Browsing Tag Global Warming

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The global economy and our way of life are based on the exploitation of fossil fuels, which not only threaten massive environmental and social disruption through global warming but, at present rates of consumption, will run out within decades, causing huge industrial dislocation and economic collapse. Even before then, the conflicts it causes in the Middle East and elsewhere will be frighteningly exacerbated. The alternate exists: renewable energy from renewable … More >>

The Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future

The worldwide supply of fossil fuels is very much less now than it was pre-1970. With this in mind, environmentalists, governments and the media itself are in agreement that something must be done as the demand keeps rising. More people are taking a closer look how to use the information on renewable energy in their lives.

One of the major problems concerning the use of fossil fuels is the impact them are having on the environment. If you take a look at the use of fossil fuel and global warming, you will find a straightforward correlation between the two. The impact that global warming has on the weather cycles like extra hot summers, and warmer than regular winters, or more severe storms in general can forcefully affect the way of life of humans and animals alike.

Take the time to head to the library or video store and get a copy of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ an educational documentary that will explain the damage of global warming in today’s world. You will find yourself choosing to make some changes to your home to make it more energy efficient, or look for other ways to bring renewable energy into the design of a new home or remodeling project, just from what you find out in the movie.

A major point in the information on renewable energy is that is what they call “green and clean” energy, thus producing a minimal carbon footprint. Because of this many, people are getting on the renewable bandwagon and choosing to use such renewable energy sources as solar power, wind power and geothermal energy. In addition, this boom of interest will naturally result in more well paying jobs being created in the renewable energy industry that will stay in the United States.

Add the government to the list of sources of renewable energy with their incentives and tax credits for those installing energy efficient technology in their homes. If you install solar power devices in your home, you can presently qualify for federal tax credits. The tax credits apply to both commercial and residential properties and the bottom line can mean the cost will end up being about 30% discount.

By making renewable energy more affordable and within their reach, people tend to be more willing to install renewable energy technology to help protect the environment from further global warming. Those people who choose to install renewable energy are often those same people that promote green communities.

Many of these communities work hard to provide information on renewable energu to its environmentally conscious citizens, so they can do what they can to improve the environment and the world that they live in. A green city can make environmental policies for the people to use to cut down on damaging pollution and create energy efficient citizens. Every year, National Geographic produces the Green Guide. It gives great information about a number of green issues and also lists the Top 10 Green Cities. Is your city going to be featured in this year’s guide?

Plenty of books have been written that give information on renewable energy. To be fair, we really should mention something about renewable energy disadvantages. Hands down, the disadvantage that sticks out like a sore thumb continues to be the high sticker price of purchasing and installing renewable energy technology in your home. Average folks will never be able to afford the $20,000 cost to install a PV solar system until the cost comes down or if they happen to have disposable cash available to them. Some will be looking to build-it-yourself options for renewable energy technology.

There are many energy sources today that are extremely limited in supply. Some of these sources include oil, natural gas, and coal. It is a matter of time before they will be exhausted.

Estimates are that they can only meet our energy demands for another fifty to seventy years. So in an effort to find alternative forms of energy, the world has turned to renewable energy sources as the solution. There are many advantages and disadvantages to this.

Renewable energy sources consist of solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, ocean and biomass. The most common advantage of each is that they are renewable and cannot be depleted. They are a clean energy, as they don’t pollute the air, and they don’t contribute to global warming or greenhouse effects. Since their sources are natural the cost of operations is reduced and they also require less maintenance on their plants. A common disadvantage to all is that it is difficult to produce the large quantities of electricity their counterpart the fossil fuels are able to. Since they are also new technologies, the cost of initiating them is high.

Solar energy makes use of the sun’s energy. It is advantageous because the systems can fit into existing buildings and it does not affect land use. But since the area of the collectors is large, more materials are required. Solar radiation is also controlled by geography. And it is limited to daytime hours and non-cloudy days.

Wind energy uses the power of the wind to produce electricity. Although it is the largest job producer, it is reliant on strong winds. Wind turbines are large and, although you can use the area under them for farming, many consider them unattractive looking. They are also very noisy to operate. In addition, they threaten the wild bird population.

Hydroelectric energy uses water to produce power. This is the most reliable of all the renewable energy sources. On the down side, it affects ecology and causes downstream problems. The decay of vegetation along the riverbed can cause the buildup of methane. Methane is a contributing gas to greenhouse effect. Dams can also alter the natural river flow and affect wildlife. Colder, oxygen poor water can be released into the river, killing fish. And the release of water from the dam can cause flooding.

Geothermal energy uses steam from the Earth’s ground to generate power. It uses smaller land areas than other power plants. They can run 24 hours per day, every day of the year. Disadvantages are that it is very site specific and, along with the heat from the Earth, it can also bring up toxic chemicals when obtaining the steam. Drilling geothermal reservoirs and finding them can be an expensive task.

Biomass electricity is produced through the energies from wood, agricultural and municipal waste. It helps save on landfill waste but transportation can be expensive and ecological diversity of land may be affected. In addition, its process needs to be made simpler.

Ocean energy is a clean and abundant energy form. It does, however, have high costs. Ocean thermal energy also requires close to a forty degree Fahrenheit difference in water temperature year round. In addition, construction and laying pipes can cause damage to the ecosystem.

There are many advantages to the use of renewable energy sources. There are also some disadvantages. The fact is energy demands will continue to increase. Through research and development, as well as, new technologies, the hope is many of the disadvantages of renewable sources of energy can be eliminated and we can successfully incorporate it into our power supplies.

Ever think about how many people there are in world today, and about how fast the world’s population is increasing? The per day increase is estimated to be about 204,000. That’s a lot of people.

Next question: ever think about the resources all those people are using and will continue to use in increasing amounts each day, month and year? Best not too really, especially if you want to sleep well. Here’s the basic fact or people v resources: people numbers are increasing, resources are dwindling, at least the ones we love to use, like oil and carbon fuels such as coal. Most experts also accept that these fossil fuels are heating the atmosphere, creating global warming. So, although these resources are getting scarcer, either actually or economically, they’re doing more and more damage on the way out! Doesn’t seem fair, really.

All of this raises a pretty obvious question: why on earth (pun intended) don’t we use fuels and resources that are renewable, such as the sun, water and wind. Now, you might say that we are, and to an extent I’d have to agree with you. After all, we’ve had hydro-electric energy for decades. But the downside of this is that we’re running out of rivers to put dams on, plus the fact that by damming rivers we often create huge environmental problems, such as flooding of towns, destruction of natural habitats and so on. (Not to mention that many countries don’t have rivers to dam anyway!).

Nuclear energy is good, efficient and kind on resources, but it does have its own set of issues which are fundamental, such as where to put spent fuel rods. Not in my backyard, thanks. There are also wind farms and solar heating sites, but they do not contribute hugely to energy supplies.

So, is it all doom and gloom? I don’t think so. It seems to me that the answer is to stop thinking big, and instead think small. Renewable energy sources, such as the sun and the wind, can be used in small scale as well as large scale operations. (In fact, there is large scale resistance to large scale wind farms, because of their perceived ugliness and adverse environmental impact.)

Small scale ie home or community sun and wind power schemes, however, do not impact on the environment in nearly the same way, and therefore are, or certainly ought to be, much more acceptable. There are renewable home energy systems available, and some countries subsidise homeowners to install them. However, it’s more than fair to say that there is no huge uptake of such systems, as any of us can see from simply driving around our neighbourhoods. I think this is partly inertia on most of our parts, and partly because the upfront cost is unaffordable to many of us.

Let’s address some of the ways in which such systems might gain more public acceptance:

• couldn’t governments divert funds on a much greater scale to home/community rather than national energy solutions? Of course they could. Yes, there will be resistance from existing energy companies, but aren’t they becoming dinosaurs anyway?

• More funding allied with public education campaigns (“Think Small!” “Save on Energy Costs!” etc) would likely have a very positive effect.

• More subsidies for those households who use renewable energy would be attractive, perhaps in the form of reduced local body taxes.

• Tax breaks and assistance for the companies supplying the systems would attract innovators and entrepreneurs into the market, resulting in smaller, more efficient renewable energy systems.

• Make the installation of renewable energy systems compulsory in new homes. Increased home costs? Yes, but look at the huge saving on energy operating costs.

It is a mantra to many that there are no problems in life, only solutions. I’m not sure that’s always true, but with respect to energy we all have to make the current problem an opportunity, because we have no choice. The energy sources we have taken for granted all our lives are running out and/or are environmentally unacceptable. Unless we address the issue in a meaningful way, lack of energy could be a real issue for succeeding generations. I applaud all the work going on to develop new energy sources (such as battery or hydrogen powered vehicles) but to a very large extent the ability to turn our energy problems into solutions already exists: sun, wind and, to a lesser extent, water.

Imagine a future where every household has its own renewable energy source. Sounds great to me!

You can visit my website www.shoxzy.com or my blog on this at http://shoxy314.wordpress.com/renewable-low-cost-energy-for-homes/

If you’re concerned about your mother earth and the atmosphere in which you are living then it is the right time to act. It is necessary to act if we are well-determined to give a clean and idyllic planet to out future generation. It is only possible with the joint efforts of all the human beings existing on this earth.

A study estimates that mankind will face an excessive shortage of energy resources in the upcoming period of time. It is basically because the present sources of energy are limited (non-renewable) and will unable to meet the requirements of the population pressure of the future.

The limited sources of energy normally include the supply of natural gas, coal, petroleum, etc. to meet the needs of industries, various sectors and the common man. It will now take millions of years to attain the same stage where one can avail the same quantity of renewable sources which people were using to meet all kinds of needs some decades ago. In addition to this, an excessive use of the burning fuel is also promoting the threat of global warming in the entire planet.  

What can be a sensible solution to the problem when in the upcoming decades we will lose all the major but limited sources of energy after doing immense amount of damage to the atmosphere in which we and all the other species survive?

We can get a better answer to this question with the help of renewable sources of energy. It is a matter of debate since past whether the non-conventional sources of energy are proficient enough to meet the ever increasing demand of energy throughout the world.

It is a fact that most of the people including a great margin of researchers and scholars not only believe but guarantee that non conventional sources including wind, solar, tidal and geothermal energy can be more competent to the rising needs of the mankind in contrast to the traditional conventional sources of  energy. One better source of renewable energy is solar wind.

Like all the other renewable sources the best part of going for the renewable energy solar wind is that you can avail one more means by which it is possible to generate good amount of energy without polluting the atmosphere of earth. Like other renewable sources of energy you can avail all kinds of information about renewable energy solar wind with the help of internet. There are some of the good sites available on the internet which can provide necessary services on renewable energy solar wind for free! One such site is Enerlix, formerly known as Energyportal24.

Enerlix can be advantageous to you in many ways. It is counted among the superb market places for the environmental technologies. Enerlix is a site which is highly supportive to the user. With the help of navigation bar available on the site one can get in touch with all kinds of information including news, press releases, and events on all the topics including renewable energy solar wind technology. You can gain good information as well as submit your own opinion in the form of content for free. You can avail free online tools, articles, and publishing events after registering with Enerlix.  

Sure! Now all around the world it’s possible to use renewable energy for your energy daily needs. Renewable energy is becoming more and more common and popular in the households in many countries across the globe.
It’s very important to consider an opportunity like this, because you may benefit in many ways and for times to come.

If you are looking for something to help the environment and at the same time that can let you save money, something that may give you sweet dreams all night through, then you are in the right place… just keep reading. A number of householders have already chosen the option to supply their houses with renewable energy and they won’t change anymore, such great their satisfaction is and the number is just growing each and every day. Maybe this the first time that you are reading something like this, and it’s OK, so let me explain a bit more in depth what I’m talking about. I’m sure that you have heard about energy crisis, price rising, global warming, recession and so on…truth as to be said, the problems that we are facing in this era are closely related to each other. Till now you may agree with me or you may not, it’s up to you…those problems are facts. And, do you know what the solution is? For every problem there is at least one solution, so…smart people out there have found a couple of solutions to solve the energy problem which is strictly related with environment and recession. And the solution for a single householder is to use alternative or renewable energy. Why?
Because in this way he fights global warming and environment’s pollution, as alternative energy prices are not going to rise on the contrary…, see?
Two ways are common for the householder who wants to switch to renewable energy, one is micro generation and the second is to connect the house to renewable energy utility companies, both are great but while the first is available all over the globe, the second depends on the country in which the householder lives.

Micro generation is a phenomenon already present in many countries, as the term suggests the energy is generated in small amounts, it can be used just to reduce the monthly bill or to provide a full supply for the entire household needs or as in many cases, a surplus of energy can be sold for a little revenue. In all three cases the energy is produced by micro power plants installed (and often built) at home, to exploit solar power, wind power or a combination of both. The energy produced is completely clean, and if you opt for a DIY solution it’ll be very cheap as well. If you want to buy one or both systems, it will require a little investment at the beginning that can be easily recovered in a couple of years depending on the size of the device you buy; in this case there are government incentives in many countries. Either if you choose the DIY way or buy it from a company, there are several advantages. Choosing the DIY you can start from a small-sized plant, hence very small investment, and grow according to your needs and results whenever you want. Unfortunately this option is only partially available when you buy a wind turbine or a solar panel from a company because they usually come in bigger sizes hence bigger price.

The other option is to connect your household to a renewable energy utility company. This is another great solution since you’ll actively contribute to a cleaner environment, and selecting the source of energy you want to use you are also cooperating against the rise of prices and recession as well. Unfortunately you cannot opt for it all around the world or at least not yet and not sooner than in the next two or three decades since not many countries have yet implemented renewable energy systems in large scale. But if you’re living in one of the countries where the option is available, you will be able to use green energy in your house, a short time after you contact the company, depending on the country and again on the company. Usually, according to what people say, up to 3 – 4 weeks are required after contacting the company and there are no additional costs if you want to switch to this option. Great, isn’t it?!

To conclude, you know that switching to renewable energy sources is possible and easy to do, may save you some money, help the environment and fight the recession. You also know that many others have already done it and every day someone joins the “green energy community”. Now that you know enough it’s just a matter of your choice. The article gives you an inner view of the energy landscape, but obviously it’s impossible to cover the topic in detail, which itself is very articulate and rooted in many areas, such as science, history, economy and also politics, but for sure now you have a clearer view and more available options.

You think you understand renewable energy credits. You’re sure you understand Carbon Offsets. You are fuzzy on the details about how they differ and when the purchase of one or the other might be appropriate. Never fear! This article explains the key differences, and similarities, between the two.

The first difference is the way that offsets and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are measured. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of C02 or C02 Equivalent. Renewable Energy Credits are measured in kilowatt hours, which are a standard electricity measurement metric. A kilowatt hour is the amount of work that can be performed by one kilowatt of energy in one hour.

Picture a lonely, dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling that turns on for one hour each day by which you feverishly darn socks in a carbon constrained world; that’s a watt, and for the privilege of its use, you’ll be charged for 1/1000 kwh of electricity each day. These days, you probably use a several kwh per day.

The second difference between carbon offsets and renewable energy credits is that renewable energy credits only come from renewable energy projects (solar, wind geothermal, biofuels, etc.) while carbon offsets can come from all different kinds of projects, including renewable energy generation, that reduce the level of greenhouse gases that are entering the atmosphere.

To put it another way, RECs are primarily concerned with promoting the generation of clean energy, while carbon offsets are primarily concerned with preventing the emissions that enter the atmosphere.

They are both systems that have developed to deal with global warming systematically, but they have different approaches. RECs are forward looking, focused on building a clean energy economy and providing an extra incentive for the creation of renewable energy, while carbon offsets are oriented in the present, dealing with preventing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere right now.

Because of these different measurement systems and the different foci of the two programs, RECs and carbon offsets have different precision rates when it comes to carbon. Carbon offsets are all about exactitude, and many of the discussions about the efficacy of offsets center around the degree of certainty a buyer has that the exact amount of carbon s/he has paid for is actually being prevented or captured. RECs, on the other hand, are measured in kilowatt hours, and the carbon content of that ‘saved’ kwh differs depending on the location of the project and the quality of the local electricity.

The dirtier the local electricity, the more carbon an REC ‘saves.’ Different utilities around the country use different mixes of energy sources, from coal to natural gas to renewables, to create electricity. These sources vary widely in their carbon content. To make matters even more confusing, a utility might even change the mix it uses depending on the time of day- when peak load sets in they might have to rely on dirtier power sources than they would otherwise.

So, it’s impossible to say exactly how much carbon a clean kwh of renewable energy ‘offsets.’ The closest we can get is to use the ‘emissions factor’ for energy from the local utility, which is the average emissions for the mix of sources that the utility uses to create power, and multiply it by the number of kilowatt hours to produce an estimate of the carbon saved per kilowatt. But it will always be an estimate.

This is not to say that RECs are no good. They are an extremely effective way to promote clean energy because they give the providers and extra incentive to keep creating clean energy and we need all the incentives we can get to move toward a clean energy economy. RECs just aren’t the most accurate way to offset carbon. I highly recommend using RECs to offset electricity use, because your electric bills will have a record of the exact number of kwh you used, and you can buy RECs to account for all the dirty emissions your plugged-in Macbook caused. Then, you can buy carbon offsets to cover all your driving and flying.

‘But what about renewable carbon offsets?’, you say. ‘Those seem like the best of both worlds!’ I’m getting there. Those are good to, and if you really value the promotion of clean energy despite some of the accuracy issues, you can buy renewable energy offsets. Many times offsets will actually come from the exact same projects as the RECs, but the nice thing about buying the offset version instead of buying RECs and doing the calculations yourself is that someone else, hopefully a third party verifier, is determining how much carbon each kwh of clean energy replaced. So you don’t have to! Rest easy, and lay off the carbon guilt.

In many countries today, a lot is being said about harnessing renewable energy technologies – particularly in light of the rising oil prices.

Renewable energy is power which has been generated from renewable resources – in other words, it does not “run out” or eventually become depleted. It can be continuously re-created.

It’s not just the prices of oil that has people searching for clean and renewable energy sources. Global warming concerns, and problems created by international pollution, have triggered this concern as well. Governments around the world have begun to support research on improving the renewable energy technologies.

Currently, the five common renewable energy sources are biomass, hydropower, geothermal heat, wind, and solar power.

Biomass

Biomass consists of organic material which has been produced by animals and plants. Biomass energy uses stored energy from the sun. This is a result of the natural process which any plant uses to survive – photosynthesis.

Because we can always grow new crops and trees, biomass is considered a form of renewable energy. Furthermore, organic waste can be used to create biomass as well.

Some examples of commonly used biomass fuels are crops, wood, garbage, and manure. When these materials are burned, they emit heat which produces steam, that can in turn be used to create electricity. Some biomasses are converted into other usable energy forms, such as methane gas or biodiesel.

Hydropower

Hydropower is one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. It was used in ancient times to grind grain. Coal was once the only source of power in the United States. But in 1880, the first Hydropower plant was built, and since then, more of these have been erected in order to provide the people with electricity.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Energy comes from within the Earth itself. The steam or heat which stems from the center of the earth can be used to regulate the temperatures of buildings, and can be used to generate electricity as well.
Because water can always be replenished by rain, and because the earth’s core maintains its temperature, this is considered one form of renewable energy.

Wind Power

Even the ever-present wind can provide a renewable energy source. Wind is created as a result of the uneven heating on the earth’s surface, which causes air to move. Thus, wind power is essentially a bi-product of solar power. Wind propellers are used to collect the wind’s kinetic energy, which turns turbines that are in turn used to create electricity.

Solar Power

This form of renewable energy will be available as long as the sun shines. Solar energy can either be used as thermal energy, or it can be converted into electricity.

As a thermal energy, it can be used to heat water or spaces. Through the use of solar cells or similar photovoltaic devices, it can be used to create electricity. The heat of the sun can also be used to create steam, which turns turbines and thus produces electricity.

Perhaps the greatest argument that could be leveled about having to use fossil and nuclear fuel is our dependence on it. Global warming, though a real serious threat, maybe something that we could only be very worried about. Singly nothing much could be done about it as it will take serious political will if it is to be addressed effectively and for now, other countries are not cooperating. But the choice between traditional and alternative sources of energy, that is something most of us can choose to do.

First the advantages:

Solar energy is abundant and is free. We can count the sun to rise tomorrow and the day after that. Oil and natural gases on the other hand are non renewable, once the source taps out, it is gone forever. Sure there are other areas that could still be tapped but sooner that could run out of oil as well.

Solar energy does not pollute the air. If ever, the heat coming from the sun cleans the environment and maintains the earth’s eco balance. Not so with oil. Oil, its derivatives and its byproducts are great pollutants. In fact, 22,000 pounds of carbon monoxide will need to be produced first for the oil to be processed and supply a home with electrical energy for a year.

Solar energy harnessing panels are silent operators. Except maybe for the mechanical contraptions that are built into the panels so it could track the sun, from the collection of the suns rays to its photovoltaic conversion, they give neither a peep nor a squeak. It is a world of difference from the cacophony of giant drills and pumps that are used to extract oil form the ground.

Maintenance for the solar panels is very minimal. Except for the mechanical parts that are optional, almost no maintenance is needed. Once it is installed nothing much will be the cause for worry. The energy that is derived is free. With oil there is no telling what the next pump price would be and when. Oil, being a commodity, heavily depend its prices on market forces. Often with the right strategies, even market forces could be manipulated that could cause volatility in pricing.

The Disadvantages of Solar Energy

The cost. While solar energy is free, the cost of installation setbacks many household from installing it. Brand new solar energy generating systems are expensive. Although it tends to pay off overtime, initial cash out could range into several thousands of dollars depending on the quality and volume of generated power a household or an establishment would require. While solar energy technology has been around since the 1950′s it is only in recent years that its development was spurred. While costs of installation could also be subjective depending on the purchasing capacity of a customer, the benefits that could be derived out of it is enormous although mostly in unquantifiable terms.

For mass consumption, distribution lines are needed and this remains to be a big issue. Old antiquated distribution lines used to transfer electricity and other modes of fuel into the homes are clogged in many regions that to deliver solar energy power into the houses of consumers will require a different approach.

Be that as it may, the benefits from solar power far outweigh its disadvantages. It is an ideal source of energy that it may soon be the norm in power generation.

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In the young 21st Century, two realizations are dawning on the world’s population: we are hopelessly dependent on petroleum, which is only going to get more expensive; and global warming, caused mainly by our burning of fossil fuels, will impact civilization in ways that we’re only beginning to grasp. Stepping in to fight both of these massive problems are the rapidly evolving technologies that harness renewable energy. We will see how air, water, earth, and fire are … More >>

Modern Marvels: Renewable Energy