Renewable Energy

Clean Energy In Action with Solar Power, Wind Power and Geothermal Heating & Geothermal Cooling

  Solar power, photovoltaic, solar systems, wind power, wind farms, geothermal energy, energy tax credits, Energy Star endorsed products...articles are written in the newspapers about it, the television aires documents and the world/local news report about it.

  Could having a solar home or wind energy power turbine be the solution to your home or business' budget need for cheaper energy? Or perhaps geothermal would be a better  solution?  And will these types of alternative energy dramatically clean up your polluted air and land?

To start off, let's examine our most popular energy resources...

Non-Renewable Energy

Advantages of Coal: relatively inexpensive, plentiful, could possibly last for another 200 years according to U.S. consumption to date, U.S. has largest recoverable reserves of coal in world

Disadvantages:  accounts for 37% of total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide released into the Earth's atmosphere in 2008, since coal is used to generate about 1/2 of electricity in U.S. results in higher amounts of carbond dioxide per unit of energy than the use of oil or natural gas.  And too, if care is not taken during the mining process, it could have a negative impace on eco systems and water quality, alter landscapes and scenic views. 

Advantages of Petroleum: easily transported in liquid form, either by container vessel or pipeline

Disadvantages: cleaning up spills, transportation cost, possible political and military problems securing access, oil price spikes, most of the U.S.'s oil comsumption is from imported oil from some countries that are not our allies 

Advantages of Natural Gas:  it is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels - 87% used is domestically produced - 60-90% less smog producing pollutants - 30-40% less green house gas emissions - less expensive than gasoline

Disadvantages: limited in vehicle availability as means of fuel - less readily available than gasoline & diesel - vehicles get fewer miles to a tank

Advantages of Nuclear Power:  proponents contend nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions & helps decrease foreign oil dependency

Disadvantages: police operations during transport - some believe is a potentially dangerous source of energy - storing radioactive waste - overheated discharge water has caused significant fish kills in the past

Now, let's look at alternative energy sources:

Advantages of Solar Power:  clean, cheap and in abundance - the sun's rays daily provide enough solar energy to power the entire planet

Disadvantages:  solar panel installation at this time is still expensive due to a low percentage of use, the sun doesn't shine in great amounts everywhere - some PV cells, contain small amounts of toxic chemicals; however, no form of energy production is competely free of effects on the environment.  

Advantages of Wind Power:  wind energy has been used since ancient times so it's nothing new, it is clean, cheap and in abundance

Disadvantages:  the wind needs to move at 7-10 mph to produce electricity therefore, some areas may not have enough wind for best results, some noise...however, no noiser than a washing machine, some birds have been killed

Advantages of Geothermal Heating:  produces no pollution - doesn't contribute to greenhouse effect, can save 30-70% in heating costs -20-50% in cooling costs...geo-exchange systems are highly reliable - built to last for decades and can add considerable resale value to a structure

Disadvantages:  heat comes from deep within the earth, some companies may have difficulty in finding a suitable location for a power plant

You can see by the above information that producing alternative energy, such as solar, wind or geothermal is the way to go in order to slash your energy bill that has doubled since heating fuel & electricity costs have doubled over the last 2 years in some places. 

In the past, switching out your old energy producing methods with newer energy efficiency for your home might have taken 10 years to overcome.  Today, however, your cost could be recovered in 5 years. 

And finally, just think of the pride and satisfaction of the fact of knowing your efforts to have a more energy efficient home with these renewable energy methods will reduce your carbon footprint.

sources:  wikipedia.com, eia.doe.gov, fueleconomy.gov, houselogic.com