Alternative Energy

About an year ago there was an informative article about a Solar Heater priced at a mere $350, for its price and its ability to completely run off solar energy and  being highly effectiveness the Solar heater gathered a lot of interest from interest groups as well as builders.. after all collecting heat into an exposed wall on the southern end and then using the same for warming the air is not just a simple process but it is also quite inexpensive to install and highly economical in the longer run.

As explained by BuildItSolar.com the principle behind the solar heater project is the same as is in the Solar Wall.

Using a perforated steel wall cladding over the existing wall, air is drawn in through small openings across the surface and as the wall itself is heated by the sun. In addition, the system helps recapture some of the heat being lost through the outside Read the rest of this entry »

Come November 12^th and the One Laptop Per Child(OLPC) program that aims at having one laptop in every child’s hand will kick off its commercial operations. The same was officially announced and the release day was specified as next week on Monday will see an end to the long drawn speculations that at one stage had the program and the agenda itself in question.

However, if you are interested in buying one for your self, better act fast because the OLPC is only going to be on sale for a fortnight. Even though the sale model and market was quite different from the American Christmas shopping masses, if everything goes right according to industry and sales speculations the One Laptop Per Child XO is going to be a phenomenal sales success and not just because of the hype but for some very valid and Read the rest of this entry »

A great amount of thermal energy (heat) is stored in the world’s oceans. Each day, the oceans absorb enough heat from the sun to equal the thermal energy contained in 250 billion barrels of oil. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Systems (OTEC) systems convert this thermal energy into electricity — often while producing desalinated water. The use of heat engines is pivotal for this utilization of energy.

In common parlance heat engines are commonly associated with engineering, and nearly all energy utilized by humans uses these heat engines in some form. How this works is that the engine is placed between two reservoirs with extreme temperature differences. As heat flows from one to the other, the engine extracts some of the heat in the form of Read the rest of this entry »

Fuel cells as the name suggest are devices which produce electricity. They are similar to battery in the way that the chemical composition in a battery is carried by a fuel cell too. The difference lies in the restructured pattern of a fuel cell and subsequently a modified chemical reaction, quite different from a conventional battery. The electrodes of a fuel cell are more stable as they are catalytic and do not themselves participate in the chemical reactions which eventually produce a current.

Various types of fuel cells are present. They differ due to use of different oxidant and fuel.  For example there are cells which have hydrogen as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidant. Similarly, there are fuel cells which use chlorine, hydrocarbons and alcohol as fuel and Read the rest of this entry »

Biomass connotes to living and off lately dead those biological material that are used for industrial production or as a fuel. It is inclusive of both plant and animal matter that are used for production of chemicals or fibers. It also includes biodegradable waste but excludes that organic material which has been transformed by geological processes into energy and municipal wastes. It is grown from plants like hemp, corn, sugarcane. These plants mentioned are not very important to the end products but it does have an effect on the processing of raw material. As the interest in sustainable fuel is increasing day by day the production of biomass is also a growing and a very enterprising industry.

Despite it being a renewable fuel and also called as “carbon neutral” fuel, biomass can contribute to global warming. This happens due to activities termed as “carbon leakage”. It is a part of the carbon cycle and the carbon stored in biomass is approximately 50% by weight. Inspite Read the rest of this entry »

Alternative sources of energy, or renewable energy as they are better known as, seem to be an excellent choice for people building new home or who want to purchase a new automobile. However there are few disadvantages of alternative sources of energy as well that need to be considered realistically before investing in them.Alternative energy can not be stored like coal and natural gas or any other fossil fuel can be. This is one of the primary disadvantages of alternative sources of energy. This puts us at the whim and fancy of the Mother Nature. Relying on wind power becomes a major problem if there is no or less wind for a week. They also depend on your geographical location. Solar panels will only produce sufficient energy when the Northern Hemisphere of the planet is tilted towards the sun if you are Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Nobel Peace Prize win by Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel last week is seen as a major step forward to alternative energy technologies and research that are already into their best phase ever, experts said.

“It’s a quiet revolution,” said Sarah Emerson, the managing director of Boston-Based Energy Security Analysis Inc, which has advised clients about fossil fuels for decades. “Gore’s winning makes it a little louder.”

That goes without saying, media and media personalities make all the difference in public following, Al Gore’s attempt was a genuine cause and saw widespread support from the public and now with a Noble Prize Approval the entire cause is set to reap in the benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

It might not be a revolutionary new idea that the Scientists of Columbia University are proposing, however it is definitely a new concept that they are trying to bring into existence. Shortage of farm lands is not news to anyone from this world. In countries like Japan farmlands are more of a luxury property than plots in Tokyo. The point is, in countries like Japan there isn’t much space for farming so the government imports almost all of its population’s rations requirements from the neighbors, so if this concept would be brought into practical existence, the possibilities could be endless not only for Japan but for all the countries worldwide as well in the future.

The scientists are proposing a 30 story skyscraper in cities which would be used to grow food crops and raise small livestock Read the rest of this entry »

In August this year, the United States House of Representatives had passed a bill unanimously that required all the operational utility companies registered in the United States to produce at least 15 percentage of the total amount of their electricity from renewable resources such as the wind or the sun by the year 2020.

The bill faced a strong opposition from the electric utility companies as well as the White House which has already threatened to veto the same. The bill passed with a 241-172 motion in the house. It is also learnt that only nine democrats opposed the bill as against Twenty Six Republican members who voted in favor of the bill. Read the rest of this entry »

1.      Saves you money

The most lucrative advantage of solar power is that it is free, just the initial investment is needed after which the whole energy that you consume is completely free. This reduces the recovery period of the installation of the equipment. There are many financial incentives also that are given by the government for the users of geothermal energy. Another advantage is that there is no fuel required and thus no money spent on fuel either.

2.      Environmentally friendly

Solar energy is one of the most environment friendly forms of energy, emitting no carbon or other pollutants that are emitted during the regular energy manufacture. Read the rest of this entry »