Renewable Energy

Global Warming Solutions

Sara — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:57:02 +0000

All the natural destruction on the earth are caused by global warming. The cutting down of the trees and destruction of the natural resources causes all the global warming. Global warming is going on affecting the earth. Floods, tsunami, earthquakes all cause because the global warming causes the movement of the earth which results in destruction. The wrong use of the natural resources is one big mistake we do which will cause destruction on this earth one day. It is important for everyone living on this earth to take care of it and try to save Mother Nature. Of course we can not within seconds or minutes.

We all need to do proper planning and think of various solutions which will help us in saving our mother earth and stopping it from global warming.

There are many solutions we can take in order to protect our mother earth and to protect it from the global warming and any damage. For this purpose we should make use of things which are produced natural and it is good to make use of natural resources in good way. As the years are passing many methods are being introduced to prevent the global warming and to provide everyone with such things which have more use of natural resources and which do not create destructiveness on the earth. As it is everyone’s goal to provide things only to improve the earth.

Solar and wind power energies play an important role in stopping the global warming as they make use of the natural light and the wind in a proper manner. All these things which are used naturally and require solar lights are good to be used by everyone as they do not in any way aim to destruct the earth and prevent global warming.

Moreover, we can put a stop to global warming by changing few habits and making use of natural things in such a way that they help us in every possible way.

People who liked this Post also read

Return To Basics – Go Green with Lower Tech Energy Savings

SRK — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:35:30 +0000

With the passage of time the emphasis on go green is getting popularity. Experts, scientists, and environmentalists are teaching people how to cut off carbon footprint by adopting little things. If you can’t do much, then you can still do least by plugging off your TV and other unused electronic items etc. If we cast a look on how our ancestors had been doing, then we would know that there were a number of basic physics they had used, which we have forgotten completely. If we again start to use those basic things, then we can play our part in a better way to save our beautiful earth.

Now I am saying that return to your basics actually means:

Switch off all unused lights
Turn down your computer if you are not to using it for half or more than half an hour
Turn down printers that if you are not going to using after for half or more than half an hour
Don’t set your freezer on deep freezing
Insulative covering on water heaters
Use a silver mylar/bubble-wrap covering to insulate garage freezer
Use the same silver mylar/bubble-wrap on the windows that you don’t use and this is to reflect the sun for climatization step in
Use plastic in the winter on windows
Upgrade the roof insulation that is a big savor
Insulate the door jams and thresholds winter and summer
In crawl space insulate the floor that is because heat leaks out from such spaces and cold gets inside
Drive moderately to burn small quantity of gas
Breaking moderately too

People who liked this Post also read

Self Dusting Solar Power Panels – An Easier Way to Generate Energy

SRK — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:31:04 +0000

Installing a solar power plant in the middle of the desert is the best idea to make most of the solar plan. That’s because sun remains on its peak through out the day in desert and by this a large quantity of sunlight can be obtained to fulfill the ultimate needs of running a solar power plant. Other advantages include the lower cost land that is quite cheaper than other lands but the problem of dust and dirt storms is there. The cleaning of solar plant will not work as in desert, dirt and dust storms are hard to halt, moreover, this feature could lead to the reduction in efficiency of the overall results on large scale of the solar power plant.

Obviously, nobody wants to clean solar power plants with uncontrollable dirt and dust in a melting heat of desert. To overcome this entire problem, new self dusting solar power panels are the only good choice. These self dusting solar power panels are provided with an electric charge that is supplied by the solar panel itself. This wondering technology was taken from the self dusting solar panels that were sent to the Mars and used on rovers. Isn’t it a useful finding from the space journey of Mars?

More interestingly, these self dusting systems can remove 90% deposited dust and dirt from the panels just in two minutes. Now we can say that we can bring real revolution to the solar power energy field.

People who liked this Post also read

How Much a Solar Power System Can Cost You?

SRK — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:42:49 +0000

Majority of people don’t think of having their own electricity production unit because they don’t know how much doest it cost and consider it very expensive. In reality, it is not expensive to have your own electricity production unit. Solar power systems are very advantageous and stress reliever, as they not only make you able to control your own electricity but also save you a lot of money. Due to the scarcity of natural resources, such as water and bio fuels the charges of electricity are increasing day by day. The responsible authorities, such as governments and power supplying companies are shifting the heavy burden of cost electricity generation to their consumers. Governments around the world have emphasized on using solar power system at domestic level. Solar power systems are not only efficient but also they are environmental friendly.

Solar Power System For Domestic Usage

The new advancements in solar energy technology have decreased the cost of solar power plants about 10 times than its initial cost. The further growth of solar market will reduce its prices. The installation cost of a solar power plant on your house roof top is nothing if you consider its long term benefits. Its benefits are higher and long lasting than its cost. It will free you from paying taxes on electricity and you will be the owner of your personal solar power plant. While considering the deployment of the solar power plant for domestic, consider your consumption prior to its installation. The cost of the installation and equipment depends on the consumption and size of the household users.

Cost Calculation

Installation of a solar power system is a one time investment, while it will last long and provide you benefits on long term basis. Suppose you are paying $60 to $80 on the consuming the electricity on monthly basis. This cost can be increased anytime in future and will not allow you to save money. The one time expense means if you install a solar power plant that costs you $1000 to $1500 only (including all government taxes, rebate, and tax credit), then for the lifetime you’ll be using it without paying off taxes etc. The efficiency of solar power plant is also amazing if we compare it with its cost. An average photovoltaic panel is capable of converting 20 – 25% energy that cost 0.05% if it receives an interrupted sunlight for 3 hours on 1 square meter.

A Fair Comparison of Solar Energy with Other Natural Resources

Solar power system can be installed anywhere because sunlight falls on entire area of the earth. Unlike solar power system, to get biofuels a lot of drilling and heavy machinery is required. A common citizen can’t have a property that is found with any bio fuel resources whereas sunlight is free for all. The amount of energy produced by solar power system is less than the amount of energy produced by other power generation methods. A solar power system requires a support system in the shape of wind mills and batteries. On the whole, we can’t say that solar power systems are cheaper because only single solar system is not sufficient to produce a good amount of energy, but still we can say that solar power system is much better than the traditional power generation systems. We can reduce its cost by producing the solar power systems in large numbers.

People who liked this Post also read

Developments in Solar Energy Technology

Sohaib — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:01:16 +0000

The energy provided from sun is so strong that it can power the entire planet for one year. Surely we are clever enough to capture some of this magnificent force and use it to fuel our environment. Solar energy are divided into two categories, static or passive solar energy and dynamic or kinetic solar energy. An example of passive solar energy could be building a house so that the windows face the morning sun in cold climates. We do not know but our Earth uses the power from sun in many ways. Ours is an inherently rechargeable renewable world, provided we use our resources such as solar energy wisely.

For instance in case of shopping malls which use double paned insulated windows that allow light to enter yet keep heating or cooling locked inside. But what would happen if the sun moves away from the arc its following? Then active solar lighting can use mirrors that track with the sun’s movement and then reflect light into fiber optic cable that can carry that light into any part of our same department store. Further on, we can transfer warmth through various forms of solar energy. Like in the 1950s it was a common trend to see simple glass paned boxes filled with copper pipes which were used to help heat water for swimming pools and boilers.

Water can be heated from high temperature parabolic shaped mirrors than made possible by our simple rooftop hot boxes. If we apply this theory properly then solar power can supply 50% of the power needs for a modern factory. This method could be said is one half of the concentrated solar power used for creating electricity from sun’s radiant energy.

Solar cells which are also called photovolatic is the most common form of solar every conversion which relies upon solar volatic cells. Initially being developed in the 188o’s, these cells were used to produce a flow of electrons which were further used to create current flow. In simple words, sunlight was turned into energy. However, since the 1970s, advancements in developments have taken place due to oil shortage. Solar cells are now competitive with the wind power technology due to increase in production and its low price and like their low emissions wind counterparts are far less costly than nuclear power.

Lets consider an example of the Jumilla, Spain solar farm. Currently, high yield (15% efficiency) photovoltaic solar installations cost around 6 dollars per watt. The world’s largest solar farm sits on just 247 acres and cost about 200 million dollars to build. The gross amount of revenue annually is to exceed 20 million dollars. This means you would earn all you investment in 15 years time allowing for maintainence and labor. Only in carbon credit, the solar farm would generate over a million dollars. This is because obviously a solar farm does not require any infusion of coal of any other fossil fuel which creates energy. For some people waiting for a 15 year period might be too long. Solar and wind power speculate on the overall rise in hydrocarbon fuel costs. A coal fired power plant costs one fifth as much to build as does a solar wind farm on a per watt basis. And even factoring the cost of fuel to burn, fossil fuel power is cheaper, but for how long and at what ultimate cost. One little blip in the world’s political stability can drive the cost of fossil fuels to double. If and when that happens solar power will be a bargain.

People who liked this Post also read

10 Water Powered Gadgets

zara — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:10:54 +0000

We all know that electricity is highly in demand these days and it’s supply is not meeting it’s demand. For this reason some smart and eco-friendly people have come up with ideas that do not consume electricity but green methods such as usage of water. Let us take a look at the following gadgets that are powered by water. These help you go green and keep you clean.

1. Bedol Eco-Friendly Clock

This green clock works when you add water and some lemon juice to it and it will work for up to 8 to 12 weeks. This watch is very economical, never needs consumption of electricity and it is pollution free. If you run out of water in the clock and the battery is dead, he inbuilt memory chip in it remembers the time.

2. Water Powered Calculator

This water powered calculator is very simple with an amazing design. It operates and functions depending entirely on a few sips of water or any other type of electrolytic liquid for power. It does not need any battery but just a few sips of water and it is ready to work calculate and result perfectly. If you want to go green then stop using batteries at least for minor tools and switch to eco-friendly methods. If you fill the cells with water, they will run for a month and after that you can refill it.

3. Another Water Powered Calculator

This one is different from the one you read above as it has three different refillable water powered batteries. On putting water inside the batteries, a chemical reaction occurs and the calculator is all set to work. It has a different design than the previous one. IT is much more cheaper than the previous one and on adding water, it works for 2 to 3 months.

4. Water Powered Cell Phone Batteries

Thanks to eco-friendly Samsung company who have found out a way of how cell phone batteries will work with water. It will function as when water will be filled in the fuel cells, they will react with the inside metal and produce Hydrogen which will emit energy after reacting with oxygen. The company is still working on it and they say that once you fill the fuel cells with water, they will work for around 10 hours.

5. Liquid Charging Batteries From NoPoPo

Well, this battery is different. It does take a liquid to generate energy but that will be your pee and not water. Gross, isn’t it? Well but what matters is that it works perfectly and powers the battery up to 500 mAh. With the help of a pipette, pee is transfered into the battery which reacts with a mixture of carbon and magnesium generating energy.

6. Water Powered Flash Light And Mini Lantern From NoPoPo

Don’t worry this mini lantern and flash light by NoPoPo does not require your pee, it works with water. It is a two in one device. The great part about it is that it has a water refillable battery and once charged, the charge will last for 10 years.

7. Water Powered Jet pack By JetLev

If you ever envy the birds of how they can fly, this jet pack powered by water is a great deal for you. It is much more eco-friendly and economic than a personal jet pack. You can use to fly over water.

8. Irish Water Powered Street Lamps

The Irish have come up with a way to use street lights without electricity. Usage of street lights is done by almost every country and they all use electricity to generate it. The purpose of it is to take water from a turbine and produce renewable energy resulting in light from the street lights. This is a bit expensive but slowly and gradually it will come forth with a feasible cost.

9. Tube Bot Pipe Robot

The concept of this tube bot pipe robot is to detect wastage and leakage of water which is wasted in huge amounts causing damage to the environment. It works with it’s existing pressure and it needs no additional energy.

10. Charging Boots

NTT which is The Japanese giant of telecommunication have created a shoe , a boot that can generate electricity as you walk by. It takes some water and a small turbine and it generates 1.2 watts of electricity. It is yet to come to practicality.

People who liked this Post also read

Solar Frame Works In Massachusetts

pansy — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:58:00 +0000

England, in the state of Massachusetts; Solar Frame Works has enunciated the largest BIPV CoolPly system. It has been successfully completed by Constellation Energy Projects and Services Group. This state-of-the-art BIPV CoolPly commercial roofing system is providing clean renewable energy of 525 kilowatt to the Kraft Group’s Patriot Place Complex which is adjacent to Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

This project has won the 2009 Energy Project Award. Various projects selected for this award, the criteria were that it must push the envelope for creativity and comprehensiveness. The Association of Energy Engineers, New England chapter named the Patriot Place BIPV CoolPly Solar Project as the “Best Energy Project in New England”.

The BIPV CoolPly project is financed by CEG through a 20 year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Kraft Group. Under the power purchase agreement, CEG will own the energy assets and sell the electricity that it generates on site to Patriot Place. The BIPV CoolPly, 525 kilowatt power system on Patriot spans seven rooftops. This system will fulfill one-third of the electrical needs of Patriot Palace and will produce 12 million plus kilowatts hours of energy over the next 20 years.

BIPV CoolPly is manufactured by Solar Frame Works in its solar-powered facility in Golden, Colorado. This system is manufactured with those materials which were made in USA. The suppliers companies include Firestone Building Products and Evergreen Solar (NYSE: ESLR). While the proprietary electric roofing system is installed by Silktown Roofing Company which is also partner of Solar Frame Works.

This progressive BIPV CoolPly system is elegant in appearance and also innovative in function. The patent pending system at the same time cools the roof and cools the solar modules in the summer. And in winter it allows additional insulation, though precluding heat loss and optimizes power production with energy conservation in commercial buildings.

Solar Frame Work is a woman owned small manufacturing business which is located near the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is a leading institute for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. Dr Patrina Eiffert, CEO of Solar Frame Works is a former employee of NREL. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of BIPV, holds patents in photovoltaic technology. BIPV CoolPly is just one product in Solar Frame Works Co. innovative product line inventing the future for the applications for photovoltaic technology.

People who liked this Post also read

Could Wind Energy Be A Source For Noise Pollution?

pansy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:09:00 +0000

Increase in wind power projects near to densely populated areas has given rise to complain of homeowners who are more close to it about noise. Decibel standards have been set by state and local communities for highways, airports and wind projects. The low frequency sound of an operating wind turbine does not disturb many people. Although some people are dreadfully sound sensitive and are in a constant state of upheaval.

The issue of small island of Vinalhaven in Maine’s Penobscot Bay gain fame and attracted a lot of attention of experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Though a small group of people was being affected by the turbines. The group of people living within half mile of the turbines complained that the sound wind turbine is too loud but it sometimes psychologically disturbs them. These were 3 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines installed by Fox Island Wind. Vinalhaven is a rural and a very peaceful community. The affected residents also argue that the Maine state compliance levels 55 and 45 for day and night respectively are too loud for such a rural area.

The residents also assert that the developer of Fox Islands Wind misinformed them while believing that the ambient sounds would cover up the turbines. The officials of Fox Islands Wind say that they are abiding by the state noise standards and they are also looking for some potential adjustments that is minimizing the cut-out of machines, installation of noise cancellation equipments in homes or changing out the parts on turbines.

Naturally, any changes made would affect the economics of the project, and the electricity for the residents may become expensive. For a community whose main occupation is fishing and which is already dealing with high cost of living, it could be a difficult pill to swallow. As the large number of residents support the project and they have no problem and the tension is between the small group affected people and the rest of the community.

45 decibel limit is lower than the standard set for airports, factories and highways and still people are living around these areas. So the reason that what makes these people so angry is that in rural areas like Vinalhaven, 45 decibels is a momentous boost in sound levels. It can considerable change the local soundscape and if the truth is not correctly communicated their maybe a raise in agitation. May be there is something in the low frequency sound of wind turbine that makes it difficult for people to listen to.

People who liked this Post also read

Global Warming – As An Opinion

Farah — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:41:00 +0000

Global warming is a hot, controversial topic, that seems to be eating away at every citizen, every leadership and every country, but the sad fact; people don’t care less. So what exactly is this thing called, “Global Warming”? Let’s have a closer look.

As Public Opinion

As an opinion global warming means, the end of the world. Ask any common citizen or even a kid as to what they think is global warming, you’ll get a straight answer, “the Earth dying.” No scientific claims, no political answers. And this public opinion is in a way true. With the constant pollution and emission of dangerous gases, our planet Earth is slowly, gradually suffocating and dying, and if this is the pattern that we continue to live in, Mother Nature might as well bid us farewell. Still people will continue to use a car for a five minutes walk, continue to burn stuff, continue to live life like as if nothing affects them.

As a Political Opinion

Politicians in collaboration with multinational leaders may state global warming as a “social and financial concern”. Social as it would require massive setups to control it and financial as most politicians and corporates don’t really want to waste their invested money in carbon fuels and oil.

They don’t really care if the world gets to an end, as all they care is their large banks and investments. Politicians use global warming as a premise for their election campaigns, claiming great legal rights, but doing nothing in actual. Sad but true.

As a Scientific Opinion

Ok! atleast science and scientists are concerned with the world. According to science, what is global warming? “The Earth growing hotter each day, due to the massive amount of pollution, carbon dioxide and other green house gases that is emitted into the air.” This makes the planet hotter, creating a major global shift in weather and climate patterns. More rainfalls, more floods, more heat, more temperatures.

Scientists need to make new devices, bring up new inventions to curb global warming. If it wasn’t for these guys, we wouldn’t be having solar power, green electricity or any of that other popular renewable energy that we have been reading about. The problem is the time duration. It takes very long to test, approve and make a product available for commercial use.

Conclusion

Global warming is a hugely debated topic, which unfortunately has remained a debated topic, even though we are facing glaring facts of its impact on us. As common public the least we can do is try to individually help in the healing process. Don’t use fossil fuels too much, save electricity, save water, and the other basic precautions.

There is nothing that we can expect from our leaders and politicians, as whatever has to be done has to start from the people. We have created a vicious cycle of consumerism, which is now gradually affecting the very core of our planet and needless to say 50 years from now, we will be facing severe weather conditions. Let’s not keep global warming as an opinion anymore, but rather as a problem that needs action right away.

People who liked this Post also read

Electric Aircraft – A New Dimension to Flying

Farah — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Fuel, fuel, fuel everywhere, from a small bike to a large aircraft, the world is getting polluted because of this enormous consumption of fuel. Do you know that it takes up to five gallons of fuel to get an aircraft flying? And this fuel is emitted into the atmosphere, worsening an already worse off atmospheric condition. Again science comes in with a new technology that could probably solve this problem decades to come. That is the use of electronic aviation.

Electronic aircrafts are still in their introductory mode and will take decades to take on the shape of large passenger airlines. For now there are a handful number of small, zero emission aircrafts that work on electric and these aircrafts use photovoltaic cells to charge a battery that powered an electric motor. This concept of electronic aircraft though is not something very recent. It has been tried and tested for ages, and during the 70s these planes were able to fly, but only for five minutes.

Since then, numerous advancements have been made and the Yuneec International E430 is one of the first planes recently to fly the electronic way and that too for 95miles/hour.

It has a 184-pound lithium polymer battery and takes around four hours to get charged. This innovative, commercial aircraft was made by none other than China, the world’s technical leader, with a price tag of $89,000.

Another similar plane, the SkySpark is also one that challenged the Yuneec and flew at a distance of 155miles/hour, thus setting a whole new record. Inspired from these two aircrafts, large aviation companies are now seeing the new angle of flying green.

Ideas and prototypes are being generated for solar powered planes, with understanding the pros and cons for each. The goal is to have light weighted, but powerful batteries to drive a plane like the Boeing 747 the green way. Though this may take decades to actually come into being, it is still a ray of hope and an effort in controlling air pollution.

Solar powered airplanes are also being tested, with an airplane running solely on the heat provided by the sun, while it is in air. The plane will however not fly when there is no sunlight. The batteries for this are enormous in size and weight, which is why it is still an impossible task to give a passenger’s airline, solar or electric capabilities.

The main problem right now is the size and the weight of the battery, which actually makes the plane much heavier, and that is something to be avoided. For a plane to stay on air, with hundreds of passengers, it needs to be light and easy, which is why having battery powered, large, commercial planes is not a possibility now.

It may be a long way from now, but with the fast paced advancement in technology, it won’t be long before we may be able to save planet Earth from a heavy dose of pollution.