Wind Energy Voice

As an environmentalist, I’m obviously passionate about using renewable energy myself. I’m even more committed to spreading the word to others about the benefits that renewable energy can bring. Why should people invest in wind and solar power systems?

Renewable energy means no pollution. Instead of using coal, gas or nuclear power, we are harnessing the energy of the wind and sun.

Harnessing renewable energy for yourself, at home, also means freedom from utility companies and their ever increasing prices. This escalation of prices will only continue in the future as non-renewable energy sources are consumed and power companies are forced to catch up their investments in renewable energy systems.

Home renewable energy requires an up-front investment. This can either be a large amount for a system that will power your whole house, or a smaller amount for a system that will just reduce your electricity bills somewhat. It is also very easy to get started in home renewable energy if you enjoy DIY projects.

We live in a rural location that has good wind speed. I started out with a DIY energy project that created a wind turbine that now powers my workshop. The low cost DIY project was excellent fun and it taught me the ins and outs of home wind power. I have to say that I am now hooked!

We went on to install an on grid home wind power system. This was a large investment but it has added significant value to the price of our home. This wind power system is not something that I could build myself as it contains state of the art technology that means that it is super efficient at harnessing the kinetic energy of the wind. We now have a wind tower in our back yard that powers about 70% of our electricity needs. When we aren’t consuming all that energy, we sell it back to our local utility company for a profit.

My next project is to buy and install an off grid system in our remote holiday cabin. We have a very small energy requirement up there, so we should be able to power the cabin with a relatively small system.

Home wind power is here to stay and if you live in an area with good wind speed, then you should investigate renewable wind energy. It is very easy to get started and once you get hooked, the sky really is the limit when it comes to improving your home wind power systems.

Technorati Tags: About, Great, Home, power, What's, wind

Members of NSTAR’s Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency team discuss the programs and opportunities available for NSTAR business customers – using past success stories as examples.

Technorati Tags: About, Creating, energy, Think, Whole

In the first part of this presentation, an energy expert talks about the current energy use of appliances – anything that plugs in to a home or office. This talk expands the traditional definition of the appliance as well as outlines the efficiencies that are now achievable and future goals for even greater energy savings. In the second segment, Art Rosenfeld, the “Father of Energy Efficiency” examines the existence of heat islands in cities and how something as simple as cool roof programs may ameliorate a huge part of this problem. Series: The UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center’s Rosenfeld Series [7/2010] [Public Affairs] [Science] [Business] [Show ID: 18748]

Technorati Tags: About, energy, Every, Know, Part, President, Should

If you’re thinking about the possibility of wind generators for home use, you need to make sure you properly assess your situation. Residential wind power generation isn’t something you should just jump into without fully knowing what it is you’re buying, and without deciding exactly what it is you need for your specific situation. With a little bit of research and common sense, you will be able to determine whether or not residential wind generation would be a suitable option for you, and if it is, then which type of wind turbines would be your best fit.

3 Things To Think About When Considering Wind Generators For Home Use:

How Much Will It Cost? An obvious factor you’ll need to think about is exactly what expense will be involved with owning and operating a wind turbine. Are you going to buy a fully manufactured wind turbine or build your own? Obviously, the latter will be cheaper, but don’t underestimate the cost involved. Take into account any installation fees you’ll need and ongoing maintenance to the turbine. Although using wind generators in home use are a sure way to save a lot of money over the long term, there can be a significant initial cost to get started. Take into account all possible expenses and there won’t be any nasty surprises. Luckily, many companies that sell residential wind turbines offer special payment plans to make the purchase much more affordable.

Do You Have The Right Location? Where is it you intend to install your wind turbine? Do you have a suitable position near your house? Would it be possible to install the turbine on top of your home? Proper wind generator placement is something you obviously want to pay significant attention to when planning to harness wind power, and will have to take into account before making any final decisions. The biggest concern is turbulence. Wind turbines need to be high enough off the ground in order to minimize the turbulence created by the surroundings (ie. the home, trees, other permanent structures) and therefore maximize wind speeds.

What Size do You Need? Another consideration you’ll want to take into account is the actual size of wind turbine you use. Depending on how much power you require, the size will obviously vary. Do you require a small or large turbine? Or do you need more than one? Again, take this into account before making any major decisions.

As you may have noticed, all these factors actually combine with each other to determine your choice of wind turbine. The size of wind turbine you require will depend on how much power you need and what location you have available, and ultimately everything will have to fit in your budget. Wind generators in home use are definitely growing in popularity, and for good reason. Just don’t rush your decision. By doing a little bit of research, you’ll ensure you get a wind turbine that is perfect for your needs and one you’ll be happy with.

Technorati Tags: About, Considering, generators, Home, Things, Think, wind

Mayor Newsom talks about San Francisco’s energy efficiency efforts during a press conference at Lombardi Sports.

Technorati Tags: About, energy, Mayor, Newsom, Program, speaks, Watch

Going green and saving on your energy bills does not have to be rocket science. You can really do a lot of things to cut back on your energy use. One of them is using wind power and therefore this article about everything you need to know about wind turbines. Of course there are many other things you can do but getting a wind turbine is one of the big things you can do.

We are not the first to realize the potential of wind power and we are not the first to harness this power. Windmills have been used for years, but it is the better technology that we have that is making it possible to generate enough energy from a wind turbine to make it economically viable. It is even possible to store it for later use.

Windmills have simply been substituted with the more technologically advanced wind turbines. They are still essentially the same thing, What the wind turbine does is to convert the energy from the wind into electricity that you can use immediately or store in batteries.

OK, even though very simplistic, that is basically everything you need to know about wind turbines. What is important is that you can now use that same technology to make a wind turbine for your back yard or even a home rooftop wind turbine.

With a backyard wind turbine or a home rooftop wind turbine you can easily make about 60% of your energy needs. This will give you a huge saving in your energy bills. What is even better, as technology is improving; your savings will go up,

Now, of course, you have two choices. You can build your own home rooftop wind turbine, your own back yard turbine, or you can buy one. If you buy one you will find that it can cost anywhere from $600 all the way up to $12,000.

The better option though is to build your own wind turbine. As far as “everything you need to know about wind turbines” go, this is the most important fact. A wind turbine is easy to make and it will only cost you a few hundred bucks. You even get easy to follow manuals to help you with it.

So, you choose. Buying or making your own is up to you, what is important is that no matter what, you will save on your energy bills. This will be a saving for many years to come.

As far as I can think this is everything you need to know about wind turbines. With this knowledge you can take action and save a lot of money.

Technorati Tags: About, energy, Everything, Home, Know, Need, turbines, wind

Dr. Martin Brudermueller, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, responsible for Asia Pacific, talks about energy efficienct solutions for China on Bloomberg TV’s A Greener Asia.

Technorati Tags: About, BASF, Bloomberg, efficiency, energy, Talks

Changing Winds iswind powerusical film about wind power featuring an original score written and performed by Time for Three (www.tf3.com The film was directed by documentary filmmaker Neil Halloran, and produced by Frontier Wind and Climbing Tree Productions. Special Thanks to The Gear Works, Knight and Carver, Frontier Wind, and Frontier Pro Services for allowing filming of their facilities as well as the hard-working men and women who make wind power a reality. Music and film commissioned by Harry Halloran.

Technorati Tags: About, Changing, film, musical, power, Three, Time, wind, Winds

Orion Energy Systems (Nasdaq: OESX) President and CEO Neal Verfuerth on Monday participated in a panel discussion at the White House addressing innovation and clean energy. Following the panel, President Barack Obama addressed the media, panelists and those attending the discussion — including venture capitalists, scientists and entrepreneurs — touting clean energy, energy efficiency and his proposed budget that includes $150 billion over 10 years for clean energy and energy efficiency.

Technorati Tags: About, energy, energyefficiency, Obama, Orion, President, Systems, Talks

Statistics show that lighting products consume 24% of the electrical power generated in the U.S. and lighting products make up for approximately 25-45% of household and commercial energy costs. Statistics such as these are causing individuals take a closer look at their home lighting and make changes to adopt more energy efficient products.

This high demand has brought new energy saving devices that are now available to the consumer for both home and office. Many such devices are easy to replace and install. Your checkbook will thank you too, because the pay back period of implementing energy saving products can be as quick as 1 year with dollar savings being realized on the very next monthly utility bill. Many of the available products can be used in a variety of ways including exterior home lighting, outdoor lighting, and landscape lighting. Below are a few great energy efficient products that should be readily available at your local lighting or hardware store.

Dimmers – Table top, floor or in wall. Dimming devices can save up to 50% of the energy used simply by dialing down the light intensity. Dimmers also provide for a soft and relaxing mood.

Compact Fluorescent – There are many CFL lamps available today. It is best to choose those with the best color rendition and many with dimmable features.

LED – These lamps are the newest generation of lamp technology. However, LED’s have a lot of restrictions and guidelines. Choosing the best LED for the right application requires some knowledge of this technology and its capabilities. LED’s are the most efficient of all lamp sources (including fluorescent). I suspect the LED collection will be one of the fastest growing segments of the lighting industry in the near future.

Motion and Occupancy Sensors – These handy devices allow lighting to come on when movement is detected in a room or area. Using PIR (passive infra red) technology, these switching devices prevent lights from being left on for long periods of time.

Timing Devices – Timers allow specific lights to come on and off at required time periods. This provides easy control for light function. Timers can easily be set for lights to come on and off at multiple times. They can also be adjusted for vacation mode as a safety feature.

Photo Controls – Like timing devises, photo control allows the light to come on at dusk and off at dawn. Most photo controls are used for exterior lighting but they can also be useful in many indoor applications.

Solar – This technology is totally “carbon neutral” and off the electrical grid. Until today, most of the solar products were weak and could not hold a charge for very long. Today, with the advent of new “photo voltaic” technology, solar lighting can be very practical and a great solution to dark areas without electricity. Most of the solar products are built for exterior use but many can be used in sunny rooms, sheds and structures with some natural UV light. It is important to note however, that solar will not work with artificial light.

The bottom line is that besides the financial savings of using energy efficient products in the home or office, the goal of the U.S. to become more energy independent will happen more quickly as consumers begin making the effort of changing energy habits. This can be as easy as replacing a light bulb or turning on a switch.

Technorati Tags: About, efficient, energy, Know, Landscape, Lighting