Global Warming Doom Or Earth Cycle Norms?

Global Warming Doom

The world media has been peddling the Global Warming dooms day scenario for a number of years now, prior to that in the 1970s they were talking about the Ice Age that was going to wreak havoc on human civilizations, but which is it? It turns out it is neither, as we are not in a global warming disaster movie or an drastic cooling period; Ice Age.

So, why all the mass media hysteria scaring all the human citizens of Earth, was it all just a power play to remove the industrial power base away from oil and coal. It may very well have been, and the computer models were wrong again. Sounds like a perfect chapter for the “Shock Doctrine” or “The Black Swan” doesn’t it?

Yep, and we all can wonder what the next Y2K disaster is that we must avert by funneling 100s of millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money towards? All the while we dismiss the real challenges we face. Well, it seems we are constantly making up created realities of doom and gloom and crisis to serve the will of those who wish to seize control.

Interestingly enough, I, like you perhaps, am of the belief that pollution is bad, it is waste. I further believe that waste is a score card for inefficiency. And that inefficiency, bureaucracy, waste and indifference = Bad. And since Bad = Evil, why are we chasing ghosts instead of addressing the real issues?

Where does this leave us all? Should we continue to try to reduce pollution in the air and water? Yes, but we ought to forget about attempting to cause crisis and chaos where it does not exist, otherwise we enter the Chicken Little genre or the story of the little boy who cried; “Wolf!” Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow – Lance Winslow’s Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

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The Next Step In Wind Energy

Wind Energy

The New Stimulus Plan For Sustainable Development Renewable Energy

In the coming year when the new U.S. administration takes control over the economy. We will see a stimulus that will include green energy steps toward wind power . Since our demand for renewable energy will continue to get stronger, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions will require adopting green energy practices. However, the cost has been prohibitively high for most of the commonly used and available methods. Generating energy from home has many possibilities, including getting a rebate or check from the power company for excess power that you’ve sold back.

One would hope that incentives given by the government will include, tax credits given to tax payers in some form of a credit on their taxes for renewable energy purchases. Some tax credits were established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The credits can be taken on weatherization, windows, vehicle purchases and appliances. The specifics can be found out from the IRS, local government and your energy company. The credits are available to individuals and businesses.

The Next Step In Alternative Energy Wind Energy

Some local governments and state governments already give incentives to residents that are energy efficient. To find out if you qualify for such incentives you should contact you local power company and department of energy.
Incentives are a great way to get people on board with energy efficiency. They can make someone choose an energy efficient product over one that is not. Energy efficiency incentives are something that may not be around forever, so go ahead and take advantage of them and move tward energy independence now.

Purchases of certain energy star appliances may make you eligible for rebates. These rebates are offered by partners of the energy star program. Many times your local power supplier will provide a list in addition to energy star.
Solar energy efficiency is very well the basis of the future of energy in this country. The homeowner will benefit from the incentives.

The Focus On Alternative Energy Alternative Energy

Public and private entities will benefit from the new administrations focus on climate change making the U.S. energy efficient .

Solar energy is a favored renewable and it is easily available . The new advances in solar energy are moving it quickly to the forefront of alternative energy sources. New equipment has been developed that allows for energy to be stored for use later when the sun is not out.

Several recent innovations in solar technology have brought us to the brink of affordable solar power that can be used anywhere. Flexible film solar can be built into just about anything, from awnings to bikinis. Now we will start working on affordability. New advances on how to put the flexible sheets together has recently become available. Even solar paint is on the horizon.
The next step to really getting solar everywhere as it should be it to have similar revolutionary advances in storage technology.

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Our Energy Thirsty Planet Needs Renewable Resources

Energy Thirsty Planet

The world is an energy devouring place and we need to be researching greener sources of energy to supply that demand. We also need to see cleaner modes of using the current green energy technology that are already in place. We all need to be interested about the impact that is being put on our planet and how the high cost of energy is affecting us. We have an energy thirsty planet and the energy that is wasted every day is a sad state of affairs and everyone should take a look at what they could do to be more moderate in their utilization. We should open our eyes and make ourselves more conservative about our use. There are solutions to these issues but how inclined have people been to execute these solutions at the present.

One of the more popular forms of renewable energy is wind power. The price of the power it creates is becoming really competitive with conventional methods of energy output such as coal and natural gas. Power used to be created by windmills in the past on the family farm for many years. They used to used on the farms to pump water and every farm had one back then. It’s a recognized fact these days that the states of Texas, Kansas, and North Dakota have sufficient wind to provide power for the whole U.S.

Another renewable enegy source that has gotten much press is corn. The ethanol that is formulated from corn is a clean burning energy source and crops can be grown year after year so it is inexhaustible but at what cost. The cost of corn has gone up as the result of this, which is good for the farmer but bad for the consumer. Praire grass has been shown to a far superior alternative to corn. Believe it or not it makes way more energy per acre than corn. Praire grass grows wild. You don’t have to cultivate or tend to it. It is a chemical free crop that just needs to harvested and processed.

Another renewable enegy source we see and hear more of is solar power. There are solar panels that will convert the suns energy into electricity and solar water heating systems to provide hot water. I’ve read about people who have placed solar energy systems on their homes in areas you wouldn’t think it would work, like Seattle. Even though this is a very cloudy rainy area the ROI was quite respectable.

One of the reasons I really like solar power is the fact that it allows people to become energy independent one home at a time. The control of power can be decentralized. Think about it there hasn’t been a lot of money spent on the research and development so costs remain high and the cause doesn’t advance. Corporations want to protect their profits and it almost seems they do anything to make that happen.

We all know that oil isn’t going to last forever. If we don’t start doing something about it now than when. We need to get smart about what we are doing with our energy situation and begin to implement a new energy policy. We need to look to future generations and how it is going to benefit them. Do your part in helping to make renewable energy a reality today.

You can learn more about solar chargers, wind energy , and other forms of renewable energy sources by doing more research on the Internet about the subject that interests you the most.

Technorati Tags: Energy Thirsty Planet, ethanol, Renewable Energy, renewable resources, renewable sources of energy, Solar Energy, solar panels, Solar Power, wind energy, wind power

Reduce Your Gas Bill With Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Alternative fuel vehicles are making their mark! Otherwise known as hybrids, they combine the best of both worlds with respect to electrical and internal combustion engine models. Their function is not to be confused with rocket science either! Alternative fuel vehicles on the market, and those on the drawing board are going to change the transportation landscape as we know it forever.

It’s inevitable that these new alternative fuel vehicles are going to change the automotive landscape. Today’s alternative fuel sources, like tomorrow’s, will only be limited by the imagination and how serious the world is in keeping the planet safe for the following generations. The future is now and the horizon for alternative fuel vehicles looks bright and promising.

alternative fuel sources
When it comes to alternative fuel systems, vehicles that are making their mark include Nissan, Lexus, Toyota, Honda and Ford Escort. The alternative fuel station models are smart, sophisticated models that are both functional, environmental friendly and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

As the world gets on board as a collective whole to combat the use of fossil fuels, alternative fuel vehicles will become the car of choice for many people. You won’t be giving up comfort or performance either! You’ll be getting the best of both worlds while stretching fuel mileage and making your heard-earned dollar stretch further.

Sorting through the type and models of alternative fuel vehicles that will fit you and your family’s lifestyle should present no great challenge. Your choices will include models that employ biodiesel, hydrogen, propane, electrical, and natural gas technologies. The challenge may be in finding a local alternative fuel station. Yet for those who are environmentally responsible, owning alternative fuel vehicles is a great place to start.

alternative energy solutions
As alternative fuel vehicles become a part of the automotive mainstream, there will be a hybrid model for the needs of just about everyone. You can expect to see models with bigger and more powerful engines which will be capable of delivering power at the top of the charts.

There will also be vast improvements in performance and fuel economy. In short, the gap between conventionally powered vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles is closing at a rapid pace.

Technorati Tags: Alternative fuel vehicle, Fossil fuel

Simple Steps to an Eco-Friendly Home

Eco-Friendly Home

Everyone’s worried about the environment. Every day we see it in the news. The planet is in trouble and we’re running out of time. You may be thinking that there’s just no hope, with all of the bad news. One person doing something can’t make a difference.Do not despair. There’s still a lot that can be done starting with your eco-friendly home.

Looking around and deciding where you can cut waste is the first step. Very hard on the environment is the heating and cooling of a house, which requires vast amounts of energy. Try closing your curtains and using fans instead of air conditioning in the summer. Having been turned on mindlessly as soon as the first hot day arrives, your air conditioning shouldn’t be left on continuously through the entire summer season.  Get to know what the weather is doing outside your door.  Ask yourself if you can manage without the AC.  A warm breeze often feels better than a cool, closed room.

In the winter time, try lowering the thermostat and layering on the sweaters. Drape yourself in a warm, cozy blanket when you are watching tv or reading.  It’s better for the environment and it feels good, too.

Water usage is another area you can make your home more eco-friendly. You should be sure to have in place, ultra low-flush toilets. Low-flow aerators and shower heads should be installed in your sinks and showers. Still doing the job well, these units use much less water.

Dishwashers and washing machines should only be run when there is a full load – wasteful would be anything less.  And when the laundry’s done, why not hang it up to dry?  No fabric softener in the world smells as good as laundry that’s been dried outdoors.

Next time you hear of a hazardous waste drop off day, round up your collection of cleaning and laundry products containing dangerous chemicals and drop them off. A leading cause of indoor air pollution is the use of harsh chemicals.

General cleaning requires only vinegar, baking soda and hot water.  A bit of dish soap to take care of grease and your house is clean and safe!

The eco-friendly home is not hard to achieve.  If it seems like the problem is too big, remember, it took millions of bad choices to get us into this situation.  It’ll take millions of good ones to get us out.

A writer living in South Florida, Beverly Clarke is also an Interior Designer. Contributing to a cleaner world is one of her most fervent interests. She offers many facts and ideas on  how to help save our environment through the use of alternative fuels and by recycling just about everything.

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Solar Power Components – energy efficient

Solar Power Components

Lets look at some important solar power components: Photovoltaic cells—those black squares an array of which comprises a solar panel—are getting more efficient, and gradually less expensive, all the time, thanks to ever-better designs which all them to focus the gathered sunlight on a more and more concentrated point. The size of the cells is decreasing as their efficiency rises, meaning that each cell becomes cheaper to produce and at once more productive. As far as the aforementioned cost, the price of producing solar power per watt hour has come down to $4.00 at the time of this writing. Just 17 years ago, it was nearly double that cost.

Solar powered electricity generation is certainly good for the environment, use of these solar power components gives off absolutely zero emissions into the atmosphere and is merely utilizing one of the most naturally occurring of all things as its driver. Solar collection cells are becoming slowly but surely ever more practical for placing upon the rooftops of people’s homes, and they are not a difficult system to use for heating one’s home, creating hot water, or producing electricity. In the case of using the photovoltaic cells for hot water generation, the system works by having the water encased in the cells, where it is heated and then sent through your pipes.

Photovoltaic cells are becoming increasingly better at collecting sufficient radiation from the sun even on overcast or stormy days. One company in particular, Uni-Solar, has developed solar collection arrays for the home that work well on inclement days, by way of a technologically more advanced system that stores more energy at one time during sunlit days than previous or other arrays.

There is actually another solar power components available for use called the PV System. The PV System is connected to the nearest electrical grid; whenever there is an excess of solar energy being collected at a particular home, it is transferred to the grid for shared use and as a means of lowering the grid’s dependence on the hydroelectrically-driven electricity production. Being connected to the PV System can keep your costs down as compared to full-fledged solar energy, while at once reducing pollution and taking pressure off the grid system. Some areas are designing centralized solar collection arrays for small towns or suburban communities.

Some big-name corporations have made it clear that they are also getting into the act of using solar power (a further indication that solar generated energy is becoming an economically viable alternative energy source). Google is putting in a 1.6 megawatt solar power generation plant on the roof of its corporate headquarters, while Wal Mart wants to put in an enormous 100 megawatt system of its own.

Nations such as Japan, Germany, the United States, and Switzerland have been furthering the cause of solar energy production by providing government subsidies or by giving tax breaks to companies and individuals who agree to utilize solar power for generating their heat or electrical power. As technology advances and a greater storage of solar collection materials is made available, more and more private investors will see the value of investing in this “green” technology and further its implementation much more.

Technorati Tags: Electricity generation, Solar Power Components

Household Waste Management And Environmental Protection

Household Waste Management

If it were a race to produce the most waste, then the United States would be leading the pack. Over 18.5 million tons are produced each year and a majority of this could be avoided by citizens joining in a recycling program using recycled materials with a household waste management plan.

Yes, Americans have made great strides towards environmental protection, as 35 percent of people recycle their garbage each year and help landfills avoid the constantly overflowing recyclables that clog up the landfill. But it is not enough. Show others how recycling is done and how easy it can be.

Environmental services
It is amazing how simple recycling can be once you know what to do. Your first step is separating your garbage waste from the recyclables. Environmental protection begins at home with you dropping the appropriate trash into its special waste bin. This means that you are going to need a bin for glass products, paper, aluminum cans and plastics. You take in a bag filled with cans and you get money back. How great is that?

Many schools and work places are not part of a recycling program. However, if recycling bins were supplied and appropriately labeled for glass, aluminum cans, plastic and paper, then no doubt people would join in the recycling movement and place their garbage in the appropriate containers. Have your employer send out a memo asking them to join a waste reduction program. Lead by example and always do your part. If others see your commitment, then they will likely follow suit.

Waste disposal
Make sure you buy recycled goods. This helps recycling industries know that there are people out there who are concerned with environmental protection. Many of our day-to-day products can be purchased that contain recycled materials. You can buy notebook paper made from recycled paper goods.

Many detergent and household cleaning products come in bottles made from recycled plastics. By taking this small step into consumerism you can help further the cause and still have the items you need for your home.

Environmental protection should be first and foremost when it comes to waste management. Educating the masses on the “reduce reuse recycle” environmental benefits will no doubt drop the United States from the top of the…well garbage heap. And the sooner, the better. We can do it and make a difference to the rest of the world.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: We need to each do more… our planet depends on it

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We’re wasteful. Not just on an individual level, but on a much broader scale. Our lifestyle is simply unsustainable in terms of the world’s resources we consume. So get the habit: reduce, reuse, recycle …

The subject of unnecessary waste in our society came sharply into focus for my wife and me over the last couple of years due to numerous trips to take garbage to the county dump.

When renovating our cabin we regularly took construction scrap to the dump (along with our wet garbage). We began to notice a considerable number of perfectly good items that had been thrown out. After seeing this for some time (and rescuing numerous perfectly good items along the way), we started to ask, “What can we do about it?”

We started changing our habits to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Although we may think we can’t make a difference individually, small steps taken on an individual level can and do make a difference. We must each do our own small part to minimize the waste and excess consumption in our society. Change is possible… indeed, it’s absolutely necessary.

One of the greatest challenges in doing this is the constant bombardment from the media… the non-stop stream of powerful advertising attempting to convince us that we need the latest and greatest gadgets, toys, electronics, cars, and on and on. It’s a powerful and extremely effective influence.

And it seems that, unfortunately, a lot of people are too lazy and/or simply don’t think about the fact that something that they are throwing away could be used and appreciated by someone else. Nor do they think about the landfill being taken up by perfectly good and useful items.

Our dump experience spawned the idea of a series of short video vignettes that would highlight this sad situation. Yes, it’s a serious topic, but we wanted to have a little fun with it in order to highlight the number of perfectly good items that were being thrown into the dump every week. Thus was born “Adventures with Fitzgerald the Dump Truck”. The episodes can be seen on the Rustic Lodge Lifestyle home page.

What can you do?

Are you concerned about rampant consumerism and the corresponding waste? If so consider taking some of the following steps:

Turn off

Break free of commercials by limiting your exposure to them… and if you have children, this is even more important. Setting a good example is paramount in teaching the next generation that it is not necessary to have the newest, most recent model of everything!

Teach them that happiness does not come from a store! We limit our exposure to the constant barrage of commercial messages. We rarely watch TV, we listen to public radio, and have very few subscriptions to magazines that come to the house.

Consequently we are blissfully unaware of so much of the product marketing and thus are not even tempted to rush out to buy this or that “must have” gizmo. We’ve never had a TV at our country lodge, so when the grandchildren visit, there is no temptation to watch it… it just isn’t part of the “lodge experience”.

Critically assess your habits

What are you throwing away? Get in the habit of looking critically at all of your household waste. Is it really garbage? Can it be used by others? Can you compost your wet garbage? Are you recycling everything that is possible to recycle? We have two or three charities that call us regularly to ask if we have any donations they can pick up. Some of them let us know we can call them any time for an additional pickup of clothing and household items. Check for charities that offer this service in your area.

Taking this simple step would see items such as stuffed toys (we’ve seen full boxes of perfectly good ones at the dump – some brand new with the tags still on),  other toys, bikes, folding chairs, lamps, tables, furniture, and much more, put to good use.

Episode one of the “Fitzgerald” series highlights many of the items that we rescued from the dump. Other episodes show many perfectly good items that had been thrown away, but which we personally didn’t take.

Challenge each other

Families can get together and set up challenges to minimize waste. At the office, organize a waste awareness day. Get your boss involved… or if you are the boss, you set the tone. Even neighborhoods can activate to increase awareness.

These are just a few suggestions to start the creative juices flowing. Each one of us must start taking individual responsibility to reduce the resource footprint on our fragile planet. Reducing our personal waste by limiting unnecessary consumerism, and through reuse and recycling are important actions for all of us.

Technorati Tags: dump, footprint, lifestyle, Recycle, Reduce, Reduce Reuse Recycle, resources, Reuse, waste

Interested in Renewables? Read the Solar Energy Facts

Solar Energy Facts

We hear about solar energy on an virtually daily basis.  But are we hearing real solar energy facts or is there are lot of talk filled with opinions which cannot be backed up with hard evidence.  Since this is becoming a hot political topic there are many solar energy facts out there which are not quite as substantiated as we are lead to believe.

One of the reasons why solar power is so topical is because it is a renewable energy source.  This means that, unlike energy which is dug or drilled out of the ground, it is not going to run out.

Another important solar energy fact is that it is a clean energy source. This means that it doesn’t increase levels of hazardous greenhouse gases and it does not produce any other emissions which are currently considered to be dangerous to our ecosystem.

Solar energy facts concerning its versatility are a bit vaguer.  This is due to the current problems with efficiency and storage.  If you are considering converting to solar power completely you may want a solar powered car.  This is possible, but you will probably find that you are going to have a difference in performance levels between your traditionally fuelled car and your solar powered.  So it is true that you can have a solar powered car, but there will be sacrifices.

So if you wanted to go green and have everything solar powered, would it be possible?  Well, one important solar energy fact is that manufacturers are cashing in on the idea and they are pricing solar energy powered products much higher than traditionally powered similar products.

So is solar energy cheaper to run?  This is a maze of information and extracting the solar energy facts of this one is not easy.  Once solar energy systems are installed they are cheaper to run.The sun will beam for free and every time she shows her face you will be gaining power to either use, store or sell.  In some areas you can sell your excess solar power back to your local energy supplier.  This all sounds very good, but there are a lot of upfront costs which you will have to recoup before you are making a profit, so don’t get too excited too quickly.  The only way to truly establish if you could run solar powered without breaking the bank is to get one of the solar powered companies to come and do a home assessment.  During this they will advise you of the work which would be required to convert your home to solar power.  This should include the cost parts and the amount of energy you are likely to be able to produce.  Most companies will be able to review your current energy use and be able to tell you if you will be short and need to top up with traditional sources of energy or if you will be selling back to the local supplier.

One solar energy fact you can be sure of is that solar energy is here to stay.  We just don’t know what percentage of our energy usage will be solar and how quickly this change over will happen.

Technorati Tags: Renewable Energy, solar energy facts, World energy resources and consumption

Different Types of Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating Solar Power

There are two main types of solar power generation methods used to produce electricity on a commercial scale. Photovoltaic panels, which are the large collections of the systems that you see in small scale on house roofs. Using the heat of the sun as thermal solar power are concentrating solar power (CSP) plants.

We will take a look at the way in which concentrating solar power plants create electricity. CSP plants are capable of producing electricity at a higher maximum capacity than a photovoltaic facility of the same size. They will play an increasingly important role in the move away from fossil-fuel sourced energy to that of renewable energy.

There are four main types of concentrating solar power systems: parabolic troughs, fresnel reflectors, dish / engine systems and central receiver systems. The technology involved with each is proven and either has been or still is in operation around the world with more developments in solar energy in progress to increase global capacity.

Trough systems work by making use of mirrored troughs that are used to focus the sun’s energy onto a receiver tube that is filled with fluid. The heat generated from this process heats the fluid to high levels so that super-charged steam is created. A conventional steam generator is then used to produce electricity.

A trough-based CSP plant typically consists of rows of mirrored troughs placed parallel to each other along a north-south axis in what is known as a collector field. Optimum heat is focused on the receiver tubes thanks to the pivoting nature of the parabolic troughs which track the sun’s movement across the sky. Electricity continues to get generated when the it’s cloudy or after the sun has set thanks to thermal storage. Technological advancements are continuing to prolong this production period in a bid to move to continuous solar electricity production.

One of the largest developments to use the parabolic trough design is the Andasol project in Spain. The surface area of the mirrors used to form the energy collection field of Andasol 3 alone is around 500,000m2.

Fresnel reflectors provide a more concentrated focus of solar energy onto centrally placed receivers. Costs are reduced using this method because the rows are positioned more closely together, there are fewer moving parts and less receivers are required. The receiver is stationary and it is shared by multiple mirrors.

An example of a recently commissioned CSP plant using reflector technology is the Kimberlina CSP plant in California developed by Ausra. This power plant is relatively small at only 5MW capacity, but it paves the way for future large-scale developments.

Dish / engine systems are stand-alone units that contain dish-shaped parabolic mirrors that concentrate the sun’s energy onto a receiver mounted above the dish. From there the energy is converted into mechanical power and electricity is generated similar to the way a mechanical engine runs. Each dish / engine unit has a capacity of around 25kW of solar power and it tracks the sun to ensure optimum power.

An example of the dish / engine technology is the Stirling Energy Systems dish called the Suncatcher that will be used in fields of thousands to form a power facility capable of generating over 500MW of electricity.

Central receiver systems, known colloquially as power towers, is another way to produce concentrated solar power. Looking as though they’re honoring a higher deity, thousands of mirrors called heliostats cluster around a receiver that sits on top of a tall tower. Molten salt is heated as it passes through the receiver and this then makes steam which operates a conventional steam generator. The molten salt can be stored for great lengths of time which means that this type of solar energy generates electricity continuously around the clock.

An example of a central receiver system in development is the Solar Tres power plant being built in Spain. The Solar Tres power plant will be a 15MW facility and it follows on from the successful demonstration power plant known as Solar Two which was located in the Mojave Desert.

One of the crippling problems with solar energy has been the high cost per watt of electricity, but technological advancements are bringing those costs down. Already, concentrating solar power plants hold a huge advantage over the traditional fossil fuelled counterparts in the lower impact to the environment. In fact, one of the only impacts that concentrating solar power plants have on the environment is land use.

Renewable energy continues to grow and with continued support it will eventually become one of the main sources of electricity around the world. Concentrating solar power has proven to be a renewable energy source with still more untapped potential.

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Technorati Tags: concentrating solar power, csp, environment, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Power

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