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02 27th, 2010| 
Lila Ibrahim and Jesse Csincsak take you to the Eye of the Wind, Vancouver’s first wind energy turbine. (Feb. 26)
Duration : 0:3:42
Feb
27
Feb
27
How to build your own Home solar energy or Wind Turbine Power Plant.
http://floydbogart.com/homepowerplant.html
www.tripika.net
Duration : 0:1:15
Feb
27
A new wave of technologies is on the verge of producing energy that’s clean, renewable, and most importantly, affordable.
Duration : 0:2:49
Feb
27
Raising the share of renewable energy from 8.5% to 20% in the overall energy consumption is a necessary contribution to the global fight against climate change and towards better control over our energy dependence. The various uses of renewable energy are examined: electricity through wind and hydraulic energies; electricity or heat through geothermal and solar energies; electricity, heat, and biofuel coming from biomass. The EU is a world leader in the use and deployment of technologies that exploit renewable energy sources, providing over 350.000 jobs and an annual turn-over of € 30 billion.
Download: http://ec.europa.eu./avservices/video/video_prod_en.cfm?type=detail&prodid=4783&src=1
http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/greencatalogue/swf/
Duration : 0:3:54
Feb
27
Using the energy from biomass to generate electricity at the Nanticoke Generating Station
Duration : 0:6:13
Feb
27
In the second of a series of 6 videos, Michael Cohen talks about how he came across bioenergy healing and the debilitating spinal and sensitivity disorders which he suffered for 15 years. For full details of his work visit www.bioenergyhealing.org.uk . To receive notification of the next part of the series of 6 videos click on the subscribe button.
Duration : 0:8:39
Feb
26
Could the answer to high energy bills be blowin’ in the wind? According to some, a strong breeze across the ocean can also mean inexpensive, clean and renewable energy for hundreds of thousands of homes with few drawbacks.
Humans all over the world have been using wind power for thousands of years through windmills and wind farms. But harnessing the power of wind across the ocean could be the wave of the future. Why? Advocates say that in the densely populated coastal regions, where demand for energy is high and land availability is low, offshore projects are necessary. The fact that offshore wind is typically steadier with higher speeds also adds to its appeal.
Globally, offshore wind power generation increased more than fivefold between 2000 and 2007. In fact, five countries – Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland have already installed offshore wind parks to provide electricity. Germany is close behind with more than 20 projects about to begin.
The benefits of offshore wind seem obvious – it is a renewable resource that can be widely distributed. It’s also an inexpensive and clean form of energy that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions when it displaces fossil-fuel-derived electricity. Despite this, as of today, no offshore wind projects have been built in the United States.
Opponents site the high initial construction costs while others complain that wind farms are noisy eyesores. Advocates agree that the initial price tag can be high, but say the long term savings more than make up for the start-up costs. They add that wind farms are built so far offshore that noise and visual concerns are minimal.
Still, planned offshore wind farms along the East Coast have incited much opposition. A project in Nantucket Sound has been delayed for years by those who worry about the possible influence on marine life, tourism and property values.
But some projects are moving forward. Early last month the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced approval to construct 96 wind turbines located 16-20 miles off the shore of Atlantic City.
A proposed offshore wind park in Delaware will provide Delmarva Power’s residential and small business customers with approximately 29-percent of the energy they use.
But a proposal to build an offshore wind park 12 miles off the coast of Ocean City hasn’t gotten passes the discussion stage, and although Maryland officials have shown some interest, there are no plans to move forward on the issue.
With the Worcester County Comprehensive plan calling for the use of green energy sources and with high fuel and electricity costs and an environment in peril, offshore wind may hold the answers to a better energy plan. More progress must be made to bring it to the forefront, however.
Anita Ferguson Todd
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/offshore-wind-energy-benefits-705039.html
Feb
26
I live in a home with Zero Utility Costs. Sounds too good to be true? Well, if not for the Solar Photovoltaic Array on our roof and some other smart changes, it would not be possible. But getting there wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t simple.
Back in 2005 I was concerned with the rising cost of utilities. You may be too if you are reading this article. Here in New Jersey, when I charted it for the past 5 years, it averages out to 1% increase per month in overall electricity cost. If you think that sounds different than what the politicians and utility company tells you, you are right. But when I looked at the total bill, and what I received for it, that was true. There are a lot of additional fees, surchages, and ’service or delivery charges’ that just show up on the bill. Fortunately for us, we found a way to deal with this issue.
We did it in two steps:
- conservation of electricity or decreased consumption, and
- alternate energy installation, or in our case Photovoltaic Solar Energy and a wood-burning stove nestled into our fireplace
I will take some time in this article to explain the top things to avoid for solar energy installation so that you can evaluate whether solar energy is right for you. The good news is just conserving electricity may be enough to help you in the short term.
The three biggest mistakes about moving to a Solar Energy array in your home or business are:
- No conservation efforts on your electricity consumption first and establishing that savings up front. Otherwise some of that solar electricity is wasted when it could be making you money.
- Avoiding detailed analysis on the consumption of electricity around your house. Otherwise you wind up with the wrong size solar energy system.
- Doing simple financial payback calculations instead of through fiscal modeling. Every one of the installers who quoted me had this very wrong. Some were very conservative to be fair, but others made some large mistakes on the financial calculations.
With our photovoltaic solar energy system, we hit all our milestones for savings ahead of schedule because of working the items listed in 1 & 2. And of course we are now utility-bill free because of item #3. Now let’s explore each of the three mistakes further.
Mistake #1 -No conservation efforts on your electricity consumption
Everything about installing solar energy installation benefits from eliminating all wasted electricity. It is absolutely critical to do as much conservation as possible and as much as you feel comfortable doing and then establishing those savings up front. The savings help determine what type of consumption savings alternatives makes sense to do and how long the payback or cost recovery will take. This includes swapping out costly halogen exterior lights for compact fluorescent bulbs and the same for the interior lights. Timers on lights that can get left on will also make a big difference. Old, inefficient appliances can be costing you large amounts of money in wasted electricity. Otherwise some of that solar electricity is wasted when it could be making you money. We were able to successfully reduce our electricity consumption by over 25%. Key items were investigating the appliances, compact fluorescent lighting or CFLs, and using timers. We also modfied the setback programs on our HVAC systems to provide cooling during very limited times of the day, only when needed most. We identified a lot of places where cooled air was escaping into the attic, basement, garage and outside. We essentially inventoried the entire house for everythign connected to a wall outlet or wired internally to the AC breaker box. We then questioned all of it, and challenged whether we could simply unplug each item.
Mistake #2 – Avoiding detailed analysis on your consumption of electricity
Otherwise you wind up with the wrong size solar energy system. It is important if you live in an area with varied heating and cooling seasons to have a seasonal model. This is most of North America so these efforts should be explored by most readers. By creating a good seasonal consumption model, you can identify exactly how large your energy needs are, and whether the conservation efforts from avoiding mistake #1 will apply, and in which seasons. We developed a full seasonal consumption model, and listed for each appliance whether their usage would change by the season. We then applied our conservation efforts and measured the results against the expected values to see whether we were on-track or off-track! We successfully conserved through the peak 7 months of consumption, and knew we had made real progress. We also were able to partially scale back our solar energy array size, saving thousands of dollars over a larger system under consideration. Lastly, by knowing how much we would be conserving, more electricity was produced and sold back to the utility grid. This provided us with hundreds of dollars more each year from Solar renewable energy Credits or SRECs.
Mistake #3 – Doing simple financial payback calculations
Instead of through fiscal modeling, simple calculations provide may provide very misleading suggestions. Every one of the installers who quoted me had this very wrong. Some were very conservative to be fair, but others made some large mistakes on the financial calculations.
A detailed financial payback model should include your initial outlay or deposit. The financing costs should be included in the payback calculations, making note of any finance fees and interest costs. Savings on your electric bills should be made on a seasonal or annual basis and included in the model. Special notes should be made on expected maintenance costs, including DC to AC inverter replacements every 5 to 7 years. The payback model should be useful to predict what your future with the conservation efforts will look like. It is recommended that you give this model a try for a portion of the year to see how well the model predicted how much you would save with energy conservation and if it actually came true before investing in a Photovoltaic Solar Array.
Finally, the payback model should include any income from the Solar Renewable Energy Credits or SRECs. The model should be able to show your expected electric utility bills for the next 12 to 48 months and possibly longer. The model should be given to you by any reputable installer, so that you can do some of your own “What-If” scenarios with the payback parameter assumptions.
Summary:
The three biggest mistakes we covered in moving to a Solar Energy array in your home or business are:
- No conservation efforts on your electricity consumption first and establishing that savings up front. Otherwise some of that solar electricity is wasted when it could be making you money.
- Avoiding detailed analysis on the consumption of electricity around your house. Otherwise you wind up with the wrong size solar energy system.
- Doing simple financial payback calculations instead of through fiscal modeling. Every one of the installers who quoted me had this very wrong. Some were very conservative to be fair, but others made some large mistakes on the financial calculations.
While we have focused on the top three mistakes, there are plenty of others! Read all you can, talk to people who have already done it, and ask them what they liked and what they would do differently.
find out more by visiting us:
http://www.solar4biz.com
http://www.lowermybillsnj.com
Joe Ficalora
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/the-top-3-mistakes-to-avoid-when-going-solar-or-installing-solar-energy-1249083.html
Feb
26
It has long been observed and proven that nature has already provided man with enough resources for energy—sunlight, geothermal heat, tides, and wind. Because these energy are abundant, in fact, so abundant that they could be replenished perpetually, they have come to be known as renewable energy.
Though extended discussions about renewable energy and its sources can become winded and more complex, every average person interested enough should at least know the basics in order to grasp the concept of how incredibly beneficial these energy sources are.
Man has long harnessed the power of wind and had applied it for practical purposes, albeit in smaller scale such as the power produced in windmills. Current technologies had long converted these simple renewable energy mechanisms to develop wind farms that generate energy supply without the associated risk of pollution. A lot of wind farms have been established in the United States and abroad to generate electricity. This provides proof on the increasing attraction of using wind power as source of renewable energy while decreasing environment risks and hazards. One critical consideration in establishing wind farms would the presence of constant strong winds, which is why many wind farms are located in elevated areas and even offshore locations are considered viable settings for this kind of renewable energy facility.
Renewable energy from water comes in many different forms. The most common would be the hydroelectric energy that is generated by waterfalls while some areas of the world also generate micro hydro systems that produce smaller amounts of electricity. Renewable energy is also tapped from currents deep under the ocean. This is termed as tidal stream power and several technologies have been developed to harness these viable source. Other sources of renewable energy generated from oceans would be tidal changes, temperature difference, tidal motions, and of course, waves.
Another viable renewable energy source is sunlight, which earth certainly has in abundance. There are numerous technologies developed to tap the solar energy and convert it into electricity, heating systems, and even cooling systems. Though most of these technologies are still in the initial stages, there is no denying the potential benefits promised by this renewable energy source. One of the leading concerns is cost of the materials used, though several affordable yet more efficient designs are still expected to be introduced into the market.
A lot of geothermal power plants had been built and have long been operational in several parts of the world. This is because this source of renewable source of energy generates power at low operating cost. Though some experts may contend that geothermal energy would not last as long as the others and is technically not renewable, it is still expected to provide large amount of power for a long time, even for a hundred years or so. However, it is still classified as a renewable energy source by the International Energy Agency and, like all other sources mentioned above, geothermal energy is reliable and environmentally friendly.
Though none of the renewable energy sources are considered to compete with fossil fuels just yet, it still provide some form of alternative for environmentally conscious individuals and communities in doing their share of lessening environmental degradation and destruction, something we can all ultimately derive benefits from.
Joost Hoogstrate
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/renewable-energy-use-what-the-average-individual-needs-to-know-727813.html
Feb
26
The potential of biomass as an energy source is enormous: experts have calculated that the planet produces eight times more biomass each year than its energy needs overall (though it currently puts only 7 percent of that available resource to use in energy production). It’s not only a renewable resource, it’s also a seemingly inevitable one; to paraphrase a common aphorism, biomass happens.
Any fuel created from biomass can be called biofuel, although the term gets the most media attention when used to denote biomass-based fuels that power internal combustion engines especially cars. These include biodiesel, biobutanol, biogas and bioethanol. The fuels can be created from plant materials specifically grown for the purpose or from the recycling or re-use of other biomass resources.
Energy Crops
Crops have long been grown to feed people and animals, but until recently were not raised specifically as energy sources. Even trees, which have been used for thousands of years as a heating source, were not “farmed” for just that purpose. Today there is even a term for trees and woody plants cultivated for the specific purpose of creating fuel: dendro-energy. The products of any agriculture dedicated to producing fuel of any sort are called “energy crops” the high-falutin technical term would be “closed-loop biomass” and are steadily becoming an important resource in global energy development.
There are literally hundreds of different dendro-energy resources alone, from abies balsamea (balsam fir) to Zizania aquatica (wild rice) around the world. In countries with no proven reserves of fossil fuels, investments and research in dendro-energy resources have helped otherwise energy-poor nations such as Sri Lanka develop alternatives to costly and politically dependent imports, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “power plant.”
Some of the energy crops grown around the world include corn, soybeans, flaxseed and sugar cane. Additionally, biofuels are also manufactured frequently from the unused portions of crops grown for other purposes such as the chaff, stalks, shells, husks, and roots.
Energy crops add fewer emissions to the air and water supply than do petroleum products in general and coal in particular. Energy crops contain almost no sulfur and far less nitrogen than fossil fuels, so their combustion does not contribute to acid rain and smog (sulfur dioxide, or SO2) and smog (nitrogen oxides, or NOx). And unlike fossil fuels, they do not have significant quantities of mercury to leach into the water supply. In general, energy crops do not release nearly the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as anthropogenic sources (that is, human-made concoctions such as natural gas, gasoline, solvents, pesticides, and paints).
There are biogenic sources of VOCs, however, and these do represent significant contributors. Pine and citrus trees, for example, release large quantities of isoprene (a chemical compound found naturally in plants and animals, including humans, isoprene is nevertheless a pollutant, especially as it contributes to the production of ozone) and terpenes (a family of hydrocarbons that are the major components of resin and, not surprisingly, turpentine), although these trees are used as biomass.
One promising source of biofuels is microalgae, which can be grown on aquaculture farms. A pilot program demonstrated in during the 1990s showed that algae can be used to create diesel and jet fuel. This is particularly good news given the efficiency of algae relative to some other energy crops. For example, corn, which is a common energy crop, yields just 18 gallons of fuel per acre. Thanks to its fast growth cycle, algae can yield up to 10,000 gallons per acre. There’s another benefit to algae, too. Some power plants are already using algae bioreactors to reduce CO2 emissions by pumping the gas into a pond or tank for the algae to feed on.
Recycled Energy
Another way in which biomass gets put to use as an energy source is through recycling biodegradable materials or water products. Industry and agriculture are major sources of biodegradable by-products, but every household generates potentially useful biomass. On a large scale, manufacturers and other industrial and commercial services generate biodegradable materials they no longer need.
Kevin Rockwell
http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/biofuels-stay-on-top-of-the-coming-trends-380739.html