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Posts Tagged ‘renewable energy’

What is the Feed in Tariff Program?

November 4th, 2009

The impact of climate change has resulted in many governments coming up with programs to counter the negative impact. To do this, there has been an effort to move towards using renewable energy sources. A Feed-In Tariff (FiT) is an incentive program to promote the implementation of renewable energy by way of government legislation. The regional or national utility or power companies are mandated to purchase electricity generated from renewable sources, such as wind power, home solar power, hydropoweretc, at rates set by the government. The set government rates are higher than market rates to off-set the cost disadvantages of using renewable energy sources. The rates that are established will vary among governments.

The Feed in Tariff system has been established in states in Countries across the world, including the United States and Canada. These countries have different variations of the FiT program. A form of FiT was first established in the US in 1978 by former President Jimmy Carter. He signed the National Energy Act (NEA) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA). The goal was to encourage energy conservation and the development of national energy resources, including renewable energy. The province of Ontario, Canada, introduced a feed-in tariff in 2006, and ratified it in 2009, which proposed to boost payments for roof-top home solar power from 42/kWh to 80/kWh. In April, 2009, eleven US State legislatures began considering implementing a FiT as an accompaniment to their renewable electricity mandates. Feed-In Tariffs have been linked with an increased development of home solar power in Germany and Spain as well as wind power in Denmark.

Many experts say that the FiT program makes adopting renewal energy more financially attractive. The higher market price that is purchased by companies will be recouped by spreading it across all customer bills and it does not increase the bills by that much, usually by about 10 cents. The more customers a company has, the less money is added to customer’s bills. The goal is to have a gradual transition from non renewable energy resources to renewable energy resources.

In Ontario, Canada, the government hopes to eliminate coal-fired electricity by the end of 2014, increase the development of renewable energy technologies, and create new green industries and jobs. The FIT Program was made possible by the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 which was passed into law on May 14, 2009. The Ontario Power Authority is responsible for implementing the program. It offers stable prices under long-term contracts for energy generated from renewable sources, including: biomass, biogas, landfill gas, on-shore and off-shore wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and hydropower. It is the largest climate-change initiative in North America.

The benefits of renewable energy include: clean sources of energy are being utilized and this decreases the negative impact on the environment, renewable energy will deplete so we will create an environmentally sustained future for our children, create jobs that will give a boost to the economy, less dependency on oil from unfriendly countries, and help ensure there is no oil crisis like there was in the 1970s. In the future, many more governments are expected to implement a FiT program.

When looking for expert knowledge and professional service for alternative energy, wind power, and feed in tariff program, come visit us for Canada’s best selection of science … astronomy products!

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Why Wind Energy Outshines other Alternative Fuels

October 28th, 2009

When it comes to energy, the wind has the advantage for having the abundance of it. Similar to other energy, wind is renewable, but different from the fossil fuels, wind will continue to be present without the threat of disappearing.

We are all familiar with how this generation became affected because of the gas shortages and the rising of the prices of fuel. Using wind power, this crisis should never be repeated and even with economic crisis that is shaking the world today, the fuel prices will not be as high despite growing competitions. Now that wind power can be generated for the needed fuels, the crisis will be controlled.

Competition against the fossil fuel generation is already taking place and many wind energy bids are being won, able to prove that increased fuel costs just are not in their future equation. Once the initial equipment is in place, the costs remain steady. What a great feeling.

Having wind energy as the source of fuel and power, people will be able to breathe easily because of economic freedom and environmental safety. The operation of wind power will never contribute pollutants to the environment ,which causes air contamination that affects the health of most people all over the world. The air we breathe will be as clean as it was from the beginning.

As wind power is continually developed, this power has become available also for other applications like for the powering of homes, businesses and farms. The energy from wind also provides energy to areas where the situation is remote. This energy is applied to provide power to pump water and enable operation of telecommunication sites.

Those conventional plants operated by the use of fossil and nuclear fuels needed more water to cool down the plants. But with the wind turbine, water will never run out but will be used by people for their needs and purposes.

Now that wind power is being operated in the rural areas, the urban areas are also benefitting from this because some utility grids are now operating in many regions, giving the urban areas their supply of energy at affordable prices. None of them were harmed by the rotating turbines.

But for all of the reason listed above, public support ranks at the top of the list. People are tired of the games with everyday living expenses and want options that are simple, well defined and cost effective. Wind generation supplies this and much more. Maintenance will not be as high or nearly as complicated, it is a source of energy that does not have to relied upon by a worldwide cartel and national security will be much more controllable with everything being homegrown and kept at home. Wind power as we know it today is probably just the tip of the iceberg in what technology will come up with for wind tomorrow but one thing is for sure-wind energy is here to stay.

The future is renewable energies and this site will show you how to build a wind generator this site has very good plans and instructions.

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Things You Need To Know About Home Wind Turbine Design

October 27th, 2009

A few years back if I were to ask you what a home wind turbine was, you would most probably describe a massive tower with over-sized rotors plaguing the fields. But, with technology advancing and the ever-increasing energy crisis, it is now possible to have your own, scaled-down home wind turbine. What’s more is if you want to avoid the exorbitant prices of expert systems, you can learn to build and erect it yourself.

So, how does a home wind turbine make power?

A home wind turbine makes power by spinning a generator. The generator is attached to the rotor, made up of three aerodynamic blades, that is then attached to a tower. To keep the turbine facing the wind, the rotor has a tail, that acts as a weather vain.

If you do not know what a turbine/motor is or how it works, let me explain. Copper coils spin past magnets, and create an electromagnetic charge. This charge is then sent through wires to the batteries where it is stored. To use that charge in your home it needs to be passed through an inverter that changes the current from direct to alternating current. The reason wind power has become more popular on a small scale, is because of the improvement and efficiency in the design of the turbine.

Depending on your area’s wind conditions, the tower can vary in length. If you live near the sea where it is windy, the tower can be shorter, but in low-wind areas the tower needs to be taller to catch as much wind possible.

Over time the blades have improved drastically as researchers developed lighter, stronger, more efficient blades, with the capability of turning even in the lightest breeze. Back in the day, wind turbines had five blades, and looked similar to windmill water pumps, but recently they have moved to three blades, taking the form of over-sized airplane rotors. Like the tower, the blades vary in size, according to your wind conditions and energy requirements.

While so far we have been explaining the typical horizontal axis wind turbine, there is another design that is starting to gain popularity for small-scale projects. It is the vertical axis wind turbine or VAWT. Very different to the standard horizontal axis turbine, the VAWT spins on a vertical axis, and almost looks like a waterwheel put on its side. Since the VAWT tends to operate low to ground, it needs far more wind to make it turn efficiently, so it is not the ideal option for homeowners or small businesses. The VAWT has also been accused by ecologists of interrupting and harming various migratory birds, making it less attractive for green enthusiasts.

What you need to know before you buy a home wind turbine:

How big is the property?

Home wind turbines tend to work better in open areas expanding over an acre, where few nearby buildings can deflect the wind.

How windy is it where you live?

For the system to operate effectively, it is best to install the wind turbine is areas where the average wind speed is at least 11 miles per hour. You could get away with this by erecting a taller tower, and fix on larger blades.

Other uses for the wind turbine:

If you could use the turbine for other purposes, such as pumping in water from outside, then it may be more useful than you think. This is the reason you see so many windmills scattered over farms - they help pump water from reservoirs to the farmhouse.

Does my house need a constant power supply?

If you’re a home business owner that requires a constant power supply, or are just tired of the electricity company cutting off the power, then a home wind turbine may be the right solution. Even if the wind turbine is not strong enough to power the entire house for an extended period of time, it will be able to store the power for when you really need it.

Those are the keys to figuring out how much energy you need it to make, how tall the tower needs to be, and ideal sized blades, and the potential costs and benefits of buying a home wind turbine.

The great thing about technology is that it is always improving. So much so that motors have become smaller, efficient and cheap enough for us to attach a few small turbines right on the roof, and produce the same power as a larger turbine on a tall tower.

While commercially available wind power kits can cost up to $100,000, you can learn to make your power for a fraction of the cost, with part and materials sourced at home and the nearby hardware outlet. Even better news is that the United States and other countries offer tax relief for green energy homeowners, so not only can you cut your electricity costs, but your tax expenses too.

Forget about using the home made energy guide to make your own power at home! Try the Earth4Energy Instructions for free, and see how you can cut your power costs by up to 80% with your own home wind turbine and home solar power.

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Is Buying Make Natural Power A Safe Bet?

October 21st, 2009

Over the past year a lot of diy energy guides have appeared on the internet, promising to teach even a complete technical newbie how to make their own home solar and wind power, and reduce their energy bills by up to 80%. One those guides happens to be Make Natural Power. But does it deliver what is promises? And is how does it stack up to the other guides?

The best thing about Make Natural Power is its cover. Everything beyond that was disappointing to say the least. Although it appears to have all the features of the the other guides, the information is very thin and not well-explained.

Good Aspects:

You will be able to build a solar and wind power system, but it will take you a very long time, unless you have great technical skills.

The Cons about getting the guide:

* Confusing illustrations

Not only were the diagrams for both the solar and wind power instructions boring and dull, but they were badly labeled and and not even to scale.

* Low quality home solar power system

The instructions were not easy to follow, and the illustrations did not help either. Because of this, the reader is required to figure things out on their own, resulting in a useless solar panel system, if it ever get finished.

* “Thin” maintenance information

While I eventually got my wind generator to work, it ended up breaking after 2 months. This could have been prevented if I was given correct advice on how to effectively maintain the wind turbine.

* Slow customer support

A lot of the time we had to contact customer service for assistance. But they were very slow to respond, and by the time they did reply we had either forgotten what the problem or had figured it out ourselves. On average, it will take over 5 days to get the answers you need.

Overall Rating

If you are willing to get a cheap knock-off of Earth4Energy, but for the same price, then by all means get the Make Natural Power guide. The book was terribly written, the instructions were confusing, and it was not a pleasant experience for me.

Tim McDonald recommends you rather try Earth4Energy for FREE, if you want to build a quality DIY Renewable Energy system and actually reduce your electricity bill.

categories: make natural power,home solar power,solar energy,wind power,renewable energy,alternative energy,home improvement,environment,technology,lighting,hobby,money saving tips,men,society

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Using The Sun’s Energy In A Stirling New Way

October 16th, 2009

During the process of researching an article about green products on photovoltaic cell systems (solar panels), I came across another way to convert the sun’s light into electricity. So let’s take a look at another type of solar energy system.

This system is not new; it was originally conceived in 1816 as an industrial rival to the steam engine. It has been largely underutilized for the past century. With the need for renewable energy sources caused by the overuse of the fossil fuels interest has resurged in solar designs, and it is now being designed into many new solar collector systems.

The Stirling engine has many different designs, some more efficient than others. Some designs use the two cylinder Alpha design, some the Beta single cylinder design and some the Gamma design (a variation of the beta for use in multiple cylinder applications). The beta Sterling design has a single chamber with two pistons and uses a highly efficient regenerator gas as the thermal conductor.

The operation of the Stirling engine is not complex, it only requires an external heat source. Some heat sources have been fuel, while some solar designs use a Fernell lens, and the latest source is large parabolic mirrors.

The basic operation of this thermal engine is really quite simple. The engine has two chambers, one hot and one cold. When an external heat source is applied the hot air expands moving a piston and flows to the cold chamber. A flywheel is attached to maintain movement.

The system is ideal when a concentrated heat source is applied, in this case sunlight. The sunlight is collected with parabolic mirrors and focused on to the surface of the hot chamber, causing the chamber to be heated and the engine to start. This temperatures can be very high. You know this from, when as a child, you took a magnifying glass and focused it on a piece of paper. When done correctly the paper would get dark and then a flame would appear.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

In a future article about green products I will list the different solar technologies and how they compare to the competition.

Michael

See more of Michael’s concern for your carbon footprints at Green Products

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Home Solar Power a Layman’s Guide

September 2nd, 2009

Solar power seems so overwhelming, yet there are classes out there that are specifically made to teach us everything we ever wanted to know about solar energy. Wouldn’t you like someone to just spell out the basics on home solar power, so that you can mull them around in your head and eventually make sense out of it? If you want to start out slow and gradually build on your knowledge, continue reading.

Start by trying a solar project. You will need a battery, but car batteries are not designed for deep discharge. They have very thin plates that will keep their weight to a minimum. It’s necessary for solar batteries to have the ability to provide longer periods of deep discharge with only a few hours to fully recharge during sunlight. A golf cart battery is your best choice of battery. They are slow to discharge, and have thick plates that only need small amounts of charging. Golf cart batteries have small amounts of amperage, but are very heavy even though they have a small amount of amperage. You will need to bank many together for a large need for electricity.

The next item you need are the solar panels. The size is not as important as the voltage. The voltage must be higher than that of the battery. Case being, if there is less power going into the battery, there will not be any power coming out of the battery, thus, your panel has to have more pressure to push into the battery. The wattage also must be higher. You can purchase one large panel or several small panels as long as the volts and watts equal what you need.

Measuring the amount of power that you intend to use determines how large your batteries are going to be. This takes a little bit of work. The basic rule of thumb is Watts = Volts x Amps so begin with this formula and begin adding up volts and amps of everything you would like to run on solar for a grand total.

Your panels are determined by the number of amp hours that you will use in 24 hours during the time of full sun. Using 6 hours as an estimate of total sun hours, take 1/6 of an amp times your 14 volt panel and you come up with 2.33 watts, rounding to 3. You need a 14 volt, 3 watt panel to generate one amp of power for your pond pump.

The power will now be stored in your batteries, so the DC needs to be converted over to AC in order to power your electrical products. There are many different inverters which come with all different options to them. You only need a simple inverter unit that will need to support the load you want to draw through it. Remember the formula we did to get the estimated voltage, you will need to realize that some products will need seven times their power just to start up.

Your connections and cables are very important because they will need to support the load of current. You don’t want to skimp when purchasing your small wire, it could burn out causing a huge fire.

There is also maintenance to take care of everything and check the process of your energy and battery function. If this makes sense to you, and your following it than your ready to learn more through a class.

You can learnHow to build a wind generator then follow this link and learn How to build a wind generator by clicking on this link.

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Learn How To Make Solar Panel Its Easy

September 1st, 2009

Earth4Energy is here to assist in these times of both global warming and ever increasing energy costs. Utilising Earth4Energy to show you how to make solar panel and use solar energy or wind power at home is something a lot of people are doing.

Solar electricity and wind mills systems set up by professional corporations normally take an investment of $ 3,000 or more. The return on this investment is plain only after a few years.

Michael Harvey, the author, and his team participate in fashioned the Earth4Energy line up to assist some companies and persons to figure out the question. The line up mostly focuses on two areas, home solar power and wind power.

Solar power is the most popular of renewable energy resources. It’s available everyplace on the globe in quantities that vary only modestly.

Earth4energy is not a scam, I’ve personally seen the inside of his ebook and you’ll be surprised at some of the updated information he shares with you. Follow the review in this article to save on the cost of materials needed to learn how to make solar panel.

Wind energy is a clean energy source as electricity generated by wind turbines doesn’t pollute the air or emit pollutants like other energy sources. This means less smog, less acid rain and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Earth4Energy is being sold worldwide, and has thousands of satisfied customers who have cut their electricity bills by up to 80% and more. And if you are not satisfied, they offer a 100% money back guarantee , no questions asked. We can save The Earth with less usage of fuel powered generator or other generators that harmed environment.

Learn how to make solar panel for a very small investment.

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Green Energy - Alternatives To Fossil Fuels

August 31st, 2009

Today we live in a world where fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) provide more than 90% of the total energy. The energy needs are increasing and it is estimated that fossil fuels will be depleted in not so distant future. The need to look for alternative sources of energy is therefore a priority.

Why alternatives? Two reasons - energy supply and environmental concerns. We all know fossil fuels will eventually run out. By some estimates, they may be depleted within the next 50 years or so. Fossil fuels were formed from organic materials (dead plants and animals) over hundreds of millions of years and cannot be renewed. When they run out, they are gone for good.

Another growing concern is environmental pollution. Today, the combustion of fossil fuels is one of the biggest source of atmospheric pollution. Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and many other poisonous chemicals that go into the air, water, and ground. This causes both health and environmental issues such as smog, acid rain, climate change, ozone depletion, and so on.

The future is definitely in renewable energy sources like home solar power and wind power. They come in practically unlimited supplies and don’t pollute the environment like fossil fuels do.

Our overly dependence on fossil fuels is not a good thing and we should start making serious efforts to decrease it. Being dependant on something that will soon run out, is not very healthy.

The main objection against green energy is the cost. That’s true, renewable energy is generally more expensive, but for how long? When fossil fuels start to run out, the price will climb and we won’t have a viable replacement.

Green and renewable energy should be our main focus in the coming decades. The sooner we become free of our fossil fuel addiction, the better.

You can start using renewable energy today and greatly reduce or even eliminate your power bill. Learn how to do it - see how to generate electricity diy guide.

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