Improvements in hydrogen generator technology

Author: Groshan Fabiola

The new generation of hydrogen generators comes with extremely high purity devices, that are safe and that present no danger to the environment. They are the best alternative to gas cylinders, and they are simple to use anywhere. The hydrogen generator just needs to be plugged in the electrical supply and it is ready to go.

The hydrogen generator need of course a source of distilled water, or just water at some models, to produce hydrogen, because it separates the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water, thus producing highly pure hydrogen for weeks.

These hydrogen generators can generate hydrogen that is 99.99..% pure, giving over 1000 cc/min, and they do not require changing their cylinders. The safety of the hydrogen generators has been certified.

How the hydrogen generator works may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, for example some models use a solid polymer electrolyte to separate oxygen from hydrogen, which makes them more safe than other models that use a caustic liquid electrolyte. After the hydrogen is generated it passes through a palladium membrane that lets only 99.99..% pure hydrogen pass through, thus insuring the gas' purity.

In conclusion, the latest generation of hydrogen generators brings some series of improvements that makes it extra reliable, with almost no need of maintenance or downtime. The best way of increasing the safety and lowering the costs in your laboratory is to acquire a hydrogen generator, and you can be sure that the investment is worth it, because you will no longer have to buy hydrogen cylinders, so the hydrogen generator will pay for itself in a year or two.

Many new-generation hydrogen generators can be found on the online market, so choose one that fits your needs, because a large variety of hydrogen generators is available, with many built-in functions.

About the Author:

This article is written by Grosan Fabiola. Link advertisment by Site-Trade.com and Business Content Dyrectory. If you would like to find more information about Chemical Generators and especially about Hydrogen Generators please follow these links

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The Investment Into Green Energy

by: James Copper

In the United States, Canada and Australia both commercial and residential consumers can buy green energy from their standard local utility provider of from a provider that specializes in green energy. Many third party suppliers of energy provide green energy electricity that is produced from renewable resources. This energy is delivered to consumers by way of their local electric utility company. The consumer who opts for this green energy course pays a small premium each month on her or his utility bill as the additional cost of the green energy they are getting. The other option is to buy directly from the green energy supplier.

Of course, when a consumer buys the green energy via the local utility company he or she can not know its really green energy in other words, they do not know that they truly got what they paid extra for. It is a matter of trust. The local electric company buys the electricity from the various producers. These can be nuclear, coal, hydroelectric power on a large scale or green energy providers such as solar and wind energy producers.

Must electricity from the local utility company in any country comes from fossil fuels or nuclear power that is not renewable and or pollutes the environment to a high and dangerous level. Green energy is the current provider of a minimal percentage of our worlds electricity. In fact, when utility companies buy green energy for the consumers that request it they generally only buy 25 percent of what they ultimately provide to all.

Consumers who sign up with their local utility provider to pay a premium each month for green energy are not only helping to save their environment but they are also sending a message to the utility companies and the legislature that they are willing to pay extra for healthy air for us all.

There are environmentally conscious, forward thinking countries such as the Netherlands that have committed themselves to matching their consumers purchase of green energy with an equal amount of green energy buy for governmental use. The government of Holland exempts green energy producers and users from its pollution tax. This exemption brings the cost of green energy consumption down considerably.

Several organizations in Europe promote the consumption of green energy, and there are a number of green energy providers, although the high cost of electricity in those countries has kept the use of the less expensive gas and oil the majority provider.

At work now are efforts to distribute cheap renewable electricity in these countries so the average electrical consumer can afford to support the environment and clean air efforts with the use of green energy products. Consumers can install their very own renewable green energy system, based locally.

This may be solar, wind or even water power. Geothermal heat pumps also provide green energy by tapping a few feet into the earths temperature.

Many U.S. states now offer monetary incentives for those who want to use the more costly green energy electricity sources.

About the Author:
James Copper is a writer for http://www.plumbingcareer.co.uk

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Hydrogen car becomes reality in britain within few months?

This article was found on channel 4:

"...

The fuel cell and electrolyser development company, ITM Power Plc, and the engineering group Roush Technologies Ltd, have signed an agreement that 'could see CO2-free commercial cars being marketed in UK within months.'
The two companies have teamed up to put hydrogen powered vehicles on Britain's roads.

Roush is to work on solutions to adapt existing internal-combustion engines to run on hydrogen and on the development of all-new bespoke hydrogen-fuelled engines. The only by-product of burning hydrogen in an engine is water vapour.

ITM Power is developing hydrogen refuelling stations and a system whereby operators can generate their own hydrogen on-site by the electrolysis of water. An electrolyser system is to go into production in Sheffield later this year that can produce hydrogen from water using either off-peak or renewable-source electricity generated by wind, wave or solar power.

Although engines using hydrogen are already in production - BMW has made a small number of hydrogen-fuelled 7-Series saloons - and fuel cell cars (with on-board electrolysis to convert hydrogen fuel into electrical energy) are near to commercial reality, both solutions need a supply infrastructure for hydrogen.

ITM's CEO Jim Heathcote said: 'We are committed to bringing practical hydrogen power into the automotive market place within a dramatically reduced timeframe. Whilst [the project] initially involves the commercial vehicle sector, it will demonstrate the wider potential of hydrogen technology to help cut CO2 emissions and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.'


..."

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The Israeli car that can makes its own hydrogen fuel

Israeli scientists have invented an exceptional system that can produce Hydrogen inside a car by means of common metals such as Aluminum and Magnesium. The system can solve all of the barriers associated with the manufacturing, transporting and storing of hydrogen to be used in cars. When it becomes commercial in a few years time, the system will be included in ordinary cars that will cost almost the same as existing conventional cars to run, and will be completely emission free.

While Bush urges Americans to cut back on the use of oil in face of the lately surge in prices, more and more people looks for more feasible alternatives to the use of petroleum as the main fuel for the automotive industry. Scientist at Weizmann Institute, have recently found a way to use pure Zinc to produce Hydrogen using solar power. Now, another solution has been developed by an Israeli company called Engineuity. Amnon Yogev, one of the two founders of Engineuity, along with a retired Professor of the Weizmann Institute, suggested a method for producing a continuous flow of Hydrogen and steam under full pressure inside a car. This method could also be used for producing hydrogen for fuel cells and other applications requiring hydrogen and/or steam.

The Hydrogen car Engineuity is currently working on will use metals like Magnesium or Aluminum which will come in the form of a long coil. The gas tank will be replaced by a new device called a “Metal-Steam combustor” that will separate Hydrogen out of heated water. The principle behind the technology is fairly uncomplicated: the tip of the metal coil is inserted into the Metal-Steam combustor together with water where it will be heated to very high temperatures. The metal atoms will bond to the Oxygen from the water, creating metal oxide.
Consequently, the Hydrogen molecules become free, and will be sent into the engine alongside the steam. The solid waste product of the process, in the form of metal oxide, will later be collected in the fuel station and recycled for further use by the metal industry.

Refuelling the car based on this technology will also be remarkably simple. The vehicle will contain a mechanism for rolling the metal wire into a coil during the process of fuelling and the spent metal oxide, which was produced in the previous phase, will be collected from the car by vacuum suction.

Alongside the apparent advantages of the system, such as the inexpensive and plentiful fuel, the production of Hydrogen on-the-go and the zero emission engine, the system is also more efficient than other Hydrogen solutions.

The main reason for this is the improved usage of heat (steam), which brings the overall performance level of the vehicle to that of a conventional car. In an interview, Professor Yogev told IsraCast that a car based on Engineuity's system will be able to travel about the same distance between refuelling as a comparable usual car. The only minor drawback, which also limits the choice of possible metal fuel sources, is the weight of the coil. In order for the Hydrogen car to be able to travel as far as a conventional car it needs a metal coil three-times heavier than an equivalent petrol tank. Although this sound like a lot in most cars this will add up to about 100kg (220 pounds) and should not affect the performance of the car.

Engineuity is currently in the advanced stages of the incubator program of the Chief Scientist in Israel, and is seeking investors that will allow it to develop a full scale prototype. Given the proper investment the company should be able to develop the prototype in about three years. The move to Hydrogen based cars using Engineuity's technology will require only relatively minor changes from the car manufacturer's point of view. Since the modified engine can be produced using existing production lines, removing the need for investment in new infrastructures (the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars), the new Hydrogen cars would not be more expensive. Although Engineuity's Hydrogen car will not be very different from existing conventional cars, the company is not currently planning an upgrade kit for existing cars but is concentrating on building a system that will be incorporated into new car models.

Possibly the most appealing aspect of the system is the running cost. According to Yogev, the overall running cost of the system should be equal to that of conventional cars today. Given the expected surge in oil prices in the near future Engineuity's Hydrogen car could not come too soon.

Iddo Genuth, Tomer Yaffe - IsraCast, Jerusalem


from IsraCast.

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Wind Power as a Viable Solution to Alternative Energy Needs

Warren Peters

Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company's grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one's energy needs while also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient.

In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to go primitive, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.

Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers.In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total green energy systems costs.

In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called net metering laws. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn't really be a role for the federal government, the Energy Department's Craig Stevens says.

And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it's unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for ... your electricity, according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric's director of regulatory policy.

However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, It's quality power that strengthens the grid.

About the Author:
Warren has been actively helping save the earth for future generations. See how you can help too. More information: Alternative Energy

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High Oil Prices Mean Invest in Coal-To-Liquid Technology (CTL)

Who in their right mind would consider a Coal-To-Liquid Technology(CTL) investment when we have plenty of oil supplies? You should. Because we dont.
Yes, oil prices are high . But crude production has peaked. Output in all major fields is fixed, or is declining. New oil fields are smaller and harder to get at, and extraction techniques are getting more difficult and expensive. Energy demand around the world is rocketting. Oil prices are rising steeply. Increasing political unrest means uncertain supplies and the markets hate uncertainty.
That suggests oil substitute fuels like liquid coal will be needed soon. The other 'obvious' oil substitutes-liquid natural gas oil sands, biofuels, fuel cells, renewable sources and nuclear power can't meet total demand at a reasonable cost for the next decade at least.
What is likely to be the solution? Large supplies of coal. Combined with a long-used proven technology which can convert coal into a clean pumpable liquid with low burnoff emissions- CTL. Both are now readily available at competitive costs.
There are vast available coal deposits in the USA, China, India ,Canada, and Australia, allowing enough liquid coal for scores, maybe hundreds of years, even if demand accelerates.
Note that the Middle East has declining oil and virtually no coal.

Once oil prices rise above $35 a barrel, coal-to-liquid technology providing liquid coal at $20-$30/barrel begins looking very attractive as an oil alternative. Presently oil prices remain above $60, show no sign of descending and could peak at $100-$150 a barrel - IF available from anywhere. This would potentially lead to gasoline at $8/gallon at US pumps and widespread recession.
Other technologies such as coal gasification and gas-to-liquids (GTL) are currently cheaper than coal liquefaction and so some companies afraid of a downturn in oil prices and seeking the best current investment returns may be tempted by those instead.
However China and the US-now the two major powerhouses of world industry-are likely to opt for liquid coal on the basis of huge cheap domestic supplies and the incentive of non reliance of volatile outside markets.

China is an fast awaking industrial giant. They need vast amounts of energy badly for electricity for factories homes and schools, have little oil but lots of coal. Trouble is, the coal is in the north, and industrial developments in the south, China is huge and the roads and railways are presently poor.
It's hard to transport solid coal then burn it and create lots of pollution, but much easier and ultimately cheaper to pump clean liquid coal by pipeline.
The government there doesn�t argue or debate issues with the public-with collaboration with Royal Dutch Shell, they have already started to build a liquid coal plant in the Ningxia region, with three more on the way.

Also, consider the car. Demand is growing worldwide. But so are demands for cleaner more efficient vehicles. Liquid coal can be used to make both gasoline or diesel fuel. But the most ecofriendly efficient car of the near future probably WON'T be a electric-gasoline hybrid but an electric-diesel hybrid. This will have similar refinement and performance but far better overall miles per gallon, lower emissions.
Also note that China and India plan to break into the car production market and will be in a powerful position to provide cheap clean fuel-efficient cars to their own vast markets and overseas.
Extra pressure on car manufacturers (dependant on crude oil and suffering from high production costs) and already hovering on the brink of bankruptcy in the US? Or to switch production heavily towards hybrids?Liquid coal - way to go!
Present coal plants can't and wont use oil for a fuel- burn profile is wrong and way too expensive. However any existing coal plant that presently burns coal will be able to burn liquid coal too. Efficient, kinder to the environment, no sulfur, mercury or ash AND less smells dust and fumes.

Expect politicians to push CTL and give it an easy tax ride for the same reasons they are presently favoring biofuels like ethanol:
(1) there�s the lure of a vote winning rural job-creation side from an industry otherwise viewed as declining.
(2) Many Western voters and investors are getting worried about the security implications of depending on their energy supplies from increasingly unfriendly or unstable nations.
(3) Many environmentalists, given the right conditions (e.g. high carbon capture at CTL plants, alternatives like nuclear energy), are likely to warm to CTL because of its overall cleaner profile.

Many firms are already investing in CTL. Forget oil and other oil substitutes for the moment. Look into it now if you are interested, and look for CTL specialists like Headwaters, Syntroleum Corp, and Rentech, and particuliarly, the highly experienced South African company, Sasol. Discover more energy investment 'finds'- plus all the best and latest secret red hot investments-at:http://www.red-hot-investment.com/

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Photosynthesis - Nature's green energy

Justin Kander Published 12/31/1969 Science

Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes on Earth, if not the most important. Without it, life could not have thrived and evolved into what it is today, and the biotic organisms that inhabit the planet today would be very different, possibly inexistent. Also, some of the abiotic factors of the planet would also be different, mainly the atmosphere.

By definition, photosynthesis is the process by which plants use light energy to make food (glucose) from carbon dioxide and water. The chemical equation for photosynthesis is 6 CO2 + 12H2O ---> C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 H2O + 6 O2. Not seen in the equation is light (which would normally go above the arrow). The light from the sun provides energy for the plant to change water and carbon dioxide into glucose. However, it's not that simple, in fact, photosynthesis is probably the most complicated process on Earth.

Photosynthesis comprises of two stages. The first stage of photosynthesis is called the Light Reactions, because that is of photosynthesis where the plant incorporates light. In the light reactions, light energy is converted to chemical energy and O2 is produced as a waste product. The light reaction takes place in the chloroplast of the plant cell. Light is absorbed by the chlorophyll and is later used to power photosynthesis. The light is actually used to make ATP, the chemical energy molecule, from ADP and phosphate. Light is also used to excite electrons, which are used to reduce NADP+ to NADPH, with the assistance of enzymes and an extra H+ molecule. So, the purpose of the light reactions in photosynthesis is to use solar energy to make the energy molecules ATP and NADPH. The final product of photosynthesis, sugar, is not made in this step, and carbon dioxide is not used until the next step, the "Dark Reactions", more commonly known as the Calvin Cycle.

The Calvin Cycle occurs in the chloroplast too, but in a different part. The Calvin Cycle is the part of photosynthesis which actually uses the carbon dioxide and makes glucose. Using the carbon from carbon dioxide, the energy provided by ATP, and the excited electrons carried by NADPH, the Calvin Cycle produces a sugar molecule called glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, which later is broken down into glucose.

The Light Reactions are actually broken down into two processes, called Photosystem I and Photosystem II. Photosystem II actually occurs first, but they are named in the order of which they were discovered. Both photosystems absorb light energy. In Photosystem II, light energy is used to break apart H2O and create 2 H+ molecules (used in NADPH) and 1/2 an O2 molecule, or an oxygen atom. However, that oxygen atom immediately combines with another oxygen atom, and diffuses out of the plant as an oxygen molecule. The 2 H+ molecules and the 2 electrons are used in Photosystem I to create NADPH, which of course moves onto the Calvin Cycle.

Photosynthesis does have additional molecules that are involved other then the ones listed above, and although they are crucial to the process, it is not imperative that they be known.

Check out the author's website, http://www.w4t3r.com, which has a lot of funny stories

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Fueling your car with water?! - a video review...

This video demostrate the idea of using water to enhance your engine performance and save fuel. Well, this techbology is based on HHO (Hydrogen) technology.
Watch it:


This new Hydrogen fuel could be the future, or is it just a dream. I try to answer this in the future.

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A Solution for Saving Fuel

With fuel prices on the rise, saving fuel is again a top priority. If you drive and have more the one vehicle, higher fuel prices are taking a bigger bite out of your budget. But what’s unnerving about this round of increasingly higher fuel prices is it isn’t showing signs of stabilizing, and who knows when it is going to level off

If you’re already feeling the pinch of higher fuel prices, that pinch is certain to become more painful. So what are your options?

Time and again you hear that reducing the amount of miles you drive is an easy way of saving fuel. Yea right! With a daily round-trip commute to your full-time job and all the day-to-day errands to handle, it’s unlikely you can limit the number of trips to the fuel pump. Driving less sounds good in theory but in reality, it’s not always practical advice. Plus all the fuel being used up by people who jumped the border.

Something that is within your control is optimizing your car’s performance. You’ve probably even taken some fuel saver steps such as ensuring your tires are properly inflated, replacing dirty air filters, making fewer stops, and removing excess weight from your vehicle. But have you noticed that big a change in the fuel prices you pay as a result? Probably not.

Filling up using alternative fuel sounds promising and it sounds like the perfect solution but again, there’s a small but significant problem. Alternative fuel isn’t readily available! There probably aren’t even any fuel pumps in your neighborhood dispensing alternative fuel.

And the same goes for using fuel cells to power alternative fuel vehicles. It’s an idea that promises results, but it’s just beginning to catch on. Fuel cells are expensive to produce and although the fuel cell has been around 150+ years, the technology involved in using a fuel cell as a way of saving fuel is still in its infancy.

So what can you do right NOW?

If you’re serious about saving fuel (and who isn’t?) all you need to do is add a tested and proven fuel additive into your vehicle’s tank every time you visit the fuel pump. It doesn’t matter what you drive – car, truck, SUV, or diesel. By doing this you’ll get more miles out of every gallon you pump! Now that’s simple. And it’s smart. And it’s something you can do today.

Several fuel saver additives are currently available but some aren’t living up to their promises. So look for a product that states right on the label that it’s registered with the US EPA. The product does not have to be tested, just registered.

Then look for a fuel additive that does double-duty. In other words, while you’re saving fuel, you may as well do your part to save the environment! It’s easy when you use a fuel additive that works to reduce vehicle emissions. Nowadays it’s more important than ever to do what you can to reduce your impact on the environment. And what could be easier than using a fuel additive?

So stop complaining about ever-increasing fuel prices and start saving fuel (and the environment) with a proven fuel additive. It really is a simple solution!

One of the best out there is Libertyfuels.direct.com, the product is more the half the cost of the others and works as good or better. You can check it our for yourself at www.ecosavesfuel.com and or http://www.libertyfueldirect.com/

About the Author:
Fuel for a Free America

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How To Really Save Planet Earth: A Test About Al Gore

Al Gore is NOT telling people how to really save the planet, but you may be surprised who is. The solution to our planetary problems doesn't need to be political, and you can't even blame George Bush for this one. People created this problem and also have the power to solve it. This article can empower YOU.

If you really want to bring the Earth back from the brink of disaster, who should you be listening to?

A. Al Gore of "Live Earth" and "An Inconvenient Truth"

B. Diane Sawyer of ABC's "Seven Ways to Help Save the World"

C. Michael Brune of "Rain Forest Action Network"

D. Conservative commentator Glenn Beck of "CNN Headline News"

"An Inconvenient Truth" left out the most inconvenient truth of all, and the Live Earth concerts were an environmental joke (and the music was really bad, too). Ms. Sawyer's suggestion to cut back on toilet paper is a bit of poo itself. Then, with a golden opportunity to enlighten and empower Americans, Michael Brune of the Rain Forest Action Network only highlighted the problem with even our "environmental" groups. Therefore, and by way of deductive reasoning, the answer must be … and is … (drum roll, please) … Glenn Beck. Yep, that's right. Glenn Beck, the ultra-conservative, speaks out on CNN Headline News while interviewing Michael Brune and tells people how to really save the environment.

In speaking about the Live Earth concerts, Glenn said, "There's nowhere in here about vegetarianism or anything like that, that would make a real impact on the environment ... It is animal gases that produce more CO2 than any of the cars we're driving."

To which Michael Brune disagreed. Michael? HUH? Earth to Michael … Come in, Michael.

The fact is, a HUGE portion of our environmental problems come from eating meat and dairy (and from producing meat and dairy), and Glenn Beck, of all people, hit the nail square on the head. Global warming, rain forest destruction, coral reefs dying off, topsoil erosion, poisoned water and polluted air are all a result of animal agriculture, and everybody – including our "environmental" groups – refuses to connect these dots. Thanks, Glenn, for doing what Al Gore, Diane Sawyer and even Michael Brune have refused to do.

"A report released by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization last November charged that raising livestock produced more "greenhouse gases" globally than the international transportation system." http://www.crosswalk.com/news/11543779/

The U.N. report tells of a tragedy in the making on everyone's dinner plates, and it doesn't stop there; global warming concerns are now keeping kids up at night. http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=24717

Kids, and all Americans, need to know that they are the empowered ones. This is not a political or governmental issue. WE, each of us, has a hand in global warming, and, therefore, its cure. If we stop eating animals and their secretions, we will stop killing the planet. It is as simple as that. Concerts galore, one million TV shows on the "Top Seven Ways ..." and pseudo-environmentalists be damned. Without veganism for all people, nothing else can possibly save our doomed planet. The great news is, if we each switch to eating a vegan diet, we will no longer have to "save the planet." Veganism allows the planet to save itself.

Major kudos to Glenn Beck

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Popick, known as "The Vegan Sage," is a keen visionary & a leading expert on the diverse effects our diet has on our health & environment. Jeff is putting together a contest for students with a grand prize of one million dollars called "The Great Earth Contest," aimed at enlightening kids on the cause of our planet’s problems - and the real solution. For more info, go to www.JeffPopick.com.

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Foreclosures which caused by The rising of energy costs

Almost every day, you hear news reports about the increasing numbers of homes in foreclosure. What you don't hear reported is how increasing energy costs are so often the cause of this devastating problem.

Are you losing your home because your can't afford to pay your energy bills and your mortgage? If you aren't facing foreclosure can you afford temperature settings that keep you feeling comfortable inside your home?

During the recent U.S. housing boom, builders completed homes quickly. Interest rates were low and investors eager to cash in on high returns on investments. Unless you were knowledgeable about energy-efficient home features and made sure they were included during construction, chances are your new home wastes a lot of energy. It's also likely you don't feel comfortable in your home due to uneven room temperatures, drafts, cold floors, etc.

There was a time when private air conditioning was a luxury. Now it seems more like a necessity. Average temperatures in North America have risen over the last 20 years, remaining high for longer periods and forcing people to turn on air conditioners powered by electricity to survive excessive exposure to heat.

Rate caps that once held down electricity costs are ending countrywide. Maryland residents recently experienced the shock of a 70% electric rate increase. Pennsylvania residents will receive the first of several rate increases starting in 2008.

The mortgage industry facing huge losses from foreclosures is working with homeowners to reduce monthly mortgage costs. A reduction in mortgage costs may help, but this is only a temporary solution. Moving to another home, unless it is energy efficient will not solve the problem.

The best solution is to implement energy saving features in your home as quickly as possible. This will not only be good for you financially, it will also be good for the planet.

©Siti Crook, 2007

Siti Crook is an expert in the field of energy efficient homes since the 1980's. She has an insightful perspective on rising energy costs and their affect on the real estate industry.If you'd like more information about current real estate trends visit Real Estate Investment Articles!Want to save energy? Click Here!

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Western Wind Powers California

By Darryl Kelley

Western Wind Energy Corp 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.

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

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the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden

The United States Department of Energy has devoted itself to the cause of renewable energy promotion with its creation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado.

This renewable energy program facility offers programs in a wide variety of renewable power topics which span the various green energy resources such as wind, water, sun, biomass and even nuclear. NREL also conducts ongoing research and development in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable power. Each area of research is further enhanced by functions that cut across the various programs and reach out to industries for partnerships. These collaborations on renewable energy could include the transfer of technology, energy analysis and the integration of the various programs of each collaborator.

The 12 program areas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are wind and hydropower technology intergovernmental projects on weatherization the technology of solar energy industrial power efficient technology the technology of fuel cells, hydrogen and building infrastructures geothermal technology the technology of vehicles and the Freedom Car energy management by the U.S. federal government energy-efficient building systems biomass and analytic studies. Each of these NREL programs is conducted by technology management experts whose capabilities and expertise span the programs wide renewable power technology range.

The Analytic Studies Program at NREL studies a wide variety of renewable energy analysis to support the programs and initiatives in place at the Lab. It also works with the Department of Educations Office for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EERE as well as the energy analysis community at large. The labs Office of Energy Analysis integrates this analysis and supports its functions and the functions of the various research programs and centres of technology throughout the NREL.

Those who study renewable power analysis do so in five major interest areas. They look at the technologies involved in renewable energy, the benefits of the initiatives, and the markets for renewable energy, the policies that affect its implementation and embracement, and the analysis of the various programs. Many research programs are covered that include assessments of life cycles, vehicular systems, Web-based applications to assess renewable power possibilities and programs. The aim of this analysis is to understand how technology, policy, markets and the various software applications can interactive to the success of expansive and continuing renewable energy programs.

The study of biomass is an important ingredient in the renewable power implementation. Biomass offers a terrific opportunity to make use of sustainable as well as domestic resources for the production of power and fuel and the meeting of chemical needs through plants and t he material derived from them. Biomass starts with grasses, trees, biological material and agriculture. These can be used as renewable energy, either solid or through conversion to liquid or gas. These can produce electricity, chemicals, fuel or heat.

An important part of this NREL program is the development of energy-efficient and cost effective biomass technology that will reduce the U.S. dependence on oil from foreign countries, while it grows rural economies in our own country and improves the quality of our air.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk/domestic-energy-assessor-training.htm where you could become a Domestic Energy Assessor and learn more about renewable energy

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