from kernerforlife

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from Dr.Badruddin Khan

All living systems require energy to survive. A person requires energy in the form of food. A plant requires energy in the form of sunlight. All mechanical systems also require energy to function. A car needs gasoline to run. A sailboat needs wind to move across the water. Energy, in one form or another, is needed for all living and nonliving activity on the planet. Energy does not actually exist as a thing itself, however. Instead, energy is an idea describing various sources of power. Long ago, humans relied upon the natural systems of the earth to meet their energy needs. Cliff dwellers of the Southwest built their homes to capture the heat of winter sunlight. Ancient Greeks bathed in water warmed by geothermal vents. Humans around the world used wood to cook their meals and warm their homes. The natural systems of the planet met all of these needs.

The pursuit of more powerful and consistent energy sources came about during the Industrial Revolution, which began in the late eighteenth century and continued through the beginning of the nineteenth century. For the first time, humans began burning fossil fuels in great quantities to meet their energy needs. Fossil fuels powered the factories they worked in, the farm equipment needed to produce large crops, and eventually, the cars they drove. It seemed as if fossil fuels were the perfect answer to the need for a quick and efficient form of energy. It was not until the 1970s that serious problems from the use of fossil fuels began to be recognized. Oil-producing countries began to demand more money for their product. Oil-consuming countries, such as the United States, refused to accept these higher costs. Many countries put oil embargoes into place. This drove the cost of fossil fuels higher and higher. This series of events led to an energy crisis. People began to wonder what they would do if the cost of fossil fuels did not decline and, consequently, an interest in alternative energy sources began to develop.

Also, since the energy crisis of the 1970s, scientists have learned more about the environmental impact of fossil fuels. They have linked acid rain to the sulfur dioxide released when fossil fuels are burned. Burning fossil fuels also releases large quantities of carbon dioxide. Scientists have found a connection between the growing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and an increase in global temperatures, referred to as global warming. These discoveries about the effects of fossil fuels have also led to an increased interest in the development of alternative energy sources. Currently, there are four main alternative energy sources being developed and used today: solar power, wind power, hydropower, and geothermal power. These energy sources, called renewable energy, are all powered by the natural systems of the earth. Unlike fossil fuels, they are also continuously replenished by the earth’s natural systems regardless of whether or not they are used. Sunlight will stream down on the planet every day, whether it is captured with solar panels or not. Wind will blow across the land, regardless of turning the rotor of a windmill. Rivers will flow down mountains and geothermal vents will release energy, whether or not their energy is harnessed.

As the resources of the planet are used faster than they are replaced, people are turning to solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy to meet their energy needs. Supporting the use of energy sources that are replenished as fast, or faster, than they are used is helping to create a sustainable energy future. For such changes to happen effectively, however, it will take changes in government policies, more economic support for alternative energy producers, and individual consumers demanding a different choice. These factors will determine the direction of energy production in the coming decades.

 

from Paul Calhoun

Introduction:

Global warming impact to our quality and cost of living is large and very catastrophic. Homeowners are well aware of the increasing energy costs to heat, cool and illuminate their homes. The increasing costs of oil and other fossil fuels are daily headlines. The insatiable demand for energy to fuel world growth guarantees that the cost of these limited fuels will continue to increase. Political/economic forces will determine the rate of increase for fossil fuels. In addition, the increasing cost of global warming using fossil fuels is slowly being recognized.

The world is slowly beginning to understand the urgent need for renewable energy sources. However, each of these alternative energy sources brings major advantages and disadvantages. An example is wind generated energy. Wind energy is available to the whole world and generates electricity competitively with fossil fuels. The technology is understood and easy to apply. But, there are big objections to a windmill in “my back yard”. Also, the number of birds and bats that will be crushed with wind power generation is not a warming thought. Wind technology will be a component of our energy solution. However, because of the above concerns, we need other major solutions to meet our demand for energy sources.

This search leads us to solar energy. The amount of sun energy striking our world in one day is sufficient to supply our energy demands for a year. We will not run out of this source in the foreseeable future. The major barrier to harnessing solar energy has been cost and convenience. For example, drying clothes in a dryer is easier than hanging clothes on an outside line, thus convenience precluded efforts to find more energy efficiency. We can convert solar energy to electricity but with a major capital cost. Greater acceptance and use of solar energy will lead to lower cost.

Solar Energy:

Energy from solar energy can be divided into two major categories:

Passive Solar Energy: This technology ranges from clothes drying in the sun to solar heating for hot water and many other passive techniques. All are important for our present and future quality of life. The technology is well understood and can be implemented as economics and space conditions allow.

Active Solar Energy: One of the active solar energy technologies is converting solar energy directly into electricity. It is called photovoltaic cell or PV. This is a device that converts light into electricity using the photoelectric effect. The first working solar cells were constructed by Charles Fritts in 1883. These prototype cells were made of selenium and achieved efficiencies around one percent. The silicon solar cell was created in 1954. The solar cell has benefited from the development of silicon semiconductors.

Physics of Active Solar Energy:

The physics of photon to electricity conversion is well understood by physicists. The basic model is of a photon from the sun which strikes the cell material and excites electrons that emit electricity. This model is simple compared to the complexity of modern day semiconductors. The major variables of PV electrical generation are cell material and impurities in the cell material.

Manufacturing Technology for Active Solar Energy:

Primarily single crystal, high purity silicon has been used to generate photon to electricity conversion. The manufacturing techniques for single crystal silicon and limited quantities of pure silicon impose a high cost for PV devices. Shortages of refined silicon have been hampering production worldwide since late 2004. This shortage persists to this date and has slowed PV growth. New materials are starting to come forward which should lower the PV materials hurdle.

Efficiency growth of Active Solar Energy:

Since the silicon PV invention in 1954, cheaper fossil fuel prices largely removed solar power from the public consciousness. Annual growth of electrical generation by PV ranged from 10 to 20% percent throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Worldwide installation of PV reached 1000 megawatts in 1999. Manufacturing costs for PV arrays has been dropping 3 to 5% over the recent years. This cost drop began to expand the use of PV electricity generation. Total peak power of installed PV was around 6000 megawatts at the end of 2006. Installed PV is projected to increase to over 9,000 megawatts in 2007. The average lowest retail cost of large photovoltaic arrays has declined from $7.50 to $4.00 per watt between 1990 and 2005.

PV materials have also been improving in recent years. The most recent materials approach is to process discrete cells on silicon wafers cut from multi crystalline ribbons which form thin films. This approach is the least expensive of known technologies. This group of technologies includes amorphous silicon cells deposited on stainless-steel ribbon, cadmium telluride (CdTe) cells deposited on glass, and copper indium gallium dielenide (CIGS) alloy cells deposited on either glass or stainless steel substrates. The efficiencies of these new materials are currently at 20%. Many researchers are working to improve the efficiencies. An added advantage of the new thin films is that they are flexible and are currently being used in roofing materials.

Current Trends in Generating Active Solar Energy:

Commercial businesses like Google, IBM, BJ’s Wholesale, Estee Lauder, Kohls, Target, Tiffany & Co., Wal-Mart are installing PV solar energy. From “big box” discount giants to high end commercial businesses PV solar energy is finding acceptance in 2007. The most recent retail-outfitter to become part of this trend is Macy’s, which announced earlier this month that it will install solar powered systems on 26 stores throughout California. These leading companies are turning to solar power because it makes good business sense and supports their environmental initiative. Creative financial arrangements allow these companies to afford the upfront capital costs and payback their loans with energy savings. So what does all this mean to the average home owner? PV Cost per Kilowatt (kWh):

In the California market, where state incentives and net metering are in place, PV electricity prices are dipping below 11¢/kWh, on par with some utility-delivered power. Moreover, according to the U.S. PV Industry Roadmap, solar electricity will continue this trend and become competitive by 2010 for most domestic markets. The outlook is very positive for PV generation of electricity. Once the capital investment is made, the cost of PV electricity is equivalent to fossil fuels and will continue to decrease.

Cost of PV Installation:

The cost of installation is the major barrier that has to be overcome for widespread PV acceptance. Around 59% of world solar product sales installed in the last five years were applications that are tied to the electricity grid. Solar energy prices in these applications are 5-20 times more expensive than the cheapest source of conventional electricity generation. This premium is well beyond the reach of the average home owner.

Fortunately, there are financial models coming forward to enable the consumer to finance PV solar installation and pay for this installation with the electrical savings. In order to make these financial models successful, federal and state incentives are needed and the installation should be connected to the electrical grid. These connections allow the home owner to sell back electricity when excessive amounts are available and to receive electricity when solar conditions do not allow sufficient electricity. Only fifty percent of our states have modernized to allow on-grid PV solar energy.

Berkeley, California is leading the way to enable it citizens to save electrical cost and meet environmental needs. Here is how their plan works. A property owner hires a city-approved solar installer, who determines the best solar system for the property, depending on energy use. Most residential solar panel systems in the city cost from $15,000 to $20,000.

The city will pay the contractor for the system and its installation, minus any applicable state and federal rebates, and would add an assessment to the property owner’s tax bill to pay for the system. The extra tax would include administrative fees and interest, which would be lower than what the property owner could obtain on their own, because the city would secure low-interest bonds and loans. The tax would stay with the property even if the owner sold, although the owner would have to leave the solar panels. The property owner would save money on monthly Pacific Gas & Electric bills because electricity generated by the solar panels would partly replace electricity delivered by the utility. After the assessment expired, the solar panels, of a simple technology that requires little or no maintenance, would continue to partly replace PG&E electricity.

The Berkeley plan is a map for the rest of the world to allow us affordable electricity and meet our responsibilities to the environment.

I have a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering. Thirty six years spent in the development of semiconductors. Business experience in start up business plan. Currently, an oyster farmer and interested in helping the environment by deploying solar energy. Please visit my Web Site http://www.charlestonenvironmentalhelp.com

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from solayonoliv

home or solar energy, what’s the best rentability ? in portugal 65MW it’s more nice better than home

from John Mowatt

ited States wind energy is the second biggest source of new energy outpaced only by natural gas. At the end of 2007 wind turbines were producing over 16000 megawatts of electric power and nearly one third of that capacity was installed in 2007. In 2008 about 1% of the united States electric power will be supplied by wind energy. Most of this of course is from large commercial wind turbines but an ever increasing amount is coming from small wind turbines installed by individuals. The home wind turbine is definitely coming into its own as more and more people realise that something must be done to decrease our dependence on electric power supplied by fossil fuel burning generating stations. Gas and coal powered electric power production has increased dramatically over the years and emissions from the fuels burnt in these facilities is a major source of atmospheric pollution.

Wind power by comparision is absolutely clean and the only objectiion to it,voiced by some people,is visual pollution from the arrays of wind turbines necessary for large scale power production. However the residential wind turbine poses no such problems. Relatively small and unobtrusive home wind turbines including vertical axis wind turbines are the key to small scale wind power generation. A combination of home solar panels-wind turbines can produce much of the power required by the average home. Small wind powered turbines are manufactured by a number of companies and can be readily set up either as a rooftop wind turbine or mounted on its own small tower. The recommended tower height is about 30 feet. These are relatively expensive but will pay for themselves in the course of time.

If you know how to build a wind turbine your home wind turbine will cost much less and fortunately this is fairly easy to do. Plans and instructions showing how to build your own wind turbine are readily available and thousands of people have built their own home made wind turbine. You will often be told that strong winds are needed for wind power generation. This is absolutely not so. Even gentle breezes will produce power which is stored in batteries till needed.

If you live far from electric power lines you either get by with no electric power or generate your own. Gasoline powered generators will do the job but they are expensive to run and heavy polluters. You may be fortunate enough to have a stream which can generate power for you using a water power system but these are usually difficult to build and expensive. In most situations a wind turbine is the best answer. You can in fact build your own wind turbine for much less than the price of a commercial model. You could install two or three of them and have plenty of power for all purposes. Building your own home wind turbine is a fairly simple project which the average home workshopper can easily manage. Wind power is the coming thing and will save you money as well as reducing atmospheric pollution. Why not try it?

from James Bratley


You may have seen the many different small home wind turbines you are able to purchase in the shops, yet you may be undecided whether one of these small scale wind turbines is for you. Before purchasing a turbine, you should do some research regarding; can your environment make a turbine efficient enough, what alternative energy sources can you harness, and which technology is the best value for money.

Below we shall discuss each of the three points explained above in more detail, outlining the factors relating to each.

Wind turbines only generally work to their full potential in very few areas. To gain an efficient use of a turbine, you should do some in depth research and a site survey into how sustainable your environment is to support a wind turbine. For efficient placement of a wind turbine, you need to look into the average annual wind speed and direction. There are many references available to explain what speed the wind must be for different sized turbines. Wind direction is only a factor which relates to which position your place your turbine in, yet many modern small home turbines are very mobile and you can usually twist them to face the direction you prefer.

It will be well worth your time to browse the market looking for alternative renewable energy sources. This mainly depends on your budget, but solar panels are a very popular choice as either an addition, or a total replacement for a wind turbine. Solar panels generally offer you a greater pound per watt, and are also generally more efficient for home power production.

Deciding which technology is the best value for money, also ties in with the environment factor. You need to do research and decide which of the renewable energy sources is most in abundant in your region, for example if you live on a small island off the coast of northern Scotland, then you would more than likely choose a home wind turbine as you are exposed to strong winds, but if you live in the center of England (where wind speeds are usually quite low), you may opt for a solar panel.

So, as we can see here, many factors will decide on the right natural energy source for you. If you can afford to integrate renewable energy production methods into your home, it is strongly suggested, considering the current situation with global warming, that you make an attempt to install these more environmentally friendly appliances.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/wind_turbines.html

from Madison Greene

One of the biggest challenges the human race faces today is finding and using alternative energy sources. The push for means of generating electricity has been around for over 100 years, but when oil and coal-fired generators produced power inexpensively, the world put the search for alternative energy sources on the back burner for a number of years.

We cannot procrastinate any longer, however, as many of the earth’s natural resources, such as oil, are depleting.

A Short History Lesson on Alternative Energy Sources

The need for an alternate energy source was rekindled in the 1970’s with the oil shortage that created lines at gas stations and produced critical shortages throughout the United States. The search for alternate power generation is not limited to finding new ways of powering vehicles, as supplying cheap power for homes and industries is a continuous endeavor. There have been many advances in the search for alternative energy sources, but the price of the power produced still remains too high.

Wind, water and sun are touted as renewable energy resources with claims that once the technology is perfected, making it more cost effective, they can replace the need for oil and natural gas to turn turbines in the generation process. Even geothermal power production is one of the alternate energy sources being researched.

The Source Of The Energy Depends on The Location

For many people the switch to alternative energy sources is a matter of finding the type of alternative power that works the best in their particular geographical location. Persons who live in areas that have limited exposure to the sun for example, may not be too excited about using solar panels to supply power. When the sun goes down for an extended number of days, the town can go dark.

In some of those areas, wind is not a problem as it seems to blow nearly every day. Using wind power to turn turbines to generate electricity can work there, but may not work in other areas that experience less windy conditions. Another of the alternative energy sources, hydropower uses the power of rivers to turn generators, but the cost of the infrastructure to get power to the people from the generator may still be high for long range use.

With the three major alternative energy sources continuing to be researched and advanced, the need for an answer to out problem becomes more evident every time a person receives their electric bill, or fills their car with gas.

The resources that we have left on the planet are running out. Do your part to keep educated on the latest changes in technology and any up to date with the issues at hand to learn what you can do to help solve the energy crisis.

from Darryl Kelley

Wind is not only the cleanest source of energy available to humanity, it is also the world’s fastest growing source of electrical power. But the United States has been slow to adopt. A Canadian company is changing that though – one wind farm at a time.

Western Wind Energy Corp (TSX.V:WND) is North America’s largest publicly traded pure wind energy producer, currently providing 34 megawatts of wind turbine-generated electricity to the California electrical grid. Right now, it is the only publicly traded company in North America deriving its income exclusively from the sale of electricity generated from wind power.

With the announcement on February 14th of the successful acquisition of a 100 MW wind and solar energy site near Barstow, California, Western Wind has an additional 1,300 MW in its pipeline of expansion sites throughout the state.

The company now has over $1 billion of power sales agreements totaling 155 megawatts from the sale of wind energy electrical generation to two separate utilities.

In the United States during 2007, 5,244 megawatts of generating power was installed by the wind energy industry, breaking all previous records and growing the U.S. national wind generating capacity by 45%.

The new wind projects account for about 30 percent of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually.

American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours of wind energy in 2008, just over one percent of U.S. electricity supply, powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.

California is, as might be expected, is a leader among states for installed megawatts of wind generated electricity with 2,439 MW of installed capacity, second only to Texas.

Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association said, “I think that wind could realistically provide 20% of the state’s electricity needs 13 years from now – up from less than 2% today, which would be about 20,000 MW of capacity.”

Western Wind Energy is perfectly positioned to capture a big piece of that evolving capacity for one simple reason: the management team has 24 years of continuous wind installation operating experience – more than any other company within the industry.

The secret to creating profitable wind installations is in the siting of the turbines. Meteorologist Rich Simon, a consultant to Western Wind, has chosen the locations of over 40,000 turbines, or 10,000 MW of generating capacity around the world. He is one of the industry’s few “go-to” guys, responsible for siting 10% of the world’s turbine capacity since 1977.

As wind resource areas vary, so does the cost of generation. A wind farm operating in a 15 mph yearly average wind speed may have total costs of 6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. That same wind farm, operation in a 20 mph yearly average wind speed, may have total costs of only 4.9 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Like most major forms of electricity generation, wind power is capital intensive. In economic terms, wind power has an extremely low marginal cost and a high proportion of up-front costs. The energy consumption for producing, installing, operating and eventually decommissioning a wind turbine is typically earned back within three months of operation.

At a robust wind location in the state of California, for each one megawatt installed, or

US$2 million capital invested, $400,000 is generated annually in energy sales with a further $80,000 in annual federal tax credits (Production Tax Credit or PTC).

The Senate Finance Committee last month included an extension of the expiring tax credits for wind, solar, and other renewable energy technologies as part of its economic stimulus package now working its way through Congress.

Western Wind is not content to remain a “wind-only” company, and recently announced a cooperative agreement with Solon America Corporation to develop 5 to 40 megawatts of photovoltaic – solar energy projects in California and an additional 5 – 40 megawatts of photovoltaic – solar energy projects in Ontario, Canada.

Solon America is the subsidiary of $1.2 billion German solar energy equipment manufacturer Solon A.G.

The company was founded in 1998 by CEO Jeff Ciachurski, who has negotiated more than 200MW of off-take agreements and raised over $50 million to acquire real estate and develop the company’s projects.

His objective?

“To grow Western Wind Energy into a mid-size wind developer and operator with a market capitalization of between US $1 billion and US $4 billion.”

Given the company’s success to date, that doesn’t come across as just a lot of wind.

from Munya Chinongoza


 

These days everyone is doing their best to help the environment. It can be recycling it can be using less water; however a great way to help the environment is to take advantage of using wind power.

Wind power is a natural resource that we can take advantage of to produce energy for our homes. There are a lot of manufactures that you can go to that you can purchase a wind turbine from. Before you purchase one you must keep in mind where you live and your specific needs.

Abundant Renewable energy is a company that produces very strong wind generators. Their machines have been installed in large areas to produce energy and are basically designed for harsher climates. Bergey Wind Power is another manufacture that has a highly reliable wind energy system with ratings up to 10 kW. This company has earned a worldwide reputation for ruggedness and reliability. They also incorporate some of the most advanced technology in the industry.

Gaia Wind Manufactures is a company that thrives in building small and efficient wind turbines for private homes, farms, rural areas and light commercial or industrial facilities. Still talking about small turbines, Proven Energy is the world’s leading supplier of small scale wind turbines and is globally renowned for their turbine performance.

However, instead of spending hundreds and in some situations thousands of dollars on a wind turbine, you could always build one yourself. Taking the time to build one yourself could be fun and will save you a lot of money in the long run.  Instead of paying $10,000 on a wind turbine you could spend maybe 100 dollars if you build your own. Just like everything in life you must do what is the best thing for you. So you can either purchase one from one of the many manufacturers or you can just build one on your own.

from Littlegoldyes22

http://www.siteproweb.com/lead/-home-made-energy-review
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