Green Energy

First, it's important to realize that the light from the sun is energy. Solar power systems harness this energy and convert it to electricity. The process has been around for a while and involves the use of semi-conductors such as silicon. No doubt you've seen electric solar panels on the roofs of houses or on the Space Station or even as little grayish squares on the front of a pocket calculator. Inside these solar panels are silicon wafers. As a semi-conductor, silicon has the ability to "float" electrons when light strikes the silicon in these photovoltaic cells. The flow of these electrons is what we know as electricity.

The beauty of a solar power system is that there are virtually no moving parts and the panels can be placed nearly anywhere. Businesses and homes throughout the sun belt are discovering that the initial cost of solar panels can be offset over time by the savings in the electricity they don't have to purchase from the electric company.

An important point to note about a solar power system is that there are times when you would need electricity but it's cloudy or night time. Because of these situations you can either have a storage system for the electricity or you can be hooked up to the power grid, selling back any excess power you have in the day time and purchasing any needed electricity for night time use. Another needed item in a solar power system is an inverter. The inverter changes the electricity into a form that can be used by your household appliances.

If you choose a storage system, a set of batteries are used to store the excess electricity for later use. This adds a great deal to the expense of a solar power system and the batteries do need to be maintained and replaced at regular intervals.

Solar power systems may not be perfect yet but as a renewable source of energy, they fill a need in providing clean energy. Every bit of electricity that can be generated without using fossil fuels helps to ensure a better future for all of us.

The following green sites have caught our eye while we browsed the Internet. If you'd like to get a link to your green energy website please leave a comment with an appropriate link to your site. All comments are moderated, therefore spamming is pointless.

Global Energy Network
Green Your World eBook
Go Green Tips

Keeping up with today's green energy tips is not only beneficial to your pocket and health but also you will be doing your bit for the not so everlasting world we live in. Knowing what can be of benefit to you now and for your future is highly important.

The green energy tips are there to help you see the way that you can change your way of using energy today.

A basic starting point is the use of energy efficient light bulbs. These bulbs can save huge amounts of energy and will save on your bill too, plus an added bonus is they last longer too.

Be sure to switch of any lights that are not required. Remember that any appliance that heats up will be using lots of power, for example coffee machine, kettle, toaster, oven, grill, heaters, hair dryer, straightening iron, are just a few to mention I'm sure you can find lots more just spend a few minutes and take your mind on a tour of your home and recognise some of the key areas that heat and use lots of electricity.

Obviously we don't want to have to go back to the stone age to live, right. But we do need to be aware of what we can realistically reduce our excessive unnecessary use of.

I'm sure we don't need to boil the kettle straight after it has been used, the water keeps very hot for some time, remember you can't drink it if it burns you can you.

How about putting a carpet down on a wooden floor for the winter to help save the use of an electric heater. A cheap off-cut from your local carpet dealer will do the job.