Renewable Clean Energy Info

Archive for November, 2009

Whenever I think of windmills the beautiful image of windmills standing majestically on the seashores comes to my mind. Whenever there’s a strong wind, all the windmills move and generate power from wind energy. The most famous image of course is that of a windmill standing against the farms in Amsterdam….surely, windmills have been used in farms for years to generate power.

Wind energy is one of the most reliable form of renewable, or in other words, alternative source of energy. It moves away from the conservative forms of energy like coal or petroleum that are fast exhausting from the surface of the earth. Moreover, due to limited sources of conservative energy materials, they are much more expensive than alternative forms. Today, people are more aware of the importance of using eco-friendly ways to generate and conserve power.

Using renewable sources of energy a step towards a greener, cleaner future for the generation to come. Here’s good news for all those who love the old-world charm and utilities of the windmill…for now it’s possible to own a windmill or wind power generator for your power needs.

Wind power generators work on a simple working principle, they can easily be constructed at home; provided you have the materials at hand. And what’s more, windmills are not only an eco-friendly power solution, but pocket friendly too! Wind power generators give us a lot of benefits; we’d like to share some of them with you.

All of us know that greenhouse gas emissions are slowly leading the earth to destruction. But do we know that conservative sources of energy are one of the chief contributors to this emission? Factories that run on thermal power generate huge quantities of carbon dioxide everyday that still continue to pollute the earth. It up to all of us to stand up and make a change. By using wind power instead of conservative sources, you can make way for a valuable change that is much needed. Also, electricity generated by wind power plant in your home is all yours, unlimited and direct.

Having your own power generator at home can save your electricity bill every month. A wind power generator requires very little maintenance, and your only investment is the initial construction materials. Besides saving on the electricity bill, you can also make arrangements to construct more units and sell the surplus electricity generated to the electricity board and make some more money this way.

Wind power generators can be constructed very easily. If you search online, you’ll easily get construction plans online following which you can make your windmill yourself. These are easy to follow plans, which even a layman in the matters of electric principles can make out and apply in practice.

The reason most people shy away from investing in turbine power is because they think it’s too complicated and expensive a process! What they don’t know is that the construction materials are readily available and barring the initial costs, it can save you a lot of money when put to use regularly!

Lastly, we should all understand that only if we put down our foot and make a concrete change can we secure a better future for the generations to come. Installing a wind power generator may be a very small step, but a million such small steps will surely go a long, long way in protecting the earth which nurtures us throughout our lives.

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With the rising prices of fossil fuels, industries that are dependent on burning oil and coal are also increasing the costs of their services. Among the most important industries affected by this inflation is power generation. Because of this people are looking for ways to cut down the need for conventional sources of electricity so that they can decrease or eliminate their electric bills and at the same time, prevent the Earth from further degeneration. One of the effective ways of doing this is using windmill electricity.

People have been using windmill power for centuries. In the past, windmills carried water and distributed it for irrigation. Nowadays, windmills are used to generate electricity. With the great progress in windmill technology, more homes now are capable of harnessing wind power to satisfy their electricity requirements.

With just around $8,500, people can actually have a windmill installed in their homes to take care of their electrical needs. With just a windmill that provides 10 watts of power, a regular household can supply itself with its own electricity. Within just eight years, this cost will have been paid up by the device. This definitely saves a home owner big money in the long run.

The big issue with windmill electricity, however, is that your house and your windmill should be located in a windy area. You need wind speeds of at least 10 miles per hour for the windmill to work properly and provide ample electricity for your home. If there isn’t wind as fast as that available, then your house would have to turn to conventional power. So it is only advisable to own a windmill if you are in an area with sufficient wind speeds.

The great thing, however, for those who indeed fulfill this important requirement of owning windmill electricity is that if winds are faster than required, the windmill can actually help the community where it is located. Excess power can be relegated to conventional lines, decreasing the load that power plants would have to cover. This amounts to a lot of savings in money and resources.

Windmill electricity is very much recommended for those who can afford them and those who can fulfill its requirements. If you are among those who are lucky enough to have the resources needed to maintain a windmill, then it might be good for you to own one. This way, you can save money and protect your planet at the same time.

With the world’s ever-increasing demand of power being more than its supply, it is about time that we take concrete steps to save power. Apart from being conscious about the usage of power and water at home, one can employ pollution-free and cost-effective power solutions at our homes. Solar power solutions and wind power solutions are the two of the most efficient solutions that can replace the conventional power solutions employed at our homes.

These solutions can help you combat power outages, reduce your electricity bills, and also help the environment.

This article will explore the cost-effective wind power solution that you can employ at home.

Wind power solutions work best when the following conditions are met:
• You have a house or farmhouse spread over a big area. Typically, wind power solutions are employed in areas that spread over an acre.
• The average wind speed in your area is around 11 miles per hour. If you stay in a place that has little wind flow, your system will not work. Consult an expert before installing the wind power solution at home.
• You need to draw water from external sources. You can install a wind power system even when you do not need to draw water from outside. However, if you need to draw water from outside on a regular basis, a wind power system offers the best solution.
• Your house needs a lot of uninterrupted power supply. Combating those power outages is easy with the pollution-free wind power systems. You need no longer worry about a break in your work because of a power uncertainty.

A typical wind power system comprises of a tower and five blades to churn out wind energy. The length of the wind tower varies depending on the location of your house. You may need a longer tower if you are in low-wind zone; you can work with a shorter tower if you live by the beach. Using a wind generator, this wind energy can be converted into useful electrical energy to be employed at home for running various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more efficient than convention power systems.

If you are confused with the wind power jargon, here’s a piece of information for you. The terms, wind mills, wind turbines, and wind generators are used to refer to the same machine.

The earth receives more energy from the sun in one hour than the power requirement of the world for the whole year. Solar energy is free, renewable, clean and sustainable. We know how to harness it and we know where to use it best. Below are the different uses of solar energy.

Grid-Tied Residential Homes

Solar energy can be used hand in hand with your current electricity provider. This is ideal to those who live in places where sunlight does not shine year round, to those who live in areas where electricity is cheap and to those who just want to use solar energy as a backup to their existing source of power. The idea is that if you have 2 sources of power, you can get uninterrupted power supply all the time.

One of the benefits of having a grid-tied solar energy system at home is that you can turn your electric meter backwards. This happens when you produce more energy than you use. The excess power that your system generates is sent out to the grid, which will be used by other households. As a result, your electric meter turns backwards and your electric provider will pay you for the amount of energy your system has produced.

Homeowners can use solar energy in producing electricity to power security lights around the house’s perimeter. Since these types of lights consume as much as 5 times more power than the household’s daily energy requirement, opting for solar energy system is very reasonable.

Solar power system may not be used to answer the entire power requirement of the household. Sometimes it is used to power particular equipment such as lighting, water pumping, cooking and water heating or other equipments that consume the most amount of energy.

Corporate Buildings

To save on electric bills, many companies and building owners install PV cells on their atria. On large industrial buildings, PV cells can be installed on rooftops. While the initial cash out is expensive, the amount of savings the system produces over the years will pay for itself.

Off-Grid Homes

If you have a cabin house or a farm house located far from the power grids, a solar power system can be your best source of electricity. Also, it is ideal if you need to power stand-alone sensing equipment and remote telemetry. Holiday homes that receive a substantial amount of sunlight can also benefit on this system.

Community halls, schools, clinics and other buildings that are not connected to any grid lines can use PV cells to generate power from the sun.

Signs and Street lights

Lights to brighten our street and street signs consume large amount of energy. This energy is drawn from electric providers that use conventional fossil fuels. To reduce the demand for this type of energy source, signs and street light can be installed with solar power systems that store power during the day and use it to light the streets at night. Many cities have solar panels attached to their street lights to save money and reduce fossil fuel burning.

Other Recreational Application

RVs and marine vehicles require small amount of power which are drawn from its engine. This consumes fuel and emits greenhouse gases. To reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases emission, owners prefer charging their batteries with solar panels.

Before diving into the vast number of uses for solar energy, it is important to have a solid understanding of solar energy itself. Solar energy is electricity generated by the Sun’s radiation that is absorbed through square material known as “solar cells”.

To put it simply: the Sun’s rays heat up solar cells, and the heat’s energy is converted into electricity to power anything from small devices such as laptop bags to entire buildings.

Four Classes of Solar Energy

There are four major styles of solar energy: direct, indirect, active and passive.

Direct solar energy systems convert the thermal energy once, while indirect systems convert the energy multiple times. Active solar means there are mechanical and electrical parts. Passive systems do not use any mechanical parts to convert the energy to electricity.

“So how does solar energy actually work?”

There are many methods for capturing the power of the Sun’s energy, but the most common devices are “Photovoltaic cells”. These are commonly known as solar cell semiconductors that produce electricity whenever the external material is exposed to heat. The cells also naturally store thermal (heat) energy so the device the cells are powering can work when it is dark as well.

Heat from the Sun is absorbed by the silicon cells and the energy is stored and converted for use by the semiconductor inside the cells.

“How can solar energy help me?”

When solar energy cells were first introduced in 1941 by Russell Ohl, people hardly realized how this simple invention could change the World. The biggest problem with the energy technique has been the initial cost. However, while silicon is expensive, people have been recently turning to powering their entire house with solar cells!

Yes, there is a large initial investment, but by eliminating your electric bill for the rest of your life, there is a good chance you’ll recoup the loss. Many people use solar energy to heat their water (tap, showers, swimming pools, etc.) without powering their entire home. This is much cheaper, but it can still have a positive impact on utility bills and the environment.

There have been many other smaller uses, too. In 2006, a small electronics company invented a solar cell laptop bag that could not only carry your laptop, but constantly charge it on the go!

There practically an infinite number of possibilities for small devices being charged with solar energy and eliminating the need for charging every night for hours just to get a few hours of use.

As solar cell production costs decrease, more companies will be able to produce solar-powered devices and accessories the public can afford. Either way, solar energy is a reliable, natural source of energy that can be used to power practically anything, and it won’t run out until the Sun does!

Solar energy is free but the tools that will enable you to harness this free energy are not.

If you are planning to install a solar energy system right at your home and would like to know how much it would cost, there are 3 things you need to consider:

First, the cost depends on how much energy your household requires. More energy you require means more solar panels and higher cost of installation. The good thing is, the technology to harness the power of the sun is relatively cheaper than it was several years ago.

Second, the government is offering a rebate to those who will switch to alternative form of energy. That means, the government will shoulder a portion of the total cost of the system.

Third, you can get tax credits when you switch to solar energy system. The amount of tax rebate depends from state to state but the range can go from $1000 to $2000.

All these affect the overall cost of your installation.

A photovoltaic system can cost roughly at $8000 to $10000 per 1kW system. This equates to $8 to $10 per Watt. An average American household with 3 bedrooms requires at least 1.5kW to as much as 3kW. Thus, installation can cost from $14000 to $30000, before rebates and tax credits.

Government rebate varies from state to state. As a reference, an average California household that requires 1.5kW system can get as much as $4200 rebate (1.5kW= 1500 watts x $2.80 per watt = $4200).

A household that requires 3kW system can get as much as $8400 (3kW= 3000 watts x $2.80 per watt = $8400).

Before, tax credit goes as much as 30% but it is lowered to 7.5% of system cost after rebate.

So an average household with 1.5kW system can get $735 ($14000 – $4200 x 7.5% = $735) worth of tax credit while the 3kW system can get $1620 ($30000 – $8400 x 7.5% = $1620) worth of tax credit.

Example A: 1.5kW system

Cost of solar electric system: $14000
Less rebate: $4200
Less tax credit: $735

Cost of the system after rebate and tax credit: $9065

Example B: 3kW system

Cost of solar electric system: $30000
Less rebate: $8400
Less tax credit: $1620

Cost of the system after rebate and tax credit: $19980

Again, these are rough estimates just to give you an idea of the cost of installing solar energy system. They do not represent real figures.

Top tips:

Energy independent home has higher resale value and is more preferred by home buyers. So, if you are planning to sell your home in several years, installing solar energy system does not only provide substantial saving on electric bill, it also is a good home improvement option.

If you want to finance the cost of your solar energy installation, include it in your mortgage.

If you want to reduce your electricity load, switch to energy efficient appliances. Buy electric appliances with ENERGY STAR seal.

Low energy requirement means lower installation cost.

Residents of areas with higher electricity rate can benefit most on solar energy system.

If you can’t afford the photovoltaic system, you can install solar hot water system that costs roughly from $2000 to $4000.

Solar energy is best for houses that are located far from the existing power lines.

Utilizing solar energy or the power coming from the sun’s rays has many benefits. Let us take a closer look on each of them.

•Solar energy saves money.

In 2006, we saw the highest jump on residential electric rate. In some areas of the country, as much as 60% increase was seen. Many experts agree that the trend will likely to continue in the years to come. This means that you have to pay larger sum of cash to sustain your monthly electric consumption. But if you produce your own power, you can prevent paying the high cost of energy – especially now when energy prices are very unstable.

On a larger scale, if American households switch to other types of alternative energy including solar energy, the nation’s spending on imported oil will greatly decrease.

•Solar energy is environment-friendly.

The issue of global warming will not go away. So if you want to do your part to save this planet, drawing your power requirement from the sun will make a great difference.

Solar energy is sustainable and renewable unlike gas, coal and oil that most utility companies use. It does not produce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury or carbon dioxide as byproducts so it doesn’t pollute the air. Since it doesn’t emit greenhouse gases, it doesn’t contribute to global warming.

Using solar energy reduces demand for fossil fuel and reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign energy sources.

•Government gives incentives to those who use alternative form of energy.

Many are discouraged to install solar electric systems because of the initial cost of the project. But, some states like California offers federal tax credits as much as $2000 and up front rebate that covers 20% to 30% of the total system cost. These offers are relatively good considering the substantial increase of energy cost in recent years.

Note: Due to the increasing number of households who want to switch into alternative forms of energy, the incentive levels decline. Check with your state government the rates it offer if you are going to make a switch.

•Solar power systems are dependable and require little or no maintenance.

Photovoltaic (PV) cells that are used in solar power systems are capable of providing electricity for a very long time. Originally developed for space use, PV cells require little or no maintenance. The proof is, most satellites orbiting earth use PV cells that are in harsh environment, not maintained but are still working properly. The manufacturers of solar panels can give as much as 25-years warranty. Talk about quality and dependability.

•Solar energy helps improve the quality of life.

Saving the planet one watt at a time if done collectively will help reduce the effects of global warming. It will also reduce demand on coal, oil or gas power plants that emit harmful gases. In turn, using solar power helps clean the air and improves the quality of life of every individual.

•Solar energy can reduce demands for other non-biodegradable materials.

For utility companies to distribute power to every home, they need materials necessary in building these systems of power lines like electric cable and steel. These require energy to produce and contribute to greenhouse gases emissions. If we can cut the demand for power plant and switch into alternative energy, we can also reduce the demand for these materials and help the environment.

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

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

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

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

A List of the Benefits of Solar home Energy

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some Common Disadvantages of the Solar Home Energy

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

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

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

The Various Solar Energy Items

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

What You Must Do

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

Solar energy for residential houses is nothing new. It has just been relegated to the background in lieu of rising cost of real estate; newer more advanced building materials, design and the limitation of resources.

Since man started building homes, sunlight played a major influence in the design. In fact, even in the more advanced urban planning method of the Ancient Chinese and Greeks, the orientation of the buildings is as much as possible directed towards where it could capture the most sunlight.

The ancients might not be as intellectually sophisticated then to use catch phrases as passive solar and thermal mass but when they build, they were building in compact proportion, employing overhangs, producing insulations and building in manners that direct the airflow within the structure and producing well lit, well ventilated spaces using the relative position of the sun to the orientation of their structures.

Lately, as the conventional sources of energy became more expensive, homeowners were once again turning to the sun for energy requirements.

Since the 1950’s, harnessing the sun’s rays has been developing and today the solar cell technology has achieved very efficient levels that modern (so-called green house) designs apply the sun’s power to provide energy for the home.

While solar energy is free, the device that will convert it to run our appliances is not. To provide solar energy for the home, solar cells called photovoltaic made from semi-conducting materials, are grouped into modules. These solar panels are mounted on rooftops, yards or open spaces where it can capture the maximum amount of sunlight.

Whenever possible, the panels will be installed facing south to get the most out of the sunlight but tracking systems are also used to follow the direction of the sun. The solar panels collect the energy from the sunlight. The process basically is that when the panels are exposed to sunlight, the electrons are separated form the atoms. This movement of the electrons creates electricity.

To store power, pumps are often used – circulating water in the cells. The water goes into a storage tank where the power is stored, ready for use. Sometimes, the use of gravity is employed if it will just the same store the heated water in to the tank.

In spite of all the development in solar energy though, the use of this technology is not enough to provide power to the whole house. The best method so far can only fulfill about 80% of a households power needs. The employment of solar energy for the home will still require the use of the conventional power distribution method.

Powering the homes by solar means will still, for a while be augmented by a local power distribution agency. To many, this is already a good starting point. Homeowners that feel that the high cost of powering their houses through solar power, is justified when compared to the price that is now being paid for conventional electrification method where horrendous amounts of CO2 are being dumped into the atmosphere just to generate a pitiful amount of electricity.

However, due in part to the rising costs of energy, the technology for solar energy has been undergoing rapid phases of development. Experts are confident that within five years, powering the home through the solar method will be made widely available for those who prefer it as its sole energy source.

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.