Friendly Devices At Home
December 1, 2009 by Go Green Tips · Leave a Comment
The best environmentally friendly biofuel is the grass in your lawns.
It makes sense to grow grass though it should be done not for pleasure, but for economical and environmentally friendly benefits. I mean biofuel production. Over the past 10 years, pellet fuel combustion technology has been widely adopted in many countries but unfortunately, not in the United States.
Let’s consider the prospects of incineration of such a biofuel and possible benefits from the economic and environmental points of view. This alternative fuel is easily reproduced by farmers. This can be easily pelleted and burnt in stoves for burning wood or grain briquettes. In the USA the technology did not catch on, largely because of the position of Washington. To my great regret experts didn’t make any effort to support this research and funding.
The strongest argument of the supporters of this technology is that only 70 days are required to raise the necessary amount of stuff for making pellets of grass. At the same time this biofuel could be a great supplement for the incomes of farmers. Thus, grass pellets have a great potential as a low-tech, compact, renewable source of energy that can be done on the spot, immediately processed and consumed. Certainly I can’t help mentioning the downside of this environmentally friendly project. To my great regret the grass has no political lobby, which would be the start up of this new alternative energy. I’m very sad because of this indeed.
Biofuel pellets are significantly more favorable for the environment because they emit almost 90% less greenhouse gases when burned than oil, coal or natural gas. In addition, the grass does not require fertilization and it can be grown on marginal lands.
For the purpose of biofuel production one can use any mixture of herbs, cut off in mid or late summer, or left in the field for leaching. After collecting this stuff drying of hay is not required, so the cost of processing such raw materials is considerably lower than in the case of wood.
Thus, in practice the pellet fuel can be a major source of fuel for energy production at home and in small business, as well as being thrifty, far less expensive than alternative fuels. Moreover it doesn’t require funding from the government. To my mind there’s no need to wait a sign from the authorities. I think that you’ll be able to produce grass pellets by yourself. For this purpose the World Wide Web is one of the most important tools. It’s advisable for you to wander on the net to find appropriate methods of doing this. There’s no doubt in my soul that you’ll find it there. I hope that you can notice the grass nearby if you are attentive enough.
Among different energy saving alternatives, we highly recommend you to learn more about wood pellets.
Just a short list of advantages of using wood pellets. They are not high-tech; they do not need huge investments into expensive “machinery”; they come from mother nature. Please invest 5 minutes of your time into learning more about wood pellets - it is really vital now.
The Margin Between The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Solar Power Is Narrowing At An Alarming Rate.
July 29, 2009 by Go Green Tips · Leave a Comment
The gap between the advantages and disadvantages of solar power is getting smaller at an alarming rate.
By far, the main disadvantages is the startup cost of the equipment. Solar energy technology is still a costly alternative to the use of readily available fossil fuel technologies, but that margin is getting smaller every month. Now that the price of materials to build your own panels have decreased, the idea of running your own house on solar, or even wind power, is more practical then ever before.
Even though the cost of building your own solar panels is reasonable, disadvantage #2 would be the batteries required for storing the energy produced for when the sun goes down or on those cloudy days. In years past, there have been 2 points of concern when it comes to the batteries. Problem being that batteries can cost even more then the panels in some cases. Now with recycling efforts and a global push to ‘go green’ – batteries don’t cost nearly as much as they did if you know where to look. There are even locations that offer free batteries. The other downside is the chemicals that they possess. Both lead and sulphuric acid are toxic to the soil, water and air, and is highly toxic to marine life. Again, recycling efforts have been able to recover 98% of lead that would have gone into landfills. By the same token, proper maintenance of batteries can triple there life expectancy. So if you look at it that way, it turns out to be less of a disadvantage and more of an advantage – relatively speaking.
The third thing to consider before investing in a self sufficient solar power system is the location or efficiency factors. Regions like Southern California, Florida , and Hawaii would be an a perfect spot to start such an endeavor. Heck, even places in Alaska could run solar energy 24 hours a day, but only for half of the year, if you keep the snow cleared off of the array. Simply put, Problem is that most locations are seasonal. Places like Phoenix can count on 5 ½ hours of direct, usable sunlight a day most of the year while tornado alley may only get 2 – 4 a day depending on the time of the year.
Another barrier in regards to location is the fact that it is going to take up a lot of space if you are going to see any major differences in your energy bill. You could do just fine with one panel to light a shed. Three if you want to light a room or hot water heater. More if you are wanting to store it and use it at night via batteries. There are so many variables as to what your power requirements would be, but don’t be surprised if you find your self needing a dozen or more.
So what does this all mean? Yes, transitioning over to your own personal power company is a big step. It is a major investment. The flip side of the coin though is that we are thinking long term here. In general you will cut even in 3 – 4 years time and after that it’s all profit. Even better is that if you remain connected to the utility company, and you produce more electricity then you use up, they will be sending you a check. The value of the home goes up, It raises the resell value of a home, [spin] and just in January of 2009, congress passed the new Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which lets the government pay for up to 30% of the installed system. Plus, as a bonus, additional tax breaks year after year.
Do it yourself solar power is making a comeback because in the past it was just to far out of reach. But now with the lower costs and additional cash back incentives folks are beginning to see that the advantages of solar power have out weighed the disadvantages.
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