Posts tagged: renewable energy


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The Challenge Of Going Solar – Are You Ready?

Have you heard that the U.S. is full of possible, and as yet undeveloped, sources for renewable energy? Especially solar energy, but other renewable sources also. For example, we have such things as wave energy (from ocean waves), and wind energy. All these renewable sources have lots of un-tapped potential.

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.

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categories Renewable Energy | admin | datetime June 29, 2009 11:17 am | comments Comments (0)


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Solar Panels Can Save the Earth and Could Save You Money

Since I am very interested in the environment, I am going to discuss it here. Convenient energy is of fundamental importance to the current economy. Without this great flow of energy, our modern world couldn’t exist. It was coal and oil that fueled the industrial revolution.

Although the benefits have been tremendous, we also see a number of problems. The coal and oil we burn is really nothing but ancient sunlight. Using all that ancient stuff means it is ultimately released into the air as carbon dioxide; “CO2″. Which means the atmosphere recieves a higher concentration of that gas.

It is well known that carbon dioxide transmits visible light, while reflecting infrared radiation. This means that when the CO2 level goes up, more infrared radiation is trapped near the Earth’s surface.

Our scientists tell us that most life on Earth became extinct many millions of years ago. It seems that this mass extinction was associated with a sharp increase of carbon dioxide in the air. This would have caused the surface of the Earth to become much hotter.

The enormous current use of coal and oil has already caused a marked increase in the content of CO2 in the air. Also, many reports say that there is an unusual warming taking place in several regions. Especially, the polar ice caps are melting fast now.

I feel that if we care about future generations we must take action. So, what is there for us common people to do about it? Well, we can do our best to use less fossil fuels. As an alternative: let us use renewable energy.

The sun is the power behind most energy sources (with a few exceptions). If we can collect that energy directly, we have solved a number of problems. How about solar panels for example.

There is nothing new about solar cells, they’ve been produced for many years but have been very expensive. The high cost have limited their widespread use as energy source. These days, this is changing and solar panels no longer have that hefty price tag. You can put home solar panels on the roof of your house, and get free energy from the sun. With some do-it-yourself work, you can bring down the cost even more. Being able to live off the grid – how about that.

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categories Renewable Energy | admin | datetime June 23, 2009 6:17 am | comments Comments (0)

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