Solar Panels for Your Home Provide Excellent Benefits

It's about time. Solar energy is ready for prime time. Solar panels, available in an enormous range of sizes, can provide energy for your home in amounts ranging from a few watts to enough to run all of your electrical appliances. When solar panels first hit the scene nearly half a century ago, there were many drawbacks and disadvantages. Over the years, those drawbacks have lessened and now there are far more benefits to installing solar PV panels to power your home.

Installation Is Easy

Installing solar PV panels is quick and painless. In most cases, the installation can be done in a single day and most of the work is done outside on your roof, so you won't have workers tromping through your house. You'll even have the use of your electricity for most of the day. The solar panel installers only have to break your power for a few minutes, after the solar panels are installed and ready to operate, to make new connections that will draw energy from them. Unlike many other improvements to your home, installing a photovoltaic system seldom requires planning permission, making it even easier to upgrade to solar heat and solar energy production.

Savings Are Impressive

Depending on the size of the system you install and how much electricity you generally use, you can cut your bill by 30 percent, slice it in half or cut it out entirely. Some folks who install photovoltaic systems actually get paid by their energy suppliers for feeding energy they don't use back into the system. Imagine being paid by your electric supplier instead of paying them out the nose!

Payback Is Quick

Today's modern PV systems are guaranteed to work for 25 years and will last up to 40 years. The return on your investment will add up quickly, though it will depend on how much electricity you generally use and how much you transfer to the solar PV panels. Most people completely recoup their initial investment within ten years. In addition to the savings on your energy bills, there's a new feed-in tariff that will pay you 41.3p for every unit of electricity that you produce. You'll realize even more when you sell your home because green energy retrofits increase the resale value of your home.

Increase Your Energy Savings

Your energy bill is guaranteed to drop after you install solar power, but the amount it drops is up to you. You can increase your savings by taking some small steps, such as using machines that consume energy, such as your washing machine and clothes dryer, during the day when your electricity is free.

Your savings are likely to increase year over year as the electricity rates for regular power generation rise. Because a solar PV system frees you from your reliance on your energy supplier, you'll be insulated from cost increases that have nearly doubled the typical electrical bill in the past five years.

A local solar power installer can tell you if your home is suitable for solar panel installation, and give you more information on how much you can save by switching to solar power. Call today and find out how you can free yourself from rising energy costs and help reduce the strain we put on the earth. 

Source ; majon

Save Electricity - Save Money

1: Use Time-of-Use Meters

Electricity bill has peak and off peak times - just like your cell phone bill. It's within your reach. It's called time-of-use metering. Instead of being billed for the amount of electricity you use per month, with a time-of-use meter, electricity used during certain peak periods would cost more, while electricity used outside of those periods would cost less.

For example, if your power company sets peak hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., any electricity you use during that time will be charged at the higher rate. However, if you can wait until after 8 p.m., you'll get charged at the lower rate.This is good for you if you are always at home during the off-peak times.

2: Call your power company
Time-of-use metering is widely used. Many power company now offer this kind of programs.But you'll have to opt-into the program in most cases. This is better to call your power company for more details.

3: Try smart meters
There is some new technology being used in some places across the country called smart meters. Smart meters read how much electricity you're using by the hour. Your power company can tell you how much the electricity will cost that hour, and you can decide when it's best to use your major electrical appliances that use the most electricity.

You can estimate how much that electricity will cost you to use at 8 a.m. versus noon, versus 8 p.m. If you decide to wash that load of clothes at 7 a.m. instead of noon, you can pay less for the electricity you used because of the lower rate.

4: Calculate your needs
These energy-saving suggestions could save you hundreds of dollars per year. You should use most of your electricity during cheap periods.And be careful not to use too much electricity during peak periods.You have to do calculation on when to use your electricity. If you are always not at home during the cheap periods.You will pay higher than before after you join these programs.So you have to think twice before joining any of these programs.

5: Make electricity yourself at home
Instead of worrying about the electricity bill,you could be more aggressive to solve this problem. You can make power at your home. This is done by installing solar power system and wind power system at your home. BUT it is NOT EXPENSIVE. By DIY solar panels and wind generators you can save a lot with the same results.

Source ; greenenergy4home

How Burning Fossil Fuels Increase Global Warming

 

The topic of climate change is politically controversial, but the overwhelming majority of environmental scientists agree that the world is getting warmer and human activity is to blame. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in its influential 2007 report that "Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic [human-caused] GHG [greenhouse gas] concentrations." Fossil fuel consumption is the leading cause of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

1. Greenhouse Effect

   • The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring process by which certain atmospheric gases trap and radiate solar energy reflected from the Earth's surface, thereby retaining heat and raising the surface temperature. Without these gases, the average temperature on Earth would be a brisk -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and tropospheric ozone. Of these, carbon dioxide is the largest contributor to human-caused climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 280 parts per million to 380 ppm, enhancing the greenhouse effect and raising temperatures, according to the educational web portal PhysicalGeography.net

   Impact of Fossil Fuels

   • Burning fossil fuels -- such as coal, oil and natural gas -- release a number of chemicals into the atmosphere, the most significant of which is carbon dioxide (CO2). Between 1970 and 2004, annual CO2 emissions increased by 80 percent, due primarily to fossil fuel use, states the IPCC. This time frame corresponds to a 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in average global temperature, and the IPCC estimates an increase of 3 degrees to 9 degrees over the next hundred years, at the time of publication. The far northern latitudes have witnessed temperature increases two to four times greater than the global average.

   Melting Ice Caps

   • The rise in global temperature is causing glaciers and polar sea ice to melt at an alarming rate. According to NASA, the part of the Arctic Ocean that remains permanently frozen has been shrinking by 10 percent per decade since 1980. Melting ice caps -- the thawing of permafrost and recession of glaciers -- causes a feedback loop, accelerating global warming. Ice is highly reflective; most of the sun's energy bounces off of it back into space. Land exposed by melting ice absorbs more heat, and causes temperatures to rise more quickly. Rising sea levels and loss of polar habitats are two of the most dramatic, immediate effects of climate change.

   Debate and Action

   • Though the media and politicians often portray global warming as a two-sided debate, the scientific community is united in its assertion that climate change is a real, observable fact, and it is caused by human activity. In 2005, the National Science Academies of 11 nations wrote a joint letter to the heads of the G-8 nations, asking them to acknowledge climate change, address its causes and prepare for the consequences of it. Signatory nations of the Kyoto Protocol have, with mixed results, made commitments to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the effects of global warming are irreversible, but in order to ensure a habitable planet for future generations, the world must take immediate action to limit the emission of greenhouse gases.
     

     
     

      Source ; ehow

How To Save Energy

If you are interested in how to conserve energy then this article can be of use to you in explaining the basic practices we can all adopt to conserve energy in our day to day lives. Many little things can be done in an attempt to conserve energy in the home and it's knowing these energy conservation processes that is key to reducing our high energy demands.

The most common method for conserving energy is switching appliances off when not in use. Many appliances have lights or standby functions that continuously burn power if left plugged in with power to the socket. Mobile phone chargers are by many people believed to use no power when a phone isn't attached yet this is untrue. Even if your phone is not being charged, the charger is still burning electricity whilst plugged in and you only need to touch it and feel the warmth of the plastic to realise this.

Slight changes in day to day tasks can make a big difference in conserving energy around the home and this is especially true for dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. Most modern dishwashers have energy saving wash cycles and we strongly advise the use of such features. Washing machines can be set to lower temperatures when used with the right washing powders. If you own a dryer, why not consider a trial run of eliminating its use and opting for the natural way of hanging and airing fabrics.

 When conserving energy, we can also look to the way in which we heat our homes. Many people can conserve significant levels of energy by reducing their thermostat by just 1 degree or turn down their radiator controls.

Another energy conservation process that starts at home is recycling. If you recycle more then you will be helping to conserve energy put into making new versions of what you have recycled. This also reduces the burden on landfill sites and incinerators which not only use significant levels of energy but are also very harmful to the environment.

Source ; clean-energy-ideas

Build Your Own Windmill

Step One: 
Find an alternator, motor or generator. This is what turns the kinetic energy into electrical energy. The cheapest way is to take an alternator out of an old car or truck and test it with a battery to make sure it still works. Some people even like to build their own, but I don't recommend that unless you are really into building things. 

Step Two: 
Build a propeller with three wings (sometimes called blades). Three seems to be the most efficient number. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be lightweight and evenly weighted. You can use wood, plastic, aluminum, fibreglass, carbon-fibre, whatever you find handy and easy to work with. 

Step Three: 
Build something that will house the motor and keep it and all the wiring dry. The only things sticking out of it should be the motor's drive shaft and insulated wires. As part of this you will also need to build a thin flat fin that will allow the windmill to turn into the wind when it changes direction. 

Step Four: 
Attach the propellers to the motor's drive shaft. Depending on the size and shape of these parts you may need to build something to weld / bolt them together properly. You don't want the propellers falling off easily in a gust. I recommend using a substance called Loctite on any bolts. Loctite is a thread locking fluid commonly sold to mechanics of various types. 

Step Five: 
Use a pole or build some kind of base that will hold the finished aparatus high in the air. The apparantus on top will need to rotate somehow, likely on ball bearings. I recommend using a similar design to a bicycle because it will be water-tight. Don't forget to add an ample amount of grease so the ball bearings will move smoothly. One option would be to get your hands on an old flag pole. I recommend a galvanized steel pole because its resistant to rust and electricity, you can insert the wires down the middle of the pole and paint the pole any colour you want. ie. Sky Blue. The pole may also need to be held in places by three or four Guy wires depending on the tensile strength of your pole and expected wind strength. If you are buying your pole from somewhere try and find out what its tensile strength is. 

Step Six: 
Affix the pole or apparatus to the ground somehow. I recommend cement or concrete. Remember you will need to run the wires through a hole in the pole, either above ground or underground (I recommend underground, but inside plastic tubing) back to your basement or wherever your battery supply will be. 

Step Seven: 
Energy Storage... now we get to the tricky part. There are various batteries you can buy for storing household energy. They range in prices and you can buy as much as you want depending on how much you think you need. You will also need to buy a system that distributes electricity from the batteries back into your house. You will also need an Ammeter and Charge Controller to prevent overloading the batteries. 

Step Eight: 
Unless you live in a cottage and use very little energy one windmill will not be enough. Three or four windmills will be needed for an average house. Depending on the system and the availability of sunlight you could also supplement with solar panels. Another alternative is to cut down on your heating and cooling costs by installing a geothermal heating system (which in the summer can also act like an air conditioner). You may need to build your own little wind turbine farm if you want to be fully self-sufficient. If you are a farmer or own lots of land this will be easier to do. 

Tools & Equipment
Depending on how you design your own windmill and what parts you use you will need a variety of different tools. Common tools used are: Hammer, Drill, Drillbits, Screwdrivers, Saws, a Bucket or Cement Mixer, Shovels, Pliers, Wire Strippers, Wire Cutters, Carving Knives / Chisels, Mallet, Adjustable Wrenches. If you already have 90% of these tools then you should be fine, otherwise you will need to determine which tools will do the job required on a case-by-case basis. 


Notes
There are many ways to build a windmill and many things you could build it out of, including wood, metal, and plastic. My recommendation is to look at a professionally built $3,000 windmill like the "Whisper 100 Wind Turbine" which produces 950 watts of power in 45 kmph winds, and then try to copy that design as best you can. You could just spend $3000 to get a top of the line windmill, but I would argue it is far cheaper (and can make an interesting hobby) to build windmills yourself. 

The Whisper 100 Wind Turbine
 
1. 950W of power at 45km.hr winds.
2. Delivers 100 Kw / hours a month at an average wind speed of 5.4 m/s.
3. Adjustable voltage (12/24/36/48V).
4. One of the quietest turbines available.
5. Lightweight cast aluminum body houses integrated charge controller, which prevents batteries from overcharging.
6. Carbon fibre composite blades keep the turbine quiet and maintenance-free.
The Whisper is basically the best windmill you could buy for home use, but if you look at the parts all it is is a variable speed motor, 3 carbon fibre blades and quite a few of the basic parts are made out of aluminum.
The most important things you would need to replicate is to find a motor that is identical (close enough or better quality) and the three light-weight wings. 

Source ; environmental

Which Energy Saving Bulbs To Buy?

There are a large number of different energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs on the market and it usually will be quite confusing deciding which ones are best for your particular needs. There are halogen, CFL and LED bulbs which all utilize particular technologies that give the products inherent characteristics and energy saving properties. Here I will disclose a high level overview of the energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs technologies that ought to assist you in making the appropriate choice for your lighting scheme.

Halogen Light Bulbs
The halogen bulb is in essence an advanced variation of the incandescent light bulb. Most halogen energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs save over and above 25% in electricity costs and the majority are compatible with dimmer switches. Halogen energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs have clean elegant looks and are of a small size which means they have a nice visual design.

CFL Light Bulbs 
The CFL energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs is in essence a small fluorescent tube and has excellent efficiency saving 75-80% in electricity. Because of the advancements in technology the up-to-date CFL’s do not remain dull for long after switching on and don’t flicker. The main disadvantage of the CFL energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs is that its appearance can be poor, especially where the fluorescent tubes are visible, but there are some very nice looking spherical shaped CFL’s around.


LED Lamps
LED’s are definitely the ultimate in energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs. With an energy saving of in between 75% and 85%, LED’s are likely to offer the ultimate in energy efficiency. Also LED bulbs have an especially long life and their particularly low energy consumption means that CO2 emissions are minimized making the LED light bulb the favorite green choice. As a last thought the appearance is highly critical on the grounds that the energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs do have a very modern look about them which will work with certain lighting schemes but not with others.

Source ; articlesbase