Groceries

Since most people (I believe!) regularly recycle paper, glass and tins, most of your common litter is probably composted of food. The bulk of the groceries that we throw away is in most cases in perfect condition and in some cases even in the original wrapper or box. We can find out that out of all the groceries that Canadian families pick out and pay for in stores, 20 to 30% eventually ends up in the dustbin. Adding stores and restaurants’ garbage, that’s 7 to 14 billion tonnes of food per year. That is worth $3 to 5 billion Canadian dollars per year.

Now you are probably surprised by these numbers, aren’t you? With so many organizations trying to help people affected by lack of food, while at the same time so much of it is being wasted right under our noses. While it wouldn’t be too smart to pack unused groceries and send it to countries hit by famine, there are other ways to avoid food being thrown out in vain. 1. Try using leftovers. For example if you had some rice remaining from last night’s supper, you could have prepared stuffed peppers today. 2. A good way of avoiding food going past the expiry date is sorting your food cabinet by this criteria: older food, that is going to expire soon, is placed in the front, while the longer lasting products can stay in the back of the shelves. 3. It may happen that you know beforehand that there is some food you are not going to be able to consume before its expiration date. Instead of throwing it out, try to find a local charity or soup kitchen and bring your food there when it’s still serviceable. Let some people eat it – hunger isn’t only to Africa. 4. If you have some leftovers anyway, try mulching it instead of just throwing it away. Always try to think in the way that food just shouldn’t be dumped. If you don’t have a garden yourself, try to find someone who does and can do the mulching.

Water

You probably already know many tips on how to prevent using more water than necessary in your household. But there is one remarkable aspect of home water saving – toilets, as places we use to get rid of our excrements. We got used to using toilets so much that we no longer think of them – as long as they work the way the are supposed to. However, have you tried to calculate how much water your family uses every month for flushing the lavatory? Wow, that’s a lot of water, isn’t it? And has it ever occurred to you that this quantity is not necessary, that flushing your lavatory can be done using less water? There are two different methods to achieve that. 1. There are new kinds of toilets available, that are using just the minimum volume of water necessary. You might think that there is not much to choose from when buying a new lavatory, but just stop by at your local shop and see for yourself, you might be surprised! 2. Another way of decreasing the amount of water for flushing is to put several plastic bottles filled with water into the tank of your toilet. You might have to experiment a bit before you find out the right volume of water needed for the toilet to keep functioning fine.

Electric energy

You have probably already heard a lot of tips and tricks on how to save electric energy. But now let’s talk about tumble dryers, as I see these myself as one of the biggest energy-eaters in our households. Today, people are not used to waiting before they get something they want or need at the moment, and they sometimes need too much energy getting it, just because it will be done faster. It’s a fact that no one has time today to do the laundry by hands and dishwashers actually save water. But tumble dryer? Would it be such a great problem if we just waited 1 – 2 days for our clothes to get dry? If you really mean to “live green”, use your tumble dryer only in crisis situations or get rid of it (sell it) completely. Not only the environment will be grateful for your decision, but also you will pay less for electricity.

The price of electricity is going up. The price of everything in our capitalist society will go up. Economic growth and inflation are all part and parcel of a growing economy. These unavoidable truths force us to consider alternative energy sources like solar panel technology and windmill generators as a way to both save money and be kind to the environment.

People today are much better informed and due to this awareness there is a movement that is growing towards getting rid of the old generating systems of the past and the adoption of new technologies for renewable energy is fast becoming the accepted practice. Everyone knows that the environmental crisis is one of our making. The best way to find our way out of a difficult quandary is to find ways to both reduce our energy consumption and to explore clean alternative sources of energy.

As a nation, our leaders have taken the initiative and put significant financial resources into home solar panels technology, wind and nuclear energy. Wind and solar generators have the ability to provide electricity with virtually no cost to the environment.

Due to government investment in these renewable technologies, it has allowed the research to move quicker, resulting in lower prices and smaller scale for the home user.

The concept of a small wind turbine and/or a solar array has come full circle, to be seen as a reasonable and rational concept for main stream society.

The technology of solar power – familiar to students of physics — works by exposing solar photons to thin sheets of different electric elements, producing an electric current. If you have enough of these element ‘sandwiches’ you can produce enough electricity to power the necessary appliances in your home. The appliances designed even a few years ago to run on a limitless supply of electricity are not the appliances we now need.

It is vital to streamline appliances in order to maximize their efficiency. It is an achievable goal to expect self suffiency in the future if we keep our efforts to spread the awareness at all levels of society.

For those in areas without constant sunshine, it is possible to utilize wind turbine technology to produce power to supplement.

While the generation of enough electricity to produce heat of sufficient quantity may be difficult in northern climes, the obvious and equally environmentally friendly alternative is the geothermal or aqua-thermal ‘heat pump’. Already becoming extremely popular in the cooler climates, the ‘heat pump’ transfers the inherent heat of the Earths average 65 degree constant temperature, into a system of liquid filled pipes, and, with the use of a refrigerator-like compressor, send it into your home. It even reverses to cool in the summer.

If this heat pump is powered by your home solar panels, you have succeeded in making your solar panel installation part of the solution to our environmental problem.

Brief Background Info
It all started with Solar-Panels – the most significant factor of any Transportable Solar Electricity Kits, by employing one of these famous guides, one will be ready to gather them with your own hands. Make some effort when picking a guide ; check that it gives the following : clear illustrations, footage, diagrams, videos, and technical support.

The idea is rather easy yet a clever one – Transferable Solar Energy Kits are supported on a down-loadable instructional guidebook that explains in straightforward words how to line up Solar-Cells at ridiculous price. It may sound apparent, but be certain to pick the right guide ; guarantee it provides evidence that it was successful for others.

What are the Real Benefits?
Whilst finding out what is in it for the individual, one can quickly find the following:

* Really fast return on investment (ROI).
* Utilizes Wind-Power as a backup when having long periods of cloudy days.
* Helps the environment.
* Raises the value of the home by thousands.
* No duty to keep in mind to switch off the lights each time one leaves the room.

Tip to Go
Don’t follow guides that don’t give visual direction – in almost all of the cases only elaborated illustrations and videos can really certify complicated operations. Also nowadays portable solar electricity stations come in very useful.

Bottom Line
The main reason that it so sought after among most home-makers is the fact that transferable solar electricity kits need minimal effort and cost in order to get great results. There is no question – Portable Solar Energy Kits actually provide an outstanding opportunity for any household to ‘cut’ their electricity costs to almost zero. It would be rather simple to find other gains given by this unique invention. Now it is time to take action, so at about that point it is advised that you simply try it, as in almost all of the cases it will take an individual no longer than a single weekend to have it up and working.

Up and till very recently, the costs of installing wind powered generators has been extremely costly, with small turbines designed for home power needs costing anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000.Obviously prices that high means it will take lots of years for your investment to be repaid.

But now you have another viable option that is dramatically cheaper, the option to actually make your own diy wind generator .  For just a few bucks you can now buy very detailed, easy to follow manuals that show you literally step by step, how to build a windmill.

The best DIY guide on the web without a shadow of a doubt, is the best selling Earth4Energy.  Earth4Energy actually comes as a series of video tutorials rather than as a traditional instruction manual.  The videos are very easy to follow, and are extremely comprehensive, covering the whole process, including how and where to buy or beg your components from cheaply, through to the actual generator build and installation.

If you follow the instructions in the videos, you realistically should be able to construct a reasonable sized home wind turbine for around the $250 mark.  You’ll soon recoup your investment costs when the electricity bills stop dropping in your mailbox!  Of course there will be some additional costs.  You will need to employ a qualified electrician to install your new generator in to your home’s network, and it is also advisable to buy or assemble a battery pack to store excess charge for times when your prevailing winds are too light to drive the generator.

All things considered, the Earth4Energy product really is excellent quality and also very well priced!

Fossil fuels like coal and oil have powered the western world for over a hundred years. Well, that was then, and this is now. Coal and oil have been used because they were cheap and abundant. Also, these energy sources were simple and convenient to use.

It is now evident that the Earth’s stored fossil energy reserves are running low. Getting at them becomes harder and harder. Then there is the spectre of the Global Warming.

I don’t know about you, but I have come to the conclusion that this issue must be taken very seriously. It doesn’t take a genious to realize that as we burn coal and oil, enormous amounts of carbon dioxide end up in the atmosphere. The origin of this is carbon which has been fossilized and tucked away in the Earth since long before the age of the dinosaurs. Now we humans are opening a Pandora’s box by releasing tremendous quantities into the air.

During the 1900s, there has been an enormous increase of the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Why is this a problem? It’s because of a property of CO2; the “greenhouse effect”. This gas is invisible to us but reflects infrared radiation back to the surface of the Earth. Which means that as the CO2 level goes up, so will the Earth’s temperature go up also.

You will be affected in different ways depending on where you happen to live. In some parts of the world, it can lead to disastrous consequences – drought, desertification, famine. Plus the polar ice caps are now melting away at a really alarming rate. If this trend continues, the ocean levels could rise several feet. If so, you can expect a watery future for such cities as New York. And large parts of countries like The Netherlands would also end up under water.

What can we do about these problems? The remedy is to make every effort to phase out the use of fossil energy. The time has come for solar panels and other kinds of renewable energy – time to develop their potential. I guess you belive solar panels are way too costly? Not anymore. You can set up home solar panels yourself and save money.

In case you happen to be a rugged and self-reliant person, I am sure you have an interest in DIY solar panels. Get them set up on your rooftop, and thumb your nose at these pesky bills from the utility company. People in the U.S. have a great reputation for being self-reliant action-takers. So, I think they will be able to handle this challenge also.

What Size Does Your Home Need

There are a variety of residential solar power systems available for use. System capacities range from 1,000 watts to cover 50 square feet, to 25,000 watts, to cover 1600 square feet. A 10,000-watt system will save the average homeowner approximately $50,000 over 25 years while still supplying the 10,000 kWh needed. Because of the different sizes of homes and the amount of power each household uses, homeowners’ savings from using a residential solar power system may vary. Many people choose to supplement rather than replace their reliance on the power grid with residential solar power as solar power systems powerful enough to supply enough electricity for the average home are still a little expensive. For many homeowners, the $75,000 cost associated with the installation of this kind of system is not possible, even for the promised thousands of dollars of savings.

Tax credits and Government incentives are available for those homeowners looking to upgrade their home that can be used to lower the initial set-up fees. For example, if your $75,000 solar power system is eligible for a tax credit of $35,000, that means you will only have to pay $40,000 out of pocket. Tax credits greatly decrease the cost of residential solar power, spurring the market with monetary incentives.

More Solar Energy Advantages:

As our cars make the transition from gasoline engines to electric motors, our power grid will be taxed even further. Switching to residential solar power will ensure that our power grid is available for our grandchildren, decrease our household expenses in a time when costs are going up, and preserve our environment.

In the current situation of extreme energy crisis across the globe, it only makes sense that we look for alternate power solutions. It proves to be a very economical decision to make wind generator systems, especiall y in farms and remote places. A windmill might not be the best answer if you live in areas with dense population.

What are the prerequisites for setting up a windmill?
There are two important pre-requisites for a windmill:

• The place where the solution is to be implemented should have an area of at least one acre. It is not advisable to set up a windmill in a smaller area as the windmill blades will not be able to capture enough wind power for the windmill to work.

• The average speed of wind in the area should approximately be 11 miles per hour. It won’t work to make wind generator systems at a location where things like tall buildings and towers block the wind. It will aso be important that the speed of the wind is fairly consistent at your location.

What are the parts needed to make wind generator systems?
You will need the following components to make a windmill:

* Blades: Their function is to rotate and capturing the wind energy for conversion to electricity. Blades are typically made of wood or plastic.

• Tower: The tower is the pillar that holds the system high enough to be able to use the wind. They are made up of hard material such as poly-vinyl chloride.

• Shaft: The shaft is used to join the blades to the tower, at the same time allowing them to rotate smoothly.

* Base: The function of the windmill base is to contain the tower and the blades.

How is a windmill set up?
You will find ready-to-install windmill kits in the market. Talk to an expert when selecting the one that best meets your location and needs. If you would like to choose the components personally and set the windmill on your own, make sure you seek professional help; a mismatch of size in the components will make your windmill useless.

Good luck on your make wind generator project! You can do it!

Ralph Somers, editor

Make wind generator information portal

What are the benefits to harnessing solar energy?

The solar energy solution is gaining popularity amongst the alternate energy solutions. And it’s no wonder with it becoming so easy to make solar heater energy and generators.

* Renewable energy answer: When you consider the solar power answer, you will conclude that it uses zero fuel except sunlight. Moreover, it does not release into the atmosphere anything harmful. When you make solar heater energy or generators, you are doing your part to save the environment.

* The most inexpensive energy solution: First the energy doesn’t cost anything. You can make solar heater energy or generator with a minimal budget. Then, the installation cost is a one-time cost. Lastly, your investment will likely be recouped within a few years of being installed making electricity generation completely free.

* Storage convenience: You can’t store traditional power supplied to you from the grid but you can store solar energy for later consumption. Even during the times of darkness, the sun’s energy comes to the rescue! When you make solar heater energy or generator, that energy will be available even when the sun sets. Storing it also ensures a 24×7 supply of power, thus saving you from any power outage.

• Low on maintenance: The solar energy systems are easy to maintain. They don’t require an exorbitant initial investment or a ton of effort, therefore letting you benefit from the solution with comfort.

How can solar power be used?
Solar power can be used in our everyday lives by adopting the following solar power systems:

* Solar cooking: This is a system of cooking that does not require lighting a fire or the use of electricity! Solar cooking is one way to make solar heater energy. In case you’re curious, I can assure you that solar cooking is anything but bland. You can cook in more ways than one – boil, roast, or bake, cook the way you want! The only requirement of solar cooking is patience; it’s going to take more than a few minutes. However, it is not asking for too much given that you will get tasteful and healthy food without worrying about paying your gas or electricity bill.

*Solar lighting system: Now you don’t have to worry about reducing your electricity bills every time you use an electrical appliance or turn on the lights. Solar lighting in addition to your system to make solar heaer energy can significantly cut into your energy bill. Thanks to the power storage feature, the solar lighting system will light your how even at night.

• Solar heating system: You can keep your house cozy and warm using the solar heating system without worrying about costs. You can make solar heater energy easily but with a hop, skip and jump, you can make a generator.

Ralph Somers, editor

Make solar heater and green energy forum

Build a Wind Generator As The World Starts To Be Energy Aware

Take action today: build a wind generator, it’s easy. It is easy to go dizzy when you consider the sheer quantity of energy it takes to power the modern world. Can you picture what if every home were to build a wind generator? Just the sheer quantity is unfathomable. Picture what a difference we could make if every home committed to build a wind generator that would supply some of its power consumption needs. Now that we have awakened to environment, climate and societal problems associated with the continued use of fossil fuels, it is interesting to hear the politicians suddenly thinking green.

Even Ahnold is going green. So why would you not build a wind generator especially if it is cheap and easy. If you go back just 10 years, no one would have thought the Terminator, aka the Governator of Cali, would be driving around in a hummer hybrid? Well, he does. Additionally, Schwarzenegger is probably the most environmentally friendly politician in the US when it comes to taking action.California, after all, has just instituted a 3 billion dollar solar energy plan. Is he willing to be the only Governor in history to build a wind generator or install a solar panel? If you want to build a wind generator check to see if your state gives you a tax incentive because many do.

The government has failed miserably when it comes to the environment but you don’t have you. You can make an impact if you build a wind generator. It is not only easy and will help the environment but it will also help your wallet as you save every month on your electric bill.Unfortunately, the federal government gets a big fat F when it comes to the energy crisis. Beholden to big oil, the Bush administration simply refused to acknowledge there is a problem, much less take action. The odds are againts Bush giving anyone a tax break to build a wind generator or do anything that will give arise to competition against the oil barons. For many in the country, this must give the impression that nothing is being done around the world. In fact, much is being done, but the U.S. easily not participating.

For example, give some thought to Victoria, Australia. The province has made a commitment to obtaining 60% of its entire energy needs from renewable resources by 2016. Are tax incentives going to be made available to every home that wants to build a wind generator because that number is astronomical!

How about Germany? The Germans lead the world in wind and solar technology. By 2020, a full 20 percent of the total German energy supply will come from renewable energy. To build a wind generator is to be German. Anyone who has seen Berlin at night understands this is amazing.
How about Norway? The country is 99 percent reliant on renewable energy sources. Norway has no petroleum powered power plants. None! It imports no oil. The reality is it ships almost all of it oil reserves to other countries putting behind only Russia and Saudi Arabia in oil exporters. Be Norwegian and build a wind generator so we can be independent of oil too.

How about Brazil? The country is known for its “interesting” political situation, yet it has managed to turn itself into a clean energy giant in South America. The reason is the country has converted much of its transportation, public and private, to ethanol. Not too far into the future, it is estimated that the majority of transportation in Brazil will operate entirely on ethanol, which is a biofuel made from sugarcane. The price per gallon of ethanol is half that of oil. If the United States were to take the same step, the savings on oil each year would be close to $2 trillion dollars. Maybe they will raise the stakes and support a move to build a wind generator for every household.

This only demonstrates a handful of ways the world is making an honest effort to produce clean energy. It is an unfortunate fact the the US is both the largest consumer of oil product and the producer of greenhouse gases. Can you imagine if every house in the United States were to build a wind generator? Imagine how powerful that would be. Until these changes are put into motion, the process won’t be complete.

Ralph Somers, editor

Build a Wind Generator Forum

To build solar power is to use the energy of the sun to produce electricity. Leveraging solar energy or the heat of the sun is on such attempt. Solar energy is considered to be one of the most powerful forms of all energies on earth. So when you build solar power, you are tapping into one of the most abundant sources of energy available. It is produced from the sun which has been buring for billions of years. Solar energy penetrates the atmosphere in the form of solar radiation and is turned into different types of electricity and heat either directly or indirectly.

Although it is a major source for power, you will still encounter these challenges when you build solar power:

1. The unpredictable and constantly changing patterns of the earth.

2. There is a need for a large area to collect it.

You can build solar power for multiple purposes from heating water for use at homes to drying agricultural products and even generating electrical energy.

Trivia: British astronomer John Herschel used a solar collector box on his expedition to Africa to build solar power and cook food in the 1830’s.

Consider these advantages for you to build solar power energy:

* When you build solar power, you are harnessing a renewable resource and it will take around 5 billion years for the sun to burn out. Therefore, the homes that build solar power electricity will be able to harvest the amount of power needed to continue everyday operations such as cooking, vacuuming, etc and can supply commercial usage without fear of power outages.

* When you build solar power, you aren’t creating pollution. As compared to any other energy resource like oil or coal, when you build solar power, you will not emit greenhouse gases into the air and hence is considered environmentally friendly.

* There is a small initial investment to build solar power but after that the solar power is free. If you compare with oil or coal that you have to purchase, using solar power will be significantly less or even free in the long run. Initially you might have to invest a little on the solar panels or cells for your build solar power kit. The maintenance of solar cells or panels is zero. Apart from this, the life of the solar cells is much longer and comes with a lifetime warranty. It is possible to build solar power using photovoltaic cells to heat water or even to drive your car. The solar panels are able to take light and turn it into electricity. They are also called photovoltaic cells or PV cells.

But today, things are different and the situation at hand is grim. It is possible to build solar power and leverage solar energy for a variety of functions. Some of the uses of solar energy by organizations and individuals are as follows:

1. Companies are trying to build solar power using photo-voltaics in electric utilities. The photovoltaic process allows you to build solar power and energy that becomes directly converted to electricity.

2. You can build solar power energy from generators directly using steam produced by solar thermal collectors that raise the temperature of operating fluids’

3. There are lots of gobal business that have begun to build solar power and installing solar photovoltaic cells, which is easily modified to fit into existing rooftops. Building structures are connected to a grid that uses solar PV modules to build solar power in offices within the premises.

Photovoltaic Energy

Photovoltaic energy can convert sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PVs) cells when you build solar power. The everyday name for these cells is the solar cell. Photovoltaic panels are made up of non-mechanical units that are comprised mainly of silicon alloys.

Sunlight is basically composed of millions of different particles of solar energy also known as photons. Every photon has a differing degree of energy that correlates to the varying wavelengths within the solar array.

When a photon strikes a photovoltaic cell, they will either get absorbed, reflected, or pass right through. The photons which get absorbed can provide enough energy to build solar power electricity. When enough energy becomes absorbed in the semiconductor chip, then the electron particles become displaced from their material atoms and that is the technology that underlies how you build solar power.

Photovoltaic cells are being increasingly used in driving solar powered products. Here are some of them:

Solar chargers

* These chargers can charge some of the most powerful electronic devices like mp3 players, cell phones and digital cameras.

* Some of the top companies of the world use them for their electronic devices like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Palm/Treo.

* These chargers are made up of folding solar cells of differing outputs such as 6.25 watts, 12 watts, and 5 watts.

* They are made with high efficiency solar cells that are compact and light in weight.

* These photovoltaic solar cell powered chargers can juice up flashlights, mobile phones, global position devices, MP3 players and many other appliances.

Solar Modules

* The solar modules are mostly he mono-crystalline silicon and are composed of composed of solar cells that have an average conversion efficiency of 15% or more and comes with solar glass and Tedlar (TPT) back sheet and EVA sheet compounded from fluoric-plastic and dacron.

Solar Power Radio & Crank Flashlight

* Multi-function solar radio features and can work on MW/FM/SW1/SW2 MW: 530-1600KHZ/FM: 88-108 MHZ/SW1: 3.8-10 MHZ/SW2: 11-17 MHZ

* The solar radio works on built-in single solar cell

This has been your introduction on the basic things to know before you build solar power. Anyone can build solar power as long as they have a good build solar power kit. Don’t be afraid and go build solar power!

Ralph Somers, editor

Build Solar Power Forum