Choosing Solar or Wind Power

Deciding on what kind of green power is appropriate for your life requires careful planning. Most importantly, you have to consider what kind of property you own. Certain properties have an abundance of natural resources, while others do not. Some properties have no outside space in which to install solar panels or wind turbines. However, this should not be a limitation. All designs of property, even apartment, can lend themselves to the creation of green power. It is also a lucky coincidence that most locations that lack one natural resource are usually abundant in another.

Your Property

Most of the power systems that we associate with green power- specifically solar panels and wind turbines- require outside space. Few properties have streams running through them, but if you are lucky enough to have such a property, there are many options for building micro-hydro systems. In all cases, there are options. If you have no outside space, you can look to the roof- while not ideal for wind (not impossible, just not ideal), it is a great place for a solar array. If you only have inside space, there are still passive solar systems that can be installed, such as window boxes relying on passive solar technology or windows based on the same technology.

Where you Live

Obviously, certain forms of green power are more efficient in different climates. in the Western US, solar power tends to be a better option than wind. But if you live on the plains or in the east, wind tends to be better. That said, installation of multiple systems is always a good option. In fact, the best energy systems rely on multiple forms of power generation so that natural forces do not prevent your system from shutting down. A week-long storm may reduce the efficacy of your solar generator, but if it brings wind along, then a turbine will be all the more effective. In addition, many forms of green power work where you might not think they would- you can still get power out of solar panel in a cloudy climate- albeit less than if you live in a desert.

Backup

Choosing the type of power backup you will use is necessary if you truly want to have success in maintaining green energy as your primary form of power. For many, this is a battery bank. For others, it’s to tie your power system into an existing power grid. Either option has its ups and downs, but before installing a system, this should be considered.

Finances

Green power is, in the long-term sense, a money saver. However, you need a certain amount of money to begin your project. If your budget is constrained, consider one of the many online guidebooks that can show you how to build your own generators for as little as $150.

As a final note, building green energy saves on both finances and environmental impact. Most Western governments are providing tax breaks or grant incentives for building power. In addition, the money saved in utilities ads up over time

Perhaps the most important result of this, however, is not financial. All that money you save is a great incentive. But for many, the greater incentive will that creating your own power constributes to saving the climate on a much larger scale.

I wish you all good luck and good building!

 

Damon Westchester is the editor of build-green-power.com.

Technorati Tags: Alternative Energy, Climate change, Energy Savings, green power, Solar Power, wind power

A couch potato’s 10 steps to fight global warming

The Green Effect

During this economic crisis and continued global warming, the need for sustainable development has become a now issue instead of a later issue. Both private and government entities (including the EPA) have come up with programs and products that promote “green” production and consumption. These environment-friendly practices are now being used in numerous firms and industries.

But what about the apartments we rent? Are our homes as “anti global waming” as they should be? Continued efforts to sustain the environment should first and foremost be undertaken under our own roof. These can be done with the use of products that consume less energy and other resources. Over time, the use of these products can result not only in savings but also in the reduction of waste and materials harmful to our homes and the environment.

Here’s a quick list of 10 items I’ve discovered that can make a world of a difference.

1. Heat-energy recovery system

· Sensible Heat Energy Recovery System (SHERS) uses heat generated from an air-conditioner or refrigerator to heat water. Payback period is anywhere from six months to two years

2.The Eco Bio Block

· Made of volcanic stones and beneficial bacteria, is used to purify water in home aquariums, water tanks and big bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and marshes. When used in home aquariums, there is no need to filter, clean and change water for a period of one to three years.

3. Biowash ball

· Washing clothes without using a detergent may seem strange. Introducing the Anabess biowash ball, it’s made of natural ceramics & alters the chemical composition of the water so it can wash clothes more effectively without liquid detergent. It should last 3 years. Think of the savings in gas from running to the store for more detergent.

4. Air-con with inverter technology

· The Panasonic Envio series of air-conditioners makes use of an “inverter technology” that changes compressor operation speed to match a changing room temperature and adjust power output accordingly, which leads to reduced energy consumption of up to 50 percent, while product only costs about 14% more than the average AC. The payback period may be expected in about seven months..

5.Low Flow faucets

Moen has mother natures call for water conservation by coming up with a line of WaterSense-certified bathroom faucets. With the help of new aerator technology these Moen faucets use 30% less water than other models but still feel just as powerful on your hands.

6. Compact fluorescent lamp

· Much has been said about the efficiency of compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs. They last about 5x longer than incandescent lamps and consume 80% less energy with the same level of brightness. Companies such as Purely Products even carry CFLs that double as ionizers for the room, eliminating the need for an unsightly ionizer on the floor.

7.Reusable shopping bags

· The impact of just one person changing to reusable bags over a two-year period is significant. Used twice a week for two years a consumer would save 832 plastic bags from going in a landfill.

8.Biodegradable Cellulose Sandwich bags

· Typical plastic bags are derived from petroleum and take well over a lifespan to decompose. These biodegrade in 1-3 months in soil BUT actually keep food lasting longer, unlike evil plastic, they don’t release gases which spoil food taste.

9.Smart Surge Protector

· Green Home introduced a smart surge protector. The power strip can ’sense’ the flow of electrical current through the strip’s control outlet. This unique option enables the Smart Strip to turn off selected equipment when it’s not in use saving you time & greenbacks!

A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. Let’s say the computer is plugged into that single outlet. When your PC is finished powering off, the current draw from the computer drops to its idle current — and the Smart Strip monitors the current change, automatically powering down all of the computer peripherals.

The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector on the market today with energy saving electronics. The 10 outlet surge protector version has 1 Control Outlet, 3 Constant Hot Outlets, and 6 Switched Outlets.

10.Compostable Trash Bags

· These BioBags are made from GMO free starch and are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable.

Now that you know about these products start using them daily. By changing just a few things we use daily, we each can do our part.

Technorati Tags: Climate change, eco-friendly, environment, environmental protection, Global Warming, go green, green, save the earth, save the planet, sustainabillity, the green effect

Discover More – Will Global Warming Cause The Next Ice Age?

One major problem in the debate over climate change is a general lack of knowledge on the subject. People usually don’t think about where their electricity, gasoline, or toilet paper comes from. Part of this acceptance comes from the way industry separates products from the production process…When we turn on lights in L.A., we don’t see the plants and coal mines that generated the power…Only those paying careful attention make the connections. Another part of the problem is that we are reluctant to question science, which has such prestige that people rarely stop to question who is funding research and whether that could compromise findings. (Gibson 17)

Most people also don’t understand how the theory of global warming works. They think that a really cold winter is evidence that global warming is a myth. However, scientists that support the ideas of global warming are referring to long-term climate change. Climate refers to environmental patterns over a long period of time. Weather refers to short-lived events, and can have isolated extremes. One of the predictions of many scientists is that global warming will cause more extreme weather: hotter summers, longer droughts, colder winters, and stronger storms. According to their theories, Europe could be tossed into another ice age because of global warming, not turned into a tropical paradise. This is because of the effect global warming could have on ocean currents.

Skeptics will often find any opportunity to attack the views of scientists based on some isolated weather event, or the lack of such an event. If the scientists predict increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes, skeptics will point out that this last hurricane season was extremely mild, with the only intense storms hitting Mexico. Ultra-conservative commentator, Rush Limbaugh, doesn’t just consider global warming to be a myth; he calls it a hoax and a religion. “It’s got salvation, got everything in it. It has the primary ingredient of every religion: faith. Because none of it can be proved” (Limbaugh 4). Limbaugh also takes issue with the use of the word “consensus” by global warming activists, and is right to do so. “Consensus and science-I got blue in the face saying this-don’t and cannot mutually co-exist” (Limbaugh 4). If scientists had reached any sort of consensus, this would be a dead issue. Most scientists agree that the temperature of the earth has been gradually increasing, but that doesn’t mean they agree on the possible causes or consequences.

A survey of more than 530 climate scientists from 27 different countries showed that 82% of the scientists agreed that global warming is occurring. Only 2.6% said they “strongly disagree.” When asked if current scientific knowledge can allow for a reasonable assessment of greenhouse gases, two-thirds of the scientists disagreed with the statement.

The question most people are most keen to ask climate scientists is probably “do you agree or disagree that climate change is mostly the result of anthropogenic (man-made) causes?” Slightly more than half (55.8%) of climate scientists surveyed agreed, 14.2% were unsure, and 30% disagreed. Interestingly, more scientists “strongly disagree” than “strongly agree” that climate change is mostly the result of anthropogenic causes. The survey clearly shows that the debate over why the climate is changing is still underway, with nearly half of climate scientists disagreeing with what is often claimed to be the “consensus” view. (Bast 4)

The study goes on to clarify that the question wasn’t whether humans have any effect on climate, but whether they are mostly to blame. It’s certainly quite possible that humans are having at least some effect on the climate, but nothing can be proven with any certainty.

Some skeptics believe that mankind is too insignificant and could not possibly have so much influence on the environment. S. Fred Singer is a well-known climate change skeptic. He has been trying to gain support for the theory that climate change is a natural, cyclical process. He believes the earth has a 1,500-year cycle of warming and cooling, with minor ice ages interspersed with interglacial periods. Singer claims that his research shows this cycle going back at least one million years, often with abrupt changes. At one time, Greenland was quite green, with crops and livestock farming. Warm waters were abundant with fish and seals. There were two thriving settlements, but they were eventually lost to glaciers, malnutrition, and starvation. Dairy farmers were even forced to eat their cows. This was due to a 1.5 degree Celsius drop in average temperatures between 1100 and 1400. “Denmark would not re-colonize Greenland until 1721, when the Little Ice Age was losing its grip on the huge island. Today, 150 years into the Modern Warming, Greenland has 50,000 people” (Singer xii). Singer believes that these cycles are caused by solar changes, not greenhouse gases. He is skeptical of activists who “ask society to renounce most of its use of fossil fuel-generated energy and accept radical reductions in standards of living to “save the planet” (Singer 3). While it makes sense to not be swept up in the alarmist propaganda of activists, being unwilling to sacrifice an air conditioner or SUV, if it is truly necessary, seems selfish and defiant.

Learn more Global warming causes at: Global warming causes

Go organic – read about heirloom organic seeds.

Technorati Tags: Climate change, Fred Singer, Global Warming, Little Ice Age, Rush Limbaugh

Info About Carbon Credits

Carbon Credits

Carbon credits are measured in units of certified emission reductions. Each CER is equivalent to one ton of carbon dioxide reduction. Carbon Credits are going to hold the same value where ever you are because CO2 has a global impact. Carbon credits provide a way to reduce climate change and greenhouse effects by capping annual emissions. The credits let the market assign a monetary value to any shortfall through trading and are a key component of both national and international emissions trading schemes available to prevent global warming.

Carbon credits for sequestered carbon are not an annual payment. In order to receive further credits, the level of soil carbon would need to be further increased. Carbon credits are a part of international emission trading norms. They incentivise carbon credits companies or countries that emit less carbon. Carbon credits involve calculating one’s emissions and then purchasing offsets from emission reduction projects. These projects have either prevented or removed an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere, or promise to prevent or remove an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide in the future.

Companies or other groups that emit the pollutant are given carbon credits or allowances which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of allowances and credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies that sell carbon credits also have vastly different business models. Some function as little more than middlemen—buying up credits and selling them at a markup.

Companies for home energy solutions who will be emitting more carbon than they have permits to emit must therefore buy additional credits on the open market, while those who will emit less can sell their credits.

Project developers can then sell these offsets to finance their projects. Projects involving solar, wind and hydroelectric power generate energy from renewable sources instead of fossil fuels. Others reduce fuel use by increasing efficiency, switching fuels, or generating heat and electricity together .

Countries within the EU ETS have granted their incumbent businesses most or all of their allowances for free. This can sometimes be perceived as a protectionist obstacle to new entrants into their markets. Countries that did pass the Kyoto treaty now have set caps on greenhouse gas emissions. If a country emits less greenhouse gases than the cap calls for, it receives carbon credits that it can turn around and sell on worldwide carbon exchanges.

Technorati Tags: Carbon credit, Climate change, Kyoto Protocol

Recycling Can Mean Anyone Can Do Their Bit For The Planet

You have a home and it is so much more than the roof over your head. This home provides you food, water, shelter and the very air you breathe. Your planet, my planet and our planet is home to billions of people spread out over hundreds of countries. But it will not be much of a home unless we start recycling our garbage, and take the “reduce reuse recycle” idiom to heart. No one wants to live in a dirty, filthy home overrun by garbage. The Earth is no different.

Global climate change is a very real threat to the preservation of this planet. You have probably seen television ads focusing on new hybrid vehicles that can help save the environment by producing less toxic byproducts from the burning of fossil fuels. Does the burning of trash cross your mind as ways you can help save the environment. Our landfills are becoming overflowing with hazardous waste and other products that are not biodegradable. Plastic water bottles, disposable diapers and styrofoam containers, to name a few, are all becoming huge problems in most areas of the world.

If you are going to be recycling, then you will need to make sure the recyclables go into the appropriate destination containers. Plastics, glass, aluminum cans and paper products will each have a separate container. You should also consider making a compost if you live in a house that has a yard, that will utilize any yard trimmings and left over food waste.

If every person did their part to help combat overflowing landfills, then we could reduce our waste by fifty percent. That is half the amount going into landfills today. Perhaps there will come a time when we no longer have to continuously find new places to bury our waste. Plastics would be reused. Organic materials would be turned back into the soil to enrich the ground for crops. It is a lovely sentiment and thought but not enough people are doing their part to help make this a cleaner world and prevent global warming causes.

Recycling is a huge responsibility that each and every person should take upon themselves to help keep our landfills free of recyclables that could be better used elsewhere. If you do not know how to recycle, then there are resources in many places to help you getting started. Your local sanitation program can give you information on learning how to recycle and you can find a plethora of information on the internet.

Technorati Tags: Climate change, global climate change, global issues, Recycle, Recycling

The Renewables Obligation in the UK

Renewables Obligation

The Renewables Obligation is a Government mechanism to encourage investment in renewable energy. It is central to the United Kingdom Government’s policy to raise the amount of renewable energy generated in the UK.

The renewables obligation (RO) has been guaranteed to be available for longer recently (UK pre-budget report).

The Alistair Darling MP has stated it is a Government wish which remains in place, despite the economic difficulties, not to let the present state of the economy impact badly on spending in the sector of renewable energy projects and environmental schemes generally.

“Action to achieve environmental goals remains a high priority,” he stated in his address to Parliament. Most importantly, the pre-budget report states the RO will be extended until “at least 2037” This is said to be in order to encourage rising investment in all renewable energy technology.

So, all UK investors can now plan with confidence for the future so that over the next decade the market will continue to deliver the renewable energy schemes, and contracts let, which will enable the UK to need to their 2020 target.

This means that electricity supply companies are still going to be encouraged to source continually increasing amounts of the electricity they sell (5.5% in 2005/06 rising to 15.4% by 2015/16) from renewable supplies the largest of which will be from wind farms.

The Renewables Obligation is the Department’s main policy mechanism aimed at increasing the proportion of electricity that is generated from renewable sources throughout the UK. It is expected to make a significant contribution towards achievement of the current target of 12% contained in the Department’s Strategic Energy Framework for the proportion of electricity that is generated from indigenous renewable sources by 2012.

The Renewables Obligation has however been criticised by some as an example of a green policy that has seriously unpleasant side effects and fails to achieve its objectives. The criticism is that the RO is a system which provides the same level of financial support for all eligible renewable projects. The Department adopted this approach as an easy opt -out, they say, to ensure that the most economic renewable energy projects are developed first, while minimising Government intervention in the market. However, the instrument is too blunt and important opportunities are in danger of being missed.

Generators get the same amount of ROC support for each MWh, no matter where in the UK they are sited. However, power generated closer to the main urban areas will incur far fewer distribution losses and hence costs to the nation to use it.

Larger wind farms may require to distribute their power to consumers further away and hence use grid lines running at 132kV, 275kV and 400kV, controlled by National Grid that are designed to take power over greater distances. These are going to need extending and strengthening.

Generators based in Scotland are therefore at an advantage, due to for example, their high winds. They can produce more power from the same investment due to those higher winds but should they still get the same price for their output?

The Renewables Obligation is said by its critics also to be failing the technologies that most need help. Designed to be technology neutral, it raises the most money for the lowest cost technologies.

So, the RO is a market led measure and will remain so. The Obligation is helping the UK renewable industry to take forward those renewable technologies that are close to becoming commercially competitive, but does nothing for innovation.

View our video about the utilisation of biomass as one of the renewables Power Projects

Renewable energy policy is a primary part of climate change policy. Climate change policy should aim to deliver curbs in emissions where they are easiest to cut, and where they require the least change in our life-styles and aspirations. The government would argue that the RO does this. However, this will coast us. Sir Nick Stern’s estimate, in the Stern Report, of a cost of some 1 per cent of national income is modest, and is equivalent to foregoing half a year’s British growth in terms of recent growth achieved.

Wind Turbines is not the only form of renewables Power Projects. There are many others, for example:

1. Biomass
2. Energy recovery from water distribution systems
3. Anaerobic Digestion
4. Wave

Related articles by Zemanta

• PBR: The green reaction
• Chancellor slammed over budget’s lack of green ambition
• Can Renewable Energy Be Sustained?
• Germany attacks UK on renewables
• Wind power gets boost in pre-budget report

Technorati Tags: Climate change, Renewable Energy, Renewables Obligation