Nov 18

Our entire society today is based on the production of energy. Therefore its production is of paramount importance. Today it is made by the burning of fossil fuels, nuclear fission, and with water and wind energy, primarily.

To generate electricity, in many cases we use energy to drive turbines which have magnets in them. As the magnets spin, they can induce current in a surrounding wire. These are a few ways that we make electricity:

Burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and petrol. They can be burned to boil water in large furnaces or along heating pipes, and the heated water vapor can be used to drive large turbines. The products of burning are generally very hazardous to the environment. These fuels are also not renewable because they took millions of years to be created in the first place, so we shouldn’t be depending on them for much longer - or they will run out.

By moving water: Dams have long been used to funnel water down tubes with turbines, which can be used to create electricity. Dams are also useful because they can control the movement of water and restrict bodies of water to where we want them. On the other hand, this may cause local ecosystem damage and environmental hazards.

About 90% of all the world’s renewable electricity is made in this way.

Wind energy. Wind generators use propeller wings that spin in the wind to turn a generator which induces electric current in electrical lines. Wind turbines are very environmentally sound and are becoming more and more economical each day.

Nuclear fission. Nuclear fission can be accomplished in large nuclear power plants in order to generate large amounts of heat energy. This process uses unstable matter such as a certain uranium isotope to create a nuclear reaction and boil water to turn turbines.

Solar energy. The energy of the sun’s rays can also be used to make electricity, without turning a turbine. Photons transfer their energy directly to electrons in solar panels to start the electrical circuit.

About the Author:
Nov 14

Most of the energy that runs our society today comes from fossil fuels. They are not in unlimited supply, however, and we should start now to find alternative sources of energy to prepare for what is to come.

Clean energy sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric are becoming more and more popular and as their technology is improved they are also becoming cheaper and cheaper. The ultimate goal is to make them cheaper than fossil fuels so that we can wean ourselves off of fossil fuels.

Other types of renewable energy are also being developed, and many of them seem very promising. One of these energies is wave energy, which is garnering much excitement for powering cities in coastal regions.

The energy in waves is very dense, so energy can be taken out of them with a relatively small power plant. Wave energy also doesn’t break like sun energy or wind energy may.

A country which is famous for its surfing, Australia, already has many of these generators powering its homes.

A wave power plant exists off the coast of a city just south of Sydney, about 100 yards off the coast. It produces enough energy to power 500 homes and desalinates enough water to supply those homes with fresh drinking water, as well. It weighs about 500 tons.

It is very well built so that it can survive most major storms. It makes about 500kW of energy and it was $4.7M to build.

Though it is still on the expensive side, as technology develops many believe that it has the best chance of any of the renewable energies out there to become much cheaper than fossil fuels.

About the Author:
Nov 14

Solar power for homes has come a long way since the boxy design of the solar panels most of us are familiar with. Tremendous advancements have been made in solar cell construction that allow many building materials to be manufactured with the solar cells incorporated into their design effectively turning them into virtually undetectable solar panels.

There are two ways that solar power for homes is supplied. A stand alone solar power system acts as the sole source of electricity for your home. Alternatively, supplemental solar power systems, can supply all of your homes energy depending on sunlight availability. When sunlight is not available, your home can use energy from the power grid.

The basic components to generate solar power for homes are the same whether you opt for a standalone system or a supplemental system. First you have the photovoltaic panels, commonly known as PV or solar panels, these panels are lined with a semi conductor or solar cell that turns the rays of the sun into electricity. This electricity is then routed into a regulator/controller that keeps the current at the voltage/amperage level your system is designed for. The electricity is then routed either into your homes electrical system or into a battery array or storage system that will keep that solar power available when the sun goes down.

As long as your house is hooked up to the power company’s grid, you won’t need to set up a separate storage system. However, setting up your own storage is more advantageous as your monthly utility bill be reduced further and you’ll still have power even during an outage.

It is now cheaper and simpler than ever before to reduce or eliminate your need for outside electricity by using solar power for homes. Several types of building materials include awnings, roofing materials, car port roofing, and edges of window panes. This kind of solar panel is known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics. If used for roofing material, such panels provide the same measure of home protection as do asphalt shingles, even while they function as a solar panel.

One of the largest setbacks to adding or converting your home to solar power has always been the initial cost, there are however a growing number of ways to combat that cost. There are grants available on both the state and federal level to help offset a large portion of using solar power for homes. While the federal rebate may change from year to year, individual state rebates vary from state to state, with some states offering special low interest financing as an added green incentive to rebates.

Aside from reducing your homes environmental impact, perhaps one of the greenest returns you will see will be in your utility bill which you can reduce or eliminate through the use of solar power for homes. Most utility companies even have a metering program that enables you to sell the excess power generated by your solar power system to the utility company, now hows that for green!

About the Author:
Nov 10

The two most popular alternatives in renewable energy for the home are solar and wind power. When the two are used in concert they can provide a constant energy source that is environmentally friendly. You can even mount them onto a system that is connected to a utility grid so that most of the energy to your home is supplied by the system and the grid is used as a backup system.

In a solar power system, the light from the sun is the source of electricity. Solar panels are mounted onto a roof, poles, or on the ground. The panels are lined with a semiconductor material that creates electricity when hit by the rays of the sun. Most mounts are equipped with motors that let you tilt the panels to face the sun as it moves through the sky.

The electricity generated by such systems is routed through a regulator/controller and then to an inverter to change the direct current to alternate current. Depending upon your installation, it may be sent to your battery array as direct current or to the electrical system in your home. When it is passed to your home, it can be used to power all your appliances just as the electricity from the grid may be currently doing.

Electricity generation in a wind power system is similar to that of solar power systems, except for the generation part, which occurs in the body of the turbine–that’s what most of us would call the giant fan–that will spin away at the top of the huge towers they are often mounted upon.

In a wind power setup the wind turns the blades of the wind turbine the shaft of which is routed into a generator which as it spins creates the electricity. That electricity is then routed into your structure’s electrical or storage system to provide power on its own or as a backup to your solar power.

Wind power needs a bit less in initial equipment costs, since the bulk of the price is the turbine, which is typically less costly than many solar arrays. The negative point is that the turbine must be mounted up well off the ground on a tower like structure, which is stronger but costs more to install. This kind of installment typically needs zoning approval from your community and usually takes a little more thinking ahead.

When you use solar power in combination with wind power, each part can contribute to the overall energy output. This can add up and put a significant dent in your utility bills if the conditions are right. Some guides to create such systems claim that you can build a hybrid system for the home for around $400. This is possible if you use discounted parts and do all the labor yourself. This may not be for everyone but because it is so cheap to put up, it may be a worthwhile project for any DIY enthusiast.

About the Author:
Nov 06

Solar panels that utilize the sun’s energy to power our homes are much more efficient, cost less, and are better for the environment than the continued use of fossil fuels. If your house is connected to the main power supply grid, you can use the residential solar power as primary power supply and use the grid’s power supply as a back up or as a supplement. Conversely you can use the main grid supply and have the residential solar power as a supplement or back up power.

Solar power panels for producing residential solar power are usually wall mounted or roof mounted. However, solar panels can also be installed on free-standing platforms or even on a tower that can rotate to follow the sun’s path. Lined with a semiconductor material that generates electricity when the sun’s rays pass through them, solar panels will work as long as they get enough sun.

Not all solar panels are like those great big square panels we have all seen at one time or another. You can now buy solar cells that are an integral part of the roofing material that offers the same protection as standard asphalt shingles while providing you with the means to generate residential solar power. That means you get a nearly invisible system which doesn’t detract from your home’s appearance.

How the electricity generated by the solar panel is distributed depends on your type of installation. If your home is not connected to the traditional power company grid this is called a stand-alone system. In a stand-alone system the electricity from the solar panel then passes through a regulator or controller, then into an inverter, which converts the power from being a direct current, into an alternating current that electrical equipment is built to operate on in the United States.

With some types of residential solar power installation, power from solar panels is routed to a power inverter, and then to a storage system, or else directly into your house’s electrical system, with any leftover power being sent to the power company. The electricity that is channeled to a storage system, usually one or several batteries can be accessed when needed. The current is routed through your home’s circuit breaker to provide the energy for your lighting fixtures and electrical appliances.

Numerous localities provide what is called “metering”, which transmits the excess power produced by the residential solar power system to the utility company’s grid. In effect, your power meter shifts into reverse so that they could in fact be the ones receiving an invoice from your household!

If you install residential solar power, there can be financial incentives at not only the state, but also the federal level. Some of these incentives include tax breaks, and low cost financing which can help offset most, if not all cost of equipment and installation. The best break might be that you will also see that your electricity bill has virtually disappeared.

About the Author:
Nov 04

As solar panel technology advances, the image people have of solar technology will change as well. The old images of large, boxy solar panels sitting on rooftop hoping to catch some part of the sun’s rays are slowing fading as people see the newer, smaller and smarter solar power panel advances emerge.

As with anything related to the sun there is going to be heat involved, this heat can also be collected and used to heat both your water and incoming air for your ventilation systems using solar power panels. Commonly known as a photovoltaic panel, or PV panel, solar power panels are lined with a semi-conductive material, typically silicon based that produces electricity when sunlight passes through it. This lining is called the solar cell. The electricity then travels through the conductive material into the electrical system that powers your home or business.

Originally, the solar panel or PV panels were restricted to big square or rectangular-shaped enclosures. Recently, the manufacturing process for solar cells has developed tremendously, opening new doors to significant changes in the way solar power panels can be integrated into your business or home. As solar cells become as a more practical alternative to energy problems, solar panels have become easier to install and can be made a part of roofing material or even parts of windows. Building Integrated Photovoltaics, or BIPV, is the emerging technology of integrating solar cells into all kinds of building materials, so that a building can be green from the ground up.

Solar cells integrated into your roofing material offer you the same protective properties as traditional asphalt shingles while collecting the suns energy at the same time. The same technology can also be applied to exterior walls, skylights, windows, awnings, walkway coverings, car ports, and it seems as though every day a new way to integrate solar power panels into everyday materials becomes available.

There are a variety of solar power panel assemblies that are mounted off of the building itself. The two most common are ground mounted or pole mounted fixtures. These features are valuable as they allow for optimal placement of the solar panels where they would receive the greatest exposure to the sun, thus allowing for greater flexibility in both building design and solar power system design. Although solar power panels will generate some power with indirect exposure to the suns rays, you will only generate the most efficient amount of solar power with direct exposure of the solar panel to full sunlight.

When solar power panels are ground-mounted, they are attached to metal frames, often with motorized mounts. These mounts allow the panels to move so they can follow the path of the sun as it travels throughout the day. While the frames are often made our of standard construction materials, they could possibly be constructed out of any other more green materials.

Pole-mounted structures, mounted to either the side or top of a metal pole, can also be built to have the solar panels move with or track the path of the sun to get the optimum amount of solar exposure during the course of the day.

About the Author:
Nov 03

With more attention focused on our environment and what we can do to clean it up, the better the technology becomes and the more choices we have to create alternative electric energy. The two most popular and most common choices include solar power and wind power.

Wind power generation provides renewable energy. Technology has made many advancements, creating generators that are both large and small. Suitable for rural and urban areas. Keep in mind each area creates different amounts of wind power, so you may not be living completely off the grid. The choice is still a great alternative if you are looking to create clean energy and save money.

The most common choice for residential customers is solar panels. Although this may be a large investment in the beginning, you will be greatly rewarded in the long run. Fortunately they are becoming more affordable with many options for financing becoming available.

There are many choices for creating renewable energy. Many may choose a DIY project or a project on a much larger scale. We can all start conserving energy today with out spending money. Washing clothes in cold water, closing vents in unused rooms and turning off lights will all help to conserve energy and lower your electric bill. We all have the ability to conserve energy, whether it be on a small scale or large scale. Either way we can work together to make a change.

What ever your choice may be remember that not all changes have a price tag attached. No matter what your choice is, a change big or small will be rewarding. Not only will you benefit, generations to come will. Hopefully we all can make changes that leave a positive impact well after we are gone.

About the Author:
Nov 02

As we seek ways to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel, with new technological advances and greater environmental awareness, solar power plants and systems will hopefully become commonplace throughout the world. Accumulating the power of the sun and converting it to solar power energy we can use for our every day needs is achieved through several methods.

The two most popular methods for generating solar power energy are the concentrating solar power system and the photovoltaic system (PV). The PV system cam convert light from the sun directly into electricity, and is most often used for industrial and residential applications. The Concentrating Solar Power (CSP system) uses the sun’s heat in lieu of fossil fuels to generate heat that fuels a traditional power plant. The CSP system could potentially provide sufficient electricity for a whole city. There are three methods by which a Concentrating Solar Power System generates a large amount of energy: the power tower system, the dish engine system, and the parabolic-trough system.

Solar panel installation costs can vary greatly. For example, you may see higher costs if you plan to install custom solar panels in for a house located in a densely populated area, whereas roof-mounting traditional box-style solar panels on a building located in a remote or sparsely populated area will cost a bit less. If you prefer a more discreet, aesthetically pleasing appearance, building materials are now available with the solar cells built right in. Your roofing, awnings and windows become the solar power energy collectors that provide your power.

If your structure is shaded part of the time, consider mounting the solar panels with ground and pole mounts; adding greater freedom to your design. Additionally, the panels can be rooftop mounted. Special features can be added to solar panels that cause them to follow the sun’s path across the sky, thus increasing their energy output and providing more solar power energy.

Parabolic-trough systems focus the sun’s heat by use of long mirrors. The heat then travels to piping that has been built into the mirror’s center, through which oil is pumped which carries heat away from the mirrors. Heat from the oil is then used to heat up water to generate steam and power a generator.

Dish-engine systems that are made up of a solar parabolic dish, use heated fluids in a similar way to the parabolic-trough systems, but the expansion of the heated fluid allows it to move large pistons for powering an electric generator to generate solar power energy.

Solar power energy created by power tower systems use a huge array of mirrors to focus the heat from the sun onto a tower mounted receiver which heats molten salt flowing through the receiver. The heat from the molten salt is then used to heat water to create steam to power a generator.

About the Author:
Oct 25

Power and fuel costs are just starting to skyrocket, and they are only going to get higher as the shortage of oil gets worse and demand goes up. Conserving energy is our next priority as a nation, but we can also go one step further to ensure that we never face an energy crisis again - start to create our own renewable energy. Solar power and wind power at home is becoming a common thing and it is becoming very cheap, especially if you create your own solar and wind power generators.

Solar and wind solutions will help you eliminate your power bill and help the environment. They will also save you from power outages.

Wind power works best when the following is true:

- You have a fairly big property. If you have acre or so, a wind power generator will definitely work for you.

- The average wind speed at your house is 11 mph. If your house has very little wind speed, there is no energy for your wind power generator to harness.

- Your house needs a lot of uninterrupted power supply. Combating those power outages is easy with the pollution-free wind power systems. You need no longer worry about a break in your work because of a power uncertainty.

Your wind power turbine will consist of blades that spin in the wind, a body with a motor in it, and a tower. If you are in an area with low-wind you may need a higher tower because wind speeds are greater higher in the air, but if you have high wind speeds in your area a low tower may be good enough.

Using a wind generator, this wind energy can be converted into useful electrical energy to be employed at home for running various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more efficient than convention power systems. You can also go without storage if you are connected to a grid, and while your wind generator is spinning you’ll also see your power meter spin backwards.

About the Author:
Oct 24

Whether you want to get set up to live off the grid or just want to experiment with getting some extra power to keep down your energy bills, building your own residential wind power system is something you need to look into.

A problem with wind power right now is that it is fairly expensive (though not as expensive as solar). If you were to go out and buy a wind turbine, you’ll find that they might cost you $2000 to $6000 dollars.

If you have the right plans you can build your own, in fact. And it’s not complicated, and it’s not expensive. you can do it for around $150-$300 depending on the amount of power you want to produce.

What will you need to make your own residential wind power?

You’ll need a work area, good blueprints, basic tools and four to seven days.

The components you’ll build:

The wind generator consist of four parts, the blades and hub, the body, tail, and the tower it sits on. It takes longer to build the blades and hub than it does the rest of the system, so it’s best to get that over with first. It is very easy but takes some time.

The motor converts the rotation of the blades to electricity. It is the most expensive part. Your manual will tell you how to install it best and what size you’ll need and all the other technical details about this part.

For the body I recommend double walled stainless steel, which will last a long time and is very cheap. You can get it from a chimney pipe or a wood stove pipe.

The tail is simple and can be made almost any way you like and decorated anyway you choose.

You can buy the tower or build your own out of piping. The best thing to use is old TV towers, which many people don’t use anymore and may actually pay you to take them down.

So now you know the basics of building your own wind turbine, and it doesn’t get much more complicated from here. Seriously, a monkey could do it. You just need the right manual now to start saving your money and the environment.

About the Author: