Mindzle

Archive for June, 2009

When we first obtained a copy of the Energy2Green review kit, we were pretty experienced in building solar and wind systems having looked at 27 other competing kits. If you feel ready to get the guide and begin building, here is where you can obtain the kit and bypass our Energy2Green review. Here is our official Energy2Green review. We failed many, many guides during our review because of lack of thoroughness in the directions and only handful of good guides made the cut to earn our recommendation. Our Energy2Green review conclusion is that we give it our highest recommendation and here is why.

For our initial requirement in our Energy2Green review, we tested to see if the guide gave the average user enough background to reproduce a working solar and wind generator. Electricity is very dangerous if you don’t have proper background. There are kits out there that are downright dangerous and on our bad list. In our Energy2Green review, we found no assumption of any knowledge of electricity. What we are saying is they exceed expectations in giving you the information you need to handle electricity safely. You must not skip this section!

During the next phase of our Energy2Green review, we looked at budgeting and evaluated them on whether or not their blueprint could be completed on a $500 budget. You’ll run into guides that promise you they will teach you to build generator for $200 and what we have discovered during our Energy2Green review is that more often than not, this requires that you use junk in the process. Garbage in, garbage out. We held our Energy2Green review to a higher raised bar and are pleased to say the the guide gives you the proper understanding with which you can produce a clean energy system from your home on a $500 budget.

Addressing the differing geographies was also very important to us when doing our Energy2Green review. We have readers from parts of the world where there is ample sun but little wind and vice versa. So versatility is key. We found out while conducting our Energy2Green review that they teach you how to build a solar panels AND wind generators.

These are some of the reasons Energy2Green gets our #1 top recommended spot.

Ralph Somers, editor

Energy2Green review author

The alternative energy consultants tell us that the transition from the petroleum-driven economy and society will not be a smooth one, on the whole. The amount of new technologies and infrastructures that need to be developed and built is staggering—even as Germany achieves powering 10% of the entire nation through the use of wind turbines and home made electic generators, even as corporation after corporation is springing up, helped by various governments’ tax breaks and rebate incentives, to drive forward the alternative energy mission. We have lain dormant on alternative energy on the grand scale for so long that we now have to scramble to play catch-up as access to cheap oil lurks ever closer to being a thing of the past.

Consultants on alternative energy also tell us that we need multilateral, international efforts in concert with one another in the direction of getting away from the heavy—almost total—dependence on fossil fuels. They are poised to become too expensive, burning them is polluting the atmosphere, and digging for them is disrupting the natural environment. We have about 30 years left of reasonably cheap oil and gas—and consultants say that within 20 years beyond that point, we had better be at least 90% independent of them. Unfortunately, at the present time the world is mostly not acting as if this is the case. The thirst for oil is growing, not slaking, and it is growing faster now than it did even in the 1970s.

One of the major problems of transition, the consultants point out, is that higher oil and gas prices stimulate the economy (This flies in the face of what many energy so-called “experts” and many members of the public believe, but the fact is that oil and gas are found and manufactured and transported by huge corporations who employ multitudes of staff workers and contractors; and from their huge profits their stocks remain lucrative on Wall Street.). Alternative, or “green” energy has to become more marketplace friendly, more profitable to investors and would-be employers. Wall Street does not like change; so there is resistance to this much-needed economic transition. It is because of this that many consultants are saying that we need an international, governments-backed initiative put into place; we are told that we cannot expect the new economy to spring forth overnight, all clean and polished and perfected, from the black ashes of the fossil fuel economy phoenix.  

It is most imperative that the wealthy, big-production nations such as the US, Japan, Western Europe, and others be the ones to spearhead the effort to get off of the fossil fuel dependence. Smaller, poorer nations are very simply never going to achieve the level of energy production through coal and oil that these nations have—for by the time they would be ready to, the cheap access to the fossil fuels will be gone, and they will never be able to sustain their newly-risen civilizations at that time as we have been able to do.  The time for transition from black to green is now.

Anyone who has been reading this site for any period of time, knows that I am very interested in creating my own rainwater harvesting system. In fact I think we will end up with 3 separate systems.

Ideally all of these systems would tie together into one larger one, but with 3 different structures on the property several hundred feet apart, it just isn’t practical. Also with our property sloped it makes sense to have separate systems at different levels to allow us to irrigate by level without the need for pumps.

We recently had new gutters put on the house from Mastershield. These gutters have micro mesh screens that keep ALL debris out, and they work phenomenally well. Our house sits near several old growth Douglas Fir trees. These trees drop several hundred pounds of needles every month. Most of which seem to land on our roof, and it being a metal roof, promptly fell into our gutters. Before the new Mastershield gutters I would clean the gutters no less than once a month, and by then they were packed full of needles. Needless to say the new gutters were a good investment, even if we weren’t planning a rain barrel system.

We are planning to capture the rain water. The gutters help in that regard as well, because now we don’t need to filter the water before putting it into the storage tank. one less thing to worry about.

the next step for us is finding the right “rain barrels“, and I recently came across a website that just made that search easy, http://www.simplyrainbarrels.com. They have a ton of rain barrels for sale. From small 55 gallon drum sized containers to 3000 gallon bladders, they have a very wide array of choices. I am very impressed with the variety, and quality of choices. The tough part will be on choosing one.

Today climate change is acknowledged by all except the most doubtful skeptics.  Warmer temperatures in areas where its supposed to be cool, scorching summers, and bone chilling winters have become a pattern that we no longer can simply ignore.

What The War About?

The demand for cheap energy is causing people to become desperate and many are turning to bio-fuel like it’s the cure for all energy shortages. So what is bio-fuel? It is any gaseous, solid, or liquid material derived from biological materials.  Bio-fuel’s raw materials are usually agricultural crops that  undergo fermentation and certain other processes in order to produce bio-fuel. Crops made into bio-fuel can not be eaten, thus begins the conflict.

The Problem

Those countries with the highest number of vehicles running their roads like the United States, England and most of the European nations want more and more fuel. Because bio-fuel is made from corn, sugarcane, palm oil, vegetable oil, etc, most often from crops grown in Third World Countries, competition has grown between food and bio-fuels.

In Mexico, there is now a “tortilla crisis”. Corn, which is the basic ingredient of tortilla, is now being sold at five times the price it once sold for. The reason for the increased prices? The demand of corn for making bio-fuel.  Why sell corn for a dollar when you can now get five dollars because the demand is much higher.

Who Suffers?

Highly developed countries will have to import produce from the third world countries to fuel their increasing demand for bio-energy.  Third world countries are usually tropical ones located near the equator.  Longer growing season produce higher yields of corn and  other crops needed to manufacture bio-fuel. However, for these countries corn is also used for food. So is sugar cane. For the first world too produce enough bio-fuel,  people in poorer countries must work longer and harder to be able to afford the higher prices or go without the most basic of all necessities: food.

A Compromise

So what should we do? We must solve the problems of the environment and pollution caused by using fossil fuels, but in doing so we are creating another equally important problem.  If the farm laborers can’t afford food, who will till the land to supply the crops for bio-fuel?

Sustainable energy is supposed to improve life, not make it harder. The solution may be that develped countries will need to find a way to help underdeveloped counties plant new crops. These crops must not be those intended for use by local consumers. Stringent rules governing pricing and distribution will be necessary to keep those crops used for food sources separate from those planted for energy.

Sustainable power means the world working hand in hand to create a better way of life for all. A successful solution to the competing demands for food and bio-fuel crops will require hard work, dedication and compromise.

It is no surprise that the abundant source of solar power is becoming more interesting to a lot of people, if you think about the ongoing energy crisis and the threat of peak oil. Solar power is environmentally friendly and easy to use.

Is it true that solar power solutions for your home are too expensive and difficult to install, as many people believe? Would you be surprised to hear that it can actually be quite economical and not difficult at all to install solar power at your home? By installing solar power solutions at your home, you can drastically reduce your power bills and contribute to the next generation being left with a green and functioning environment.

In this article, we will look at three different solar solutions for home use:

Solar Oven/Cooker:Cooking with Solar Power: Using a solar oven or cooker is the easiest application of solar power. These solar cookers or ovens come in different configurations, like box and panel cookers or parabolic cookers. By concentrating the sun rays into one area through use of reflective material arranged in a certain way, they allow you to generate enough heat for cooking and baking.

Solar Heating Systems: The solar collector, a dark painted box with a glass cover through which pipes are fed, is the main component of a solar heating system. Filled with anti-freeze, the fluid in these pipes is heated by the sun’s rays. The pipes are wound through the hot water tank, where they heat the water.The hot water system and the solar collector pipes are both closed systems and only the heat is exchanged in the hot water tank – not the fluid.
We distinguish two systems to move the working fluid – an active system, where a pump moves the fluid around and a passive system, where natural convection moves the fluid.
You can use the generated hot water for different purposes, like running hot water for kitchen or bath, for house heating or even heating the pool, if you have one.

Solar Power Generation: The light rays of the sun can be turned into electric current by using certain materials, which is called a photovoltaic effect (PV). This process was first discovered by a young French physicist called Edmund Becquerel. Later in 1923, Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his theories describing the photoelectric effect, which is the basis for the photovoltaic processes.

The use of photovoltaic technology in space craft in the 60s and 70s of the last century made this technology viable for general use as reliability was improved and costs reduced.

Several solar cells can be connected to form a photovoltaic module. The amount of voltage and current generated depends on the size of the PV module and the amount of available sun light.

Solar energy either has to be used when available or stored, as no solar power is available at night or during very overcast days, which is one of its greatest disadvantages. For your solar power solutions for your home you would have to use rechargeable batteries to store the excess solar energy.

Solar cells are readily available these days and they have become very efficient.

Even a not so experienced home-handyman can now create his own do it yourself solar power system, saving a lot of money. At the same time you can show your neighbors how environmentally responsible you are and that you contribute to solving our energy crisis.

If you want to know more about how to create your own Solar Power at home, then take a look at: DIY Solar Power Solution for your Home for under $200

As the planet’s non-renewable energy sources start to run dry, everyone needs to do their part in making more use of abundant renewable energy instead.

So far we are able to produce 4 types of renewable energy: hydro energy, wind energy, solar energy, and geothermal energy.

Wind Power:

For thousands of years, the power of the wind has been used to move boats, for irrigation and to grind flour. But nowadays, wind turbines have evolved into electricity generating machines.

In Holland or the small wind-pumps on farms, they have been developed tremendously in the past decade. Now wind turbines are able to generate thousands of megawatts of power, and when used on a small scale at home, wind power can substitute conventional energy sources, helping households to get off the grid.

Click to learn more about home wind generators

The Sun:

Sunlight is the most abundant form of energy we have available, so there is no excuse for us not using more of it. We can now make use of the sun in various ways – solar heating and passive solar design, solar electric power, and solar cooking and solar drying.

Both of solar electric and heating systems, they are both cost-effective, good for the environment, they require little maintenance and help you save on your utility bills. Solar cookers are very healthy way of cooking food, since they cook the food at a lower temperature-helping to retain its vitamins and minerals. They are also very portable, making them ideal for travelers and campers.

Water Power:

Like windmills, hydro energy used to be used in ancient machines to grind flour or transport water in aqueducts for irrigation.

But nowadays, hydro energy is mainly harnessed in hydro-electric dams to power nearby cities. How it works is the dam channels water through large turbines, that cause them to spin and generate power. The most popular hydro-electric dam is the Hoover Dam, that produces power for Las Vegas. Hydro power is very widely used, and produces over 90% of all renewable energy.

Many environmentalists and socialists are against hydro-electric dams, since they affect the natural forna and flora and can cause the forced removal of entire cities.

Geothermal (Volcanic) Power:

It is normally in volcanic areas where you will find geothermal power being used. In places like Iceland, hot, molten lava is close to the surface, that heats large bodies of water and creates steam for geothermal electricity.

Where this lava comes into contact with water, it super heats it and causes large volumes of steam to burst to the surface through geysers. The pressure from this steam is diverted and passed through turbines to generate electricity. Once the steam has passed through it is sometimes cooled, turned back into water, which is then pumped back into the geyser to make more steam. This makes it everlasting cycle…

Click to learn more about home wind generators

 

 

Solar power is being considered by an increasingly large amount of homeowners each year as electricity costs continue to rise. As energy cost caps expire or are removed, those energy costs rise even further. Installing a residential solar power system on your house is one way to “get off the grid. Each homeowner’s situation and energy consumption varies and will determine the capacity your residential solar power system will need, but switching could save you thousands of dollars in the ensuing decades.

Counting the Savings

Saving money on energy costs is possible. The only cost to a home solar system is the upfront installation costs. The installation costs usually average $20,000, significantly more than what you would spend on energy consumption costs over a decade or two. Eventually though, the system will pay itself off, offset by rises in energy costs. You may also be eligible to receive a tax credit from your government. These tax credits could decrease your upfront installation fees of your home solar power system saving you even more money. No matter the size of the residential solar power system that you use, it will pay itself off in about ten years or so.

Another interesting thing to note is that if you end up producing more electricity than you use, the energy company will buy it back from you. During the winter, there may not be sufficient sunlight for your solar power system to produce excess amounts of electricity. Homeowners have other options to maximize their savings even further. Simple upgrades to things like insulation and windows can add hundreds of dollars of savings a year. A home can easily save hundreds of dollars a year simply by replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones.

”Getting off the grid” is often not cheap, and requires diligent changes in your life style, that will pay off in the long-run. In the coming years, it will become even cheaper and more efficient to make homes green. New methods not only mean that homes will consume less energy, but also that they may be able to provide their own energy. Adding a home solar power system to your home or business is one way to get on board with America’s drive to become less dependent on man-made sources of energy.

It seems like a very daunting task doesn’t it? If you have decided to learn how to make wind generator electricity, then good for you for making a difference! Luckily, it is pretty darned easy to learn how to make wind generator electricity. If you feel ready, then this is a very reputable place where you can get a how to make wind generator kit. It’s important to research and read how to make wind generator reviews. The absolute requirement before you continue is a reputable guide for learning how to make wind generator electricity. Your how to make wind generator energy guide should be written in plain english especially if you are completely non-technical. There is no good option to learning by watching an expert. For that reason, I don’t recommend complete newbies use manuals exclusively. It’s just too hard to do it by diagrams alone.

 

Before you start learning how to make wind generator electricity, you should have some background. Wind generators work using air movement to rotate windmill blades which then turns a motor that produces electricity. You will need average wind speed of 11 mph. So if you reside in the coastal region where winds are strong, then you are wise to get excited about learning to make wind generator power. How much power you can get from a wind generator will depend on the average wind speed of your region and the size of the blades. Your how to make wind generator electricity kit should help you determine the scope of your turbine. The more wind and the larger the blades, the more electricity your system will generate. Since the wind won’t be blowing all the time, a good green energy strategy involves a hybrid of wind turbines and solar panels. This will cover your bases.

 

The next thing you need to do is figure out how before you can learn how to make wind generator power is much power you consume. This will determine how many turbines you will need to build to completely go off grid. We recommend you STAY connected to the grid because in many states, the electric company is mandated to buy your surplus energy thereby giving you an opportunity to profit from going green. Figuring out your consumption need for your how to make wind generator electricity project is pretty easy too. Just look at your electric bill. You should be able to see month by month how much electricity your household consumes.

 

Next step before you jump into your how to make wind generator kit is to acquire the parts for the components of the turbine: the blade, tower, motor, and batteries. Depending on the layout of your land, you will need to decide on what type of turbine will work best for your space. Don’t stress. A reputable guide will assist you with the process of figuring out what turbine is best for your situation. The 2 types of turbines are the horizontal and vertical axis turbines. Most wind turbines are of the horizontal axis model.

 

The final thing is for you to take the leap and just get it done. It’s like swimming when you are first learning. You just gotta jump in and learn how to make wind generator electricity. You lifesaver is your how to make wind generator kit. Enjoy!

~Ralph Somers, editor

How to make wind generator forum

With more and more of the world’s leaders accepting the phenomenon of global warming as a reality, there is a push to delay the catastrophic effects of it. If you landed here, then you probably are considering how to build solar power for your home. If you are ready and are just looking for build solar power kit, you can get a reputable one here. Don’t be too hasty though. Do your research and read our build solar power kit review. Today, scientists and environmentalists are offering people, across the world, alternatives that can be used in their everyday life. In particular, people are being advised to build solar power.

To build solar power is to use the energy of the sun to produce electricity. Using solar power or the power of the sun’s heat 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 derived from the sun, which has been producing energy 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. You will need a large area for harness this power.

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: In the 1830s, a British astronomer named John Hershel decided to build solar power with a colletor box and used it during his African expedition to cook food.

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. As a result, those who build solar power electricity will be able obtain enough power to carry day-to-day operations like electricity for homes, cooking etc and can be used for commercial applications as well without concerns of the power supply running out.

 

* When you build solar power, you aren’t creating pollution. Unlike other sources of energy, when you build solar power, you are not polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gases.

 

* 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. In the beginning, it may be necessary to invest a bit to get the photovoltaic solar cells for you build solar power kit. There is virtually no maintenance required for photovoltaic cells or panels. 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. You can build solar power and use solar energy for various purposes. Some of the uses of solar energy by organizations and individuals are as follows:

1. Business are moving to build solar power by implementing photovoltaics in electric appliances. 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. These cells are commonly known as solar cells. Photovoltaic cells are non-mechanical devices that are made primarily from silicon alloys.

 

Sunlight is basically composed of millions of different particles of solar energy also known as photons. Each photon contains a different degree of energy that corresponds to different wavelengths within the solar spectrum.

 

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 the required amount of energy gets absorbed by a semiconductor, then the electrons get dislodged from their material atoms and that is 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.

* Many of the world’s most powerful businesses are using them for their electronic appliances like Sony, Ericsson, Palm, Motorola, and Nokia.

* These chargers consist of folding solar panels of different outputs like 6.25 watts, 12 watts, and 5 watts.

* The are manufactured with highly efficient solar cells that are concentrated and lightweight.

* These chargers powered with solar cells can recharge lanterns, flash lights, cell phones, satellite phones, GPS units, MP3 players and many others.

 

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. Be fearless and go build solar power today!

Ralph Somers, editor

Build Solar Power Forum

For as long as I can remember, I have had a dream about building my own house. And not just any house. My idea of this house is it should combine beauty and eco-friendliness.

To be eco-friendly, or gentle on the environment, means a couple of things. The first thing in my view is to create a good environment inside the house by using sound construction materials. You don’t want to introduce some toxic stuff in your home. For example: formaldehyde – a very dangerous compound – is found in certain types of particle board. People actually get sick from breathing in formaldehyde fumes, even in low amounts.

Another important aspect is how you heat the place. Where I live, electricity used to be very cheap some years ago. Guess what – everyone figured they should use electric heating in their dwellings. Now, that was decades ago and nowadays it is not an attractive solution due to the increased cost of electricity.

Oil – same story there. Many years ago, oil was cheap and of course everyone used an oil-fueled furnace to heat their dwelling. The rising cost of oil is making this an expensive solution.

By spending a bit of money on better insulation, you can offset the rising energy bill. During the happy days of cheap energy, houses tended to be built with poor insulation. Back when oil was so inexpensive, spending cash on insulation was seen as useless.

Things have changed nowadays. You may end up saving half the energy bill by improving insulation if the house was really poorly insulated. Believe it or not, there are super.insulated houses that hardly need any extra heating. Conclusion: investing a bit in extra insulation is likely to save you money over time.

What you’d really wish for would be a solar-powered house. If you could make use of all the sunlight that falls on your hose, you wouldn’t ever need any other energy. It would be enough to run your (electric) car also.

This isn’t yet feasible with today’s technology. On the other hand, recent research has come up with better than forty per cent efficient solar cells. In other words: these cells can transform nearly one half of the sun’s light into useful electric power.

As you can imagine, these newly invented solar cells are not cheap to make. However, there are mass-produced solar panels on the market with a bit lower efficiency – and these are not very costly nowadays. Nowadays a number of manufacturers are producing photovoltaic cells with up to 20 per cent efficiency, using streamlined methods like continous printing.

Some do-it-yourself work can cut costs in case you decide to get home solar panels. Yes, you tend to save money by doing stuff yourself, with most home improvement projects.

And apart from the cash savings, you also have the satisfaction of being able to do your own thing.

Solar panels for homes are estimated to last more than 20 years once installed. Which means that even though they cost you a chunk of cash, you can save money down the line.