and offices. While biofuels, wind, and solar energy are making strides in Canada, wave and tidal power has not received the same amount of attention. This may soon change due to the amount of ocean available on both coasts and to the north. In fact, these coasts are capable of producing a quarter of Canada’s annual electricity consumption through wave and tidal power. And because the waves and tides are a consistent natural force, wave-powered energy production is more dependable than that provided by the intermittent sun and wind.

The perception that Canada is lagging in the wave and tidal power department is partially due to its overshadowing accomplishments in solar and wind power. In actuality, Canada trails only the United States and United Kingdom in wave power development. Natural Resources Canada is helping future wave and tidal projects by creating an atlas that points to useful locations in which to construct wave and tidal power plants.

Nunavut is one such location. Meaning “our land” in Inuktitut, it became independent of the Northwest Territories in April of 1999 and comprises a large portion of northern Canada. Consisting of just over 29,000 residents spread over a region the size of Western Europe, it is an ideal location upon which to set up onshore wave and tidal power systems. Because the residents that live along Nunavut’s water do not use the shores for recreation, the concrete and steel structures of a wave powered turbine would not interfere with swimmers or boaters. Furthermore, in the waters of Nunavut and Canada’s eastern and western coasts, there are plenty of available oceans for offshore wave and tidal power systems.

Riding the waves in order to create the pressure needed to move electricity-producing turbines, the bobbers and hoses of a wave power system require no power besides the renewable energy of the earth’s waves to operate. Canada has more than enough water power on its shores to make wave and tidal power a priority.

The Original Post is Located Here: Canada Looking To Ride The Waves To Electricity Production

One country that seems to be leading the way in the renewable energy revolution is the small island of Iceland. They have fully embraced geothermal energy and hydropower, and 82% of their primary energy consumption comes from renewable sources. The country has managed within one generation to ween itself from dependence on coal and oil to a system almost completely based on sustainable resources.

Another country leading the way to a greener planet is Sweden. Approximately 25% of Sweden’s energy consumption comes from biogas. Biogas is power that is created from sewage. In the Swedish city of Linkoping, all of the garbage trucks and buses run on biogas, and there’s even a biogas-powered train line! The government in Sweden has even converted confiscated alcohol into biofuel for green applications.

In 1973, the country of Denmark became independent of fossil fuel imports. Since that time, the country has continued to embrace green technologies, and now boasts the world’s first profitable offshore wind park. Over 20% of Denmark’s power consumption is derived from wind power, and that’s after exporting 90% of their wind production outside of the country. Denmark is also using solar power to run heating plants as well as other applications, and they are also working on using rapeseed oil as a new type of biofuel.

Costa Rica is one of many countries that is working to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country. They incorporate several green energies including geothermal, solar, wind and the burning of sugarcane waste. Their biggest source of clean energy is hydroelectricity, and more than 82% of Costa Rica’s energy is provided by its hydroelectric dams. A quarter of the nation of Costa Rica is also devoted to park preservation.

In the United States, the green revolution has faced opposition most notably from the giant oil companies. Americans are just now beginning to realize the very real threat that global warming poses, and many are now willing to look at alternative energy sources. In recent years, the U.S. has become the world’s fastest growing wind power market, and several major turbine manufacturing plants have either been opened or announced their intentions. Recently, the government has instituted tax credits, rebates and other programs to encourage Americans to purchase energy saving appliances, vehicles, etc. New homes and businesses are being built with environmentally friendly products and energy sources, and owners are receiving significant tax breaks for using green technologies.

There are many other countries implementing green technologies with the hope of saving the planet and making the world a better place – let’s hope they succeed.

The Original Post is Located Here: Most Green Countries

First generation bio-fuels are the more common fuels that are produced from food crops and animal fats. Some examples include bio-diesel, vegetable oil, and bio-gas.

Second generation bio-fuels are made from waste biomass, making them a more sustainable solution as compared to their 1st gen counterparts. They include various alcohols (such as ethanol) and diesel derived from wood and even human excrement.

Third generation bio-fuels are generally made from algae that are farmed on a massive scale. By way of photosynthesis and the breaking down of carbon dioxide, the carbohydrates extracted from these micro-organisms is used to make various fuels.
So what separates bio-fuels from fossil fuels?

Bio-fuels differ from fossil fuels in the following ways:

Where bio-fuels can be made very quickly, fossil fuels take millions of years to be made. The pollution from fossil fuels is far more severe. Although burning bio-fuels also creates emissions, the carbon dioxide is more environmentally friendly and absorbed easily by crops and organisms. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, whereas bio-fuels tend be more renewable. As long as there is human excrement, there will be bio-fuels. Furthermore, with the help of crop rotation, there can be an endless supply of bio-fuels.

This leads us on to the advantages of bio-fuels:

As more people use bio-fuels, it lowers the demand on pollution creating fossil-fuels. This helps reduce harmful carbon emissions, making bio-fuels more friendly for the environment. And since they can be made from almost any organic substance, bio-fuels are a cheap alternative for consumers.

Bio-fuels sound too good to be true. There must be some disadvantages to producing and using them. So, are there any?
Like any new technology, of course there are disadvantages

Although they are environmentally friendly, bio-fuels have been ironically criticized by the environmental community, for the reasons given below:

It has long been debated on the usefulness on first generation bio-fuels as compared to the shortage of food they could cause. Producing bio-fuels from crops make the food worthless for us to eat. And some people believe that we should rather use those crops to cure world hunger than to power our vehicles and homes. The large farmlands necessary to produce first and third generation bio-fuels can result in us encroaching on the natural ecology of plants and animals.

So you can see, biofuels are still a contentious issue. However, we believe that with the correct management – such as crop rotation – and improved technology biofuels can be a sustainable solution that will do more good than harm. But only time will tell.

The Original Post is Located Here: Biofuels – The Cleaner Burning Fuels

So what is hydro power?

Well, basically it is the generation of electricity by using the natural force of water.

And how is hydro power generated ?

It is generated in 3 different ways: hydroelectric power, tidal power, and wave power.

Hydroelectric Power:

This is the most common form of hydro-power, making up the majority of all renewable energy produced.  Electricity is produced in hydroelectric dams where the force of falling water drives massive turbines.

The advantage of this type of power is that not only does it produce electricity, but the dam helps collect water for our use, so it’s a power and water source in one.  Furthermore, the force of the water is so strong that megawatts of electricity can be produced to help power entire cities.

There is also a large amount of control over how fast the turbines spin. If more power is needed, the controller simply opens the wicket gates more, which allows more water through the turbines and spins them faster.

The disadvantage is the devastating effect dams can have on plants, animals and even humans.  When dams are built they flood large tracts of land that were once occupied by various species and communities of people.  Furthermore, the water-borne animals, such as fish can also be affected.  An example would be salmon that are blocked from swimming upstream to spawn by the newly erected dam.

Tidal Power:

The second most popular type of hydro power, tidal energy is produced by currents caused from the natural ebb and flow of the tide.

This has been achieved by France and Russia since 1966 in areas with a large tidal range, such as bays and estuaries.  One of the systems of tidal power works by trapping water at high tide with a tidal barrage, then releasing that water in one quick burst at low tide.  This gushing water drives turbines to produce power.

Although the tides are very predictable and consistent, the problem with this system is that the turbines only operate every 6 hours (once every tide).

A second, more recent, tidal system looks very much like an underwater wind turbine.  Large windmill like turbines are sunk in shallow water, where they are slowly spun by shifting tidal water.

The advantage of this system is that it is an adaptation of an already technologically advanced wind turbine – so all the refinement has been done.  Furthermore, the dense water is far more efficient than wind at spinning these turbines. Thus even slow-moving water is just as effective as a strong wind.

The drawback is that the current systems can only be built in shallow water, where tidal activity is greatest. This is very limiting since many other economic activities – like oyster farming – occur in the shallows. Furthermore, these structures can damage marine life on the seafloor.

Wave Power:

This is the youngest of the three hydropower solutions.  The system harnesses the power from ocean surface wave motion, where air displaced by waves is driven through a generator than spins a turbine. The end result is electricity. These generators can either be coupled to floating devices outta sea, or fixed along the shore where seas are rough.

Although this technology is relatively new, it has been estimated that there is enough energy in ocean waves to produce up to 2000 Megawatts of power.

But, as with all hydro-power solutions, it has potential environmental issues.  Conservationists are worried about the impact these structures will have on the coastline’s fauna and flora. Also, there is a possibility of water pollution if – for example – the hydraulic fluids accidentally leaked into the sea. This can be expected if the wave generators are constantly battered by rough seas.

Closing thought:

Man has come up with ingenious ways to harness the power of nature to produce electricity, hydro power being one of them. Although it is an important renewable energy for the future, there is still much controversy over its long-term environmental impact.

The Original Post is Located Here: Types Of Hydro Power

Six Easy Steps To Estimate Cost of a Solar Power System
Solar power energy systems are not inexpensive. That said it’s important to compare them within context of other types of home improvement projects. Home buyers and realtors view a solar photovoltaic or solar hot water heating system as a significant value-added improvement – similar to adding a deck or remodeling your kitchen. Plus unlike a deck or kitchen remodel, you also gain one-up on your power bills.

Solar power systems often get an additional financial boost as well: many jurisdictions and utilities across the USA offer attractive financial incentives to drive down the upfront capital costs associated with a solar power system.

Here are some foolproof ways to estimate the cost of a solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system and to figure out if a solar energy system makes sense for you. Let’s start with a home photovoltaic (PV) system.

Step 1: Estimate your home’s electricity needs
To get started, it’s good to have a sense of how much electricity you use. You’ll have a better point for comparison if you find out how many kilowatt hours (kWh) you use per day, per month, per year. Your utility bill should include that information.

Of course, the utility bill will also display your costs and many utilities include a graph that displays how your monthly energy use/cost varies throughout the year. That helps you estimate where your highest energy use is and at what time of year.

New Home Construction
If you are constructing a new home, then you’ll need to estimate your demand based on the type of equipment you plan to install and your home’s square footage. The pross call this “your load”.

To figure out your anticipated load, create a table to record the watt use for each appliance. Each appliance – be it a water heater, electric light, computer, or refrigerator – should have a nameplate that lists its power rating in watts. Or you can get the information from the manufacturer’s website.

Some labels list amperage and voltage only; to obtain watts multiply the two together (amperage x voltage = watts). In another column, record the number of hours each appliance is expected to operate. Then multiple the watts and hours together to estimate watt-hours used per day. Since it’s hard to anticipate all electric loads (it may get tedious scouting out every toothbrush and mobile phone cell charger), you might want to add a multiplier of 1.5 to be safe.

Step 2: Anticipate the future
In 2005, average residential electricity rates across the USA ranged from about 6 to nearly 16 cents per kilowatt hour depending on where you lived. Average retail and commercial electricity rates have increased roughly 30% since 1999 and the upward trend will likely continue especially as costs for the coal and hydropower used to generate that electricity rise as well. So think about your home electricity needs and present and future cost in relation to one another.

Step 3: How much sun do you get?
The Florida Solar Energy Center has conducted a study to examine how a 2-kW photovoltaic system would perform if installed on a highly energy efficient home across the continental USA (http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-PF-380-04/).

The study accounted for all factors that impact a PV system’s performance such as the temperature effect on the photovoltaic cells, the amount of sun peak hours in various regions, and the efficiency of inverter to convert solar derived energy from DC to AC.

As the study implies, solar photovoltaic systems work just about anywhere in the US. Even in the Northeast or in “rainy Seattle”, a pv system can pencil out if designed and installed properly. In New York or New Jersey, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1270 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, in Seattle, a one kilowatt system should produce about 1200 kilowatt hours per year. In the Southwest, of course, those ratios will be much greater.

Solar contractors in your area can help determine the best size for your solar photovoltaic system.

Step 4: Size your system
In general, solar photovoltaic systems sized between 1 to 5 kilowatts are usually sufficient to meet the electricity needs of most homes. One advantage of grid-tied systems is that you can use solar PV to supplement or offset some of your electricity needs; therefore you can size your system to match your budget and always add to the system later if needed.

Also as a side note, here’s a rule of thumb to remember to help you estimate the physical space your PV system might need: one square foot yields 10 watts. So in bright sunlight, a square foot of a conventional photovoltaic panel will produce 10 watts of power. A 1000 watt system, for example, may need 100 – 200 square feet of area, depending on the type of PV module used.

Step 5: Know your rebates
Many states and local jurisdictions offer rebates, tax credits and other types of incentives to homeowners for installing residential photovoltaic and solar domestic water systems. To view a comprehensive database of the incentives available for renewable energy visit http://www.dsireusa.org.

At the Federal Level, you can take advantage of a 30% tax credit (of up to $2,000) for the purchase of a residential solar system at least until December 31, 2008.

The Original Post is Located Here: Six Easy Steps to Estimate Cost of a Solar Power System

This step-change in capacity could pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.

The research work, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is being led by researchers at the University of St Andrews with partners at Strathclyde and Newcastle.

The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop generating when the weather changes or night falls.

Improved capacity is thanks to the addition of a component that uses oxygen drawn from the air during discharge, replacing one chemical constituent used in rechargeable batteries today. Not having to carry the chemicals around in the battery offers more energy for the same size battery. Reducing the size and weight of batteries with the necessary charge capacity has been a long-running battle for developers of electric cars.

The STAIR (St Andrews Air) cell should be cheaper than today’s rechargeables, too. The new component is made of porous carbon, which is far less expensive than the lithium cobalt oxide it replaces.

This four-year research project, which reaches its halfway mark in July, builds on the discovery at the university that the carbon component’s interaction with air can be repeated, creating a cycle of charge and discharge. Subsequent work has more than tripled the capacity to store charge in the STAIR cell.

Principal investigator on the project, Professor Peter Bruce of the Chemistry Department at the University of St Andrews, says: “Our target is to get a five to ten fold increase in storage capacity, which is beyond the horizon of current lithium batteries. Our results so far are very encouraging and have far exceeded our expectations.”

“The key is to use oxygen in the air as a re-agent, rather than carry the necessary chemicals around inside the battery,” says Bruce.

The oxygen, which will be drawn in through a surface of the battery exposed to air, reacts within the pores of the carbon to discharge the battery. “Not only is this part of the process free, the carbon component is much cheaper than current technology,” says Bruce. He estimates that it will be at least five years before the STAIR cell is commercially available.

The project is focused on understanding more about how the chemical reaction of the battery works and investigating how to improve it. The research team is also working towards making a STAIR cell prototype suited, in the first instance, for small applications, such as mobile phones or MP3 players.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). ScienceDaily

The Original Post is Located Here: Air-fueled Battery Could Last Up To 10 Times Longer

Green Energy Technologies LLC, a privately held company founded in 2006, announces the launch of WindCube(R), a 60kW rooftop wind turbine designed for on-site power generation by commercial and industrial power users in urban and suburban locations. The turbine, which captures and amplifies the wind, fills a previously unmet need for wind turbines that can be placed into service in a very small footprint and take advantage of the nation’s net metering laws.

“Now building owners anywhere can consider being a part of the renewable energy picture,” said Mark L. Cironi, president and founder of Green Energy Technologies, and with John W. Fedor, the technology’s inventor. “With WindCube, it’s not necessary to have the wind of Kansas or Nebraska to become a generator of wind power. In states with excellent renewable energy incentives, moderate wind and high electric rates, the payback can be as little as three years.”

The turbine is available as a single (60kW) or dual (120kW) system and in rooftop or tower-mounted design. The product is modular to satisfy a customer’s electrical requirements, and produces the same amount of energy in a 22x22x12-foot framework as a traditional turbine with blades 50 feet in diameter. It is ideal for a wide range of users, from industrial companies and commercial office buildings to big-box retailers, college campuses and electric users in remote locations.

Innovative Technology Amplifies Moderate Wind
The WindCube features a groundbreaking patent-pending design that relies on the wind tunnel effect known in physics as the Bernoulli Principle. While the rest of the wind industry generates energy through the use of free-stream wind, the WindCube captures and amplifies the wind, which produces more kilowatt-hours (kWh). As the wind comes into the WindCube shroud, it becomes concentrated, creating increased velocity and in turn, more power. Because of the amplification effect, the WindCube is able to capture wind energy as low as 5 mph.

The WindCube generates electricity by running its motor backwards using an impeller (the opposite of a propeller), eliminating the need for a gearbox. This lowers the cost of ownership because the gear box is the source of most of the maintenance problems and failures on conventional wind turbines.

The Original Post is Located Here: Green Energy Technologies Launches WindCube(R) at Windpower 2009