Archive for the ‘Renewable Energy’ Category
Sources of Renewable Energy
The world has depended on fossil fuels like oil and coal as a source of energy for centuries. The simple fact is those supplies are running out. That’s actually probably a good thing. Fossil fuels are increasingly polluting the environment with their greenhouse gasses and global warming.
The Earth’s atmosphere can’t take too much more of these depleting fossil fuels. But where do we find a replacement for these fuels? Are there sources of clean renewable energy?
The answer of course is yes there are alternative energies and not only are they renewable but green as well. Solar energy, wind power and marine energy all have the potential to supply the world’s need for electrical power. All three are limitless in supply and all three have no negative impact on the environment.
Click here for instructions on making your own renewable energy source.
Solar power is probably the best known and most visible of the sources of renewable energy. Everyday the sun emits enormous amounts of heat and light energy that we are finally beginning to harness to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Photovoltaic cells can capture the sun’s light and convert it into electricity.
Solar collectors mounted on rooftops can absorb the heat from the sun and then convert it into a source of energy to heat water up to 125 degrees. Combining these two technologies, a household or a business could completely divorce itself from traditional electrical power and gas heating.
The wind is another powerful source of renewable energy. Wind energy is really a byproduct of solar energy. When the sun heats the atmosphere it cause the air to shift with hot air rising and cold are rushing it to take its place. So long as the sun shines there will be an abundant supply of wind.
Unlike solar, wind energy has actually been used by Man for centuries. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese used windmills to grind grain and pump water. Wind was the first “cheap” source of energy and as a result was preferred over using manual labor or animals to perform tasks.
When new “cheap” sources of energy like coal and oil became available; the wind powered industry basically disappeared.
In the mid 20th century Europe started using windmills to generate electricity. The idea has caught on and it is now a rapidly developing industry with wind farms sprouting up in most of the developed nations.
This time change comes because a promise of cheaper power once the technology is perfected, and an elimination of greenhouse gasses that are causing global warming.
Marine energy perhaps holds the biggest potential of all the sources of alternative energy. Have you ever sat on a coastal beach and watched the waves come in? Can you imagine the amount of energy that those waves and the swells represent?
Capturing that energy presents some serious technological challenges but France and Scotland have both set up operational power plants based on marine energy. The U.S. has a number of government experiments running on both coasts as well.
If you happen to live by a geothermal field then you could take advantage of another alternative energy source. A few miles below your feet are artesian waters that are being super heated by the molten core.
Probably the most familiar examples of this energy are the “Old Faithful” Geyser and the innumerable hot springs that can found around the country. If you drill down to those water sources you can tap into an amazing source of steam that can be used to power turbine generators.
In fact the geothermal heat pump is the new “next big thing” in energy products. It is an abundant supply of green energy but has limited availability as everyone is not so fortunate as living above one of these fields.
Click here for instructions on making your own renewable energy source.
Renewable Green Energy
The depletion of fossil fuels is often times on the minds of governments, industry and individuals alike. There is an obvious need to find new sources of energy and preferably sources that are renewable green energy.
The “Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gores movie that details our need to change the path we are on today or risk destroying the world, brings home the need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and take positive steps to repair and reverse the damage they have done to our environment.
Using renewable green energy makes such perfect sense when you think about the dangers and risks of a continued reliance on fossil fuel and nuclear power. As a nation, we should be thinking about the consequences of staying with the status quo.
Aside from the devastating effects on the environment, fossil fuels are running out. We need to turn to green energy sources like solar, wind power and marine energy.
These sources emit no toxins into the atmosphere and can help heal the planet but more importantly, they are renewable and represent an endless supply of energy.
Click here for instructions on making your own renewable energy source.
Climatologists agree that the consumption of fossil fuel has placed the planet on a path to global warming. The burning of those fuels release, among other things, carbon dioxide which traps the heat from the sun not allowing it to dissipate as it is designed to do naturally. Even small changes in temperature can have devastating effects. Land can become arid, and will no longer support plant life. Polar caps can melt resulting in rising oceans and flooding of lowlands. Entire populations will have to shift location in order to survive. Countries will have to deal with new waves of refugees looking for limited resources. Our own military has said global warming will likely cause war. Can there be a stronger motivation to develop renewable green energy?
Reversing global warming will require that we reduce or eliminate the burning of fossil fuels. Understand that we need them, particularly petroleum as it is an essential part of so many everyday products and medicines. The objective is to stop using them as energy and limit them to their role as an “ingredient”. To do this we have to turn to existing renewable green energy sources like solar and wind and also develop new technologies as well.
Solar power is being used in a number of countries and its use is growing in popularity. Solar energy is limitless and non-polluting. In countries like Japan, Australia and Israel it is not uncommon to see small solar collectors used to provide hot water to the households. It’s time that the U.S. adopt some of these designs as well. Global warming is not the problem of a single country but a global problem. It requires that all people do what they can to reduce fossil fuel use and utilize green resources for their energy needs.
Here’s a perfect example of what I mean by adopting green energy into a design. Recently I was traveling through Europe and stopped in Vienna to see a home that is well known for its energy efficiency and its use of alternative energy.
The outdoor lighting of the house is solar powered. The design and placement of the windows were such to allow an abundant amount of light, and heat into the home during winter with screens designed to keep it cool in the summer. The walls and ceiling used a high efficiency insulation to minimize both heat and cooling. And of course it had a solar powered hot water system for bathing, laundry and dish washing. This is what I mean by adapting our way of life to accommodate the very real need to reverse our reliance on fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy Development
In the past, and to some extent even today, nation’s put their research dollars for renewable energy development into nuclear energy as the alternative renewable fuel of the future. This was before the risks of the technology were fully thought out or even discovered.
Today, the very practical problem of what to do with spent, and highly radioactive fuel is creating a dilemma. Nobody wants that material buried in their back yard.
Couple that with the threats represented by earthquakes, melt downs and even terrorist attacks and it is obvious that nuclear power is not the choice of the future.
Money spent in researching and developing nuclear energy could have been much better spent investing in renewable energy development of green technologies.
Imagine for a moment how much further along development of wind and solar energy would have been in money spent on atomic energy had actually been used on these green technologies?
Quite possibly those technologies may have progressed to the point that they were competitive with traditional fossil fuel sources.
Click here for a guide on making your own renewable energy source.
The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is charged with leading the government’s research efforts in renewable electricity and fuels, energy system integration and strategic energy analysis.
While it’s nice to know that the government has an interest, this year’s (2009) funding is a relatively small $140 million. That’s not very much money compared to the urgent need for new green sources of energy.
Private investors however, are jumping into renewable energy development in a big way. Developing new green alternative energy is big business with potentially huge profits and smart investors are grabbing them up.
Green stocks are becoming more and more popular with investor portfolios.
The Rock Star of adventure and innovation, Richard Brandt, has committed $3 billion for research, development and implementation of energy sources that can replace fossil fuels.
Other big names that see the value and potential profit of alternative energy are G.E, Wal-Mart and Google. Google actually installed a 1.6 megawatt photovoltic system to power its headquarters and is currently realizing a 30% reduction in its power costs.
Private Citizens are also investing in new sources of power and means to conserve energy as well. Solar hot water systems are common in the West. Increased use of insulation to conserve heating and cooling expenditures is on the rise.
The use of LED lights and Compact Fluorescent Lights are now common place in households. The purchase of appliances is now determined to some degree by its energy efficiency.
And of course our love affair with our cars is dependent on what kind of fuel it uses and what kind of mileage it gets.
Alternative energy development is now a part of our everyday economic and personal lives.
This is not just a fad, it’s becoming a way of life. In these difficult economic times, it is important that you stay informed about renewable energy development so you can take advantage of any new savings into your energy expenses.