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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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!

Read More

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.

Read More

Your Options for Home Energy Audits

 Have you ever thought of saving energy use in your home as you have always been confronted with high electrical bills for the past months? Didn’t you know that you can create a change with such scenario? Yes, of course. Try out the home energy auditing!

 Home Energy Audits

What can a home energy audit do for you?

When a home energy audit has been conducted in your own home, the problems and angles where your home is losing excessive energy will be pointed out. A home energy audit also allows you to recognize how effective your cooling and heating systems are. Furthermore, a home energy audit will likewise give you ideas on how to conserve the hot water that you often use on a daily basis.

Why do you need to employ a home energy audit?

In its most basic sense, a home energy audit is one fine step of assessing the amount of energy that you consume in your home and it also offers ways on how you will be able to evaluate the appropriate measures which you can apply to conserve your energy use and monthly bills to be paid for.

Whom can you rely to conduct the home energy audit?

It is actually your own choice. You can hire an expert home energy auditor or do it yourself. Of course you will be paying for the services of the home energy auditor. With an expert, you know that he can make a thorough auditing of your home energy consumption concerns. An auditor makes use of a series of equipment and techniques to determine the precise energy structure existing in the home. Among the equipment used in home energy audit are infrared cameras are used to reveal those hard-to-detect angles of missing insulation and air infiltration as well as the blower doors that gauge the leaks in the entire building envelope. But if you do want to cut back your expenses, just try out the do-it-yourself-guides for home energy auditing.

What are you supposed to do for the do-it-yourself home energy audit?

When simply given enough time, you can conduct your very own home energy audit and detect the vital problems that exist in your home. Don’t fail to keep the checklist of all the problems and areas in the house that you’ve found out. This will guide you as to how you will prioritize the necessary repairs and upgrades in the future.

Locate for air leaks. Draft a list concerning the air leaks present in your home. When this gets detected, you can save as much as 5 up to 30 percent of the total expenses within a year and you can likewise enjoy a much comfortable energy circulation in the end. Also check for the indoor air leaks present along the gaps of the baseboard, junctures of the ceiling or walls, and the edge of the flooring as well. Check out and see if there is enough air that flows in the switchplates, electrical outlets, baseboards, window frames, attic hatches, weather-stripping around doors, window-mounted air conditioners, and fireplace dampers. In the outside part of the house, the exterior corners like the chimneys and the exterior brick and siding must be checked as to whether or not they meet. One caution though, when sealing the home, you should be relatively aware of the most possible air combustion and pollution that may occur. This will be very dangerous for the health of the household if taken for granted.

Look into the insulation. There are certainly minimum requirements for the insulation that exists in the home. The attic, ceilings, and walls of the home must meet the desired amount of the insulation levels. Checking the insulation levels of the attic, walls, and ceilings may be difficult, as you have to deal with some electric circuits therein.

Check out the cooling or heating equipment. The heating and cooling equipment must be checked out annually or as directed by the manufacturer. The routine checkup depends upon the age of the equipment of course.

On the other way around, if you prefer getting a home energy auditor, make a list of the existing problems in your home in advance. The auditor will take charge of the blower door tests and the thermographic inspection which are all vital when it comes to home energy audit.

Read More

Ways to Cut Down Your Home Energy Consumption

If you have been receiving high electric bill month after month, then be alarmed. You might be using your appliances more what your require them.

 Ways to Cut Down Your Home Energy Consumption 

Normally, a regular American household would consume between $1500 and $2000 on electric bills alone. If you happen to fall between these figures, then you can consider yourself as a regular homeowner that uses electricity that is not really needed. Why? One reason: You don’t need to spend as much as $2000 a year for energy. And you don’t even have to spend more than that either. You see, a regular household that spends at this amount often wastes power and of course money. And with an increased electric rate, the bills will go even higher.

Want to do some changes?

Then, here are the things you should know. The 5 ways to cut down your home energy consumption:

1. The thermostat control

When you want your room to be super cool because you are sweating from the inside, you simple don’t turn the thermostat super low. Remember this: the thermostat will not run as quickly as you want. It will run on the same level all throughout until it reaches the temperature you set. So whether you gradually switch your thermostat low or instantly set it on its lowest, you will receive the same result. The main difference is, you only spend more energy when you think you can get your room to cool quickly if you set your thermostat low.

Think of it this way: You are driving at 5mph when you suddenly shift to 5th gear. What you will get? More pressure on the pedal with lesser speed gained. In other words, you waste so much gas but do not instant speed.

Also, to further cut down your electric bill, you can set the thermostat several degrees lower when you are out or when you sleep.

2. Several small consumptions add up

Your iPod charger, cellphone charger, and other chargers that are plugged 24/7 can cost you additional digits on your electric bill. This also goes to your night-lights that are switched on all day, all night. Also, your digital clocks and pots that are plugged since brought to the house consume high home energy. The computer monitor that is left on the whole day adds up to your electric bill. All these contribute to the cost you pay for your electric bill. Imagine this: these things that you think do not contribute so much adds 5% on your electric bill.

3. The cool way

You don’t need a warm water to wash your clothes. Oh, you think that warm water kills germs on your clothes. Well, you don’t need them. Settle for cold water. You can save as much as 90% on your washing machine’s electric consumption of you don’t use water heater.

4. Sealing the leaks

Leaks can come from doors, sills, windows, cracks on the walls, and joints. And making sure that these leaks are given proper attention would yield to saving in the long run. Make sure that your doors are closed properly. If there are spaces, seal them. This goes with all the doors from garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, to door of the attic. Use sealants such as weather strippers. Windows should also be free from leaks. Cover them with plastic coating so that the heat will be contained inside your home. Cracks on the walls should also be sealed. Regular sealants will instantly do the jobs. The reason for doing this is that you need to keep the heat contained inside your home so that the heating system would not need to do extra work due to heat loss from these leaks.

5. Keep them small

If you are dinning alone and would want to warm up left over straight from your fridge, do not use large pots or ovens. Instead, settle for small pots and microwave. Small pots require less heat while microware has use lesser power than oven. Small burner instead of large burner is more ideal in preparing meals for two reason: one, it consumes less electricity, and two, it your air conditioning would not work double time cooling down the room. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, you can save from 30 to 40% on energy cost if you follow these ways.

Read More

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.

Read More

Concentrating Solar Power Systems

If you have ever seen a field with several mirrors pointing toward the sun you may be looking at a solar power system. These systems work to concentrate the sunlight to one area and use the heat to heat up the liquid that flows along the pipes.  This system is called Parabolic-trough system.  This type of system heats oil that is flowing through the pipe.  The oil is hot and that is why it is used to boil water to power a steam generator which in turns powers electricity.

Concentrating Solar Power Systems

The reason that this system works so well is because the U-shaped mirrors attracts and collects the suns heat which is then transferred onto the receiver.  The receiver absorbs the heat and transfers into fluid which helps to power the engine.  The heat causes the fluid to swell up against the piston and that produces mechanical power.  This type of power can be used to run things like generators or even an alternator that will produce electricity. This system works great when because it uses molten salt that flows through the receiver.  When the salt heats up it can generate electricity through the steam generator.  The salt holds in the heat for several days before it has to be converted into electricity.  Because this system uses so many panels it is mainly used for industrial solar power where acres of land can be donated to the Parabolic Trough.  There can be enough power in the network that can create energy for several days or more.  Because this system is so large that it allows the heat that it saves to be transferred days later.

Through this project and other solar power projects we can understand fully how solar power works. When we see how much solar power is conserved using these U shaped mirrors we can also understand how much energy is lost.  Using concentrating solar power systems are beneficial to the businesses that use them because they won't have so much time down when the power fails.  Machinery is their only major concern and as long as their machines are taken care of there should be no problems. Industrial type of solar power can attract and trap a lot of heat from the sun during the day, especially using mirrors that will reflect the sunlight.  It also helps to have this type of solar power out in an open field free of trees and vegetation that may grow around and at some point crowd the solar light out.

Scientist are continuously studying this theory as businesses use it to power their machinery.  Steam power was what was used from the beginning with solar power and is still what most systems depend on to service their production needs.  In the future, fields may eventually be full of mirrors that somewhat point up to the sky in hopes of generating enough sunlight to heat the world.  Until then we will use the traditional methods of heating water, heating our homes and powering our electricity.

Read More