How to Make Your Own Green Energy Source
Wouldn't it be great if we could produce our own green energy source?
If we could do that, we wouldn't have to pay electrical bills or for gasoline anymore. While we can buy some of the equipment, the rest will have to be done on our own.
Take solar or wind energy for example. We already know how to harness and make it. If you want to make one, do some research online and then set up the system yourself.
To use solar energy you will need to buy an inverter, battery, charge controller, solar panels, some wires and support structure. The only difference with wind energy is that you need a fan. Once you have everything you need, you can put it all together.
If you are not skilled in building things you will be happy to know that some companies sell the entire system. By buying it from them and having it installed by their experts, you are sure that there won't be any problems the moment you switch it on.
Before you buy the materials or the system, make sure you have a flat area that is about a hundred square feet or so because it occupies a lot of space.
For those who don't have the space or the budget to use these two energy sources, another option is to create your own biofuels.
Biofuels are used in many countries and they get it from harvesting corn, sugar and other crops. Luckily, you don't need a farm to produce it because you can also make your own using some recycled waste.
A good example of this is vegetable oil which we use for cooking. To turn this into a biofuel, we first filter it by warming up the liquid and then filtering this with a coffee filter. The next step is to remove the water also by boiling it again at 100 degrees for a short period of time.
We need to know the amount of lye present in the vegetable oil and we do this by a process known as titration. When we are done with that, we now mix sodium hydroxide to produce sodium methoxide.
The process of converting used vegetable oil before it becomes a biofuel takes quite awhile and it must be heated the entire time. This is done so the fuel produced is pure.
How much biofuel we make after all the work varies. You will have an idea of how much you have produced since this is the product you will see floating at the top. If there is still some glycerin present, filter it again. From there, you will have your own backyard biofuel which you can use and even sell to those who are just as concerned with the environment as you are.
By making our own green energy sources, we make ourselves less dependent on oil in its various forms to power our cars, equipment, buildings, etc. But why don't a lot of people do it? Well simply because they don't have the time to make it and would rather rely on someone else to do it for them.
If we could do that, we wouldn't have to pay electrical bills or for gasoline anymore. While we can buy some of the equipment, the rest will have to be done on our own.
Take solar or wind energy for example. We already know how to harness and make it. If you want to make one, do some research online and then set up the system yourself.
To use solar energy you will need to buy an inverter, battery, charge controller, solar panels, some wires and support structure. The only difference with wind energy is that you need a fan. Once you have everything you need, you can put it all together.
If you are not skilled in building things you will be happy to know that some companies sell the entire system. By buying it from them and having it installed by their experts, you are sure that there won't be any problems the moment you switch it on.
Before you buy the materials or the system, make sure you have a flat area that is about a hundred square feet or so because it occupies a lot of space.
For those who don't have the space or the budget to use these two energy sources, another option is to create your own biofuels.
Biofuels are used in many countries and they get it from harvesting corn, sugar and other crops. Luckily, you don't need a farm to produce it because you can also make your own using some recycled waste.
A good example of this is vegetable oil which we use for cooking. To turn this into a biofuel, we first filter it by warming up the liquid and then filtering this with a coffee filter. The next step is to remove the water also by boiling it again at 100 degrees for a short period of time.
We need to know the amount of lye present in the vegetable oil and we do this by a process known as titration. When we are done with that, we now mix sodium hydroxide to produce sodium methoxide.
The process of converting used vegetable oil before it becomes a biofuel takes quite awhile and it must be heated the entire time. This is done so the fuel produced is pure.
How much biofuel we make after all the work varies. You will have an idea of how much you have produced since this is the product you will see floating at the top. If there is still some glycerin present, filter it again. From there, you will have your own backyard biofuel which you can use and even sell to those who are just as concerned with the environment as you are.
By making our own green energy sources, we make ourselves less dependent on oil in its various forms to power our cars, equipment, buildings, etc. But why don't a lot of people do it? Well simply because they don't have the time to make it and would rather rely on someone else to do it for them.
Do you want help from the experts?
Please take a minute to read more about this. I think you will find it very useful:
A Guide To Efficient Living!
Biofuels are a Green Energy Source
Biofuels are also a green energy source.It has been around for a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice.
Liquid biofuel which is used in cars is a natural and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.
By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the air because it is emission free. Right now, it is the only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside from methanol, some countries have also experimented with corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.
Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.
But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.
A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting cooking oil and then processing it. This may not be good for your car's engine so be careful if you decide to use it.
If you are skeptical about biodiesels, studies have shown that its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to as "B20." This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle should there be a problem, don't worry because it doesn't. In the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are only a few gas stations that carry it.
When car's first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the Model T's run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these may also run using peanut oil.
This never materialized because huge oil deposits were discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand for oil increased in the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and in the early part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and other forms of alternative energy.
Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels and others as green energy sources.
Green Living Resource:
Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
We are what we eat, but we also are what we use to clean our homes, pamper our skin, and decorate our rooms, according to Ren?Loux, accomplished raw food chef, award-winning author, and host of Fine Living TV's Easy Being Green. In her new book, Easy Green Living, she applies her whole-foods philosophy to home, garden, and beauty routines.
Ren?Loux demonstrates that being green at home is easy, affordable, and better in every sense of the word. She discusses the daily choices we face that can keep the home, personal care, and beauty routines free of toxins. She exposes the dirt on cleaning products and common hazardous ingredients and reveals her recommendations for greener options, including her "Green Thumb Guides" for choosing non-toxic, eco-smart, and human-friendly products. Peppered with compelling and inspiring facts, Easy Green Living is full of "5 Step" lists, products and recipes for green cleaning, helpful charts, safer choices for every room, and inspirational advice so we can save the planet--one cleaning spritz at a time.
As recent special issues of Vanity Fair, Time, Newsweek, and other major publications have demonstrated, going green is an idea whose time has come. Whether addressing big-picture topics like renewable energy, or offering simple suggestions for everyday living, this complete lifestyle guide shows that healthier choices don't mean a radical or complicated life change--it is, after all, easy to be green.
Why is Hydropower a Green Energy Source?
Why is hydropower a green energy source?It is because we are able to harness electrical power by converting water into electricity.
The use of hydroelectric power or even hydroelectricity dates back to Ancient Greece and China when they installed waterwheels in rapidly flowing rivers to turn millstones and other equipment. Years later, this was used in the New World which is now known as North America to power saws and other equipment.
But the hydroelectric plants of today still use the same basic principles as the historical waterwheel with some variations. The difference is that we use the force of the power to push the turbine which in turn powers a generator thus generating electricity.
To make sure that there is a steady flow of power being produced, a dam has to be built to retain the water. If there is a need for more power, the gates of the dam are opened so water can be released. During non-peak, the gates are closed. To ensure there is water at all times, some dams have a recovery and pumping systems to the water released can be used again.
There are issues with the use of hydroelectricity. Some claim that it poses a problem for fish and aquatic plants on both sides of the dam. Because the flow of water has been altered, the nutrient rich silt which helps crops grow could be affected which is exactly what happened when the Aswan Dam was completed in Egypt.
But there are ways to fix that and the bigger picture is that power produced from hydroelectric plants do not generate any emissions or waste which happens to be much better than operating a coal-fired power plant.
There is another way to generate hydropower and you get this form the sea. This is also known as wave power or wave energy which uses changes in the air levels of sealed chambers to power turbines. When a wave rises into the chamber, the rise water pushes the air out which then turns a generator.
Once the wave goes down, air flows into the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that will close.
These chambers remain afloat on the ocean and how much power it produces varies. A lot of these are used on the western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States. These systems are usually small and can power a warning buoy or a small light house.
There is also tidal energy. The difference with wave energy is that when the tide approaches, the water is trapped in reservoirs behind dams. When the tide drops, the water behind the dam is released thus producing power similar to a hydroelectric power plant.
This can only work if you have tides that are at least 16 feet and since there are only a few places in the planet that can do that.
Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power based on the different temperatures in the water. For this to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water. Still in the trial stage, it is used Japan and Hawaii.
Hydropower is a green energy source. It is safe to use and what is even better is that it is renewable.
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Benefits of Green Energy Sources
For a very long time, we have relied on fossil fuels.It provides heat to our homes, gas for our cars and electricity. Since we are now using it more than ever, there is a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet.
Fortunately, we can change our ways and then shift our attention to green energy sources.
But why green energy sources? Well because there are advantages to using them which we will never be able to get if we don't change our ways. This is also even if some will argue that the problem with green energy is that it is sometimes difficult to generate the power we need.
While that may be true, that is why there are other green energy sources available and we just to know which ones are viable given the geographic location.
The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful which may have a negative effect on the environment. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to operate a coal or nuclear power plant.
Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that number is expected to grow.
Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
We have probably learned better ways to prevent another incident from happening. Through the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was contained, just imagine if it wasn't?
Green energy sources may not be maintenance free but at least it does not require that much to maintain them compared to conventional means. In the end, we save money because such facilities don't cost that much to operate.
The next advantage of using green energy sources is that we will never run out of them. For centuries, the sun's rays have reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By using it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.
If you think about it, many of us have taken these green energy sources for granted. If we do the right thing now, future generations will not have to face the mess that we could have handled on our own years before.
In short, the power is in our hands. We have the technology and we know what to do with it. The only thing we need is to do is to put our money where our mouth is because despite the number of conferences on global warming and climate change, little has happened.
It is easy to talk about how concerned we are about the environment but you have to ask yourself when will more solar panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the number of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?
Green energy sources is the solution to the environmental, political and social problems of this lifetime. By spending more on these technologies, no country will have to depend on another or even a corporation for their power needs because they are self dependent and free.
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Home Energy Audits
Going about a home energy audit is one smart way of cutting the utility bills that you pay for at the end of every month.Many people tend to forget about the parts of their homes that might be causing a rise in home energy consumption.
One fact that you must learn to take note of is that your home appliances, although switched off and not in use, still consume energy because they are in a state of readiness.
Examples of these are the VCRs, stereo components, microwave oven, toasters, and the stoves.
Areas of your home in general contribute to escalating home energy consumptions.
Among these areas are attics, fireplaces, outlets, windows, doors and garages.
GREEN The General Purpose of the Home Energy Audit
Why is a home energy audit recommended by the experts? What is the purpose? For everyone's clear understanding, the ultimate purpose of the home energy audit is to make sure you are using energy efficiently in your home.
Using energy efficiently reduces utility bills.
A home energy audit will work best for homeowners who are confronted with very large electric bills. In fact, conducting the needed home energy audit will let you save thousands of dollars in the upcoming years.
Most homeowners put their seasonal decor and rarely used items in the attic but don't pay much attention to the attic. Sure it makes a great storage area but is it properly insulated? Without proper insulation you might as well turn the heat on in your home and open all the windows and doors. An attic without good insulation is significantly increasing your heating and cooling costs.
The attic must have open air vents to allow for good air circulation. Without proper circulation the roofing and items stored in your attic will age quicker.
Now take into consideration the ceilings in your home. They must have enough insulation to keep the energy from escaping and going up towards to the attic. The easiest way for heat and cool air to escape into the attic is through a hole in the ceiling.
Also take a good look at the fireplace. Fireplaces are great for generating a warm, cozy fire in the winter. The heat comes in the house and the smoke escapes out the chimney. But when the fireplace isn't in use the heat from your home escapes and the cold air gets in.
Keep in mind that the flue must always be kept closed when it is not being used. But if you intend to have it open, simply turn off the heater inside your home.
The bottom line is that a home energy audit could save you hundreds of dollars each year by finding and fixing all of the areas of your home that could be losing energy efficiency. Some may be obvious but many others you may not be able to find without help.
If you are serious about cutting back your home energy costs, a home energy audit is highly recommended.
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