Solar Home Energy: What is it for?

Solar energy—this term basically does not cause a stirring in the mind as the explanation that comes at hand is indeed too simple. Everyone knows what is meant by solar energy, and that is, the energy that comes from the sun. In its most basic sense, solar energy and other solar home equipment are nonetheless environment-friendly and not risky at all. But then you need not become one fine environmentalist first before you will be able to come across with whatever advantageous benefit solar home energy has.

Why is the solar home energy said to be environment-friendly? What are its general benefits? Practically speaking, when solar home energy is used, the electrical bills tremendously go down as compared to the other type of home energy available for all people. Why would you pay for such expensive bills when all you need to do is to employ solar home energy?

Another major advantage of the solar home energy is the absence of the very complicated and dangerous wiring. Solar energy lights in the garden path or any other solar energy-powered items used in your home are ready to be installed less the wiring to be dealt with. In reality, these solar light bulbs are equipped with darkness sensors so they need not be turned on to give off light and they need not be turned off as well when they are no longer needed.

As a sort of simple explanation, the solar light bulbs will simply have to be purchased, taken out of the boxes, installed, and then presto! You just have to situate them where you want them to be and never worry about them ever again.

A List of the Benefits of Solar home Energy

Why is the solar home energy equally beneficial? Why is it more recommended for use? Here are some of its benefits which are truly worth the attention to be graced by anyone:

Solar home energy is environmentally friendly. As mentioned a while ago, solar home energy will not harm the environmental features. It is specifically clean and renewable as well. More so, it does not cause pollution just like what the rest of the traditional electrical forms do.

Solar home energy systems need the least maintenance. They are not fuel-powered so no need to buy the refills.

Solar home energy makes you save a lot of money. The energy that is derived from the sun can be accessed for free as you make use of solar lights, solar panels, and the likes. The federal government most of the time gives out financial incentives. You don’t get affected by the rise of the fuel rates since you are using solar home energy.

Making use of the solar home energy makes you entirely independent from the foreign and centralized energy sources. Power outages will not likely affect you in any manner.

Most of the solar energy items are very easy to install thus lessening the complicated work of the wiring systems.

Some Common Disadvantages of the Solar Home Energy

Of course the disadvantages will not be taken aside. Here are some of the most common disadvantages of the solar home energy:

The employment of a solar home energy can be expensive at first. But as time passes by, it becomes light to the pocket.

The strength of the solar home energy will relatively depend on the location of your home in relation with its facing to the sun. Also, the area of your home is another point to consider. You will need large areas to install the solar panels.

The Various Solar Energy Items

There are lots of solar energy devices that you may opt to buy. Included are the solar flashlights, solar heaters, car ventilators, solar video cameras, solar radios, solar pool purifier, solar mosquito inhibitor, solar lighting, and solar fountain pumps.

What You Must Do

Back in the earlier years, solar energy powered devices were very costly that very few homeowners made use of the solar home energy. But these days, small volumes of solar energy devices are put up for sale therefore making it affordable for all. If you don’t have enough money to fund these items you can always start small.

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green Energy Sources?

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green Energy Sources?

Today, we are now aware of the effects of global warming. Fortunately, it’s not too late and we can still change which is why many are pushing for green energy sources.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green Energy Sources?

The advantage of using green energy sources is that it is clean so it does not emit anything harmful into the air which has an impact on the environment. It is also renewable which means we will never run out of it unlike oil which is expected to dry up in a decade or so.

Although green energy facilities are expensive to build, it requires less maintenance so you don’t have to shell out a lot of money to operate it.

It can also bring economic benefits to certain areas even boost tourism.

While these sound good, there are some who say that there are advantages to using such technology.

While green energy sources can produce electricity, how much it can generate is not consistent. This is because we have no control of the weather so if a certain area relies on solar energy and there is a weather disturbance, it will not be able to convert sunlight into electricity.

Building these facilities also requires a lot of land so we may have to cut on farmland which is what many are concerned about if more wind turbines are to be put up.

Another disadvantage is the fact that some of the green energy sources cannot be installed in certain areas of the planet. For instance, wave energy can only be utilized if the waves coming from the ocean reach at least 16 feet. The use geothermal energy can only be done in geologically unstable parts of the planet.

But if you look at such arguments, places that cannot use one form of green energy source can be substituted for another. If wind turbines need more space, they can be installed near the coast instead of putting these on land. A study shows that you can generate more electricity while these are in the ocean.

While the weather is something we cannot control, it is not everyday that there is a weather disturbance so this too shall pass. If solar energy is being used and the sun is covered, the emergency generators will be activated and use up the energy that was stored.

The point is that there are ways around the arguments put by certain individuals which discourage the use of green energy sources. In fact, research is ongoing to try and harness other means to generate the power we need.

A very good example of this is called ocean thermal energy. Power is generated by harnessing the different temperatures in the water. It is currently being used on a small scale both in Japan and Hawaii.

In the US, only 7% of green energy sources are used nationally. This was much higher 11 years ago and if we don’t have to worry about the cost of oil or even reduce our dependency on it, we have to invest more in this clean energy.

We can get it from green energy sources such as biomass, biodiesel, geothermal, solar, water and the wind. These are things we have all around us and all it takes is for someone to harness it instead of relying on traditional non-renewable means to produce energy.

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Dams - A Source of Sustainable Power

Dams have been around for a century now. Beavers used it, although not for energy and now humans employ it as source for that ingredient in survival: power.

Hydroelectricity

Hydropower generates hydroelectricity. It produces power with the help of gravity. It is the most common alternate source of energy. After the dam (called the hydroelectric complex) is built the complex it produces no waste whatsoever. Hydroelectric power comes from waters potential energy.

Imagine a glass bubble, and you’re in it. When the walls crack water exerts pressure on that one whole until water comes through that tiny gap. It’s the same thing with a dam. The engineers collect the dam’s power by harnessing it with the use of a turbine which then connected to a generator.  In this matter the power extracted from the rushing water depends on the amount of force the water exerts on the turbine and on the difference of the water’s average gravitational pull. The difference between the height and the outflow is called the head

The amount of the water’s potential energy depends on how high the dam is from its outflow. Dams help cities by supplying energy during extremely high demand times and during off peak the turbines pump water into higher reservoirs so that when electricity consumption is high again.

Dams - A Source of Sustainable Power

Where Is The Power Supplied

Most hydroelectric power plants supply public entities; there are some which are funded by industrial companies for their specific use. Such industries like aluminum electrolytic plants build there own hydroelectric power plants due to their high energy consumption. In fact the world’s largest dam the Coulee Dam, located in Bellingham Washington was switched to support Alcoa Aluminum plant, which at the time was the largest supplier of materials for war planes; afterwards though it was used for public electricity and as a source for irrigation.

There are also small scale hydroelectric power plants, most of them are located in north America. A plant is classified as small scale when it only produces 10- 30 megawatts. These power sources are usually connected to power grids to supply energy to small isolated communities or even to a single family home. In China small hydro schemes are very popular due to a high number of factories wishing to have their own supply of electricity.

Other Common Water Energy Sources

Other common hydro resources are rivers, the ocean, waterfalls and even ponds or lakes. Rivers power plants where in no reservoir can be built are called run-of-the-river-, while the ocean is put into good use because of the tides. A tidal power plant harnesses the energy of the coming and the going of the tides. Uncommon but never the less employed are kinetic energy water plants.

Why It Makes Sense

Economically the use of hydropower is cost effective because our primary source the fossil fuel is expensive and slowly getting used up. Water is of the abundance and most of the time it is free. Granted that dams and other hydroelectric power plants are quite expensive to build, but the pros far out weigh the cons. The operating and maintenance cost of a hydroplant is considerably cheaper than looking for fossil fuel, drilling for it, and refining it to become oil. What’s more a hydroelectric power plant cannot be affected and is not subject to the rise and fall of fuel prices.

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Benefits of Green Energy Sources

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our cars and electricity. Since we are now using it more than ever, there is a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because there are advantages to using them which we will never be able to get if we don’t change our ways. This is also even if some will argue that the problem with green energy is that it is sometimes difficult to generate the power we need. While that may be true, that is why there are other green energy sources  available and we just to know which ones are viable given the geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful which may have a negative effect on the environment. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to operate a coal or nuclear power plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that number is expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. We have probably learned better ways to prevent another incident from happening. Through the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was contained, just imagine if it wasn’t?

Green energy sources may not be maintenance free but at least it does not require that much to maintain them compared to conventional means. In the end, we save money because such facilities don’t cost that much to operate.

The next advantage of using green energy sources is that we will never run out of them. For centuries, the sun’s rays have reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By using it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.

If you think about it, many of us have taken these green energy sources for granted. If we do the  right thing now, future generations will not have to face the mess that we could have handled on our own years before.

In short, the power is in our hands. We have the technology and we know what to do with it. The only thing we need is to do is to put our money where our mouth is because despite the number of conferences on global warming and climate change, little has happened.

It is easy to talk about how concerned we are about the environment but you have to ask yourself when will more solar panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the number of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?

Green energy sources is the solution to the environmental, political and social problems of this lifetime. By spending more on these technologies, no country will have to depend on another or even a corporation for their power needs because they are self dependent and free.

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The Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox has been a critical time of the year for some societies all around history. Equinox truly signifies "meet night", and the Spring Equinox is the time when the day and the night on the equator are of equivalent length.

The Spring Equinox

This mysterious occasion has customarily been commended as an extraordinary time of resurrection and replenishment. It generally falls on March twentieth, and the following day denote the first day of Spring.

There have been a couple of repeating images all around history which speak to this occasion. One of these is the egg. The egg speaks to resurrection and the potential of the new season. Numerous individuals commend this time by hard-bubbling and painting eggs.

An alternate basic image is the rabbit. Rabbits are snappy at duplicating and restoring themselves, so people have constantly searched to them for richness direction. Giving a bunny to your companion as a blessing throughout this time is a magnificent thought.

At long last, blooms have been a regular theme all around history. This is the time of the year when blossoms at last start to sprout in the wake of using the winter torpid. In the event that you live in a territory where the blooms have recently started to blossom at this point of the year, then an incredible approach to praise is to go into the fields and pick a pack of blossoms. You can bring them over to your home and make numerous distinctive art items out of them. Assuming that blooms haven't started to sprout yet, you can normally request some from a bloom conveyance organization. There are not many things that can light up the substance of your cherished one like a deliberately outlined blossom plan.

An alternate extraordinary approach to praise is by wearing the conventional shades of the Spring Equinox. These incorporate pastel shades and green.

You may have perceived that a hefty portion of these festival suggestions match the festival of Easter. This is no mishap, since Easter is the prevailing manifestation of festival in our society. There is little incident that the festival of Christ's resurrection happens around this time.

Then again, it wasn't essentially suggested that you shroud the eggs or get the bunny to conceal the eggs. There are numerous diverse myths, customs, and conventions that have adult around these essential images. They go back many years to the aged agnostic societies, and the majority of our up to date societies embraced the practices from them.

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All biofuels are a water | friendly power source

Biofuels are also a green energy source. It has been around for a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice.

Liquid biofuel which is the one used in cars is a natural and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.

All biofuels are a water | friendly power source

By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because it does not emit anything. Right now, it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.

Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.

But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.

A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not good your car’s engine so be careful if you decide to use it.

If you are skeptic about biodiesels, studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as "B20." This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle should there be a problem, don’t worry because it doesn’t. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it.

When car’s first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the Model T’s run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these may also run using peanut oil.

This never materialized because huge oil deposits were discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand for oil increased in the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and in the early part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and other forms of alternative energy.

Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and others as green energy sources.

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A Peek on How People View Home Energy

When you hear the phrase “home energy” what first comes to your mind? So you think you are alone in your view of what home energy is? Do you think that somehow, you need to know more and expand your views about home energy?

Well, here are some different views on home energy and a critique of them:

1) Expensive – This is the most agreed upon view of home energy today. People think that home energy and savings do not really go together. As people will tell you, living a comfortable life costs money, and not everyone has money.

People view home energy in terms of money. They ask themselves, how something which they cannot even see cost so much. This view on home energy is not helped by the fact that all over the news, you can see reports of the price of energy ever-increasing.

This view of home energy, however, can be put to rest when it is properly examined. As you may well know by now, it is true that oil prices are continuing to increase as deposits are diminishing. However, what most people fail to understand is that humanity always tries to find ways to bypass any problem. In this case, we have tried to develop the true potential of alternative energy. During the past few years, breakthroughs have been made in the field of alternative energy that would make energy virtually free.

2) Burden – People view home energy as a burden to be endured, an inevitable part of daily living. After all, they realize that they do need home energy to provide them with the conveniences of daily living.

Energy is the lifeblood which makes civilization today possible. It is through technology that we have reached the level of progress we are in today. Energy fuels technology, and people are sometimes hesitant to question the cost of their home energy.

However, home energy need not be such a burden. Nowadays, more and more people are turning to different house designs and different materials in order to make efficient use of home energy. This means that viewing home energy as a burden can be a thing of the past.

There are also more and more houses able to support their energy needs through alternative means. By making use of alternative energy sources, people will not view home energy as a burden; but rather, will see it for its benefits.

3) Electricity – When you ask most people about how they view home energy, most would answer you that home energy was what appeared on their electric bills. However, Energy is so much more than electricity. You see, energy does much more than run your appliances. Home energy also involves heat energy, which is used to control the temperature of your house.

This means that not only electricity is involved in home energy, gas and oil is also involved. When you are talking about the costs of home energy, you are not just talking about the cost of keeping your appliances up and running, you are also talking about the little conveniences that you have to pay for.

That’s why it is so important to make use of energy-efficient house designs. These types of houses can efficiently make use of your home energy to make sure you stay as comfortable as possible.

Some home energy systems are actually so efficient that homes can be kept warm in winter and cool in summer even without a temperature control system. Isn’t that just amazing? Did you know that temperature control (air conditioning, heating and the like) accounts for the biggest part of your home energy expenses? By making use of an energy-efficient design for a house, you can actually get your heating and cooling for free!

If you take another look at these three views on home energy, you will notice that people do not really see home energy as a benefit. However much progress we have made, people will always find something to complain about. After all, dissatisfaction is a normal part of human nature. However, you need to remember that despite the fact that you have to pay for it, you should always view home energy as a very helpful and necessary resource.

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What Do Home Energy Magazines Contain?

Electricity is a very important part of our lives and our home. We consume energy all through the day and most especially at night. Our home utilizes energy in order to keep you warm on cold winter days and to keep you cool during summer. You make use of energy to give you light whenever you need to. You also use it when you’re in need of hot water. All your home electronics and appliances need electricity in order to run.

When electricity comes into play, almost all the things that you do, even the little ones, do matter. Since most of us are energy users, we all need to know how to utilize the energy in our home more efficiently for us to save not just money but also electricity.

There are some things that can help you learn how to make use of home energy excellently. Among them are home energy magazines.

Home energy magazines are usually used by the government and other concerned individuals in their campaigns on making every home energy-efficient. Most of these magazines contain easy and very useful tips on how to make your energy consumption lower and accordingly lessen your electric bill. They also incorporate energy saving information and they present lots of energy-wise schemes that can cut back unnecessary use of energy. Hence, energy magazines can help in keeping your hard-earned bucks from walking out your door.

Articles in most home energy magazines come as simple as turning off home appliances and lights when they aren’t needed or keeping the filters of your air conditioning and heating system always clean. Here are some of the home energy tips and energy saving information that you can find in some home energy magazines:

· Home Lighting

1. Whenever possible, utilize natural lights.
2. Turn the lights off when they are not in use
3. Employ compact fluorescent lamp as an alternative to incandescent bulbs.
4. Clean bulbs often.
5. Utilize lamps that give direct illumination over beds and work stations.

· Refrigerator

1. Allow your refrigerator to breathe by giving it more space.
2. Be sure that the condenser coils are clean
3. Clean it with a broom or vacuum cleaner at least twice a year.
4. Inspect the door gaskets and make sure that its doors are tightly sealed.
5. Defrost it regularly.
6. Purchase energy efficient refrigerators.
7. Choose the unit with the highest Energy Efficient Factor

· Cooking

1. Plan ahead of time and prepare all the ingredients before you cook.
2. Before cooking, it is advisable to thaw first all the frozen foods thoroughly.
3. Be sure to have your pans and pots covered.
4. When cooking in electric stoves, utilize flat-bottomed pans and pots.
5. Switch the electric stove off in the last minute of cooking.

Moreover, home energy magazines also contain home safety information or tips on how to avoid accidents involving electricity. We all know that vigilance and a bit of care really go a long way, so in order to stay away from electrical catastrophes, take time to read home energy magazines and look for few reminders.

There are also sections in some magazines that can help you come up with home energy conservation plan. They usually include various approaches and step by step methods in developing such plan. What’s more advantageous is that, with a magazine or printed guide or instructions, you can go through the list over and over again. This way, you can find out which pace is done already and which is not. You also have the chance to review the list and compare it to your home’s present condition.

Aside from the printed ones which can be bought on the bookstores or newsstands, there are also home energy magazines online. The good news is, some of these online magazines are available for free. But mostly, online home energy magazines offer only premium content for a price. These online magazines are usually customized to cater the reader’s tastes and preferences. This is very possible because it is way easy for the publishers and editors of online magazines to make three of four dissimilar versions of their item to fit the preferences of different readerships.

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What You Should Know About Home Energy Rating System

 Energy conservation is one of the considerations that homeowners are taking into account when they are buying furnishings for their homes. From heating systems to washers, owners would like everything to be energy efficient.

 What You Should Know About Home Energy Rating System

This is the reason why there are a lot of products out in the market these days that have with them seals that show how energy effective and efficient these things are. Buyers who are conscious of what they want for their homes always look for this seal. And why not? If it means that they could save on electricity bills, then they would gladly go for it.

But the issue here is not only about the furniture that runs on electricity. The main issue is really about the energy that houses are consuming. There was a time when people cannot control their consumption because they have no means of measuring or estimating energy. The result? Soaring electric bills consumption that could have been prevented if owners only know how to.

With the technology of today, this problem has been eliminated. There is now home energy rating systems that people can have. This is the answer that everyone is waiting for to counter his or her energy efficiency and high bill problems.

If you compare this system to something that you can relate with easily, it would be like that of the meter you have in your car that calculates how many mileage you have used the car for.

In place of the meter, there would be a person visiting your place. That person will conduct an inspection of your place and will survey how much energy you are using by looking at everything from appliances to window positioning and airflow.

It can be noted that the inspector is not just any person. This is someone that has extreme knowledge about houses and energy use. Once he had thoroughly inspected your home, that will be the time when he can point out suggestions or proposals to make your home more energy efficient.

Since electricity is one of the highest paying in all the bills that is acquired in every home, it is normal that owners would rather opt to have inspectors checking out their homes rather than pay the bills that seem to be escalating month after month.

Persons that are considered expert in this system can even point out the furniture that you can and you cannot do without. They would be glad to help you sort out what you have in your home and suggest new things that might help you lower your bills.

This is not all. The data that are gathered from homes are then put into a file that the energy department of the location have. Once all the information has been compiled, the house will be given a rating based on the specified standards of what they consider energy efficient and what is not. Now, why would that be important to the homeowner?

Simple. The rating on how energy efficient and how energy inefficient a house is will reflect on the mortgage that the owners are paying. Mortgages are important to be considered by homeowners because those are also expenses that they need to pay continuously. Owners do not want to be buried deep into mortgages just because their homes are not considered an efficient one.

Another problem that could arise is when homeowners decide to sell their property. It seems that every buyer is now aware or has been taught well about choosing homes that are energy efficient. This is one of the queries they ask real estate brokers and agents. They need to be assured that the property that they are about to buy will be worth it as far as electricity bills go.

Not so many people are aware of the fact that energy efficiency is a factor that affects the market value of their home. If only they have known, they would have probably went out of their way having that needed inspection and making the most of what inspectors have to say.

So the next time you have that home energy rating given, you might want to give it some thought and take note of the suggestions that the department will be giving you. It will only be for your own good and the good of the persons that you will be giving or selling your property to. And to think that you could have paid less or have gotten a higher selling price if you have known the aforementioned facts.

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Home Energy : Steps That Will Help You Save

Have it ever occurred to you just how efficient your home energy is? Have you ever wondered how much energy you are consuming in an entire month and yet it seems it keeps on escalating per computation period? In such case, you must get to know the reason behind. A home energy audit will help you analyze the consumption you are hooked into. Wisconsin home energy audits come in various forms. They are also offered by a lot of companies whose only aim is to help you realize the efficiency of your home energy. Home energy audits often provide assessments and then recommendations with regards to the ways on how you will be able to save money and energy. There are several options from which you can choose from that will certainly fit your lifestyle as well as your needs.

 Home Energy : Steps That Will Help You Save

You can either invite a home energy rater into your household; take the online home energy audit by sending through mail a copy of your recent electrical bill, or try out the mail-in survey. The online process takes approximately thirty minutes to be completed while the mail-in survey sends you the finished report after a week. Whichever way makes you more comfortable may be preferred.

Today is a very hard time. Money does not roll like a ball inside the homes. They are hard-earned. Therefore, if there are ways on how you will be able to save, go for it. If you truly want to cut down your expenses on the energy, you can prefer to practice the most common ways inside your homes. They will likely help you reduce the cost of your electric bills and therefore lessen your worries.

Some Tips to Follow to Save Energy

Conduct a home energy audit. The survey process will precisely analyze the structure of your home, the insulation present, the appliances in use, and the lifestyle that the family is engaged to. A home energy audit secures a comfortable checkup that includes a detailed report that contains ways and modes on how to save energy in the entire home.

Clean or change the furnace filter at least once in a month. In reality, the dirt and the dust will clog the parts of the furnace and it may even lead to its breakdown.

Regularly inspect your heating system. Tuning up the heating system will make you lessen the heating costs you utilize by at least five percent.

Never close the heat registers inside the unused rooms in your household. The furnace will be unable to sense any closed register so it will simply continue with its task. Furthermore, any cold air will reduce the effectiveness of the weatherizing and insulating inside your home.

Get a programmable thermostat. Installing a programmable thermostat will aid you in setting the desired temperature inside your home. Likewise, the heating bills will likely be reduced by ten percent at the most.

Do not program the thermostat in a higher level than you actually prefer it. It will not produce heat in a fast pace but will rather let your furnace run even longer than what is required.

Do not use space heaters especially the propane, electric, or kerosene models. They are not only expensive to maintain but also very risky.

Have the chimneys of your fireplaces inspected and cleaned in a regular manner. Also add fireproof caulk in between the chimney and the wall both inside and outside. When the fireplace is unused, seal tight the dampers.

The insulation of your home must also be checked. The attic requires more insulation.

The air compressor of your air conditioning units must be cleaned regularly. Also employ ceiling fans that will circulate the air inside the house.

When lights are unneeded, turn them off. Turn them off only when visibility is low.

It will be good to plant some trees so that you need not maintain a good deal of cooling costs.

These are indeed some very simple tips that when practiced most of the times in every household, will create a difference. When taken altogether, the saved energy will total to a much friendly amount. By devoting some extra minutes per day, you will likely see the difference it will create!

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You Can Build Your Car Powered by Solar [Green Energy Source]

All cars are powered by gas. But with the volatility of crude oil prices and because it is not a renewable, something must be done before it is too late. Given that solar energy, a green energy source is used to power a community, you can also do this on a small scale by using the same principles to build your own car.

[Green Energy Source]

But what do you need to make this work? A lot of things but the two most important are the solar array and the batteries.


The solar array is vital because this is what’s used to collect the sun’s rays and then converts this into electrical energy. There are two types to choose from in the market namely the prefabricated type and the individual kind which you set up yourself.

If you are looking for branded parts, check out either Siemens or ASE Americas that sell terrestrial grade cells and the space grade cells. The lower end model which can produce a significant amount of power is the terrestrial grade version.

Proper wiring must be done to make sure that if one of the panels is not working, your vehicle will still move. If you are worried that the voltage of the solar array should match the system voltage of your motor, you should not to worry because it will still run.

We mentioned earlier that the battery is also important because this is where the solar energy will be stored. Your options for this are lead acid, lithium-ion or nickel-cadmium. Just how many you need to buy will depend on your motor’s voltage. 

When you finally have these two components, these will now have to be connected to the motor. So you know how much juice is left in your batteries, you will also need to install instrumentation similar to the heads up display console on regular cars which tells you your speed, mileage and gas.

Don’t forget to put a steering wheel, suspension, brakes, tires and hubs. You may not be able to make a car that have the same features as like what you see done by one of the three US automakers but just enough to be able to drive it from one place to the next.

The only cars that use solar energy so far are the ones only used in races especially the one held in Australia from travels from the northern part of the country all the way to the south. If this has helped people realize that renewable energy is really the key to the future, the big automakers should try tapping this technology instead of relying of still relying on gasoline.

But apart from solar energy as a green energy source, biodiesel is another alternative. This is a combination of alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. This can also be done using corn and sugarcane.

Although these are not renewable, these are still considered as a green energy sources because it is cleaner than conventional gasoline. This means you do not release harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide into the air which causes damage to the environment. So if you can’t build a solar powered car, consider a different fuel alternative.

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Geothermal as a Green Energy Source

We have the technology to do a lot of things and one of these is to tap the earth’s energy. This is exactly what we do when we decide to use geothermal which happens to be a green energy source.

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth's crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

Aside from digging deep into the earth, there are some who believe we can generate power from hot dry rocks. You have to dig 3 kilometers deep are drilled into the earth first to find these hot underground radiogenic granite rocks. Right now, some Australia companies are exploring this technology.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don’t have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

Everyone knows that our planet has changed due to global warming. We learned our lessons from Chernobyl and Three Mile Island but this does not mean it may not happen again.

For us to do our share to protect the environment now and for generations to come, we have to promote alternative energy and geothermal as a green energy source is just one of many that is currently available.

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Can You Use a Green Energy Source like Water to Power a Car?

For more than a century, we rely on oil to fuel our cars. But did you know that the world’s oil is close to drying up because it is a nonrenewable resource? Well that may not happen tomorrow or next year but we are getting closer because of the demand in the world market. Why wait for that day when we can rely on a green energy source like water to power our cars.

 Green Energy Source

Water can power a car? If you think that’s impossible, well it is already here but this is not yet being made on a commercial scale.

The German automobile BMW has produced the world’s first ever hydrogen powered car. While only 100 of these units were produced, you can already imagine if more of these vehicles are on the road.

The initial model namely the BMW Hydrogen 7 uses the body of the 760i model. Once you pop the hood, you will notice that the engine is different since it uses gas and hydrogen.

This just means we have not yet totally abandoned are dependence on gas. Given more time and money, the current 4.7 miles per gallon it can travel using water alone could hit double digits in the future.

The biggest challenge to using water as a green energy source as opposed to oil in vehicles is the engine. While there are cars around like the Prius which runs on electricity and gas thanks to fuel cell technology, the hydrogen combustion is less than 10 years old so you could say we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

To prevent the water from evaporating, this has to be stored in a large, 30-gallon, bi-layered and highly insulated tank so this does not evaporate into compressed gas. Another safety mechanism is the valves which are designed to open should the pressure within the tank exceed 5 bars.

With the success of the BMW H7, the company came out with a new car that is also partly powered by water known as the H2R. While we cannot yet put our garden hose into the fuselage to fill it up, this vehicle uses liquid nitrogen as a fuel.

Tests on this vehicle have shown it can achieve 285hp and reach a top cruising speed of 185.5 miles per hour. It can also accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour under 6 seconds.

But why use water? It is because hydrogen combustion is clean so it does not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere unlike cars that run on petrol or diesel that emit carbon monoxide. Studies have shown that it also weighs less than hydrocarbon-based fuels and burns faster than conventional gasoline.

So when can you expect to buy a car that uses water as a green energy source? Hopefully in the next 10 to 20 years. It is really up to the automakers because all we can do is wait until a better and clear car hits the dealership.

Right now, the best option we have are electric cars. Since its introduction in 1999, more people are using it because they don’t want to spend anymore for gasoline that could hit an all time high of more than $110 per barrel.

If water as a green energy source can be used to power a car, why don’t we do the same for solar power which has been around much longer?

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Biofuel As A Sustainable Power Source

Biofuel As A Sustainable Power Source


The energy crisis has already prompted a war; that is if you believe conspiracy theorists and the media. There might be some truth to this matter, at least if we take a closer look at the dynamics of supply and demand of fuel all over the world.

What Is BioFuel?

Biofuel is an energy source derived from recently deceased biological matter while fossil fuel (i.e. raw material for gasoline, kerosene, diesel and etc.). In theory biofuel can be derived from any carbonated source, but in practice it usually comes from plants like corn, palm, sugar cane, wheat, jatropha and algae. These feedstock sources are popular for the two most popular end products which are used for cars and machineries: bioethanol and biodiesel. Bioethanol comes from either sugar crops or fermented starch.  Biofuel does not just come from plant crops, although a margin of them does.

Biomass

Since bio fuel maybe gaseous, liquid or solid fuel other categories also apply. Way up in Tibetan mountains biofuel have been in use for hundreds of years. Tibetans use manure from their goats, donkeys, horses and cows as a substitute for wood. Animal waste are common pollutants, converting it into useful energy helps eliminate its negative effects.

Biowaste

Other alternative fuel resources are used oils. People eat, and thousands and millions of gallons of used oils are thrown down the drain which leads to rivers and oceans. Oil does not decompose ergo recycling and converting it into biofuel is in order. In addition, landfills maybe of some use after all. Landfills emanates polluting gas which contain methane, a combustible gas which is the primary content of the gas we use for cooking, and heat.

Liquid biofuels are getting generous media attention because of the worsening air conditions in severely populated areas. Cars produce almost 60% of our air pollution. Vehicles need highly combustible energy so that it will function. Liquids and gases are easier to handle because it can be contained and pumped, so handling is less expensive.

Biofuel And Cars

There are two types of biofuels that maybe used in cars: biodiesel and bioethanol. Biofuel is very popular in Europe. In that part of the world most car manufacturers make vehicles with diesel engines, so using biodiesel instead of pure diesel is a relatively easy transition. If a car is unmodified owners may blend up to 20% biodiesel with regular diesel. Biodiesel comes from fats and used oils, these by products are the processed through what’s transesterification. Transestirification is a chemical reaction produced by adding an acid base to the fats. The result is biodiesel.

Bioalcohol is produced when starch, sugar and cellulose are fermented. The results are three popular types of alcohols: ethanol, butanol and propanol. Among the three it is argued that either ethanol or biobutanol maybe used in gasoline running cars, but it seems that biobutanol won the bid because it now called biogasoline. Biogasoline is formed by acetone, butanol, and ethanol fermentation and through scientific modifications.

With social enlightenment and a new found concern for the welfare of the environment more and more sustainable power resources are being discovered and invented. When all hope seems to have been lost a new glimmer looms in the horizon. It is heartening to see that men who cause the slow but sure death of the earth are trying to find ways to help it recover and be its vital self again.

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Biofuels are a Green Energy Source | solar power and green energy

Biofuels are a Green Energy Source

Biofuels are also a green energy source. It has been around for a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice.

Liquid biofuel which is the one used in cars is a natural and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.

By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because it does not emit anything. Right now, it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel. 

Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.

But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents. 

A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not good your car’s engine so be careful if you decide to use it. 

If you are skeptic about biodiesels, studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as "B20." This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. 

The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle should there be a problem, don’t worry because it doesn’t. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it. 

When car’s first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the Model T’s run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these may also run using peanut oil. 

This never materialized because huge oil deposits were discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand for oil increased in the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and in the early part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and other forms of alternative energy. 

Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and others as green energy sources. 

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Biofuels are a Green Energy Source

Biofuels are a Green Energy Source

Biofuels are also a green energy source. It has been around for a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice.

Liquid biofuel which is the one used in cars is a natural and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.

By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because it does not emit anything. Right now, it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.

Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.

But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.

A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not good your car’s engine so be careful if you decide to use it.

If you are skeptic about biodiesels, studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as "B20." This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle should there be a problem, don’t worry because it doesn’t. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it.

When car’s first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the Model T’s run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these may also run using peanut oil.

This never materialized because huge oil deposits were discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand for oil increased in the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and in the early part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and other forms of alternative energy.

Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and others as green energy sources.

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A War Between Eating And Sustainable Power

Today climate change is a reality that is acknowledge by even the most doubtful of skeptics. The warmer temperatures in areas where its supposed to be cool, scorching summers, and bone chilling winter have become a pattern that people cannot simply ignore.

What The War About?

Funny enough it seems that people are getting desperate and all are turning to bio-fuel like it’s the savior of all mankind. So what is bio-fuel? Bio-fuel is any gaseous, solid, or liquid material derived from biological materials. The argument ensues when people talk of the future. Bio-fuel’s raw materials are usually agricultural crops that are made to undergo fermentation and certain processes in order to produce bio-fuel.

The Problem

Who is the world’s largest oil consumer? Those with the highest number of vehicles running their roads, countries like the US, England and generally most of the European nations. When you think about it bio-fuel is made from corn, sugarcane, palm oil, vegetable oil, and etc; where do these agricultural crops come from? Third World Countries.

In Mexico they have this “tortilla crisis”. Corn which is the basic ingredient of tortilla is now sold five times the price it used to be marketed for. The reason for the inflated prices? The demand of bio-fuel in highly developed countries has severely altered the business people’s sense of profit. Why sell for a dollar when you can for 5 because the demand is now higher.

Who Suffers?

The first world countries will have to export goods from the third world countries to fuel their increasing demand for energy. The third world countries are usually tropical ones located near the equator, hence a higher crop growth of corn, and all those needed to manufacture bio-fuel; but for these countries corn is food, so is sugar cane. For the first world to survive the t poorer countries must either starve in hunger or break their back working to be able to afford the price hikes of the most basic of all commodities: food.

A Compromise

So what should we do? We need to address the problems of the environment and pollution, but it is also not right that to solve a problem we must create one. Think about it if the agricultural countries go into decline because its people can’t afford food then who will till the land to supply the giants with endless bio-fuel?

Sustainable energy is geared to sustain life, not make it harder. A proposal is in order. Since the crops needed for the production of bio-fuel can only survive in tropical countries then the governments of the more well off countries will have to invest in the agricultural countries to supply their own demand. These crops must be independent from those for local consumers. Stringent rules governing pricing and distribution must be implemented to further protect the source of the energy.

Sustainable power means the world working hand in hand to create a better way of life for the future. The road to betterment is paved with hard work and dedication. The ancient Egyptian used sails to go up and down the Nile; they were patient and they reached their destination. Let us all be patient but diligent in our quest for sustainable power to sustain life.

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Advanced Vehicles - Solar Power

When we think of advanced vehicles it reminds us of speed that a vehicle has and all the newer vehicles that are coming out with all the modern gadgets and gizmos.  Every time we turn the ignition on our vehicle we are sending a bad sign out into the world and the atmosphere.  Scientist have worked rather hard at coming up with a way that our cars can be safe for our planet.  So how is that done?

Advanced fuel systems include energy storage which is the batteries that help power it instead of the fuels, power electronics, thermal comfort and systems analysis.  These fuel systems are constantly being studied and have made outstanding research and development topics.  The main focus on the fuel systems in advanced vehicles is to find an alternative fuel in order to cut down on pollution and to restore our economy.  We cannot continue buying fuels forever.  We need an alternative to fuel.  Sometime in the future, fuel will no longer be available for us to use.  Advanced vehicles are designed to make it more efficient to run at top speeds. Convenience is another advantage to the advanced vehicles.

They plug in and charge instead of running out of fuel and refilling the tank. Running these cars may not break any records but it can help tremendously knowing that they are running clean.  Ultracapacitors are designed to provide additional power to accelerate for climbing hills.  Vehicle power electronics controls the amount of electricity through the devices.  This may be the ignition, DC to DC converters, inverters, and motor controllers.

Vehicle Thermal comfort is how you control your temperature inside the car. You may have to roll the windows down or put them up.  Turn the heat on or the air conditioning on.  No matter what you have to do this is thermal comfort. The main goal for such an invention is to come up with a vehicle that can get us where we need to go in the amount of time that we allow ourselves.  In the fast paced world that we live in today, it is hard to find someone who has the time to spend waiting on their vehicles to get repaired or refueled.  That is because we need that vehicle to be up and running when we need it the most.  Scientist are studying the car factor and what it will do for us in the future and what it has done for us in the past.  As they strive to gather more information they can better the way the advanced vehicles have made it through.

Advanced vehicles are on the go and will one day be the car that we decide to buy because that may be our only choice in the future.  When the fuels run dry we will no longer be able to drive what we currently have now. Though these vehicles do allow some restriction, that will no longer be as we progress into the future and all the bugs will be worked out.

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green Energy Sources?

Today, we are now aware of the effects of global warming. Fortunately, it’s not too late and we can still change which is why many are pushing for green energy sources.

The advantage of using green energy sources is that it is clean so it does not emit anything harmful into the air which has an impact on the environment. It is also renewable which means we will never run out of it unlike oil which is expected to dry up in a decade or so.

Although green energy facilities are expensive to build, it requires less maintenance so you don’t have to shell out a lot of money to operate it.

It can also bring economic benefits to certain areas even boost tourism.

While these sound good, there are some who say that there are advantages to using such technology.

While green energy sources can produce electricity, how much it can generate is not consistent. This is because we have no control of the weather so if a certain area relies on solar energy and there is a weather disturbance, it will not be able to convert sunlight into electricity.

Building these facilities also requires a lot of land so we may have to cut on farmland which is what many are concerned about if more wind turbines are to be put up.

Another disadvantage is the fact that some of the green energy sources cannot be installed in certain areas of the planet. For instance, wave energy can only be utilized if the waves coming from the ocean reach at least 16 feet. The use geothermal energy can only be done in geologically unstable parts of the planet.

But if you look at such arguments, places that cannot use one form of green energy source can be substituted for another. If wind turbines need more space, they can be installed near the coast instead of putting these on land. A study shows that you can generate more electricity while these are in the ocean.

While the weather is something we cannot control, it is not everyday that there is a weather disturbance so this too shall pass. If solar energy is being used and the sun is covered, the emergency generators will be activated and use up the energy that was stored.

The point is that there are ways around the arguments put by certain individuals which discourage the use of green energy sources. In fact, research is ongoing to try and harness other means to generate the power we need.

A very good example of this is called ocean thermal energy. Power is generated by harnessing the different temperatures in the water. It is currently being used on a small scale both in Japan and Hawaii.

In the US, only 7% of green energy sources are used nationally. This was much higher 11 years ago and if we don’t have to worry about the cost of oil or even reduce our dependency on it, we have to invest more in this clean energy.

We can get it from green energy sources such as biomass, biodiesel, geothermal, solar, water and the wind. These are things we have all around us and all it takes is for someone to harness it instead of relying on traditional non-renewable means to produce energy.

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