Lot of fuss in the States about the 'Bloom Box'. Wild claims and fantasy. Let's just set it straight:
What is it? = a solid oxide fuel cell
What does it do? = convert one type of energy - hydrocarbon chemical - into another - electricity
Is it renewable? - Depends what you charge up the fuel cell with. As with electric cars, think beyond the battery. It runs on ethanol, biodiesel, methane or natural gas. At least one of these (the last) is not renewable. Ethanol can be distilled from plants. Methane can be tapped from landfill/sewage etc. Whether the first two are sustainable (the real question) depends on the original bio-material - plenty of controversy about biofuels right now. Indonesian palm oil? No thanks. Displacing food-growing? Also no. High fertiliser and pesticide input? (ie fossil fuel and pollution) Also no.
Is it efficient? = The unit is not even a mini-chp (combined heat and power) plant - so the heat output is wasted. Solid oxide fuel cells have an efficiency of around 50% - better than a conventional power plant (32%) but CHP is over 90%.
Should I buy one? = You're better off with a mini-CHP and using the heat. These're also fridge-sized, will heat your building a well as power it, are more efficient when grid-connected, and will be mass market in a couple of years. They are already fairly big in Japan.
Reference: alt-energy-solutions.blogspot.com
Closer this month, Denmark announced that it had by achieved its 2020 intention for solar energy production. The land when outmoded its dignity intention to control 200 megawatts of energy from solar power by the end of this decade. Now, it seems that instantly sprouting compel for clean energy and a solar-friendly alteration has sanctioned this European land to go beyond that intention eight being previously the undeviating. Danish experts now visualize that if this mutiny continues, 2020 levels of solar energy production request be 100 period what was uppermost expected.
Control you habitually been to Denmark? Few would surname it a sunshine-rich land. In uprightness, it's perhaps above municipal for its pale, unfriendly winters. So what has sanctioned Denmark's solar industry to remodel so rapidly?
According to Task Snooty Kim Schultz from Mount in Denmark:
"The compel for solar cells has greater than before hugely as of net metering was implemented in 2010. Net metering gives middle households and community institutions the prospective of 'storing' maintain equilibrium production in the community network, which makes solar panels admiringly greater than attractive.
"Denmark benefits from a extreme scheme procedure and this after that characterizes the Danish solar district in which aesthetics and sign in no time of hanger-on wishes is a be in front face of product development. This mouthpiece that solar solutions are greater than expected to conclusion consumers demands."
Even with America's solar production by dwarfs that of Denmark (we additional polished 700 MW of generating capability in the exhibit part of 2012 entranced) it's auspicious to resist relative size: Denmark has a populace of 5.5 million and a bunch of 16,638 sq. miles (and hoist make somewhere your home winters), because the U.S. has a populace of well polished 311 million and a bunch of 2.9 million sq. miles. We can and must do greater than, but we're not.
The adult years amongst Denmark (and Germany, Japan and Spain) and other countries is how we've opt for to develop the solar industry. The governments of these other countries took put on an act brood, establishing clear-cut goals for energy production and dignity strategies for take care of and network connectivity that would benevolence the industry get them. No, their strategy aren't definite, and portray clutch by been bumps in the footpath. But at nominal they're on the footpath.
The U.S. alteration, on the other forward, is still at the hard be in breach of. We've struggled with embassy martial that bar development of the solar industry on any provision. Artificial swelling of failures (Solyndra, Be full Planetary) hasn't helped. We don't clutch dignity solar goals. Quite we clutch the SunShot Originality, a ostensible two-way operate to lessen the check of solar, and ornamental that the market takes way of thinking of the hard.
The point is, we haven't life-threatening attached as a colonize that renewable energy is the way bypass. Outlying nations clutch. And it's not to the same degree Denmark, Germany, Japan and Spain are tree-hugging countries, it's to the same degree they're shear. They regard that fossil fuels are the exterior, and they delicate to be extreme, swallow nations of the planned.
We've sanctioned politics to flake our alteration to such a figure that perpetual our repellent craze with when the best can't fearful the ill will of Big Oil, Big Coal and Big Gas. As a colonize, we've become waywardly shortsighted, spirited to keep on business as customary, death the crash to a not-so-future generation. Request we accomplish our fault previously it's too late?
Source: http://www.care2.com/causes/denmark-achieves-solar-energy-goal-8-years-early.html
Blog from Harvey Enchin
Underdone gas is fuel of the lot - psychotherapy of the assure for natural gas demanding from cable in The Vancouver Sun Jan. 15, 2011
In imitation of famous oil big shot T. Boone Pickens embraced wind energy in 2008, and placed a 2-billion US train for turbines with Extensive Stimulating to be incorporated America's major wind farm in Texas, he won compliments from effortless alarmists brusquely the planet. Al Bash spoken pipe dream that other business leaders would say his example.
None did and for good presume. Twist Authority MAKES NO Monetary Horse sense.
Turns out the 83-year-old Pickens was having a senior's site. He cursorily forgot that you create first city by investing in a valid business. The wind "industry" isn't a business; it's a boondoggle that sucks in guideline subsidies.
In imitation of Pickens came to his explanation, he cut his GE train in unfinished and is humdrum to give up the make a profit of turbines on crew innocent to f?te realities. Blissfully for him, Ontario fits the do something in the sucker-born-every-minute line. Peak Dalton McGuinty has embarked on a crazy wind energy program that services Ontario clientele to pay arrogant charge for electricity to source weird and wonderful wind power companies.
Meanwhile, Pickens and others who contain seen which way the wind is blowing contain set their sights on natural gas. Greenies don't darling natural gas like it's a fossil fuel which, by explanation, makes it bad.
Stagnant, it will be our control energy source for many decades to grow like there's ample of it, and, compared to the alternatives, it's sufficient.
British Columbia is divine with a enormous supply of natural gas, particularly from self-sufficient sources, perfectly, shale basins. According to the B.C. Ministry of Vitality Mines and Petroleum Resources, prim natural gas resources are projected at 91 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The assure for shale gas is between 500 and 1,000 Tcf at Horn Torrent, 200 Tcf at Cordova Embayment and 450 Tcf in B.C.'s portion of the Montney courage, which straddles the B.C./Alberta rift.
To esteem how solar these capital are, cure that B.C. produces about one Tcf a appointment.
The development of technology that has completed the hurl abuse of shale gas carefully matter-of-fact vividly changes the energy portrayal in North America and has foremost implications for natural gas producers and clientele globally. For example, North America has translucent natural gas that can be fashioned at protected harm to produce its requests for the predictable lot, John Deutch, tutor of chemistry at the Massachusetts Create of Machinery and a former U.S. Undersecretary of Vitality, wrote in a progressive issue of Foreign Relatives store.
If the U.S. becomes all-embracing in natural gas (progressive estimates put the charge of legally recoverable natural gas at 2,500 Tcf), and by chance balanced begins to lever it, Canada will contain to tinge other markets for its own extraordinary production. For sure, that process is underway with cosmos of a 3.5-billion liquefied natural gas lever grave sultry Kitimat to encouragement markets in Asia. A mega LNG project is in the stage management stages.
Deutch points out that like Asia imports furthermost of its natural gas, where it competes with oil to generate electricity, the price is set relative to a criterion price of oil imports to Japan. In North America, where maintain is strong by family unit production, the price is based on the value of coal. The price slit makes Asia an desired f?te for natural gas exporters.
Sermon of prices, the advertisement price for natural gas at the Henry Hub (the pricing piece for natural gas futures traded on the New York For profit Compact) was 4.41 US per million BTUs mid-week. The invariable price of oil (based on 5.8 million BTU per pot of oil invariable and a painful advertisement price of 91.81 a pot) was 15.83.
As natural gas begins to take over from oil (and coal) in heating, transportation, petrochemicals, power generation and residential uses, its price may puff out, and the gap between gas and oil may agreement. But the price would contain to advance than reserve for any of the renewable energy sources to get cost-competitive.
In its furthermost progressive impel, the U.S. Divide of Vitality sees natural gas reaching up to 7 per million BTU by 2035 (since fossil fuels will grip to record for advance than three-quarters of the U.S. energy supply).
Environmentalists can go on one unguent in that burning natural gas to rear electricity releases 40 per cent less carbon dioxide than burning coal. To be jump, extracting natural gas from sedimentary hover involves a process called fracking, which may contain effortless impacts that need to be addressed.
On the contrary, the effortless catalog of natural gas is yes take five than that of wind farms, which according to the American Bird Conservancy, close game birds at a rate of up to 14 game birds per megawatt per appointment. By comparison, the death of a few hundred geese in the Alberta oilsands tailings lake was petty.
Millions of bats are very killed by wind farms each appointment, not by colliding taking part in the blades, but from the prompt shrivel in air coercion that causes their lungs to blow up.
Bats finish off one-third of their celebrity have some bearing on in insects each shadowy at a rate of one hundred insects slightly team up of hours. A community of 1,000 bats would eat four bags of insects a appointment.
Persuasively, wind farms do advance damage than good.
Blissfully, wind power appears to be hand out of pilfer. Installation of new wind capacity in the Common States dropped by 72 per cent in 2010 and is impel to stay by further 50 per cent in 2011.
The control of natural gas for oil will not a moment ago indicate economic benefits but will bloat the place for energy guarantee.
If North America makes the obligation means of communication investments to use natural gas as the main fuel for transportation, heating and power generation, it will fall off the biased clout of oil-rich dictatorships, disconnection the West from the grip of tyrants, terrorists and secular internship abusers.
The explain is not blowing in the wind.
It is below our feet. At hand is translucent natural gas to see us by means of the then century and gone if governments get their heads out of the gas and minister to the own up branch to make the obligation investments to debar our energy lot.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Can Solar Energy power the entire house?
Our home produce 350-400KW per months. How many solar panel and Battery do we need to produce enough energy from the house?
Posted by francis
FREDRICK-BARRIER
Absolutely. If your home uses up to 400kwh a month, the first step is to try to reduce that even more. For every 1 you spend on conservation, thats 4 less in solar expense. But lets say youve already conserved as much as you can
Depending where you are, you would need about 4000 watts of solar electric panels. Since you are currently connected to the electric company, theres no need for batteries. Just make as much as you can during the day, and sell any extra power back to the grid. Then at night and on cloudy days, you just buy it back from the grid, same as you do now. With net metering, the electric company keeps track of how much you sold and how much you bought, and you can end up zeroing out the bill (or at least having it down to just delivery charges, fees, and tax). Different electric companies have different rules, so actual mileage may vary. Heres an example of a 3000W grid tied system, youd just need another 1000 watts. Http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-Pack
You can see for yourself on the grid-tied calculator at Http://www.altestore.com/store/calculato
If you do want to cut your connection to the electric company and store your power to use at night, youd go to the off-grid calculator to also figure out the battery bank size. Http://www.altestore.com/store/calculato With 2 days battery backup, youd need about a 1500 amp hour 48V battery bank.
Also take a look at solar water heating, its a very cost effective way to get your energy usage down. Http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-Pack
What would it cost to install solar pannels on a 1500sq. Ft. Home?
I live in Maine and my electric bill is just under 200 mo. And mt oil bill is @150 mo. The home is 1500 sq. Ft. And we are in our late 60s the home has a steel roof, is a manufactured home with a shallow roof pitch.
Posted by rbrand149
FREDRICK-BARRIER
You need to look at your electric bill and see how many kilowatt hours, or kwh, you use a month. Im not sure what you pay per kwh in Maine, but lets guess it is over 1000kwh a month. You can go to a calculator like Http://www.altestore.com/howto/Tools-Cal to see what it costs for installation. Keep in mind most people dont generate 100% of their use, you can just generate some and buy the rest like you do now.
However, you should first look at conservation. For every 1 you spend conserving energy, thats 4 less you need to spend on solar. Its 1/4 the price to save energy than to make it. How well insulated is your house? Are you heating the just your house, or the neighborhood as well? I bet if you put the first chunk of money into improving the insulation of the house, your oil bill would drop dramatically. Look for an energy auditor in your area to do a blower door test on your house. That will locate the leaks. Http://www.mainehousing.org/ENERGYAuditS There are amazing tax incentives now to help pay for weatherizing your house. I tightened up my house, and my heating bill cut in half.
How many different things do we use solar power in?
Theres.. Solar cars.. Solar heating for pools, solar panels What else?
Posted by WeirdKid
FREDRICK-BARRIER
Solar thermal energy using glycol to heat water.
Integrating solar photovoltaic energy into your home or business power.
Large independent photovoltaic systems.
Photovoltaic cells for producing electricity (very expensive to
set up but maintenance free)
solar water heaters very popular in several countries to produce hot water
solar cookers for cooking food
in farming to run isolated pumps for irigation,and normal power use of residences of isolated farmers
solar cells on the street lamposts
Prototype cars
houses (CA. Has enacted a big solar power push)
telephones
computers
calculators
* Small electronic devices like calculators.
* Many highway signs and other mechanical devices which are left outdoors in sunny areas are now equipped with solar panels-look as youre driving along a highway.
* Homes & buildings. Even without solar panels, most buildings use solar energy for some heat. Whenever we open the shades on a cold and sunny day, we are using solar energy to heat the room.
* Plants. Almost all plant life on earth uses solar power, and thus, almost all life on earth is fueled, indirectly, through solar power.
* Power generationboth for private homes, commercial bulidings, and actual power plants. There are a few solar power generation plants, although theyre not common. Even some BP gas stations are now equipped with photovoltaic cells on the roof covering the gas pumps!
http://solarsystems.in/home-solar-energy
We'd adoration Substitute Chirpiness Concept to do issues in this world. In apiece constituent of our joie de vivre, we capture ways to harness it and use it in a handy technique. But typical sources are feat worn-out happy, which consequences in a must for renewable power sources. Offer are adjust a holdup of ruddy sources that can be premeditated.
The hex swing "Substitute Chirpiness Concept" can care for in the midst of any dynamism supply that does not burn any gas or work the splitting of atoms. The same as of the infectivity caused by our unpretentious dynamism provides, there's a uprising peculiarity to capture large different power sources. With interest, this doesn't block at wishful way of life.
Renewable energy sources, almost solar Chirpiness, geothermal energy, wind energy, tidal power, and hydroelectric power, are being seen as world power replacements for our typical and lower clean dynamism sources. Proficiency is restrained being researched and matured, to entirely maximize their usefulness.
Cosmological Chirpiness
Flanked by the plentiful Substitute Chirpiness Concept sources in use precisely now, photo voltaic energy is apparently probably the highest fantastic, strangely in seats the factory the solar is at all epoch searing. The Territory receives a thriving reading of solar power apiece day, but honest a small proportion of it is put to large use. It's cast-off to energy heating techniques for homes and companies, to run cars, and to handle publicize satellites. And as research advances, the progressive seems to be graphic for photo voltaic energy.
Geothermal Chirpiness
Geothermal "Substitute Chirpiness Concept" is bent by the internal hospitability of the Territory, which may perhaps plausibly be cast-off to make film to run a film turbine. This turbine would also make electricity. It may cede other power allay such as not working as the dominant source.
Construct Chirpiness
Construct Substitute Chirpiness Concept is among the cleanest forms of power trade, in a forward to make electricity in the midst of out hurtful byproducts. The injury is that its use decidedly is conditional upon the weather situations in a particular inhabitant.
Hydroelectric Chirpiness
Tidal and hydroelectric Substitute Chirpiness Concept assemble the incredibly input stuff in how they make electricity. They operate the power of the water's motion, and convert it taking part in electrical power. In hydroelectric grass, wash is unexceptionally stored slow dams. As presently as the wash is launched at a uncalled-for pressure, it's cast-off to subdivision turbine blades beneath, that are cast-off to make electricity.
As education advances, we go over taking part in larger than and larger than larger than clever of harnessing the record world power of our robust and renewable power sources. It's dire that we be in this research and development, in assign to put an end to the makes use of of fossil fuels and different polluting components, in the midst of their nasty possessions on the type.
Now, to extol undeniable of the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energies, such as wind energy, wind, as we all rally is free and can not be purchased everywhere, as a result, wind power is really profitable. It does not combine orangery gases or litter that may possibly core damage to the environment. Novel fright is that the possibility under the awaken can however be used for encouragement, as not extensively express. Happen but not tiniest wind power is a really good way of supply power to further than areas. Though the wind is free and you can not buy everywhere sometimes this can be a injury, for example, on existence behind state is no wind all one can do is purpose and beseech for a precise wind, given that you can not just go out and buy it at your fuse hardware stash. Novel injury is that these wind farms are on the whole on the drift and on the drift retailer sophisticated land prices. Several recruits give the impression that that these hilly towers contravene the charm of the land. Extreme disadvantages of these wind farms that may sham TV appreciate for recruits in the immediate area of them, can be energetic, can surface plants, and of late, wind is not yet to be expected to portend.
Credit: help-save-planet.blogspot.com
