Make Solar Panels in your Pizza Oven

The reason why traditional power sources (line electric, gasoline engines, etc.) hold on is because of their cheap cost in comparison to "alternative" energy methods. Over the course of 5 years, consumption via solar-power will always be more expensive than line-power. What there were a way to bring that cost down for solar electric power? Look Down Under. An Australian scientist has developed a new method of manufacturing solar cells using nothing more than some nail polish remover, a pizza oven and a standard inkjet printer.

The iJET technique is so easy and cheap to carry out that it could revolutionize access to solar technology in the developing world.

In a recent radio interview (audio), Nicole Kuepper, a 23 year-old PhD student at the University of New South Wales, explained the process.

Firstly, she takes a standard silicon solar cell and sprays it with a substance similar to nail polish. Then, she inkjet prints something like nail polish remover onto the wafer in a set pattern in the same way that you’d print a normal photo. This enables the creation of high-resolution patterns on the cell at a very low cost. The cell is then metallized with an aluminum spray and baked at a very low temperature of around 550 fahrenheit in “something like a pizza oven.”

Kuepper went on to explain how solar cells are currently manufactured using expensive “high-tech, high-cleanliness equipment,” too costly for many countries in the developing world, adding, “we’re trying to do away with all of that so that so we can ensure that these solar cells can actually be manufactured in a developing country’s environment that you might find in say Ghana or Laos for example.”

(from Clean Technica)

Make Your Own Wind Turbine

In the 20th century people in several countries realized that the pollution of our world is getting serious. Using steam energy, atomic energy or just starting an auto engine pollutes our planet. Earth is in danger but we can give some time to our planet to regenerate! Using wind or sun power is just the first step to a cleaner, eco friendly living space to our children.

After several years scientists and inventors found the way to use clean, natural energy. Our Sun is the best power source we have, but the wind and water elements are important too! The most common answers to energy problems are the sun and the wind. These two elements can be found everywhere on Earth and building power plants based on these renewable energy sources is quite easy. Building a wind turbine is the easiest way to produce energy without any cost. If you want to build a turbine for your home, you will need these things: a generator, minimum 3 blades, a mounting (that keeps the wind's direction), a tower to get it into the way of the wind and some electronic things like batteries and control systems. At the start, you will need a DC motor to produce electricity. When you choose a model you must choose a low RPM model which can produce 12 volts with 2-300 RPM's. After you find your motor, you can start the building. You can made blades from an iron barrel or some half cut iron pipe. Just cut a blade from it and lock it symmetrical on the front of the motor. After this, use something thin and massive iron object to mount the structure in the best way of the wind.

Now build the tower to place the motor on the top of it. You can use a massive tree-stump or just weld a massive structure from some iron stick. After you locked the tower on the ground and placed the motor on the top, use the batteries to store the electricity and save the planet for our children!

This is a rough explanation, but you can find a very detailed, step-by-step guide at our website! Visit EcoTaz for this information and other interesting articles on the subject!

I know they're going to invent invisible keys to piss me off

Scientists say they are a step closer to developing materials that could render people and objects invisible.

Researchers have demonstrated for the first time they were able to cloak three-dimensional objects using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects. Previously, they only have been able to cloak very thin two-dimensional objects.

The findings, by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Xiang Zhang, are to be released later this week in the journals Nature and Science.

The new work moves scientists a step closer to hiding people and objects from visible light, which could have broad applications, including military ones.

People can see objects because they scatter the light that strikes them, reflecting some of it back to the eye. Cloaking uses materials, known as metamaterials, to deflect radar, light or other waves around an object, like water flowing around a smooth rock in a stream.

Metamaterials are mixtures of metal and circuit board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite. They are designed to bend visible light in a way that ordinary materials don't. Scientists are trying to use them to bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows.

It differs from stealth technology, which does not make an aircraft invisible but reduces the cross-section available to radar, making it hard to track.

The research was funded in part by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation's Nano-Scale Science and Engineering Center.

Eco-friendly chargers

Solar Power Chargers are an excellent and very simple means of charging up your batteries and have been widely and critically acclaimed thanks to their innovative and eco-friendly design and function. Traditionally, chemical based batteries had, at best, a highly limited life span and a life that ended in the same sad conclusion: the batteries when no longer useful had to be disposed off and new ones purchased.

The major problem with this was the high levels of waste involved, with such limited lifespan, and more and more people needing batteries, a solution had to be reached, and soon. As time went by, new improvements to the technology of batteries steadily improved, and so batteries lasted for longer. The major breakthrough for the batteries was that they soon became fully rechargeable after use, thus prolonging their useful lifespan exponentially.

While a major improvement from the original models of batteries, which n comparison were positively prehistoric in their design, rechargeable batteries were still wasteful. Whilst a major amount of wastage involved had been effectively reduced, a major bone of contention was that the batteries still had to use energy to be actually recharged, and the amount of energy expended in recharging the batteries was grossly disproportionate.

The latest breakthrough then for power chargers has been the greater use and implementation of solar powered components. These solar powered battery charges work in the same way as traditional models. With the crucial difference being that, thanks to the presence of photo sensitive cells within the unit, the power charger converts the energy from the sun into electrical energy to charge the batteries.

There are a number of different types of solar powered battery chargers, some chargers are effective than others due to their size, or because of the type of solar panels actually used. The amount of power actually generated by the various solar panels will be directly affected by the size of the individual panels. It should be noted that the solar battery charger is used to charge up the batteries rather than the actual devices themselves, and this at first glance seems a rather convoluted way of fixing the problem.

Logically, if a device was only powered by means of solar power, then in cases of indoor use, rainy weather etc, the device would be rendered all but useless. The amount of energy required to be converted into electrical energy to then power the electronic device is simply too high, and not a sustainable option.

The alternative to this would be to have the device directly outside in the sunlight, which is as foolish as it is impracticable. Not only would performance of the device be sporadic at best, entirely based on sun visibility, the heat generated by the sun would most likely cause severe damage to the delicate components of the electronic appliance in question. The sun is not the only issue, if it starts to rain, or the weather becomes windy, these conditions will further place the device at risk.

For purchase information on solar powered battery chargers and other cool gifts, visit us at Giftgadgetgateway.com

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Doing Your Part

Have I mentioned that I like the 1-2 punch of using solar power to take the edge of Global Warming?

Environmental campaigners have been trying to change the way we think for a long time. As yet I don’t think they have really succeeded. Now there is another appeal to saving the planet, it might be cheaper than letting it all go to pot! The cost of energy has been increasing for a long time and we have all simply adjusted our mindset to accept this. But there is another way. Solar power.

Solar power used to be unobtainable for most people as it was expensive to install and no one really made it seem appealing. Now it is a different story. With a little bit of research you can find amazing ways of saving money using solar power.

Getting Solar Power Installed

All the investment in solar power is up front, or so it used to be. You used to have to buy all the equipment and then pay a company to come and install it and also pay for any maintenance it needed. Now you can go about this in a different way. Some companies will actually lease you the equipment. For this you pay a deposit and then you pay a monthly amount to the company. So as long as your monthly lease is less than your current energy bills you are saving money. Another option is a grant. You will need to check the availability of grants in your area. These are basically issued to help with the initial set up costs.

Where To Start

First you need to review your energy requirements. Some areas will be easy and obvious to change. For example, are you heating a swimming pool? This is very expensive to heat traditionally and is also very simple and cheap to change to solar. If you are looking to convert you whole home then it is worth consulting one of the companies who specialize in this. They will come and see your house and will be able to advise you how to change and they can even divide the project up so that you can do it over a period of time depending on grants and personal funding.

How Does Solar Power Work.

There are two ways in which we can use the sun to reduce our energy bills. Either the heat can be used to heat water and reduce the costs of heating your home, or your can use photovoltaic panels to convert the suns light into energy. This energy can then be stored in batteries, so your home will not stop functioning when the sun goes down. If you are looking at installing photovoltaic panels you must carefully consider their location as you want them to be as efficient as possible. The best location is on a pitched roof. This tilt means that they will be able to ‘catch’ more sunlight than if they were on a flat roof. If you know the place where you want to place the panels then you can contact one of the companies who sell them and they will also be able to advise you how much energy you will be able to swap from traditional sources to solar power.

So Why Should You Be Swapping Over To Solar Power?

Well, before hand you may have thought it was all impractical, now you know that the advice, and in some cases the funding is waiting for you. With a possible global recession on its way, now it a good time to start reviewing your outgoings, and if a little investment is going to save a lot of money it has got to be worth researching. Secondly, it will only add to the value of your real estate, so your investment will be safe. Finally, you are doing your bit for the future generations.

Jon Kelly is a published author who writes articles and reviews on solar power and its applications. If you would like to find out about solar power and learn more about solar panels.please visit: http://www.worldsolarpanels.com

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Watching Your Pot of Cash Boil

Are you considering a new water heater? Maybe you want to replace your existing water heater with a gas or electrical water heater. There are several options you can have; the standard water heaters or a tankless system. Another option is a solar water heating system. Not only is it the most efficient of the options available to you but solar water heaters are cost-effective and are an environmentally responsible alternative to conventional methods of producing domestic hot water. If you made energy saving improvements to your home located in the United States in 2007 or are making them in 2008 you may qualify for the residential energy efficient property credit.

In 2005, the United States government enacted the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) which gave homeowners a 30% Federal tax credit on all solar systems installed between January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007. Initially scheduled to expire at the end of 2007, the tax credits have been extended to December, 31 2008. For residential installations, there is a $2,000 cap.

A tax credit is generally more valuable than an equivalent tax deduction because a tax credit reduces tax dollar-for-dollar, while a deduction only removes a percentage of the tax that is owed. If you purchase a solar water heater, you can itemize the purchase on your federal income tax form, which will lower the total amount of tax you owe the government.

Per the IRS, qualified solar water heating property costs are costs for property to heat water for use in a home located in the United States and used as your home if at least half of the energy used by the solar water heating property for such purpose is derived from the sun. This includes costs relating to a solar panel or other property installed as a roof or a portion of a roof. To qualify for the credit, the property must be certified by the nonprofit Solar Rating Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable entity endorsed by the government of the state in which the property is installed. The home does not have to be your main home.

To be eligible for the credit, a system must be "placed in service" or activated on or after January 1, 2006, and on or before December 31, 2008. Expenditures with respect to the equipment are treated as made when the installation is completed. If the installation is on a new home, the "placed in service" date is the date of occupancy by the homeowner.

The federal tax credit will pay as much as one-third of the cost upfront, but in many states such as California and New Jersey, there are other incentives available that pay as much as 60%. For example, in Southern California, the maximum incentive is a $1,500 rebate.

Excess credit may be carried forward to succeeding taxable year and added to the credit allowable for the succeeding taxable year. Be aware: any system producing hot water for a pool, spa or hot tub does not qualify for the 2007-2008 federal tax credit.

To learn more about tax information related to solar power, visit www.real-estate-owner.com/solar-tax-information.html

To learn more about tax information related to solar power, visit www.real-estate-owner.com/solar-tax-information.html

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Where is all of the Renewal Energy Hiding?

It is, or should be, common knowledge that sources of electricity, gas and coal are all resources which will eventually run out. Unfortunately, these are all non-renewable sources which are heavily relied on today and actually considered vital for day to day living. We use them for many things such as heating our homes, power for every electrical product, cooking, cleaning, in fact there will not be a day which goes by that you don't use these resources. So, what happens when these resources run out? How can we manage without them? It's so handy to be able to simply flip a switch and there is light or turn a dial and you have heat. Every modern gadget is powered by one of these resources. If nothing is done soon, we will go back to what may seem like the dark ages and have to work for our power.

It is time that we started to rely on renewable resources. These can be found in abundance and will never run out. We can use them again and again and what's best is that they are all natural and free of charge! Renewable resources include: biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, hydropower, ocean solar and wind. This article will describe the basics of each power resource so that you gain a better understanding of what they are and how they work.

Solar refers to the solar energy which comes from the sun - either directly or indirectly. This type of energy can be used for many things; for example: heating homes, schools, businesses, or buildings; heating water; cooling and ventilation.

Wind helps to channel the sun's rays to Earth. If wind combines with the sun's heat, it causes evaporation. When this evaporation turns into precipitation, it produces energy which is known as hydropower.

Hydropower uses the energy found in free-flowing water and turns it into electricity. It is a very complicated process which needs complicated modern technology in order for it to work effectively.

Biomass is an actually an organic substance which is often used to produce electricity as well as transporting chemicals.

Hydrogen can be found in abundance although it is usually found mixed in with other elements. If hydrogen can be found on its own, it can be turned or turned into energy.

Geothermal searches inner earth for sources of heat and this can in turn be used for power, heating and cooking.

The oceans produce thermal energy which uses heat from the sun. It can also take advantage of mechanical energy from the tide.

Just from these basic descriptions, you should begin to see that there are many sources of alternative energy around, all of which are renewable. There are so many benefits to using renewable energy sources but we need to start taking advantage of them before it is too late.

Yuan-Chih Chao offers interesting resources about Definition of Solar Power, or History of Solar Power on the site --> http://www.digitalexcellent.com

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Don't Pollute The Neighbours: Be A Green Traveller

The term 'Green Travel' probably makes you think of unshaven men in bad tracksuit pants taking a month long holiday in a treehouse. But green travel is nothing that drastic, in fact it doesnt even involve much in the way of sacrifice- all it is is a bit of effort into preserving the environment around you when you travel. And with one billion tourists gallivanting around the globe each year, its becoming imperative that as the individual we go the little extra distance to contributing positively to slowing down climate change. Green travel is also about tuning yourself into the local culture of your holiday destination, respecting the way of life there and positively inputting into the community. So what have we got to do to be a green traveller? Well Ive scoured the net and put together a few ideas- you'll be surprised at how easy it is. Lets make 'Green Travel' more than just the latest buzz word.

1.Firstly, when you fly anywhere make sure you offset the carbon emissions of your flight. This is done by paying a minimal amount to a carbon offset company, normally less than fifty bucks.

2.Most carbon is emitted when planes take off and land. Take a 'no flight holiday', or reduce your stopovers.

3.Pack as light as you can - the lower the weight of the plane, the lower the energy it requires.

4.Ensure you have shut down all the appliances in your house that use electricity, such as the central heating.

5.Try to reduce the amount of driving you do. Catch public transport to the airport. When you hire a car, choose the smallest engine possible or a hybrid if available. Walk or cycle where you can!

6.When choosing a hotel, check out their water treatment system- avoid ones that pump their effluent out to sea.

7.Also try and choose a hotel that is locally owned and run. Make sure the staff employed are from the local community, and not foreigners. There should be some element of 'giving back' to the local community.

8.There are eco-friendly hotels out there, you just need to find them. look for energy efficient lighting, solar power units, and toilets and showers with flow restrictions.

9.Go easy on the air con! Only use it if really necessary, and turn it off when you go out. Try save water too- short showers, no baths, turning taps off.

10.Dont get room service- head out to a local restaurant. This way you sample the local culture, support the local economy and take the pressure off the hotel resources.

11.Dont make coffee in your hotel room. This leaves waste in the form of sugar packets, plastic milk containers, plastic teaspoons etc. Head out to the local coffee shop instead!

12.If given the choice, use glass cups or mugs and not plastic ones. Less waste.

13.Unless you ask them not to, your sheets and towels will be washed every day. This isnt really necessary and is a waste of resources, so leave that 'do not disturb' sign up.

14.Turn off any unused lights!

15.Bring your own toiletries instead of using the little plastic, packaged ones in the hotel. If you do use them, take them home and re use them.

16.If you are going on a tour, choose smaller ones because their impact on the environment is not so severe.

17.Make sure your tour guide is local, and find out how the tour gives back to the community.

18.If its a hiking tour youre on, dont veer off the marked trails and disrupt as little vegetation as possible. Give the local wildlife its space.

19.When snorkelling or scuba diving dont touch the coral, or try and interfere with the marine life.

20.Do a bit of homework about the traditions and cultures of the local people in the area you are visiting. Be sensitive to dress and behaviour codes. For instance skirts of a certain length may be acceptable in some parts of the world, but in others they would be considered too short.

21.Learn a few words of the local language. This helps you bond with the people you interact with and is always appreciated by locals.

So there you have it - travelling green isnt going to kill you. Every little bit helps, so even if we can remember to do just a few of the things on this list we are going some way to benefiting the planet. So take it all on board and enjoy your green holiday!

Gavin Wyatt is a journalist with a passion for travel. originally from Zambia he has traveled around the world to end up on the sunny shores of Australia. For more of his articles visit Australian Car Hire

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Don't Pollute The Neighbours: Be A Green Traveller

The term 'Green Travel' probably makes you think of unshaven men in bad tracksuit pants taking a month long holiday in a treehouse. But green travel is nothing that drastic, in fact it doesnt even involve much in the way of sacrifice- all it is is a bit of effort into preserving the environment around you when you travel. And with one billion tourists gallivanting around the globe each year, its becoming imperative that as the individual we go the little extra distance to contributing positively to slowing down climate change. Green travel is also about tuning yourself into the local culture of your holiday destination, respecting the way of life there and positively inputting into the community. So what have we got to do to be a green traveller? Well Ive scoured the net and put together a few ideas- you'll be surprised at how easy it is. Lets make 'Green Travel' more than just the latest buzz word.

1.Firstly, when you fly anywhere make sure you offset the carbon emissions of your flight. This is done by paying a minimal amount to a carbon offset company, normally less than fifty bucks.

2.Most carbon is emitted when planes take off and land. Take a 'no flight holiday', or reduce your stopovers.

3.Pack as light as you can - the lower the weight of the plane, the lower the energy it requires.

4.Ensure you have shut down all the appliances in your house that use electricity, such as the central heating.

5.Try to reduce the amount of driving you do. Catch public transport to the airport. When you hire a car, choose the smallest engine possible or a hybrid if available. Walk or cycle where you can!

6.When choosing a hotel, check out their water treatment system- avoid ones that pump their effluent out to sea.

7.Also try and choose a hotel that is locally owned and run. Make sure the staff employed are from the local community, and not foreigners. There should be some element of 'giving back' to the local community.

8.There are eco-friendly hotels out there, you just need to find them. look for energy efficient lighting, solar power units, and toilets and showers with flow restrictions.

9.Go easy on the air con! Only use it if really necessary, and turn it off when you go out. Try save water too- short showers, no baths, turning taps off.

10.Dont get room service- head out to a local restaurant. This way you sample the local culture, support the local economy and take the pressure off the hotel resources.

11.Dont make coffee in your hotel room. This leaves waste in the form of sugar packets, plastic milk containers, plastic teaspoons etc. Head out to the local coffee shop instead!

12.If given the choice, use glass cups or mugs and not plastic ones. Less waste.

13.Unless you ask them not to, your sheets and towels will be washed every day. This isnt really necessary and is a waste of resources, so leave that 'do not disturb' sign up.

14.Turn off any unused lights!

15.Bring your own toiletries instead of using the little plastic, packaged ones in the hotel. If you do use them, take them home and re use them.

16.If you are going on a tour, choose smaller ones because their impact on the environment is not so severe.

17.Make sure your tour guide is local, and find out how the tour gives back to the community.

18.If its a hiking tour youre on, dont veer off the marked trails and disrupt as little vegetation as possible. Give the local wildlife its space.

19.When snorkelling or scuba diving dont touch the coral, or try and interfere with the marine life.

20.Do a bit of homework about the traditions and cultures of the local people in the area you are visiting. Be sensitive to dress and behaviour codes. For instance skirts of a certain length may be acceptable in some parts of the world, but in others they would be considered too short.

21.Learn a few words of the local language. This helps you bond with the people you interact with and is always appreciated by locals.

So there you have it - travelling green isnt going to kill you. Every little bit helps, so even if we can remember to do just a few of the things on this list we are going some way to benefiting the planet. So take it all on board and enjoy your green holiday!

Gavin Wyatt is a journalist with a passion for travel. originally from Zambia he has traveled around the world to end up on the sunny shores of Australia. For more of his articles visit Australian Car Hire

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Making Due with the $5 Gallon

Over the last 7 years the price of gas has been in an ever increasing spiral. As the value of the dollar falls (relative to other currencies) and global demand for oil based products increases, the law of supply and demand has propelled the price of a barrel of oil to record highs. So my question is: what can we (the consumer) do about it?

Here are a few ideas to get the discussion started…feel free to add your own

• Should we peg the price of the oil barrel to the Euro instead of the dollar?

• Is the problem that there aren't enough refineries and we should make sure that more are built?

• Can we, convince our governments to subsidize the cost of hybrid cars and research into alternate fuel sources.

• What if we convinced China to move towards Hydrogen powered vehicles instead of gasoline (think of it, China's fuel distribution infrastructure is still young and could probably be adapted to hydrogen more easily than the older European or American structures)

• What about alternate sources of energy (bio fuel, electric engines etc…) any interesting possibilities there?

• Oil companies having been making record profits (Exxon alone made $40,000,000,000 in profit last year) and in the end, those profits are coming out of our pocket… should we petition for a law limiting the profits an oil company can make on each barrel it buys and sells?

• What if we were to target one oil company for a whole year or until they dropped their prices by 10% would that make a difference?

• What about solar power, I know you can't power a car using solar power directly but you can use it to charge batteries that you use the next day…

• More bike lanes…don't knock it, most of us could use a little more exercise and even if we only used them 1% of the time, that translates to a saving of 3.8 million gallons of gas per day in the US alone.

• How about State and Federal taxes, should we do anything about those?

I'm starting a discussion on YakYourIssues.com Yak Number 147 feel free to post your replies / comments there and maybe together we can figure out what to do about this.

Article Source: The High Price of Gas and what we can do about it

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Algae -- the new Corn

This from CNET:

Sapphire Energy has come out stealth mode, saying it's producing the chemical equivalent of gasoline from algae.

The San Diego, Calif.-based company also disclosed that it has raised $50 million from Arch Venture Partners, Venrock, and the Wellcome Trust.

From green scum to black gold?

(Credit: Sapphire Energy)

Formally launched last May, Sapphire said Wednesday that it has hired Brian Goodall, who led a team of engineers responsible for a cross-Atlantic flight that used algae-based fuel earlier this year.

Sapphire's "green crude" has been certified with a 91-octane rating, but the company disclosed few details about its technology.

Its process can grow algae using wastewater, and the executive team said it is confident that the technology can scale up to produce gasoline on a commercial scale. Algae is touted as the feedstock with perhaps the most promise for growing fuels; a number of companies are developing algae farming technologies.

Sapphire said that it developed an algae process to avoid the controversy over using land for fuel crops instead of food crops. But at this point, algae fuels are largely experimental and no company is making fuel on a commercial scale.

GreenFuel Technologies, which had to scale back a pilot site, said that it has landed a large European customer to make fuel from algae but has not shared any more information. Sapphire is not the only company creating technology to make hydrocarbons from plants. Others include LS9, Amyris Biotechnologies, Codexis, and J. Craig Venter-founded Synthetic Genomics.

The advantage of this approach is that the fuels can be integrated into existing transmission infrastructure and can run in cars or planes without modification.

Solar Energy Ideas for your Home

If you’d like to save money on your fuel bills at the same time as doing something to help the environment, switching your home over to solar energy may be the solution. But how should you go about it? Aren’t solar panels expensive and difficult to install? What if you live in a rented property? What if you live somewhere where the sky is always grey?

The good news is that, with the range of available products continually expanding, there are now solar energy solutions suitable for almost everybody. The cost of using solar energy has dropped considerably as devices which used to be a specialist concern have gone into mass production. With a seismic shift in public attitudes toward solar energy, everything is changing. Big business is aware of the demand for solar energy options by people like you.

Government solar energy initiatives are also helping. If you own your own home, you may be able to get a grant or loan to install solar panels and reduce your carbon footprint. Some jurisdictions will allow you to write off the cost of installing solar energy devices against tax. Installing these devices is much easier than it used to be, with easy home kits available, so in most cases you should be able to do it yourself.

If you live in a rented home, you can alert your landlord to the financial incentives available for installing solar energy devices. Alternatively, you can obtain lightweight solar panels which are designed to be fixed to roofs on a temporary basis. You can even get solar panels which you can attach to windowsills so that they hang beneath your apartment windows generating solar energy for your use.

The improved efficiency of modern solar energy devices means that they can now be effective even in cloudy environments where direct sunlight is rarely available. Solar energy has become so easy to access that it’s mazing more people don’t realize how they can take advantage of this great source of free power. Get ahead of the rush and convert your home to solar energy now. You’ll be doing the planet a favor - and you’ll be doing yourself a favor, too.

Sunny Ray is a staff writer for Sunjuiced Solar Products. Sunny authors exclusive articles about solar power and solar products for Sunjuiced.Com. Learn more about the new energy saving solar products and technologies by visiting Sunjuiced.Com. Sunjuiced Solar is a resource for all things solar, from solar lighting to portable power options.

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To Swiftly Go

This is cool: an alternative to both gasoline and regular ethanol. Gasoline is bad: it pads the pockets of Bush/Cheney/Terrorists; it's expense and it's finite. Ethanol is bad: it uses food crops that people would rather eat; it produces a low octane; it will cause valve wear in a manner inferior to regular gasoline. What if there were something that could power internal combustion engines and not fund planes crashing into buildings?

Enter Swift Fuels.

Swift Fuel is created as a replacement for aircraft fuel. Through a patented process, Swift Fuel is converted enthanol that does not create engine wear like ethanol; and it has a high enough octane to keep planes in the air. The current fuel used in piston fired aircraft is 100 Low Lead (100LL). The United States and Europe have banned the use of 100LL due to tetraethyl lead which is needed to bring the octane number to 100. There currently is a moratorium on this ban until 2010. Swift has this solution.

Unlike the current process of refining crude oil to arrive at a final fuel, we synthetically create hydrocarbons from bio-mass. This creation method is superior to the existing refining method because we maintain control over the entire process giving us the flexibility to meet or exceed current ASTM specifications.

The advantages of Swift Bio-Synthetic Fuel are:

• Seamless replacement of 100LL (no engine modifications)
• 15-25% increase in range over 100LL (no oxygenates)
• 20% drop in pollutants over the current 100LL fuel
• 15% more volumetric energy than 100LL
• No need for stabilizers or additives

Europe's New Windmills

Europe is one of the highest rated countries concerning the use of wind turbines. Wind turbines generate more electricity for Europe as an alternative source of energy than the United States.

European Wind turbine manufacturers work diligently to make improvements. By letting consumers have a better understanding of the wind turbine and how it works. As well as how many wind turbines are already supplying an alternate source of energy for Europe.

European agencies believe that wind turbines not only have the potential to satisfy a much needed energy demand, but also have a significant and vital role in households and the economy. The energy battle will be won by those countries of the world that embrace a strategy of developing, deploying and exporting alternative energy solutions. The wind turbine is that solution, to a world that cannot afford to live without energy.

In fact, in Europe Wind farms are more correctly called wind power plants. More than ten percent of Europe today has this alternative energy source, the wind turbine. Most small homes and businesses are encouraged to invest in this alternative in an effort to conserve energy resources.

Europe contains the largest concentration of wind turbines. With nearly one percent of the nation's 5 million inhabitants owning a wind turbine or have a share in a wind turbine. Europeans excel over many of the smaller places that are just realizing the use of wind turbines, and the benefits of the machines.

After years of playing second fiddle to mainstream power sources, Europe's renewable energy sector is now going from strength to strength, outnumbering wind turbines in the United States. Europe is setting the example. By the means of wind turbine plants being set into action all over the country of Europe.

According to statistics, 40% of the world's wind farms over the next eight years will be controlled by Europe. As 13 of the 20 largest wind power markets are already located in Europe. Wind turbine power is essentially the same for creating electricity in Europe as it is in the United States; however Europe uses this alternate energy resource more.

Manufacturers in Europe operate much like those found in the United States. The same technology and performance of the wind turbine is basically the foundation for these companies too. The Wind turbine does differ in Europe in some ways, according to the wind indifference and gusts. But, Eastern Europe is pegged to grow by 33% annually in the wind turbine industry.

Many home owners in Europe consider buying a windmill for their home an investment, much like buying a car or anything else. Wind turbines are as common to them as cars. Yet in the United States it is a slower process. Europeans use the vertical axis windmill without even giving it a second thought. They already know the benefits of using the machine and the lower cost of living it enhances by saving on electrical expenses.

Wind turbines in Europe are beneficial to their economy as well as to the environment. This they take very seriously, according to the percentage of those wind turbines currently in Europe. Giving a better understanding of the statistics and resources of what the wind Turbine includes.

Energy is so expensive these days wouldn’t it be nice to stop receiving high electric bills? To find out if windmill power is right for you visit http://residential-windmills.com

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Greening up the Joint

The Department of Energy is attempting to make buildings across the nation "greener." In their quest to do so, they have provided tips at their website to help various types of businesses cut their energy bills and become more energy efficient. ; If you have not been following along, check over the last 2 posts that give energy solutions for single family houses, multifamily homes, office buildings, retail buildings, and health care buildings.

Lodgings

Lodgings, the places we go stay at when we just want to "get away," are based on pleasing the customer. In fact, if it was not based on this, the lodging simply would not stay in business. Those customers that frequent the facility want to be able to use the air conditioner, swim in heated pools, takes showers, and many other things, and, depending on how large the building is, you can probably see how much energy could potentially be consumed. Here are some tips that lodging owners can work with in order to do their part to reduce energy costs:

* Save energy and water with solar water heating systems and low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets

* Encourage guests to reuse towels and linens

* Save on utility bills and maintenance costs by installing centralized energy management systems

* Install digital thermostats that monitor room occupancy and automatically adjust the temperature when guests enter or exit

* Save on lighting costs with energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors

* Educate cleaning and maintenance staff to turn off lights and adjust thermostats, and implement preventive maintenance programs

School

Although the Department of Energy did not list tips in the way they did for the other building sections, the website did give much information on the EnergySmart Schools program. This program has been implemented to build new energy efficient schools, as well as renovate existing schools so that they are also energy smart.

The goal of the EnergySmart Schools initiative that is currently in place is to create buildings that:

* Save $2 billion annually

* Provide healthier learning environments, through better indoor lighting, temperature control, acoustics, and air quality

* Familiarize parents, teachers, and students with affordable, advanced energy-efficiency technologies and practices

* Help slow the demand for new power plants, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions

* May serve as emergency community shelters during grid power outages

This section of the Department of Energy's website contains information to help with planning, financing, design and building, and operation and maintenance. The site even has a section that incorporates links to over 350 lesson plans and activities for students in kindergarten through 12th grade that teach about energy efficiency and renewable energy.

David Tanguay is dedicated to providing research, reviews & helpful information to consumers and businesses. For more information related to Green Energy and Wind Power please visit http://greenenergyonline.org

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A Peek At the World After Peak Oil

For the uninitiated, Peak Oil is a phrase to describe oil from after point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum production is reached, after which the rate of production enters its terminal decline. If global consumption is not mitigated before the peak, an energy crisis may develop because the availability of conventional oil will drop and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically. M. King Hubbert first used the theory in 1956 to accurately predict that United States oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970. His logistic model, now called Hubbert peak theory, has since been used to predict the peak petroleum production of many other countries, and has also proved useful in other limited-resource production-domains. Oil will be available for millenia-- just like gold is available-- hard to get, expensive to exhume; and impractical.

As the months pass there is more and more discussion about the looming Peak Oil crisis. It has moved from the field of theoretical to a real situation that is about to have major worldwide global effects.

The economies of developed nations such as the United States, many European countries, Australia now China, have been built or are being built on fossil fuels. Coal, oil and natural gas have fueled the development of production capacity and military strength, allowing those states to achieve a higher standard of living than previously known in the world.

This situation may soon be in for an overhaul. Unless renewable energy sources are developed in a serious fashion, those economies that rely mainly on fossil fuels, particularly oil, will become unstable. So serious is this situation that the International Energy Agency is commencing a thorough study of the 400 major oil fields across the globe to assess the true status of the accessible reserves of oil.

There are good grounds for the IEA's concern about the status of oil reserves. Very recently the Saudi government stated that it will lift production by another 300,000 barrels of oil per day. This is not even close to the lift in production requested by the US Bush Administration. There are fears that the Saudis won't lift production above this level simply because they are unable to. This throws into relief the possible status of the reserves of OPEC countries, whose reserves are not monitored by any regulatory body. Since their ability to sell oil is tied by mutual agreement to their stated reserves and has been so since the mid 1980s, there is a widespread belief that they have grossly overestimated their reserves in order to capitalize on current high oil prices.

If this is indeed the case then the scenario of Peak Oil may be upon us very soon indeed. This is the point at which global production is unable to keep up with demand. This will have a significant impact on the global economy which is still geared toward continuous growth in order to achieve stability. It does not take much pondering of this situation before scenarios of resource wars, extreme nationalism and a global economic crisis come to mind.

The only way for this situation to be addressed in the immediate term is to look to other ways of generating electricity such as renewable sources or nuclear power. Nobody wants a nuclear reactor in their back yard, but despite the hype these reactors have a reasonable safety record and the current technology for nuclear power is well advanced.

Regardless of whether we opt for nuclear power as a stopgap or go all out for renewables like solar and wind power, the future of economies based on oil is grim. Globally we need a major investment in clean energy that is not just a top up to fossil fuels but a major source of energy on its own, regardless of the current ecological crisis of pollution from fossil fuels.

Roger Vanderlely

Find out more about fossil fuels, peak oil and Solar Power Facts at http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/. Learn about the science involved, benefits of different systems, kids solar experiments and more.

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Why do we even need alternative fuel?

People these days have started considering the options of an alternative fuel over petroleum or diesel. This is not a area specific phenomenon, instead it is a much bigger and wide spread spectrum. Herein, one needs to understand why do we need alternative fuels globally.

Our present fuel resources are not going to be around forever and with the ever increasing consumption their extinction is nearly unavoidable. Also our fuel resources which are mostly made up of fossil fuels are not renewable in nature.

Currently around the world the consumption of fossil fuels is 100,000 times faster than their natural production. According to an estimate the demand for these fuels will suddenly outstrip their availability in a matter of centuries-or less.

Another fact which should also be paid attention to here is that the consumption of fossil fuels is eating up our environment very fast.

No matter how safely the fossil fuels are used, they continue to take a toll on the atmosphere. This is because on combustion these types of fuels release various pollutants. These pollutants include dangerous gases like sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain.

Also the combustion of fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide. This harmful gas when released into the atmosphere makes a huge contribution to the greenhouse effect. This effect prompts the atmosphere to capture and reflect back the energy that radiate from the surface of the earth, instead of letting them to escape back into space. This causes global warming that melts the polar ice caps and affects weather all around the world. If not controlled it can also cause the extinction of mankind!

The rampant warnings of global warming are the biggest reason for the world to look beyond these fossil fuels.

The consumption is not the only thing that adds to the pollution. The development in technology has made it possible to extract fossil fuels in a much easier and more cost effective way. This has lead to the corporate race of finding more resources. This involves digging deeper and deeper into the ground. This further causes the scraping off ever more layers of precious topsoil.

Alternative fuels on the other hand are safer. They do not cause pollution in the atmosphere. Nor do they involve harassment of any natural resources. Also unlike the fossil fuels, the resources for the alternative fuels are entirely renewable. This makes it a smart decision to opt for the alternative fuels.

So now that we understand why do we need alternative fuels, we should act fast. There are many alternative fuels like Biodiesel, Ethanol and more to help us. We should make it a point to adapt these fuels and save our environment at the earliest!

Samuel Oliver writes for a website with a focus on alternative fuel, discovering the A-Z of alternative fuels and helping get the word out too Do We Need Alternative Fuels

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Regulating Deregulation

The deregulation of an industry only happens once, but in the case of energy (electric and natural gas services) it is a slow-release process migrating from state to state.

Energy deregulation revolves around the concept of allowing competition into the market place, giving consumers a choice of electricity and/or natural gas suppliers.

The $220 billion energy industry has been referred to as "the last great government-sanctioned monopoly." To break it down simply, up until a few years ago, when you moved into a new house or apartment, you had only one option in energy provider whether you liked it or not.

Since the 1990s, however, in several states consumers have had a choice in energy providers, thus opening the market up to competition and driving down overall rates; but has it worked?

In Pennsylvania, electricity consumers were given choice starting in 1998, and by the end of 1999, nearly 500,000 residents had chosen a competitor over the local incumbent provider. On average, consumers who chose a competitive electric company were still getting the same service and reliability over the same physical lines, but at an average of $10 less per month.

On the flip side, California's rush into energy deregulation in 1996 took a much different turn. Not long after the plan was voted into law, price gouging began to sour the pallets of many would-be money saving consumers, and within 2 years, lawmakers there sought to repeal deregulation legislation. Those measures failed, and by 2000, the price of electricity in California nearly doubled for residents of some communities. By early 2001, the electric utilities faced financial hardships to the point where electricity shortages occurred.

Good or bad, positive or negative, many states are still pushing the issue of energy deregulation. A couple have deregulated electricity in recent years to rousing success, including Texas and New York. Georgia and Illinois are moving forward in the deregulation of natural gas.

The key seems to be in a careful and slow approach, ensuring that competitive electric and natural gas companies seeking to do business within a particular state are able to meet standards of quality and customer service, as well as financial responsibility.

Illinois, for example, has allowed natural gas customers choice since 1993, though approval processes have been methodical and standards strict in order to protect consumers. This has created a very slow trickle effect that protects residents from companies doing under-handed business.

Consumers in Illinois still bare some responsibility and are encouraged to research any natural gas provider they plan to switch to. In addition, consumers are not encouraged to sign long-term contracts with new providers as this will lock them in and keep them from taking advantage of future savings.

Whether you are for or against the deregulation of electricity and natural gas, you should research the concept fully in light of your state's provisions and make a decision based on the needs of your budget and family.

In short, deregulation of energy can benefit the consumer, as long as the deregulation process itself is well-regulated.

Al Haneson blogs about Illinois issues and life at Ambit Illinois Natural Gas and Midwest Lawn Tips

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DIY Fuel

I knew people who made moonshine year back. The process involves a morning of Value Village rummaging, an afternoon of soldering, and a week of the beer making. E-Fuel are taking all of this one step further and producing fuel for $1/gallon.

This from Wired News

People were making ethanol at home long before there were cars. They called it moonshine. With gas prices going through the roof and everyone worried about global warming, a California company is betting people will jump at the chance to use the same technology to turn sugar into fuel for less than a buck a gallon.

E-Fuel Corporation has unveiled its EFuel 100 MicroFueler, a device about the size of a stacking washer-dryer that uses sugar, yeast and water to make 100 percent ethanol at the push of a button.

"You just open it like a washing machine and dump in your sugar, close the door and push one button," company founder Tom Quinn told us. "A few days later, you've got ethanol."

Is it really that easy?

According to Quinn, it is. The MicroFueler weighs about 200 pounds and hooks up to a water and 110 or 220 volt power supply and wastewater drain just like a washing machine. It uses raw sugar (not the refined white stuff) and a proprietary time-release yeast mixture as feedstock. You can also use left-over booze if you've got any lying around. Toss it all into the fermenting tank, turn on the machine and in seven days you've got 35 gallons of ethanol. The MicroFueler has its own pump and hose - just like the pump at your corner gas station - so you can easily fill up your car.

"It's so simple, anyone can make their own fuel," Quinn says. Depending upon the cost of electricity and water, he says, the MicroFueler can produce ethanol for less than $1 a gallon. Quinn likens the MicroFueler to the personal computer and says it will cause the same sort of "paradigm shift."

"Just as the PC brought desktop computing to the home, E-Fuel will bring the filling station to the home," he says.

Maybe. Maybe not. Making ethanol at home is not as easy as Quinn might have you believe, says Daniel Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC-Berkeley. Making a lot of ethanol has generally required a lot of equipment, he told the New York Times, and quality control can be uneven.

“There’s a lot of hurdles you have to overcome. It’s entirely possible that they’ve done it, but skepticism is a virtue,” Kammen says.

Quinn is not some moonshiner trying to make a quick buck on the alt-fuel craze. He's a longtime entrepreneur who patented the motion-control technology Nintendo uses in the Wii. His partner in the E-Fuel venture is Floyd Butterfield, who has been distilling ethanol for more than 25 years and in 1982 won a California Department of Food and Agriculture contest for best design of an ethanol still.

They say they've overcome many of the hurdles to making ethanol at home cheaply, easily and efficiently. Quinn says the biggest breakthrough is the MicroFueler's membrane distiller, which uses an extremely fine filter to separate water from alcohol at lower temperatures and in fewer steps than conventional methods. Using sugar as a feedstock makes the process virtually odorless, he says, and leaves the wastewater so clean you can drink it. It also avoids the food-for-fuel debate that plagues corn-based ethanol because we're in the midst of a worldwide sugar glut.

A permit from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms will allow you to make ethanol legally, but running 100 percent ethanol in your car is against the law. No problem, Quinn says. Mix it with gasoline to create E-85. Just put a few gallons of gas in your car, then drive home and top it off with ethanol. Quinn says running sugar-based ethanol will produce about 85 percent fewer carbon emissions than using gasoline. You're all set if you've got a flex-fuel vehicle.

It's an open question whether switching to home-brewed ethanol will save you much money. The MicroFueler costs $9,995, although federal tax credits can cut the price to $6,998. Another $16 buys you enough yeast to make about 560 gallons of ethanol, and you'll have to pay for the sugar and water. You'll need as many as 4 gallons of water to make 1 gallon of ethanol.

The sugar is where the math could break down - it currently sells for about 20 cents a pound in the United States, and you need 10 to 14 pounds of it to make a gallon of ethanol. Factor in the cost of electricty and water and you may not be coming out ahead. But Quinn says changes in the North American Free Trade Agreement allows the importation of inedible or "ethanol-grade" sugar from Mexico for as little as 2.5 cents a pound and E-Fuel is creating a distribution network to sell it to consumers.

That same distribution network will deliver and install MicroFuelers when E-Fuel begins delivering them at the end of the year, he says.

File and Fly Plane Testing May Take Pilots and Collisions Out of th Formula

This from The Register:

US aerospace titan Northrop Grumman has commenced flight tests of new "sense and avoid" technology which could be fitted to existing and future unmanned aircraft - or indeed to the long-awaited flying cars - allowing them to fly routinely in civilian airspace. At present, planes which don't carry qualified pilots are subject to special time-consuming bureaucracy before they can make such flights.

Flight International reports that Northrop's Detect, Sense and Avoid (DSA) suite began flying this week aboard a modified Learjet over New York State. The DSA gear includes radar, a transponder-based collision alert system, and an electro-optical camera for use by drone operators on the ground. It also has ADS-B, the new sat nav based networked airtraffic system.

"It’s not inconceivable that DSA technology will be ready for use within a matter of years," said Northrop roboplane exec Alfredo Ramirez, as quoted in Flight. Ramirez was speaking at an air safety forum in Washington this week.

Aviation authorities including the American FAA and Eurocontrol have said that unmanned aircraft will only be allowed to fly under normal procedures - so-called "file and fly", where a flight plan is filed and the aircraft takes off without further ado - if there is "the same level of safety as for manned aircraft". This is usually linked to proposed sense-and-avoid tech like Northrop's DSA, but technical requirements are sketchy at the moment.

"The real hard part is the quantification of ‘equivalent level of safety’. How does that translate into a specification?" said Ramirez.

Northrop is cooperating with the FAA on that very question in the ongoing tests, with the safety feds supplying an ADS-B equipped aeroplane for use in the flight trials of DSA.

It would appear that the FAA may want to use the unmanned-aircraft safety issue as a way to push ADS-B, a technology they are very keen on. The regulators are under massive pressure to get more flights in and out of America's overtaxed airport approaches, and a major constraint is the limited accuracy and slow update rates of current radar-based plots used for air traffic control.

US traffic controllers, however, tend to dislike ADS-B and its planned successor NextGen. These technologies offer significant potential for many more planes to be handled by fewer human controllers in future. The network might one day carry automatically-generated control instructions, as well as simple location data - leaving less information to be passed via voice traffic between controllers and aircraft pilots (or operators on the ground).

It would seem, then, that the new technology of unmanned aircraft - some examples of which are already largely autonomous in flight - may not just threaten pilots' jobs. The robot aircraft might in future menace the ground controllers' livelihoods as well.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. We and our children may lose the chance of a nice well-paid job as an air traffic controller or a military/cargo pilot (passenger airliners will probably always have human pilots, we're guessing). But on the other hand, automated and accurate high-volume traffic control - and automated piloting systems that can work within it - are one of the big things one would need for proper flying cars. Or jetpacks that were any use, come to that. Now, if only jetpacks and vertical-lift aircraft worked a bit better...

Meanwhile, it seems that if this week's calibration runs go well, Northrop's DSA rig will be tested over the summer against multiple "intruder" aircraft, to see if it can respond safely. Thus far, it has had to handle only one at a time.

How Beat China, Chavez and Bin Laden While Driving Your SUV to the Bank

China is using capitalism to take over the world. Hugo Chavez has threatened to choke off Oil to the U.S.. Bin Laden funded 9-11 with Saudi wealth earned from the American appetite for oil. Oil is the problem. It's also the solution.
A drastic jump away from an oil economy to solar, wind, nuclear and hydrogen could propel a company into a position of safety: immune to the OPEC pricing strategies. Replacing gasoline cars with electric cars could leave gasoline car companies in the same position as VHS manufacturers. India has rolled out the gasoline powered Tata. When China tries to export its Lifan model, it would find its car unwelcome in eclectic car countries. China's bureaucracy could be used as a weapon again China-- slow to change, it would be unable to shift gears and produce electric vehicles for the same price as the Tata.
The most patriotic thing an American could do is turn away from oil. The conversion process of moving away from oil, would mean new opportunities. Think about how many times people buy a new computer to keep up with the software requirements. An on-rush of new vehicles sales could buoy the economy. New fueling stations, new opportunties for manufacturers. All of these could be available to the country that opts to go away from oil: stop giving strength to Chavez and money to Bin Laden funders.

Trade winds : Some Thoughts on Wind Power

Wind is a powerful source of energy that has been harnessed for different uses for centuries. More and more scientists and researchers feel that wind can be used effectively as a renewable energy source and this can be done only when power within the moving air can be harnessed properly.

The Wind Energy Industry has grown rapidly since the 1990’s and is considered as one of the fastest growing sectors in the power generation industry. Some of the European countries have even installed wind turbines that have been in operation for almost 20 years now and this entire operation has been extremely successful as well. Using wind turbines to harness wind power to create energy have brought down the production costs and are viable option for the coal fired power stations.

According to a study, the UK has the largest potential wind energy resource in the entire Europe and hence wind is being regarded their most promising future source of renewable energy technologies. As of today the wind turbines in the UK are producing electricity that is being delivered to almost 390,000 households and reaching around 1 million people. A salient point of the use of wind energy is that it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by almost 1.46 million tones per annum.

The question is how can wind be converted into energy? The answer is: by using a wind turbine. The wind turbine is basically a type of rotating device just like a huge fan that can convert the kinetic energy present in the wind into mechanical energy. When this mechanical energy is used by any type of machinery like a pump then such a machine is known as a windmill. If the same mechanical energy is converted to electricity then the machine that does the conversion is called a wind generator or a wind turbine. It is also known as a wind energy converter (WEC) or a wind power unit (WPU).

Surprisingly the first use of the wind machines was for grinding grains as early as 200 B.C in Persia. It was also introduced in the prosperous and powerful Roman Empire in 250 A.D. The year 1900 saw the maximum number of windmills being used in Denmark. Almost 2500 windmills were installed to provide the much needed mechanical load to pumps and gave a peak power of 30MW.

Why Wind Turbines should be used?

Wind turbines can effectively help in creating mechanical energy, which can be used for multiple purposes including assisting in the generation of power and electricity. Some of the other uses include:

* One of the salient points is that there is only a one time installation cost after which the electricity that is produced using a wind turbine will be free.

* It is a source of clean renewable energy that will not generate any greenhouse gases or emit carbon dioxide or even produce any dangerous wastes.

* Each unit of electricity produced by a wind turbine displaces one from every conventional power station. Wind turbines have been commissioned in the UK and have been extremely successful in prevent the emission of almost one and a three-quarter millions tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

* Wind is a reliable and abundant source. UK being the windiest country in Europe has abundance of wind energy that can be used for making electricity.

* Wind power contributes significantly to the overall energy generation in any country. Denmark is one of the countries that gets almost 20% of its electricity from wind power

* Wind turbines use an extremely robust technology that is designed for operation locally as well as remotely and requires only periodic maintenance.

Jacob is a seasoned promoter of sales leads for trade portals like fuzing.com where you can find thousands of leads for Buy Wind Turbine.

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More than hot air: thoughts on Wind Power

Although the study and implementation of wind power is not a novice idea, it does seem to be a widespread deal lately. One look at a renewable energy news resource shows numerous pages of stories specifically on the topic of wind power. The purpose of today's post is to take a look at the news stories of one day, today, and give briefings on each.

In the Telegraph & Argus, a story regarding a charity and a wind turbine unfolds. The plan, the construction of a 15 meter wind turbine that was to provide power to a center for disadvantaged youth, has been rebuffed, however, by the planning panel of Bradford Council. The concern of the residents who opposed the new technology was the increased air flow that would be created in the area in which the turbine was to be placed. A new proposal will likely be created that involves moving the turbine to the opposite end of the center.

How do wind turbines affect wildlife? That is the question that Keith DeWitt Lott, a wildlife biologist, hopes to answer through his latest research. Although Cleveland, Ohio is interested in the positive effects that wind-based energy can bring to the city, they desire to go about it in an environmentally responsible way. This news story was reported at Cleveland.com.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review provided a short clip on the considerations the city's council currently has regarding using the high wind level in Green Tree Park to provide power to the park. A wind turbine may be put in the park to help offset some of the costs the city incurs through leaving the lights on throughout the night.

The Bourne Carrier in Massachusetts reports the possibility of a wind turbine being constructed off Taylor's Point. Three agencies, the Bourne Recreation Authority, Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) and Army Corps of Engineers, are seeking more ways to reduce their energy expenses and it is their hope to locate this alternative energy facility near the academy dock. This turbine would also aid in the Corps lowering its canal operation expenses. In addition to the wind turbines, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is also considering thermal panels on dorms and a hydro-electric facility.

With every new idea come those who advocate it and those who oppose it. The latter of these two extremes, opposition, is what is being seen in Maryland over a wind farm proposal. Seven hundred residents arrived at hearings regarding this proposal with the intent of protesting the plans. These individuals share the frustration of having an otherwise faultless landscape (including forest, lakes and mountain views) being interrupted by the wind farm's transmission lines webbing through the backdrop. The threat to tourism is also a concern for some of the residents. In response to the amazing opposition being voiced at the hearings, the commissioners of Garret Country voted unanimously against the wind farm proposal.

Above is a small selection of five new stories being reported on today. This illustrates to some extent, however, the magnitude of wind power in the news, as well as a selection of stories accounting the advocating and opposition of this green energy source.

David Tanguay is dedicated to providing research, reviews & helpful information to consumers and businesses. For more information related to Green Energy and Renewable Energy please visit http://greenenergyonline.org

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Dell and its Green Quest

The Round Rock, Texas headquarters of Dell has recently converted to 100 percent renewable energy. The 2.1 million square foot building completed its conversion and made the announcement on April 3rd. Dell's global headquarters campus has utilized thetechnology of wind power at the building, and 60 percent of its energy is now derived from this. The wind power is generated Energy Future Holding Corp's TXU Energy. The other 40 percent of Dell's green power is made possible via Waste Management's landfill gas to energy plant.

Waste Management has an ongoing national effort to erect 60 new renewable energy facilities over the span of the next 5 years. The energy that Waste Management currently creates is enough to power 1 million homes. The hope is to double that number by 2020. Don Smith, the general manager of Waste Management Central Texas says, "Taking landfill gas and converting it to green power is a buried treasure for the community. We take a once-wasted commodity and turn it into a long-term, reliable source of renewable energy, which is a major environmental plus for the Austin community and one of its major employers, Dell."

For those who are interested in the mechanics, here is how the plan succeeds in acquiring the energy: A network of pipes and wells are drilled into the landscape. Then, a vacuum system pulls the gas (mostly methane) from the landfill. This is then sent to the power plant, fueling the engines that allow the generators to create the electricity. There are more than 100 of these vertical extraction wells and 2100 feet of horizontal wells.

Dell is a member of the Austin Energy Green Choice power program. This program has thrived in becoming the United State's most successful utility-sponsored green power program, providing electricity that comes from clean, renewal sources.

In addition to the green power that is being completely utilized at the Round Rock, Texas location, Dell has also increased, from 8 percent to 17 percent, its renewal energy at the Austin Parmer Campus. Its Twin Falls, Idaho call center is also at 100 percent green energy - 97 percent of this location drawn from wind and the other 3 percent coming from solar energy.

President Paul Bell has the following to say to other technology firms, "It's time for our industry to take a lead role in creating a clean energy future. Today, we are challenging every technology company to work with their suppliers and partners in integrating green power and energy-efficient strategies into their operations." For companies who are leery to convert to green energy, Bell asserts, "We're using green technology to drive operating expense down."

It would seem that Dell is coming closer and closer to its plan announced last fall to go carbon neutral in 2008. Other companies may realize by following in the footsteps of Dell that, not only would similar plans benefit communities and the overall health of the nation, it would have many financial advantages to the company itself.

David Tanguay is dedicated to providing research, reviews & helpful information to consumers and businesses. For more information related to Green Energy and Geothermal Energy please visit http://greenenergyonline.org

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