Alternative energy

When you ask somebody directly which is the most common alternative energy source, the answer will probably be solar energy.

Everybody thinks of it because it has been highly promoted by the fact that people build cars running on solar energy, by the fact that we have various products running on it as the calculator that you know so well, that runs only thanks to the fact that there is light in the room.

The fact that the solar energy is so cheap compared to the classic way of producing energy makes it a great alternative, just that at this moment, people don’t understand the value they have all around them.

We must make people understand that the Sun is one of the greatest values our Earth has and that it can bring a lot of value to our lives.

It’s in our power!

These days there are a lot of websites, a lot of books, a lot of people speaking about alternative energy and how to save the Earth. I think this is one of the most important improvement that we were part of, because thanks to so many sources of information, people are more and more aware of the fact that classical energy is not endless and in many cases, classical ways of producing energy damage the Earth we are living.

It is great that you can find on the internet free websites about this topic of alternative energy because you can inform yourself so you can teach your children about it. If our generation didn’t do too much about it, we can all teach our children that they have the power to do something about it and change the way we produce energy.

Of course, I expect that in the next years our children to discover new sources of energy that we haven’t even imagined so there will be more and more alternatives to our classical energy.

What we can do is to inform ourselves about it and teach them well, because it is in our power. If we don’t teach our children about alternative energy then they will not do much about it either and they will not be able to teach their children, so the bad situation we are facing today won’t change!

Remember, it is in our power to change the world as we know it to something better!

It is no longer a secret that the weather is changing, with abnormal phenomenon happening all around the world. We all know that the planet suffers from these negative weather changes which are getting more and more dangerous as we speak. Is there something we can do about it? Not on a big scale, anyway…

This abnormal weather is the consequence of repeated mistakes made by humans. The constantly increasing pollution – due to car gas emissions, excessive use of deodorants, some kinds of factories, etc – is the main factor that led to the appearance of all sorts of anomalies related to the weather. This phenomenon happens, unfortunately, all over the Globe and seems to be increasing in a concerning rhythm.

This is why we have to be well informed about all this meteorological metamorphosis. And the best way to do this is to access specialized websites in the field. Thanks to the Internet, you can convince yourself about the abnormal weather existing today; you have the opportunity to choose a “disaster video” from a diversified range of videos.

A “disaster video” is – exactly what its name indicates – a video presenting a disaster, a meteorological disaster, to be more specific. Whether it’s a tornado, a lightning storm, a hurricane and so on, there are websites that have it all. As frightened as you may possibly be to watch this kind of videos, you should know that ignoring facts will not spare you of the consequences. Put in other words, these meteorological anomalies can happen in your city too, whether you are willing to accept this fact or not. And seeing what they look like is a good way of knowing what to do if, God forbidden, you will ever be forced to deal with them.

Watching a disaster video is always a good way of reminding your own self that you are not immortal and that this kind of things can happen to anyone of us. People “swallowed” by huge tsunami waves or killed in huge hurricanes, houses destroyed by terrible tornados, all of these are no mystery for some unfortunate countries on the Globe. Filmed by amateurs just happening to be nearby when the specific disaster took place, each disaster video has an authenticity that makes it worth to be viewed. Not forgetting also the fact that all of these videos have attached – below the window in which they are displayed – all the information about the filmed phenomenon, like location, temperature, atmospheric conditions and so on.

Even though people are oriented today towards videos presenting the latest fashion/make-up trends, the latest gossips about celebrities, ways of losing weight and other similar things, videos like a disaster video should be paid more attention to. Why? Because these meteorological anomalies are getting more and more frequent. And they can happen to you too. The abnormal weather that governs the entire Globe today is one of the biggest concerns for top scientists all around the world. In their numerous attempts to identify all the causes that have led to this meteorological crisis and to find out solutions that would remediate the weakness of the weather’s status, these people have tried it all. Unfortunately, it’s a little bit too late to remediate some of the problems. Some things, indeed, can be done here and there. But the damage, the big damage, has already been done and it’s only our – the human race’s – fault. The abnormal weather that we have to face every day is something that we can’t ignore anymore. You can see it yourself by accessing our website and watching a disaster video. This is the time to go ahead and make a change. After all, we are all living on the same Earth!

Rooftop wind turbines offer a relatively inexpensive way to participate in the rush to renewable energy. The principle allure is low installation cost. Typically, tower installations for larger turbines add 50-80% to the cost of the system. With a rooftop turbine, an $800 tower is replaced by a $39 roof mounted tripod, or a length of pipe attached to the side of the house. According to Ron Stimmel of the American Wind Energy Association, “…rooftop turbines still account for only 1 percent or so of the 10,000 small wind turbines that are sold each year in the country.” For this reason, few performance statistics are available from actual owners.

It’s possible, however, to get an idea of the estimated power output of a rooftop turbine from the manufacturer’s website. For example, the Energy Performance chart for Southwest Wind power’s 200W Air Breeze predicts 20-30 kWh (kilowatt hours) per month from 10-12 mph winds occurring 6 hours per day.

To put this in perspective, 30 kWh is less than 5% of the power consumed each month by the average household. Overall, the payback from a single, roof mounted turbine in tangible financial terms leaves a lot to be desired; especially in light of the fact that unlike solar, there is no Federal tax credit for residential wind power.

But anyone thinking about installing a rooftop turbine(s) is probably aware of this already. The rooftop wind enthusiast is not motivated by financial relief, but rather the intangible rewards of pride of ownership, walking the walk, or simple satisfaction as a hobbyist.

Motivation aside, it doesn’t make sense on any level to proceed with a wind powered project unless the three following requirements are met:

1. Higher than average cost per kWh. The more you pay per kWh for electricity, the more economical wind power becomes. A rule of thumb in the wind turbine industry states a residential wind powered system shouldn’t be considered unless you pay $0.10 or more per kWh for electricity.

The easiest way to determine your cost per kWh is divide the current monthly balance on your electric bill by kWh usage (also plainly stated on your bill). 2. Building codes. Visit your building department to find out if there are any zoning restrictions for roof top turbines. Don’t build your rooftop system first and ask questions later - only to be told it violates zoning laws and must come down.

3. Minimum wind speed. Wind speed of 7 mph, or 3 m/s (meters per second) is the start up speed for just about every wind turbine. However, in order to get any “juice” out of the turbine, minimum wind speeds of 10-12 mph for 6 hours per day are necessary.

Although wind speed charts for the United States and Canada are available to help site larger turbines, they’re of little use for rooftop systems because the data is collected at a minimum altitude of 30 meters (98.4 feet).

However, you can get a good idea of the wind speed at proposed turbine locations by purchasing an anemometer (wind speed meter) for around $150. The kit comes with a rooftop sensor, 60′ of cable and mounting hardware for the read out display. These are not data logging meters, so you’ll have to keep notes on your observations.

If you’re really serious about wind speed data collection, you can purchase a data logging anemometer kit with tracking software for $400.

Depending on where you live, wind speeds generally fluctuate with the seasons. Readings taken during the hot summer months of July and August, when you’re begging for a breeze, are not usually a reliable indicator of average yearly wind speed.

Also, rooftop turbines located at the edge of a long flat roof experience much more wind than those located on roof peaks.

If, after a month or two of collecting data you determine there just isn’t enough wind for a rooftop wind turbine, you can always resell the anemometer and turn your attention towards solar.

Thanks to Home Improvement with Alternative Energy Heating - Useful alternative energy information