Here comes the sun, make the most of the renewable energy. This is a clean and environmentally sound means of gathering solar energy. Solar energy has been used since prehistoric times, but in a most primitive manner. In the coming years it is expected that millions of households in the world will be using solar energy as the trends.
Powering Paradise - Maui's Clean Energy Environment
We call it paradise and "No Ka Oi" (the best) but behind Maui's pristine beaches and tropical waterfalls lies a polluted history of energy production that to this day exaggerates the unhealthy and wasteful ways of our country's industrial past. While much of the U.S. has cleaned up with green laws and initiatives, Maui lingers in a world of burning coal, diesel andbagasse. Even though Maui has fallen behind in greening its act, it may become an economic proving ground for clean energy.
Solar Power Practicality For Camping
Solar power systems for camping are increasing in availability, but what about practicality? Can solar power systems for camping be put to use readily? Are they portable enough? Are they
The Differences Between Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, and Alternative Energy
To many people, the differences between "alternative energy," "renewable energy," and "clean energy," might not be obvious. But each term is unique and has its own individual definition. These three terms are not all exactly the same.
Green Energy Revolution: Energy Saving Devices
World today is experiencing energy revolution. Environmental issues are catching up and with the increased emphasis placed on preserving the environment we all need to play our roles in saving energy. By saving energy, we can definitely take a positive step in fighting the climate change and in preserving non-renewable sources of energy. Let us look at some devices and measures that can help us conserve energy and replace non renewable sources with renewable sources of energy.
The Differences Between Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, and Alternative Energy
To many people, the differences between "alternative energy," "renewable energy," and "clean energy," might not be obvious. But each term is unique and has its own individual definition. These three terms are not all exactly the same.
Leadership Gap in the Green Market!
With projections of the creation of 5 million new green jobs, there is a striking leadership gap in the Green Jobs market. Growing numbers of people are reinventing their careers in this new market, so one has to ask, “Who’s going to lead?” Are our executives, consultants, and entrepreneurs prepared with the right tools, training, and skills to successfully manage and lead green business? How prepared are these leaders to achieve BOTH profitability and sustainability?
7 Good Bad Or Ugly Green Energy Trends Which Will Affect Your Bottom Line
We all love Mother Earth. If the devil is in the details, applies here as it does in most areas of life and business, how do we move to the next step of a greener world? What does it really mean to your company to actually operate in a greener world, and how soon will it happen? Logically most companies will see some benefits (good), some drawbacks (bad) and some will face major problems (ugly).
Consider how the following seven strategic "green energy" trends will impact your industry and your business in particular.
- Bottom line benefit case studies from sustainable pioneers going green are starting to appear in the Wall Street Journal, other major business publications, and possibly your local newspaper.
- Technology can help. Website and software tools are available to calculate the carbon footprint for your company, as one of the first steps to understand the various aspects of instituting green for your company. That capability can help a company research, define and then estimate its carbon footprint. The ability to include its entire worldwide supply chain helps better plan for the transition to a greener carbon footprint. Basically this quantifies targeted emissions for reduction to some government mandated level for your industry or country.
- After estimating the carbon emission of your carbon footprint versus the mandated quantity, carbon tax can be estimated at a given carbon tax rate per ton. Soon to follow will be footnote disclosure and then recording the carbon footprint liability. This will be massive for some companies. The higher the carbon footprint quantity and the higher the tax rate, the higher the tax liability for targeted industries.
- Think of people in prior generations protesting the Vietnam War or chaining themselves to trees to prevent logging operations. Companies need to better understand the passion, even fervor, of green energy advocates who demand that business formulate and implement green initiatives.
- A "green washing" backlash is developing when clean energy advocates think corporate green claims are overstated. Remember, they define how green your activities must be, not your executives.
- You will soon see pressure from your larger customers for you to meet greener mandates they have put in place. If you want to continue doing business with a number of blue-chip companies, you will be meeting their goals of greener operations as part of their strategic planning. Since it is easier for corporate level executives and strategists to make a decision than for their suppliers to actually make those strategies work, be prepared.
- Many clean energy advocates are concerned about the backlash already building against going green. As more details of the magnitude and cost of proposed carbon tax legislation and the extent of its use of proceeds for Congressional leadership approved or non job creation purposes are apparent, a backlash against that Congressional leadership plan is building. To the extent that the job creation justification actually is used to fund a welfare system tax, backlash will accelerate.
Advocates see a much overdue environmentally transition. Other experts are concerned that the carbon tax being discussed will destroy more jobs than are created in the green sector. Whatever tax is enacted and undoubtedly revised, companies must plan and prepare for a range of conditions from strong benefits and opportunities to substantial, even massive, associated rising costs that such a tax will produce. Every industry and most businesses will see good, bad or ugly aspects from the greener world. How prepared are you?
Bottom line? - What is the cost of what you don't know? Stop Profit Leaks Now. Apply this information to improve your profitability, re-engineer business models, and strengthen or gain competitive advantage in the marketplace. And apply the free Fiscal Test available at http://fiscaldoctor.com/fiscaltest.html From the author of the forthcoming book, 'Stick Out Your Balance Sheet & Cough: Best Practices for Long Term Business Health'. From Gary W Patterson, http://www.FiscalDoctor.com |
My Green Weekend
It’s my job to write about the environment, so I try my best to walk the walk when it comes to the size of my carbon footprint. But even this ecophile can do more. So one weekend my fiancé, David and I set out to make a few easy, eco-friendly adjustments to our apartment that could also reduce our utility bill. And, we figured, what better time to finish greening our home than while our friends’ young daughter, Rebecca was visiting.
The Facts about Water Reduction
Many companies must dispose of water and waste on a daily basis. This can be due to the run off of equipment or in the process of manufacturing. Whatever the reason, disposing of water and contaminated solids can be very expensive and is strictly regulated by most government bodies. There are now many rules and regulations governing the proper disposal of contaminated waste. In addition, most companies are in search of an environmentally affordable solution from water reduction. There are many reasons that water reduction processes can be beneficial for your company or manufacturing plant.
The Two Most Popular Green Energy Sources
Many people dream of becoming energy independent. They see green energy sources not only as a way to greatly reduce their energy bills each month, but they also see it as a way to power their homes in a way that does not burn the Earth's resources, and does not harm the environment.
The green energy sources that are the most popular are solar energy and wind energy. While there are other forms of green energy, these are the most popular because they are the two sources that are the most readily available. You do not have to relocate to take advantage of these sources, and they are both relatively inexpensive to get started with. While making a complete change-over in your home can be a serious investment, it is possible to get stated on a smaller scale, and make a gradual change-over as you can afford to.
Solar Energy
The most popular form of green energy is solar energy. It collects sunlight using solar panels that convert that light into electricity. One reason this is so popular is because the system, once in place, is relatively low maintenance. Other than keeping the solar panels clean, there is not much to do to keep your solar energy system running. Because there are not any moving parts to wear out, breakdowns do not typically happen with this type of system.
The disadvantage of a solar energy system is that it requires a lot of direct sunlight to see real benefits from the system. If you are unfortunate enough to live in an area that has considerable cloud cover on a regular basis you may not see the same benefits as someone living in a sunny location.
That does not mean that you should discount solar energy as a good energy source, it just means you will need to take steps to make the most of the times the sun is shining brightly. By increasing the number of panels you will be able to generate more energy in a shorter period of time. If you have your solar generators hooked to a battery system, you will be able to capture that extra energy to use at night, or on cloudy days.
Wind Energy
Another green energy source that has gotten quite a bit of attentions is wind energy. This form of energy harnesses the power of using propellers that turn a turbine which creates electricity. The good part about modern wind powered turbines is that they do not require a lot of wind to operate them. A steady breeze is often enough to turn the blades and begin generating electricity. Of course, the more wind you have, the quicker you will be able to generate significant amounts of electricity.
Unlike solar systems, you are not limited by the time of day for generating power. These systems will work day or night. Like the solar energy systems, you can hook a wind powered generator to a battery systems so you will have a steady supply of energy.
The biggest disadvantages of a wind energy systems is that the turbine does require more space that the solar cells, and are not as easily incorporated into the design of a house. A wind turbine also requires more maintenance that solar energy systems. It has more moving parts so you need to perform scheduled maintenance on the system to reduce the chances of a breakdown.
Green energy sources are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint without having to do away with many of the conveniences of modern life. You can lower your energy bills, and be more environmentally friendly in the process.
The Green Economy
"We can't drill and burn our way out of our economic and ecological ills, but we can invent and invest our way out", says Van Jones, the author of The Green Collar Economy and founder of Green for All.
This guy doesn't need my help nor do I get any consideration for recommending this book. But this is a thoughtful straight forward view of how we can help the economy, create jobs, and retool America to get out of this economic slump while repairing the environment. That's an incredible task and often encompassing goals that seem contradictory. But it's do-able! There is hardly anything these days that is more important or has more far reaching effects on each of us who live on the "third rock from the sun". We are all citizens of a global community. What happens to one of us good or bad, affects the rest of us. Check this book out. It is informative, thoughtful and I think you'll find it eye opening just how simple the solution is to getting our efforts headed in an effective and more appropriate manner.
You'll find it a very educational and entertaining read. No matter how you voted in the recent election, it was very clear that the large majority of us were ripe for change. We have all seen how our daily lives have been effected by the environment, poor decisions and lack of responsiveness over the last few years. Nobody can deny we need some changes. Van Jones shows us how our goals to provide an better place to live, more jobs, security for our families and save the environment are all goals that can be accomplished together without sacrificing one over another.
The Green Collar Economy by Van Jones available on Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere
Physician with over thirty years experience in both family practice and emergency medicine in both rural and urban settings. Dr Kaler is also author of the medical mystery thriller Turnabout by Bruce Kaler. Visit my website at |
Energy For the Earth - Renewable Energy Resources
Environmental conservation is quite the buzz word across the world in this day and age. The realization has dawned that if we do not act fast it may be too late to salvage the situation which is drawing nigh disaster.
The modern era is the age of rapid and often unfettered usage of energy, many times in a manner which is not quite responsible. Humans have denuded forests, degraded the land and also rapidly depleted the oil and coal reserves of the earth to such an extent that these resources could well be over in the next few decades if the current rate of resources exploitation continues.
It is in this context that the prospect of utilization of renewable sources of energy becomes all so important. This are essentially sources like the wind, solar energy, geo thermal, tides and hydroelectric power that can take care of the energy needs of the earth in a renewable manner which will not deplete as the years go by.
Solar energy: The sun is the ultimate source of energy for the earth. Use of photovoltaic cells is a hot new thing in the renewable energy sources market. The sun's heat is so strong that if tapped and transmitted properly, we could wipe out all energy gaps forever. A lot of countries including Germany and China are making impressive strides in the quest to tap solar energy to provide a clean and totally renewable source of energy for their energy hungry teeming millions of populations.
Wind Energy: Wind energy powers wind turbines that can generate as little as 600kw to as much as 5 MW of energy depending on the size of the wind turbine and wind mills. There are many spots in the world especially in coastal areas where these wind turbines can be installed to generate huge amounts of wind energy which is so clean and absolutely green. As of now it is estimated that we can generate 5 times the world's total energy needs through wind energy, provided the wind harvesting is done on a huge and unprecedented scale worldwide.
Water power: There are many forms of water power that can be harnessed. Hydroelectric power is generated from man-made dams that are present across the world. Again, this can also be generated by harnessing the waterfalls across mountain ranges. For instance, many Nordic countries generate a large part of their electricity through harnessing their mountain waterfalls. Ocean energy can also be harnessed by laying turbines that run on the basis of tides and sea waves. Vortex power is a new technology which involves placing obstacles in the past of gushing rivers and large streams so as to turn turbines and generate power.
Bio-fuel: Photosynthesis produces plants and these are a good source of energy. Biomass can be used directly to provide energy or produce bio-fuels. Bio-diesel can be used to power vehicles quite effectively. A lot of research is being conducted to ensure that effective use of bio-fuels becomes prevalent across the world.
If one has to preserve the environment, renewable sources of energy are indeed indispensable. The day is not quite far off when the world energy needs will wholly be met by renewable sources which are clean, green and sustainable.
Now listen carefully -- Did you know that anyone, armed with the proper information, can make a very respectable amount of extra cash each month by selling carbon credits? To find out how easy it is, just click here before someone else grabs your territory! |
There's No Substitute for Smart Energy Conservation
Whether you are planning to live “off the grid” and free yourself from energy bills or just “kick back” and enjoy lower energy bills, the first step is always to understand your home's energy usage and employ good old fashioned energy conservation techniques.
The reason for this is simple – you can not be charged for what you don't use (in terms of energy...well this is strictly untrue if you are on a utility company's budget payment system...but we'll pretend for a moment that is not the case.) So, if you use less energy, your energy bill will go down.
Makes sense. So...how do you conserve energy?
It all starts with understanding your home, and more to the point, understand how you and your family use energy. Simple everyday activities, like turning off the lights when you leave a room really can add up to make a difference. Now that the holidays are here, not going overboard with the lighted decorations (and those inflatable, light up decorations) can help. Of course, if you do go overboard (like many of us tend to) just mind the usage. There is no need to run them every night. If you must, run them a couple of hours at the most. Every hour those machines are being run, energy is being used – sometimes in mass quantity. And since you pay per kw/hour, this could really add up.
Energy conservation doesn't stop there, though. Only running the appliances such as the dishwasher and washing machine when full saves on both electricity and hot water. (Hot water is a double whammy – you incur a water cost, plus the cost to heat the water...and keep it heated.) And promptly removing clothes from the dryer avoids running the dryer again to remove the wrinkles from clothes that have sat too long. (Dryers can be another double whammy...the electricity to run the motor, plus the cost of energy to heat the unit.)
By intelligently regulating the heating and cooling of your house, you can also conserve energy and keep your bills low throughout the year. For example, lowering your thermostat to 68 degrees F when you're home can save you as much as 5-10% during the cold season. And letting your thermostat go as high as in the mid 70's during the warm summer months will save you on air conditioning costs.
You can realize even more savings by avoiding overuse of the heat as well. For example, at night, it isn't necessary to keep the thermostat at 68. Try lowering it even more, and just doubling up on the blankets or cuddling up to your loved one to keep warm.
Keep in mind that all these tips might help you save money on energy...but when it comes to saving on your energy bills there aren't any guarantees. Why? Because every single home is different. Every single situation is different, just as every family uses energy differently. A family of 5 will use energy much differently than a family of 2. This isn't a bad thing at all – it is just a fact of life.
The Home Energy Audit Kit accounts for this, and will let you see exactly where your energy dollar is going, and how much energy you might be wasting. In fact, 90% of homes are wasting energy right now. You can get a copy of the home energy audit kit right now and stop the energy loss of your home by going to http://www.energyaudits.net . You'll also be happy to know that this is the first kit that is guaranteed to help you find energy problems with your home!
Green Energy – It Is All Around Us
The earth has blessed us with an abundance of green energy, all we need to do is tap into it. This site shares a few of the popular green energies like solar and wind power, what we failed to mention is hydro power, bio energy, geothermal, tidal or wave and hydrogen fuel cells. Green energy is defined in Wikipedia as "sources of energy that are considered to be environmentally friendly and non-polluting". This is in true and rare form our new generation of energy. Fossil fuels in time will be exhausted or cost dearly to manufacture, not to mention the carbon foot print we have left for our children.
Renewable Energy and Net Metering Laws
Have you ever wondered what net metering was? Net metering is the law in 42 states and DC. What is means is when connected to the energy grid, you have a two way meter. As you produce your own solar and wind energy, any unused portion of that energy is sent back to the grid, which is measured by the meter. The electric company must compensate you for any energy you "sell" back to them. Compensation varies from state to state. You could receive actual cash reimbursement or energy credits for times when you don't produce enough of your own power. As you can imagine, net metering is an excellent incentive for people who are considering the green alternative to their home energy consumption. However, if you are still unconvinced...
Hydropower as a Clean Energy Platform
With carbon fuels under supply stress, hydropower presents one functional clean energy alternative. Here is an overview of hydropower and its practical application in modern society.
How to Make a Windmill & Use Green Energy to Save Cash
Exchange your conventional electrical energy source to something new today. Costly bills that blow out of proportion every month can now be reduced to a huge minimum. Get yourself a windmill today or make yourself one. Installing a windmill is very easy. If you have a pretty big backyard or a terrace that gets enough wind to drive a windmill then you can definitely think of having one.
Clean Energy in the US - Is it Really a Possible and Feasible Dream?
Green Tariffs - Eco-Friendly Energy Consumption
With growing concern over the environmental impact of our lifestyles, most gas and electricity suppliers now offer a selection of green tariffs in an attempt to mitigate pollution and the release of greenhouse gases. In other words, they are working to clean-up their energy supply.
How Obama Will Change Home Energy in America
Top 5 Green Energy Companies From 2008
Thousands of organizations and businesses are going the extra mile and spending the extra dollar to buy utility-scale energy from renewable resources. So much so that the United States E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) compiles a quarterly list of the top green power companies from their Green Power Partnership program which came out in July 2008.
Green Energy is Much More Than a Pipe Dream!
When talking about green energy, what are we really talking about? In a nutshell, green energy is energy that comes from any one of the following renewable energy sources: wind, Sun/Solar, water/ hydroelectric, geothermal, biofuels and biomass energy. There is no way that you are not going to find some form of green energy in play anywhere in the world at any given moment. This article will discuss how each renewable energy source is considered to be green energy, starting with wind power.
Ocean Waves As an Alternative Energy Solution
Harnessing the vast power of the oceans' waves has recently gained popularity as a form of renewable energy that does not contribute to global warming. Seventy percent of the world's electricity needs are met by burning fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, and these methods generate vast quantities of greenhouse gasses. Hydropower has long been considered a renewable alternative, but the current technique for harnessing that power, namely damming rivers, can be extremely damaging to ecosystems, and nearly all of the suitable locations in the world have already been tapped. Now scientists and engineers are learning to harness the unending power of ocean waves, promising electricity generation with minimal environmental effects. None of the current wave power technologies create greenhouse gasses or pollution.
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