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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