Society at large is looking hard for energy sources that have no undesired consequences, such as, for example, fossil fuels or nuclear energy. These alternative sources must be renewable and are considered to be “free” energy sources.

One such source is ‘Wind Power’. People have been using wind power for centuries now. From 5000 BC when people used wind in their sails to navigate the Nile River, and Persians had been using windmills for several hundred years by 900 AD for pumping water and grinding grain. Windmills had even been developed in China prior to 1 AD, but the earliest written history regarding wind power, comes from 1219. Cretans were using “literally hundreds of sail-rotor windmills [to] pump water for crops and livestock.”

The Dutch made many refinements to the windmill, primarily for pumping flood waters off their land. As early as 1390, they built a multi-story windmill tower, with one floor devoted to grinding grain, one for removing chaff, one for storing grain, and the bottom floor with living quarters for the windsmith and his family.

With the upcoming energy shortage that almost every expert is predicting, society as a whole should be making repartitions to become somewhat energy self-sufficient in the very near future. Not to mention the fact that energy costs are expected to increase by as much as 400% in the next few years. This should make wind power very attractive to anyone living in an area where you can count on a fairly consistent breeze.

We also have at our disposal solar energy, and some of us have hydroelectric power available to us. Recently, we have also been made aware that ‘magnetic power’ is a very real possibility for residential use.

The sun, a star, is actually a fusion reactor. It has been burning for over 40 millennium. It produces the amount of energy in one hour to keep the world supplied with all the energy it would need for 100 years. In fact, the solar radiation striking the earth during a three-day period is more energy than is stored in all fossil fuels on earth.

Agreed, the sun would not be the perfect source for everyone on our planet, but it would be an excellent producer for a great majority of the world’s population. Also to think about, if you were to check into building your solar system yourself, you could actually do it for an extremely low cost. The same goes for building a wind powered generator.

You can use the magnetic generator to generate power anywhere and everywhere. Its working is not dependent on the sun, wind, air or water. It will produce electricity efficiently. Once you have implemented it, you never have to worry about losing power again. A generator powered by magnets can produce the energy requirements of your entire home without using any fuel. Once started, it runs for your entire lifetime. Actually, quite a few lifetimes. Its incombustibility makes it safer than any other source. And all from a technology that’s relatively new. It is also possible to build it yourself for under $200 USD.

It’s scenic, rustic, and tranquil – it’s also clean, green, and renewable energy. It’s called hydro-electric power. Hydro energy is old, but not forgotten, and it’s a sustainable energy option! Agreed, it is not for everyone, not even for a large percentage of the population, but for anyone who has a viable stream on their property with the proper elevations and dynamics it is one option that would truly produce free and practically unlimited power.

Regardless of which process we use, or will it be easy or extremely difficult, sooner or later we will have to face some major changes to our current lifestyles. It is not that we lack the knowledge of how, we are simply resisting such changes, which might threaten the luxuries in our lifestyles that we have grown to enjoy. Ultimately, the question is not when, but how will industry and humanity handle the transition from burning damaging and limited petroleum products to more earth friendly alternatives.

Robert Buford

The economy is not doing well now. Solar panel can help you save more money. Also it’s good for the environment because solar power doesn’t release any harmful gases or pollution when you use it. Certain natural resources are becoming scarce such as fossil fuels. The price for some natural resources is rising. Therefore solar power will be another great renewable energy since it is free to use and available in abundance and it’s not difficult to get. The only thing you need is making a solar panel yourself because an already-made solar panel is expensive.

Building a solar power is easy to do. The materials won’t cost you more than $200. Also, these materials are easy to obtain. Most of them can be purchased from local hardware store. Even, some of them can be obtained for free.

If you decide to make your first solar panel, the materials you may need are shear metals, table salt, copper, electric drill, sand paper and solar cells. You may also need a complete instruction. These are some things you must need in order to make a solar panel. As you can see above, these things are simple and making a solar panel is not as difficult as you think. Solar cells are the main part of the solar panel; it reacts to sunlight and converts it to the electricity for your home. You may need an inverter to convert it. With the free electricity generated by the solar panel, a homemade solar panel can save your 50%-80% on your electricity bills.

Danny Ma

Renewable Energy Like Solar Energy Can Prevent the World From Devastation…………

by: Raghuvir RathodOur body needs energy to work and in the same way, a machine needs electricity or energy of any substance to run. For different machines and automobiles we use different means of energy such as; Coal, petroleum and natural gas. But these days the use of renewable energy is in vogue which is the energy produced out of the natural sources like sunlight, wind, tide and rain. The major types of renewable energy are: Solar energy, Wind energy, Bio mass energy.

The renewable energy is preferred more by the whole today because of its extra-ordinary advantages. We have been using the energy of the fossil fuels, produced by burning it which has kept the whole world on the edge of the devastation. Today, the world is towards the way of harnessing the natural sources for the energy to save the world from further global warming. The renewable energy does not emit any kind of toxic gases which can be fatal for the earth and another merit is it is the replenished energy. Among all the natural sources, the sun is the incessant mean, giving amazing output. The sun throws the heat and light directly on the earth almost daily (except few places) and the solar collectors collect the rays and transfer them into the form of electricity or heat which can be very helpful. Solar energy provides electricity to heat water and to heat or cool homes, businesses or industry. It is being preferable because it is a clean and renewable source of energy. The sunlight when converted into electricity is also called the solar power. If the use of renewable energy will be increased then the next generation will be able to live in the realm of pure environment.

John Eddy

Why do we rely so much on fossil fuels today, instead of renewable energy sources?

by: JohnWhy do we rely so much on fossil fuels today, instead of renewable energy sources?

Mangab

An Overview Of Solar Energy And Other Renewable Energy Sources

by: James CopperWhen we talk about renewable energy we are referring to power that delivers energy from resources that will not be depleted because of our use of them. Renewable energy is an alternative to non-renewable fossil fuel energy for reasons other than the factor of non-depletion.

One basic benefit of renewable energy, and the reason environmentalists all over the globe are advocate its use, is that it does give off greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants as do the by-products of burning fossil fuel for energy. Renewable energy such as solar power, water power and wind power, while the widespread discussion of which is new, are anything but new.

In both newly developing and highly developed countries wind, sun and water have long been used as power sources, though not to the extent of providing the primary energy source for large metropolitan communities.

The mass production of such renewable energy is become commonplace in recent years as more and more people come to realize how climate is changing due to the pollution of fossil fuel gases, due to the exhaustion of the availability of these fossil fuels and the political and social concerns of energy sources such as nuclear power.

Many countries and non-profit environmentally-conscious organizations are encouraging the use of renewable energy sources by passing legislation on tax incentives for their use and subsidies to offset the added expense of converting from fossil fuel to renewable energy.

The flow of renewable energy involves phenomena that occur naturally in our world. Tides, sunlight, wind and heat derived by geothermal occurrences all provide renewable energy. Each of these energy sources is unique both in where we can use them and how.

Most technology that converts renewable energy into power sources we can use are powered at least in part by the Sun if not directly at least indirectly. The earths atmospheric system stays in such equilibrium that the heat that it gives off radiates into space to an amount equal to the radiation that comes to earth from the sun.

The result of this energy level within the atmosphere is roughly translated to the climate of the earth. The water of the earth, also referred to its hydrosphere, absorbs a lot of the radiation that comes to us from the sun.

Most of the radiation gets absorbed at the lower latitudes of the earth that exist around the equator. This energy gets dissipated all around the globe, however, in the form of ocean and wind currents.

The motion of the ocean waves might have a role in transference of mechanical energy between the ocean and the earths atmosphere by way of wind stress. Solar energy also provides the means by which precipitations is distributed and then tapped by hydroelectric energy projects as well as plant growth that then creates biofuels.

renewable energy

Effect of using renewable energy on the economy?

by: writergirladI’m doing a project for my economics class and I have to explain several different ways in which transitioning to renewable energy and relying less on fossil fuels will effect the economy. So far all I really have is that it will create more jobs. I have to be able to write a 5 page paper on this. Please help, this is due tomorrow!

Teteh

Renewable Energy for Kids: Teaching Children About Renewable Energy

by: Justin R.Many parents want to teach their children about renewable energy and energy efficiency early in life because once they get in the habit of it, it will be a habit they continue to follow for the rest of their life. But where should you start when teaching renewable energy for kids?

A good start would be defining exactly what renewable energy is. You can suggest they make a list of non-renewable and renewable power sources and build from there. Some examples would be:



Non-Renewable: Oil/Gas, Natural Gas, Coal, Nuclear

Renewable: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Water



Explain to them how renewable energy comes from natural forces. It is different from fossil fuels as it does not make greenhouse gases or other pollutants.

You can further explain how the mass production of electricity using renewable energy sources has only recently become more popular. Some of the reasons why it’s becoming more popular include: climate change caused by pollution and fossil fuels are all being used up and becoming more expensive.

A great idea is to teach kids about energy efficiency. Have them make a list of all the powered devices they use for a day such as TV, computer, lights, etc. and for how long, and if possible the wattage of each device. If they can’t get the wattage, you can look up the average wattage for each device for demostration purposes. Do a rough calcuation to show them how much power they’re using in a day.

Now have them do an ‘energy conservation’ day where they turn off devices when they’re not using them, turn off lights when not in a room, turn down the heat/AC a couple degrees, etc. Now recalculate the daily wattage and show them how much energy they saved with a few simple changes.

Another great idea is show them how installing a solar panel or windmill can generate electricy for their own home. It’s not as expensive as you might think. You don’t need an expensive commerical system. You can build your own for $100-200 dollars and your kids could even help if they’re old enough. The less they take energy for granted, the better.

These lessons will stick with them (especially at such an impressionable age) and they’ll be using these practices for the rest of their life. Teach renewable energy for kids, the sooner the better!

Teteh

Renewable Energy

by: David TanguayRenewable energy is made from resources that Mother Nature will replace, like wind, water and sunshine. It is also being called “clean energy” or “green power” because it doesn’t pollute the air or the water. It a power source that is not limited, as fossil fuels are.

Renewable energy is considered a very important solution to a problem that has{readmore}grown out of control worldwide. It has been determined to be a clean alternative energy source.

Renewable energy is ready for a global takeoff, and has become the answer for a better tomorrow.

Renewable energy is a broad category of sources that draws from the energy around us naturally. Renewable energy is seen as one of the important components of climate change solution. It is astounding that so much of the worlds fossil fuels have been depleted, and that renewable energy is just now be sought as a viable alternative.

Renewable energy is the main component of eco-energy planning. It is available in a variety of methods of use, which can reduce energy consumption, preclude energy utilization and eliminate our dependence on non-renewable energy sources.

Renewable energy is produced from continuously available natural processes that do not involve the consumption of exhaustible resources such as fossil fuels. Renewable energy is also called “clean energy” or “green power” because it doesn’t pollute the air or the water.

Renewable energy is used for electricity generation, heat in industrial processes, heating and cooling buildings, and transportation fuels. It is assisting America in meeting its energy needs. Renewable energy effectively utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy systems encompass a broad and diverse array of technologies, and the current status of these can vary considerably.

Renewable energy power generated from the nearly infinite elements of nature such as sunshine, wind, the movement of water, the internal heat of the Earth, and the combustion of replenishable crops is very popular with the public and governmental officials because it is an unlimited and environmentally gentle source of power, particularly compared with the supposedly limited and environmentally challenging alternative of reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Renewable energy can help the United States rely on domestic sources of energy, which will eventually eliminate our need for oil or slow the growth of our consumption. Renewable energy can meet our energy requirements while decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable energy can provide significant opportunities for developing countries and rural areas as well as in industrialized countries.

Red Devils

Is Global Warming Inevitable?

by: James NashSometimes we need to think the unthinkable, particularly when dealing with a problem as dangerous as climate change – there is no room for dogma when considering the future habitability of our planet. It was in this spirit that I and a panel of other specialists in climate, economics and policy-making met under the aegis of the Stockholm Network thinktank to map out future scenarios for how international policy might evolve – and what the eventual impact might be on the earth’s climate.

We came up with three alternative visions of the future, and asked experts at the Met Office Hadley Centre to run them through its climate models to give each a projected temperature rise. The results were both surprising, and profoundly disturbing. We gave each scenario a name. The most pessimistic was labelled “agree and ignore” – a world where governments meet to make commitments on climate change, but then backtrack or fail to comply with them. Sound familiar? It should: this scenario most closely resembles the past 10 years, and it projects emissions on an upward trend until 2045.

A more optimistic scenario was termed “Kyoto plus”: here governments make a strong agreement in Copenhagen in 2009, binding industrialised countries into a new round of Kyoto-style targets, with developing countries joining successively as they achieve “first world” status. This scenario represents the best outcome that can plausibly result from the current process – but ominously, it still sees emissions rising until 2030.

The third scenario – called “step change” – is worth a closer look. Here we envisaged massive climate disasters around the world in 2010 and 2011 causing a sudden increase in the sense of urgency surrounding global warming. Energised, world leaders ditch Kyoto, abandoning efforts to regulate emissions at a national level. Instead, they focus on the companies that produce fossil fuels in the first place – from oil and gas wells and coal mines – with the UN setting a global “upstream” production cap and auctioning tradable permits to carbon producers.

Instead of all the complexity of regulating squabbling nations and billions of people, the price mechanism does the work: companies simply pass on their increased costs to consumers, and demand for carbon-intensive products begins to fall. The auctioning of permits raises trillions of dollars to be spent smoothing the transition to a low-carbon economy and offsetting the impact of price rises on the poor. A clear long-term framework puts a price on carbon, giving business a strong incentive to shift investment into renewable energy and low-carbon manufacturing. Most importantly, a strong carbon cap means that global emissions peak as early as 2017.

This “upstream cap” approach is not a new idea, and our approach draws in particular on a forthcoming book by the environmental writer Oliver Tickell. However, conventional wisdom from governments and environmental groups alike insists that “Kyoto is the only game in town”, and that proposing any alternative is dangerous heresy.

But let’s look at the modelled temperature increases associated with each scenario. “Agree and ignore” sees temperatures rise by 4.85C by 2100 (with a 90% probability); for “Kyoto plus”, it’s 3.31C; and “step change” 2.89C. This is the depressing bit: no politically plausible scenario we could envisage will now keep the world below the danger threshold of two degrees, the official target of both the EU and UK.

This means that all scenarios see the total disappearance of Arctic sea ice; spreading deserts and water stress in the sub-tropics; extreme weather and floods; and melting glaciers in the Andes and Himalayas. Hence the need to focus far more on adaptation: these are impacts that humanity is going to have to deal with whatever now happens at the policy level.

But the other great lesson is that sticking with current policy is actually a very risky option, rather than a safe bet. Betting on Kyoto could mean triggering the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet and crossing thresholds that involve massive methane release from melting Siberian permafrost. If current policy continues to fail – along the lines of the “agree and ignore” scenario – then 50% to 80% of all species on earth could be driven to extinction by the magnitude and rapidity of warming, and much of the planet’s surface left uninhabitable to humans.

Billions, not millions, of people would be displaced.

So which way will it go? Ultimately the difference between the scenarios is one of political will: the question now is whether humanity can summon up the courage and foresight to save itself, or whether business as usual – on climate policy as much as economics – will condemn us all to climatic oblivion.

Damien