Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.

• Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
• Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
• Only flush the toilet when you need to
• Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
• Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.

• Buy energy efficient appliances.  They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
• Unplug chargers when you’re not using them.  Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
• Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them.  These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
• Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
• Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water.  You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time.  There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.

We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you.  Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.

• Regen ReVu Solar Light
• Regen ReVerb Speaker
• Regen ReBop iPhone/iPod Dock and Charger
• Husqvarna Automower Solar Hybrid Robotic Mower
• Schott ASI Glass Integrated PV panels
• Brunton SolarPort 4.4 Charger
• Regen ReNu Portable Solar Tablet
• Samsung Blue Earth Phone

Read the full story at Fast Company – 8 Solar gadgets You Will Love

Such solar landscaping lights are both affordable and energy saving. Some believe that this new concept of solar landscaping lights is a modern gimmick by marketers and businessmen. But it is very much a reality and a success in many markets around the world. The technology behind this device is solar power. The light has an inbuilt system that will power up a solar power cell during the day when the sun is out. When night time comes the light is all ready and charged up to light up your beautiful garden.

Also if you’re thinking of redecorating your garden yourself the best possible choice for you would be solar landscaping lights because of many reasons. One major advantage for you will be the time, money and energy saved by not digging pathways in your gardens to setup wires for your garden lights. The solar landscaping lights need no wiring or any kind of connection to the main electricity supply of the house. The decorator will find that setting up such solar landscaping lights is rather easy compared to other lights systems. Also the gardener would save a lot of money on purchasing these lights that are priced reasonably.

Getting a hold of these solar landscaping lights is very simple. All you need to do is search for solar landscaping lights and you will find many lists and products that will interest you. Make sure you buy what you need and not what is available. Also be careful of online criminals and con artists, the best way to be safe is to find the product you like and then visit the store personally to purchase it. But if you’re busy and you prefer to buy things online make sure you visit a trusted and certified product site to purchase solar landscaping lights.

What are you still waiting for? start building a beautiful garden for you and your family. Invest in solar landscaping lights save your energy with beauty.

The research report covers these key topics:

• Solar Technology
• Photovoltaics Manufacturing
• Solar Electric Manufacturing
• Polysilicon
• Cigs
• Thermal Solar
• Solar Concentrators
• Solar Carbon Nanotubes
• Solar Nanotechnology
• PV Systems
• Backup Power Solar
• Thin Film Solar
• PV Cells
• PV Modules
• BIPV
• Silicon Solar Panels (Mono And Poly Crystalline)
• Global Warming Drives Solar Energy Adoption
• Solar Capacity Market Forecasts
• Solar Production Market Shares
• Solar Technology Percent Utilization Forecasts
• Solar Farms
• Solar Holographics
• Solar Optics

The company profiles in the report include:

• Q-Cells
• Kyocera
• Sharp Solar
• Schott
• BP Solar
• First Solar
• AES
• Akuo Energy
• Colorado Instruments / SolarWorld
• Concentrix
• Cypress Semiconductor / Sunpower
• Dyesol Limited
• Evergreen Solar
• Flisom
• GE
• Global Solar Energy
• Hitachi America Ltd.
• Hoku Scientific
• Isofoton
• Kyocera
• LDK Solar Co LTD
• Mitsubishi
• Isofoton
• Sanyo
• SolarWorld
• SunPower
• Suntech
• Yingli Green Energy
• Nanosolar
• PrimeStar Solar
• Q-Cells AG
• Sanyo
• SatCon
• Signet Solar
• Siemens
• Solaire Direct
• Solarfun Power Holdings Co, Ltd.
• Solar Integrated
• SolarWorld AG
• Solartech
• Solon
• Spectra Watt / Intel
• Tenesol
• Urbasolar
• Yingli Green Energy

A full version of the table of contents is available – click here to request the table of contents.

Many thousands of years later clever individuals learned to harness it even more exactly.

Hero of Alexandria devised a working steam engine around the turn of the first millennium. Some models used solar energy to heat the water. In 1767, Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure devised the first known modern solar collector. He used glass boxes that later evolved into solar ovens. Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect in 1839. He found that sunlight could generate a current in certain electrolytes. But it was in 1954 that the modern solar power industry really started to take off when scientists at Bell Labs developed the first efficient PV (photovoltaic) cell.

Since then there’s been a neverending array of impressive devices that continued to improve in efficiency while being manufactured at ever lower costs. At some point, the curves will cross and solar power will become a viable technology for even more uses than it sees today.

Indeed, that’s already happening to a degree. Solar powered homes have been a reality for decades. Whether using PV (photovoltaic) modules to generate electricity, or collector systems to heat water or supply warmth, those applications are installed in thousands of homes.

While relative to power generated by large utility companies it remains expensive for some applications, in others it’s actually cheaper.

Millions of phones and lights along highways use small solar panels to power them. Homeowners around the country use solar-powered lawn lamps to illuminate their yards without wires or batteries. Battery chargers, electric fences and many more applications use solar energy as a primary power source.

Water treatment in developing countries commonly makes use of solar devices. That may be as simple as pouring a gallon of water into a jug that sits in the sun for a few hours. Or, it may consist of a solar still that not only kills disease-causing pathogens, but purifies at the same time. Chlorine is boiled off and minerals remain behind as the evaporate flows up and is distilled into containers.

Such methods are relatively cheap and require only simple technology, making them a much more viable method for those who can’t yet afford the high cost of more sophisticated applications. Many in rural areas of the U.S. and other developed countries face similar circumstances.

Whether producing non-polluting electricity or enhancing health, or even just providing a convenient alternative to recreational vehicle users, solar power has many valuable uses. With costs coming down and the price of oil, coal and other energy producing materials continuing to rise, those applications stand a good chance of increasing.

That’s a benefit for all of us.

First, you need to estimate how much electricity you require to run your home. If you plan only to supplement your power needs, that’s fine. Then just calculate the percentage you want to offset.

A glance at your electric bill can make the task easy. Most utility bills will show a chart of month by month usage throughout the year. You can average the total, or use the peak demand. If you plan to go ‘off grid’ – stop using power from the utility company completely – focus on the peak.

Those numbers will allow you to estimate how many and what size PV modules you need. PV is short for photovoltaic, the method almost all solar cells use to convert sunlight into electricity. It’s a matter of simple arithmetic to match the area of your south-facing rooftop section to the number and size of modules needed.

Each module will generate a certain amount of power at a given cost. When connected the right way the modules add up, so finding the total output (and cost) is equally easy. For a modest-sized home, the cost of solar panels is somewhere around $10,000-$16,000 at current prices. But keep in mind when planning the expense that there are tax rebates and other programs that will help you offset the amount invested.

But the modules have to connect to something. The connectors, clamps, wires and other components add to the total. They vary considerably. And don’t forget to add installation costs. Most homeowners don’t have the skill to build the system themselves.

The sun doesn’t shine all day every day. It’s dark at night, obviously. Rain and heavy cloud cover will reduce the amount of insolation, as it’s called. Other uncontrollable factors reduce the amount of sunlight available. So, almost anyone going ‘off grid’ will want a battery storage system. Those not taking the complete plunge can draw power from the local utility company during those times.

If your system generates more than you need at any given time, some utility companies will enter into an agreement to buy any excess you put into their system. That’s usually done technically by running your meter backwards when you’re supplying the utility company. It normally runs forward as you draw power from their system.

Naturally, they’ll insist on inspecting your system before finalizing any agreement. In fact, most municipalities will require that you have your system inspected and approved even if you go entirely off grid. They need to ensure that it’s implemented in a way that’s safe for local lineman. During power outages they have to assume there’s no power running through the lines. Your system has to be installed in a way that guarantees that.

Between panels, batteries, installation costs and other expenses most modest-sized solar panel systems will cost in the neighborhood of $32,000-$50,000. Some less, some more. That cost should be offset against what you would pay for electricity from the power company over the lifetime of the system, usually about 20 years without substantial replacements.

But costs are coming down and efficiency is improving as time goes on, as the price of electricity continues to rise. It may well be worth your while to have a solar powered electrical system for your home.

Many countries around the world have impure water that causes diarrhea, typhus and other medical problems. The same is true of certain areas of the U.S. and other developed countries. Building small devices that can eliminate the problem is cost-effective using current technology. Individuals can even build their own.

Solar disinfection, or SODIS as it’s sometimes known, uses a very simple principle. It’s essentially the same as that used to pasteurize milk. Microorganisms that cause health problems can only function in liquids up to a certain temperature. Beyond that, even when they’re not killed, they are deactivated. Amoeba, bacteria and many other small disease-causing organisms can be rendered harmless by this method.

Implementing the method can be ultra simple. A gallon of water in a plastic jug can be treated in a few hours. Simply place the water in a clear, plastic bottle, preferably on a black background to ensure good absorption, and place it in the sun. On a sunny day the process may take less than three hours if the water is moderately clear to begin with. River water, obtained while hiking for example, can be treated this way.

PET plastic is preferable to PVC plastic for this application. PVC, polyvinyl chloride, type plastics have a slightly bluish cast. They block more UV, which is a more energetic form of light, and hence reduce the effectiveness of this method of water treatment.

There are other methods of solar-powered water treatment, too.

A solar water still can be bought or built for a few hundred dollars or less that will treat considerably more water than jugs. They’re usually made in the form of a rectangular container a few inches deep with a glass panel up the side and a siphon hose. The container is often covered with plastic. Glass blocks much of the UV.

As the sunlight heats the water, the moisture evaporates up and condenses on the relatively cooler glass above. The siphon hose draws off some of the water, which is not only freer of organisms, but contains fewer minerals and other compounds, such as chlorine.

The principle is basically the same as that used in desalination plants around the world.

Many locales have little drinkable water but large amounts of salt water readily available. Transforming the salt water into potable water employs the same evaporation technique, but generally on a much larger scale in desalination plants. Only a small amount of salt water can be consumed before it does damage to the kidneys. That’s one major reason that seawater has killed more than one sailor who found himself in the ocean trying to survive.

Solar radiation can kill pathogens in water and it can provide drinkable water in specialized applications. In short, solar power can generate clean water, just as it can generate pollution-free electricity.

Apart from the obvious fact that the sun provides the energy for plants to grow that feed us, there are more technological uses that go back millennia.

The ancient Greeks knew how to harness steam power, some of it generated by solar radiation. Pre-industrial, they regarded the devices as amusing toys, primarily. But some applications were taken seriously. Archimedes designed and had built a large magnifying-type glass that was used to set enemy ships on fire. The Romans adopted some of this technology, as they did much of Greek science.

Thermometers, heat storage containers and many other devices were created over the centuries that relied on energy from the sun. Over time, those devices became more sophisticated and more diverse.

In 1839 another big leap occurred when Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect even though it would take another 100 years for devices based on it to become practical.

When sunlight hits certain materials, it causes the electrons in the atoms to get knocked loose from their associated atoms. Electrons moving within material constitute an electrical current. When that current is connected to a circuit, the power generated by the electrical flow can light bulbs, heat water or power a computer.

But electricity isn’t the only form of solar power.

In the 1920s some public heating systems used large storage tanks to trap solar energy. The heated water was then supplied to homes. Eventually, those systems couldn’t compete economically. Gradually, the cost of gas and electricity decreased to the point that it was below those systems’ operating costs.

Those systems fell into disuse and were eventually forgotten. But the technology existed as a mainstream method, not a crank alternative. It worked and was, for the time, a cost-effective solution.

Now there are hundreds of viable applications of solar power, which in one way or another convert sunlight received at the surface to power devices, heat water and supply other energy needs.

Satellites have used solar panels and associated technology to supply needed power. The systems are expensive, but compared to the total they’re a very small fraction of the cost. Closer to home, the same kind of technology powers phones or lights along some highways.

And it isn’t just esoteric applications that benefit from solar power either.

Solar heating systems are employed in thousands of homes. Though solar powered electrical systems are less common than utility power, they are in wide use in rural areas where people want or need to supplement their supply. Many cabins in the Pacific Northwest are too far from the utility company lines to get electricity that way.

Not all devices or systems are hugely expensive, either. Low-cost solar powered lawn lights are dotting many homes today. Calculators powered by tiny solar panels are so cheap they’re often given away as promotional items by advertisers.

Solar power can’t yet compete with large scale electricity generation by big utility companies. But costs are coming down and the applications are growing. It’s had a long past, but the future of solar power looks bright.

Using directed sunlight to warm water goes back thousands of years. Crude mirrors and lenses were used by the ancient Greeks to warm water. In the 1920s some municipalities had functional solar systems that heated water supplied to homes.

Today, those applications have taken on the shine of high technology.

One common form is the use of collector panels, often mounted on a rooftop. Unlike photovoltaic modules, these arrays don’t use layered silicon wafers to generate electricity. Instead, they are more like large, thin, double-paned windows that contain water often mixed with types of salt. The sunlight heats the water by means of the greenhouse effect and the water moves through a series of channels, tubes and pipes into the home or business.

The greenhouse effect, as most people know by now from discussions of global warming, occurs when light enters a transparent medium, but not all the energy is allowed to escape out again. It happens to a high degree with glass because the material allows certain wavelengths of the light spectrum, such as infrared, to enter more efficiently than it lets the energy back out again. So, there’s a net gain in energy on the inside.

Heated water has direct uses, obviously. Whether it’s showering, washing dishes or other purposes, nothing more has to be done to the water other than simply make it available. That’s typically done by storing the heated water in essentially the same way as with ordinary water heaters.

In the ordinary hot water system the water heater storage unit also heats the water. With a solar-powered water heating system there’s no need to, since the water that enters the tank is usually between 95F-150F (35C-66C). The storage tank acts like a big thermos bottle. It’s double-lined and/or made of well-insulated material so the heat doesn’t dissipate much out the walls of the tank.

The temperature range of such systems is fully adequate for bathing, cleaning clothes and other ordinary applications. The only difficulties are ensuring enough sunlight to generate enough heat, and minimal loss of heat through the panels and pipes.

Costs can run to $50,000 or more, though. And local climate conditions may limit the usefulness of the system. But given the local cost of electricity or gas, a home or business solar water heating system may well pay for itself over 10 years.