Research into renewable energy has been getting a lot of attention recently due to the confluence of a few factors. One is the unmistakable rise in global temperatures brought about man’s activities, mainly through the burning of fossil fuels. Second is the pollution caused that is harming both environment and human health. Last, a significant factor is economics and politics. No longer is the world willing to be beholden to a few states holding the key to most of the world’s reserves of oil. The ever-increasing price of oil makes the economic feasibility of renewables work.

There are a few types of renewable sources of energy that are under the process of development and commercialization.

These include:

Solar Wind Hydropower Nuclear Tidal Geothermal Biomass

Although it is good to develop sources of renewables, the current trend is towards the “aesthetics of green” where solar panels and wind turbines carelessly applied onto a project and are labeled as green. This is not only self-congratulatory but also self-deluding.

The technology behind renewable energy is important, but the application of such technology is what is primarily missing right now. The application of renewable technology has to answer three basic questions:

Does the technology require any special environmental condition or resource? Does the site possess such a condition for the technology to function to it’s designed intent? If so, can that condition or resource be provided ay little or no cost? Does the technology have scalability?

For example, geothermal would require regions with active volcanic activity. Without this condition, the technology will fail. This may look simple, but it’s often overlooked. This is especially the case for wind and tidal technologies. At some locations, there is simply not enough wind or differences between tidal conditions for the technology to be feasible, but people still go ahead by implementing them anyway.

The 2nd question is sounds like a no-brainer, but often it is also overlooked. Solar power is produced by the sun. Hence it can be considered free. But again, problems arise with regards to unstable sources like wind. To address that issue, some inventors have proposed placing wind turbines to tap the winds of passing cars or from the exhaust of air-conditioning units. They neglect the fact that the energy of the cars and to run the exhaust fans come from the burning of fossil fuels, and the cars and fans have to work so much more harder just to counter that extra air resistance and run the turbines. What they are doing is just vampirism. More energy would be spent creating that condition than is recovered.

The final question is with regards to applicability. Some renewables are more suited for large scales, but some have the flexibility of scale. Comparing a hydropower dam to solar panels, the differences are obvious. Hence, there is need to match the type of technology to the type of building.

Many of us are getting the message: it’s time to make better choices in regards to the way we get, and use, our energy.  We now understand that there are other options and renewable sources of energy.

In higher numbers than ever before people are looking into building their own solar panels and wind turbines…for home use. 

The neat thing is that you can too.  Solar power and wind power have advanced to the point where it is now viable for any homeowner to benefit from one, or both of these energy source.

Solar energy is arguably the most recognizable source of energy for home use.  Solar panels have been on roofs in some areas of the country for decades.

And while it is an effective source of renewable energy for many people it isn’t their best option.  The reasons for that are:

1. Not every part of the country gets a lot of sunny weather and therefore there will be many days when you aren’t generating electricity.

2.  Solar panels won’t work at night and no matter how sunny your climate there will be a big part of the day, every day, when you aren’t producing electricity.

3. On average one wind turbine will generate about the same amount of electricity as 5 solar panels.  And can work day or night as long as there is wind.

Of course wind energy has it’s issues too such as the fact that it needs a fairly big open space.  Though if you mount your turbine on your roof you can overcome that to a large degree.

The bottom line is that there are several renewable sources of energy that you can start utilizing today to save  you money for years to come, all with very little effort on your part.

Most people are aware that our traditional sources of energy, fossil fuels, aren’t that good for the environment and they are becoming increasingly difficult to get to.  Renewable energy source are becoming more viable for home use thanks largely to advances in technology that makes converting them from energy into electricity more efficient.

Two of the front runners for home use are solar power and wind power. 

Solar panels have been on roofs all over America for quite a long time, we’re pretty used to seeing them.

Wind turbines, on the other hand, are a little newer trend. They are starting to  pop up more often in residential neighborhoods all over the country though.  As a matter of fact two have just appeared in my neighbors backyard within the last month.

There are many people who have strong opinions as to which is better, wind power or solar power.  A lot of your decision on which is the best form of energy for you will depend on where you live.

Obviously if you live in an area that gets a lot of sunny days the majority of the year, solar power is a likely choice.  If, on the other hand, you live in a climate that doesn’t get as much sun, especially in the winter, you might opt for a wind turbine.

For most people a combination of wind and solar power might be the best alternative. When you combine both of them you have a lot of different weather conditions covered.  And of course, no matter where you live, your solar panels won’t be able to generate electricity at night.

There is plenty of information available to help you make up your mind which direction is best for you.  Just take some time and decide on one, or more, renewable energy source for your home.  You’ll save a lot of money on utility bills and help out the planet at the same time.

Will electricity disappear with the extinction of our non-renewable energy sources? No, not very likely considering the renewable energy sources that we have available to us. When we think about the future of electricity, a few things come to mind.

The first thing that comes to mind is that eventually all things will be electric due to the fact that our non-renewable energy sources are nearing depletion rapidly. Without gasoline we won’t be able to drive our cars, cut our grass or use any of the things that run on gasoline unless they are electric. Today most of our electric power is produced by using our non-renewable energy sources so by making ever thing electric it will help to prolong the life of fossil fuels but sooner or later we will have to start using renewable sources of energy to produce our electricity.

Then what comes to mind knowing that eventually ever thing will be electric will be perceived as clean power because it is going to be produced with strictly renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.

Will electricity ever be wireless? Yes, Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have already conducted successful wireless electricity experiments. This brings even more things to mind when thinking about the future of electricity. Think about this, if electricity is wireless you won’t have to worry about power outages, no wires or poles for storms to topple. Consumers will have more control on how and when they want their power delivered and for those who take advantage of renewable energy sources like solar power will be totally independent of the power companies.

How long will it be before we see these advancements with electricity? Nobody can be sure when, but what is sure is that when they do start to happen consumers will gain more and more control over their power needs. The people who begin now, to use the renewable energy sources that are available will find themselves independent of the power companies much sooner than those of us that don’t act and continue to rely on the electric companies for our power needs.

Original article posted at Go Articles

The topic of renewable energy has been widely discussed in recent years. Indeed, as fossil fuel supplies continue to dwindle and high energy prices are maintained, people are realising the advantages of finding alternative sources of energy. Not only that, but in light of the detrimental effects of burning fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – there are increasing efforts to explore more environmentally-friendly options.

Currently, there’s a worrying amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being released into the world’s atmosphere. This, say many scientists, is significantly contributing to climate change and global warming. In order to protect the earth from further damage, therefore, people are looking for new, greener sources of electricity and gas, as well as ways to reduce overall energy consumption.

According to research, more than 40 percent of the UK’s man-made CO2 emissions come from the energy people use in their homes and for travel. As a result, there are many new initiatives aimed at encouraging people to personally embrace greener technology and to limit the amount of energy they use in their properties.

Generally speaking, there are two main types of renewable energy available that can be used at home: solar and wind. Solar power, which converts the sun’s natural energy into electricity and heat, is the most popular form of renewable energy and can be relatively easily installed in domestic properties. Not only does it provide people with environmentally-friendly, or green energy, but it also helps to save on bills.

Wind power is also an established form of green power and again can be employed in the home. Basically channelling the power of the wind through the use of mini wind turbines, electricity is generated, which is then fed into the property’s electricity supply. Producing energy in this way is great for the environment and it’s even possible to sell back any excess energy to the power companies: this is also true for surplus solar energy.

If it’s too expensive to install such equipment, it’s always possible to switch to a green energy plan or tariff. There are various options available, such as an energy match, whereby power companies will match each normal unit of electricity used in the home by feeding a unit of renewable energy into the National Power Grid. They may also fund renewable energy projects.

Additionally, there’s a lot that people can do at home, both to conserve energy and to save money. For example, if everyone in Britain with gas or oil central heating installed a condensing boiler with heating controls, it would be possible to save up to 6.7 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere annually.

With a bit of thought, everyone can help in the fight against climate change. Embracing renewable energy is a great way to start, as is reducing the amount of gas and electricity being used in the home. And, thinking about this issue now will not only help the environment, but also make a difference to utility bills.

Now that many of us are starting to re-think how we get and use our energy, people are starting to ask questions.  One of the most common is about different types of renewable energy sources and which one is the best.

I’m not sure that you can really say one type is ‘the best’ across the board.  They all have their pros and cons.  To some extent which type of energy source you choose will depend on where you live.

Another factor is how much electricity you want your energy source to generate.  For the purpose of this article we’re going to stick with solar and wind power. 

These are probably two of the most common, cost effective forms of green energy for individual household use today.  Technology will to continue to advance and make converting the energy from the sun and wind and then storing it for later use, even more efficient.

Even so both of these forms of energy are viable right now for household use. 

You’ve no doubt seen solar panels on rooftops before.  This is simply a way of gathering the energy of the sun where it can be converted into electricity and stored for later use.

Solar energy is great for certain parts of the country that get a lot of sunny days, but it still won’t work at night so basically about 12 hours  out of every day you won’t be generating energy with solar panels.

Wind turbines can provide around 60% of your household needs daily with just one turbine.  You can build your own for very little money and with no special skills.

Of course a wind turbine needs wind to generate electricity.

Both solar and wind power have their advantages and disadvantages.  For many people combining both types of renewable energy sources is the best option.  No matter which you choose the important thing is that you start using green sources of energy right now.