The low cost of fossil fuels in the United States has been the biggest obstacle in the trek to improve solar power efficiency; yet recent price increases have renewed the interest in finding an alternative source for powering the country.
In 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter held a news conference on the roof of the White House to show off a new solar panel that was to provide all the hot water to the White House. He also stated a plan to have 20 percent of the electricity used in America be from solar power.
Two types of energy are being harnessed from the sun: thermal and photovoltaic, with thermal solar power efficiency being slightly better. Gathering the sun’s heat through the use of parabolic antennas, and focusing it on a container filled with a heavy liquid, the liquid is heated to a boiling temperature, which in turn can heat water to produce steam to operate an electrical generator.
Typically, photovoltaic cells that convert solar energy into electrical energy are running at about a 16 percent efficiency rating, making them cost more than the electricity they produce would cost by traditional means. New technologies in the manufacturing of these silicon cells are improving the solar power efficiency to near 22 percent, but that is still too small a rating for large-scale usage of solar power. Read more...
You pretty much can’t escape the dependency on solar energy here on Earth Nobody would be alive, not me or you or any plant or animal, if the sun suddenly stopped burning. Plankton, one of the smallest, most simple forms of life on this planet, must have solar energy to develop and live. Without light and heat from the sun, we could kiss all of plant life goodbye on Earth. With no plants around, all the herbivore animals die, which means the food source for the carnivores die, and its just one deadly chain reaction on up, all the way to homosapians (us). This shows how humans are actually dependent on the sunshine for their lives.
Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy contains absolutely no carbon emissions, which makes perfectly clean. And as long as that big ball of fire we call the sun keeps on burning, we will have an unlimited supply of it! All around Earth people use solar energy to create heat and electricity. Water is heated using the natural heat that accompanies sunlight.
Electricity can also be created by using photovoltaic cells that turn solar energy into electric current. Photovoltaic cells can be installed in residences and office buildings and schools very quickly. Thousands of people even build their own photovoltaic cell energy systems! Read more...
Building your own makes a lot of sense in the current economic and environmental climate we find ourselves in.
Solar energy has been the main contender to take over our energy needs. This form of energy is essentially free (aside from installation costs), limitless (solar is a renewable energy source) and has no harmful impact on the environment.
There is only one major drawback and it’s a big one. Unfortunately purchasing and having a solar power system installed is an extremely costly exercise, one which prevents the vast majority of home owners ever seriously considering it as an option.
There is however a solution to this dilemma, making your own homemade solar cells. Building your own homemade solar cells will save you thousands of dollars that would need to be spent purchasing and having installed a retail system from a solar specialist.
Hold on there! I hear you say, you don’t have a PhD in physics and as far as your handyman skills go you have two left thumbs! Well you need not worry, building your own homemade solar panels is a surprisingly easy and hassle free process. The main thing you need to do is get an instruction book to walk you step by step through the process. Read more...
There are many options of automobile fuel supplies to choose from. Many substitute sources for fuel have been formed through time. As you find out what these alternative power sources are and as you comprehend the pros of choosing these over the common source, you will want to consider varying your lifestyle and use them. What prevents people from turning to these alternatives is the fact that information about these is not extensively spread. In this article is a summarized argument on why using other power sources is helpful both to individuals and to nations.
No one can deny that the value of gas nowadays is really high. Automobiles that are being used today also necessitate the type of gas that has been produced in this time. The primary source of these power sources is the United States, and when we start to turn to these classes of sources, we apply products that directly come from the country. A great feat of alternative power sources is that they can be renewed and therefore be used again in the future. One advantage presented by the facts here is the economical status of any nation that will expend fewer and generate a lot will tremendously advance. Read more...
Corporations need to reduce water consumption, but they also need to be concerned about making money, protecting their position in the marketplace, being aware of operational risks as they embrace sustainability. A baseline position needs to be assessed, creating a water footprint. Water represents risk to a company in many different ways, which must be understood and these factors must be compiled into a workable plan.
Taking a leaf from the greenhouse gas protocol book, we should understand that the three different categories of carbon emissions can be applied to water. The emissions are generated when energy is produced, indirectly when it is consumed and in relation to its provision, either downstream or upstream. Companies need to understand how water is used in the supply chain and during disposal.
When composing the water footprint, understand how the resource may be used to make available raw materials or goods which are introduced to the production line by suppliers. This could be in the “work in progress” production phase or during transportation and the company needs to take responsibility for the fact that this happens. While it may well be beyond the borders of the organization, the fact is that the company’s demand for the supplier’s product is the cause of this water usage. Read more...
As the planet struggles to cope with the serious threats posed by air pollutants and greenhouse gases, carbon offset provides an incentive to encourage governments and companies to maintain carbon emissions within prescribed limits.
Carbon offset is a way of decreasing the emission of hazardous greenhouse gases through different ways like continuous reforestation initiatives, alternative and renewable energy supply etc. The Kyoto Protocol, an international pact signed by most nations in 2005 puts limits on emission by member countries depending on whether they are developing or developed, which in turn determines emissions by different sectors in each of these countries.
The Protocol says that industries releasing a huge quantity of carbon dioxide must limit their CO2 emissions to prescribed levels, or else pay a carbon tax, which is an environmental tax on harmful emissions, or alternatively purchase carbon credits certificates that can be transacted in the market. Carbon credits, which were introduced prior to carbon offset, are the most preferred and cheap option for manufacturing businesses releasing more than the allowed limit of greenhouse gases, with one credit equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide emitted into the air. Both multinational and regional companies, to make their activities carbon neutral and enhance their image in front of customers and investors, are increasingly purchasing carbon credits. Read more...
One alternative way of saving some money on your electrical power bill is via installing small solar power panels or building solar panel for your home. This device has been utilized during the past however because people are so in to high technology gadgets and chosen to allow the power company deal with supplying them electrical power therefore some simply did not appreciate these devices.
But because electricity has become more costly than it had been before people are frantically searching for some ways on how they can save some cash on their electric power bills. Some do the traditional monitoring of their electricity like turning off the lights when you are not really using it or unplugging their electrical devices if it’s not needed. However there’s also those some which turns to solar power panels.
This particular system helps you save energy by transforming the light energy that the sun emits in to an electrical energy that can be used in people homes to power up the electric gadgets they have. Read more...
It seems as though sometimes we get way too much rain and then all of a sudden it stops coming down and we do not have enough. A solution to this inequity is the use of . With these tanks, one can collect rain and stored it for later use.
In the UK, these tanks are called water butts and in North America they are also referred to as rain barrels. Whatever you choose to call them, they are great for catching water that can be used later. Most of these tanks are above ground but in-ground ones can also be used, especially in typically arid climates when dry conditions are a given and water will be in short supply.
Tanks may be made of galvanized steel, concrete, plastic, fiberglass or stainless steel. The stainless steel and fiberglass versions tend to be rust proof and chemical-resistant. They are often found on rooftops, concrete patios and driveways and anywhere else with an impervious surface.
Water collected in these receptacles may be used for a number of things. Common uses include watering lawns and gardens, household plumbing like toilets and washing machines, washing the car, agricultural irrigation and even drinking water. If it is to be used for drinking, special care must be taken to ensure that the water does not get contaminated. Read more...
As new concepts and theories for residential power production emerge, many sceptics voice their opinions claiming these new ideas simply do not life up to the hype. Photo voltaic power is one such thought which has generated a considerable quantity of cynicism.
With this article I aim to shed some light on some on the typical misconceptions regarding the use of solar farm roof panels as a viable indicates of residential energy manufacturing.
“Solar power panels will take too much time to recoup the cost” Read more...
Waste prevention and recycling in the office should be high on the priority list for any modern office based business. Never before has environmental policy been so important as we fill our landfills very quickly, and corporations are under pressure to meet ever increasingly stringent targets for recycling passed down from central government through to local authorities.
Reduce, reuse, recycle are the key principles to keep in mind when assessing the impact of waste anywhere, but these words are especially pertinent in the office environment.
A few basic actions can make a lot of difference. Firstly, with your office printers, set double sided printing to default across the office to maximize productivity and minimize paper wastage on essential prints. Instead of purchasing new printer cartridges every time they run out, swap them for refilled cartridges from a reputable supplier to minimize empty cartridges going to landfill. This applies to toner cartridges too, which can be reconditioned and refilled instead of thrown away and new ones purchased.
If your office needs a specific item, perhaps a new projector for a particular event or presentation, considering hiring instead of buying, this applies to many things, always think before requisitioning a purchase over a hire. Read more...