Archive for November, 2009

Will time came that solar panels would replace gas as a power source for vehicles?

i have once read an article about the upcoming inventions of vehicles. i saw a model of a vehicle that is entirely powered by a solar panel and a small wind mill on its back. would this be the start of the domination of solar panels and the end of usage of fuels? what do you think? perhaps if you are an expert, you know these upcoming inventions.

have a nice day to all! ! ! ! !

Haha, unless the windmill functions like that of the jets on the futurama’s space ship (propelling the universe backwards while the ship stays still) i’d say you were looking at a "model" of a childs dream.

A windmill is an engine powered by the wind to produce energy. If the car is "moving" it is essentially creating simulated wind. To reduce gas mileage, cars are made more aerodynamic so that less "wind" is created thus lowering the drag on the car. Essentially the less it gets hit by the wind, or the easier it can move it out of the way, the less drag, and the less fuel used. So what is a giant wind catcher going to do? Slow the car down.
EDIT: Windmills in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM can create MORE energy then the energy LOST due to drag! Its the laws of physics, no such thing as free energy. Creating wind and then using it to absorb energy WOULD be free energy and thus is not possible (don’t buy into all those magnet motor and so forth scams).

In a more technical sense…
No free lunch, also, no free energy!, you can not charge a system by means of using the energy the system is outputting. You can’t use a battery to recharge itself, and you can’t use a windmill to charge a moving car. (ONLY standing windmills actually absorb energy)

As of now, the solar panels we have are pretty inefficient, between 8-16% i think? Somewhere around there, they are nowhere near the capability needed to drive even a small 1 person vehicle (i’m talking a leightweight bike shaped vehicle, as i’ve tried) let alone something like a car. They could integrate solar panels into hybrids, but judging by how useless the hybrids we have today are, i’m guessing its not profitable enough to the car companies to do so.

A full size solar panel, the large rectangular ones you see about the size of "some" car’s roof’s will absorb about 125watts per hour (10 watts per square foot). The Prius (god help us that thing is a huge awful lie) uses up to 28 hp (21 kW) 21,000watts per hour. So you can see how solar panels are just one brick in the wall.

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How much energy can solar panels make?

I read an article that said the avg. U.S. home uses 25kw of power a day. How many panels would be needed to make that much power and how would you store the energy made? Also, if anyone knows, how do you sell power back to the utility companies?

even though you might not have a home depot in your area, if you read the post it will give you most of the answers that you need.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/selling_solar_t.php

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What are your thoughts (part 8)?

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families
*Enact a Windfall Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families.
Obama will enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give American families an immediate $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay rising bills. This relief would be a down payment on Obama’s long-term plan to provide middle-class families with at least $1,000 per year in permanent tax relief.

*Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.
Barack Obama will close energy industry market loopholes and increase transparency to prevent traders from unfairly lining their pockets, while driving up oil prices at the expense of the American people.
*Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices.
With oil prices doubling in the past year, Barack Obama believes we have an economic emergency that requires a limited, responsible swap of light oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for heavy crude oil to help bring down prices at the pump.

Eliminate Our Need for Middle Eastern and Venezuelan Oil within 10 Years
*Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
Obama will increase fuel economy standards 4 percent per year while providing $4 billion for domestic automakers to retool their manufacturing facilities in America to produce these vehicles.
*Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
These vehicles can get up to 150 miles per gallon. Barack Obama believes we should work to ensure these cars are built here in America, instead of factories overseas.
*Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
*Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
Obama will establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to reduce the carbon in our fuels 10 percent by 2020. Obama will also require 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels to be phased into our fuel supply by 2030.
*A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
Obama will require oil companies to develop the 68 million acres of land (over 40 million of which are offshore) which they have already leased and are not drilling on.
*Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.
An Obama administration will establish a process for early identification of any infrastructure obstacles/shortages or possible federal permitting process delays to drilling in the Bakken Shale formation, the Barnett shale formation, and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs
*Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
*Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source — Energy Efficiency.
Obama will set an aggressive energy efficiency goal — to reduce electricity demand 15 percent from projected levels by 2020.
*Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
Obama will make a national commitment to weatherize at least one million low-income homes each year for the next decade, which can reduce energy usage across the economy and help moderate energy prices for all.
*Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
Obama’s Department of Energy will enter into public private partnerships to develop five “first-of-a-kind” commercial scale coal-fired plants with clean carbon capture and sequestration technology.
*Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.
As president, Obama will work with stakeholders to facilitate construction of the pipeline. Not only is this pipeline critical to our energy security, it will create thousands of new jobs.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
*Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Obama’s cap-and-trade policy will require all pollution credits to be auctioned, and proceeds will go to investments in a clean energy future and rebates and other transition relief for families.
*Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.
Obama will re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) — the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem. He will also create a Global Energy Forum of the world’s largest emitters to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues.
Thank you Sophie and Gaia.

McCain supporters have no reasonable response?

Thank you for your posts and for taking the time to highlight some important issues that people seem to be ignoring!

The McCain campaign cannot boast the same detailed plans because they don’t exist. God help us all if enough people are crazy enough to vote for them!

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How easy would it be to make and assemble your own solar panels?

I want to make a small panel that would collect heat for my house to help on saving electricity. Where is the best place to get plans and parts at? Is it expensive to build a panel?

It’s easy but you may need to be aware of building regulations.
http://www.jc-solarhomes.com/solar_hot_water.htm
is a good book but costs money – you may be able to get similar from a lending library.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green_home_building/1985_May_June/A_Homemade__Factory__Solar_Collector
http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/frameindex.htm

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Is there any INexpensive way to convert your home to solar or wind power?

If the govt wants us to convert, why aren’t they demanding that it be CHEAP?

moderately… no less expensive install it yourself. That’s what I’m doing now with 3 wind turbines on top of my garage, and hopefully in a year or so when Nanosolor drops photovoltaic cells to 10 cents a watt due to decreased production cost I’ll install a 5-10 kwatt array on my house roof. The us dept. of energy has a rebate program where they will reimburse 50% of the cost, but you don’t get your check till after it’s installed. Also you can file with the irs and state tax dept. to list your house as an energy creation zone, making the checks you get from the electric company tax free.
Any surplus you produce goes back to the grid for your neighbors to use – this means that your meter will turn backwards so your selling electricity to the utility companies. THEY ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO PAY YOU FOR THIS. which means if your average usage is less than your consumpion you get a check from them at wholesale rate which they in turn bill your neighbors who use this power at retail.
Anyway after rebate and tax credits and surplus checks I estimate the ROI (return on investment) to be 3 years less maintaince after that it’s tax free income provided you file for this zone change before it expires.

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Are we all made of stars?

The sun is the centre of our solar system. There are billions of stars just like our sun all over the universe. The sun is powerful and it’s energy travels all the way to our planet. The suns energy grows the plant life on our planet, then the animals eat the plants, and we eat the animals. Therefore we’re all made of stars. Looking at yourself in the mirror is isn’t unlike watching the stars in the night sky.

Love your neighbour, a stranger, the entire universe, like you love yourself, because it is yourself. Everything is one.

I have heard an astrophysicist say that certain elements in the human body can only be formed in the universe when a star goes supernova.

http://www.reasons.org/

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Question for the Women about Lifestyle?

im 24/male – so this question is for about this age group – or anyone if you have an opinion.

Are women at all attracted to the sort of artistic, environmentalist, eco-fashion friendly (ie. hemp clothing), simple living – type of guys (like me)? Or are you more interested in the clean cut, tommy bahama, polo sport suave bmw type of look?

I know everyone wants something different, but it seems like the type of girl that is actually cool with gardening, wearing organic clothing, and eating vegetable smoothies and not owning a car is 1) very rare and 2) if good looking, ALWAYS taken by some really cool raw food guru guy with dreadlocks. (or someone similar)

so please explain to me, when trying to "be yourself" is seemingly weeding you out of the gene pool, should I keep going? Are any of you women out there still looking for some guy who wants to build a house with solar panels and wind turbines and have a garden? Or are you all taken? Are you all seeking the james bond personality at this point? with the slick black button up shirt and high paying job?

:(

Just keep being yourself. Your gardener/organic clothing wearing/raw foodist with a solar panel house is out there. :) They’re not all taken and they don’t all go for James Bond. Never change to appeal to the masses; it never works.

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Wind or Solar Power, DIY?

I see alot of people asking about making their own wind turbines and solar panels, and the only answers they are getting is links to sites that want you to pay for the information/plans. Are their any sites that give you this information for free?

It may not be free but as an example I purchased the guide from http://www.ebooksreviewed.info/earth4energy and constructed a small scale wind turbine (I plan on making a few more as well) and I have to say the design was about as easy as it can get when dealing with something like this. It also provided places to get everything for as cheap as possible. In the end I spent a few hundred dollars for something that sells for $7,000 – $10,000, so I don’t think you’re wasting your money on a guide, you’re never going to make one for free either. The materials alone cost a few hundred and then it takes some time to assemble and if you plan on attaching to the power grid you will need your city/county inspector and the electric company inspector to come out. I hardly think that $50 for a guide is a large cost. If you do plan on assembling one yourself I was pleased with my experience and recommend it. I calculate that I will recoupe my overhead costs within 8-10 months.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of alternate fuels.?

People tell me some good advantages and disadvantages of alternate fuels how will they affect our economy…???/ HELP ME

Advantages :
Lessen dependence on fossil fuels ,esp foreign oil.
Most produce less air pollution . Wind, solar, nuclear produce no air pollution,and do not contribute to global warming.
They do not contribute to health problems. (except a nuclear accident)
Solar especially can be decentralised ,that is small home sized installations are becoming practical.
Home sized wind generators are available, too.
Hydrogen fuel burns clean and has no waste but water vapor.
Disadvantages:
Nuclear is expensive, and presents a waste disposal problem,possible release of radiadtion into the air,and terrorist thefts of nuclear fuel for bombs.
Wind power is site specific and requires areas where a lot of wind is present, like mountain tops and places in CA.. Some say wind mills present a hazard to wild birds. Home sized installations require maintenance.
Solar requires an area with a lot of sunshine like the South or Southwest US.
Alternative fuels like ethanol and wood still make pollution,although ethanol makes very little.
If I were to choose, I would choose a combination of wind and solar for electricity production. When the sun is not shining, the wind is blowing, they suplement each other.
For vehicles, the ideal would be electric, recharged by solar or wind generated power. Hydrogen can be safely burned in either internal combustion engines , or electric fuel cells,but a system of hydrogen service stations would have to be established.
As far as the economy goes, all alternative fuels, could provide a lot of jobs in manufacturing,construction, distribution. There would be a loss in oil related jobs, but it would be spread over many years as oil based fuels are phased out. Oil would still be used for lubricants,plastics, chemicals, and even for some fuel applications for as long as oil was available.

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My small home solar power system

A brief layout of my solar system that I installed in my small house

Duration : 0:5:22

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