News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

This year’s Congressional Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo Forum in Washington DC that was held in the end of May did early pinpoint on the controversy of Fossil Fuel. They were mainly referring to the oil spill in the Gulf region (BP oil Spill).

Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington State conveyed the message by saying that one has never been “injured by a photon spill”. The reference was that solar energy is much safer to use than fossil fuels both to life and the ecosystem.

During the expo, a roomful of various vendors were proposing technologies for renewable sources of energy and efficiency. There were also several members of the congress who supported some of the alternative energy ventures suggested.

South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis proclaimed that the step towards energy independence will start in his state. He supported his stance by citing some energy companies. The argument that he brought forward was that “externalities” are often overlooked. In order to make the marketplace operate properly indirect and hidden costs associated with different energy production methods must be examined thoroughly. Like the cost of oil extraction where a hidden cost is the risk of “oil spill”

Moreover, Maryland Chris Van Hollen, co-chair of the House of Renewable and Energy Efficiency Caucus, stated that the objective behind energy-climate legislations is to put the country in a safety bandwagon. This implies less dependence on oil import and also making the most to protect the environment. It is also fundamental to support the creation of employment in the green industry. There are manifold dimensions of green energy enterprises. The industry involved in sustaining energy offers jobs in construction (building high performance skyscrapers), researching new methods to store and create energy or in a hydropower, hydrogen and/or green school projects. The scope of employment in renewable energy is vast.

Moreover, at the expo some wind and solar energy companies provided samples of their latest innovations. This ranged from roof singles, giant wind turbines to photovoltaic cells produced with highly sophisticated material. The hawked bulb was also in the expo, which is eventually 60 percent more efficient than a fluorescent bulb. This implies that it is much more efficient than the contemporary incandescent bulb.

Furthermore, in the package of new and innovative technologies, some ideas never heard before was brought to the floor. The new ideas appeared to require a higher start-up investment but seem to pay for themselves over time.

Cow Farms Producing Energy

Dairy cows can now help in producing electricity. This is what a company, based in Chilton, Wis suggests. They say that four cows would practically be enough to power a small apartment. They use a technique known as anaerobic digestion where methane is produced from cow poops. On average 4 cows produces around 64 gallons of manure per day. This manure can be used to feed bacteria that did before live in a cow’s gut. These bacteria or microorganisms crashes undigested fatty acids that is present in the manure for weeks until methane gas is generated. The methane gas can thereafter be burned on the farm to produce electricity, which can be sold to utility companies.

Moreover, in order to make cow energy efficient approximately 600 cows would be required. Making use of larger operation of around 10,000 cows would be a very economical and productive way to run a farm and electricity unit.

Hydropower from Irrigation Cannels

Engineers did in the 1930s tap into the colossal flow of the Colorado River through the Hoover Dam that propels water in a 500 foot drop, which is enough to provide 1.3 million people with energy. However, a tiny hydropower system has now been invented. It has been inspired from dams but operates at a much smaller scale. The system is designed to tap the irrigation canals carrying water hundreds of miles from the Colorado River.

According to Natel Energy, Inc. of Alameda, Calif, it does work quite effectively. The system that has been designed can generate energy from water that falls from short heights of 10 to 20 feet. This process has been copied from the airplane wings that are installed in Buckeye, Ariz. The airplane wings captures roughly 87 percent of the energy released by the water and is sufficient to power five households.

Tinted Glass to Control Room Temperature

The Century College in St. Paul, Minnesota uses windows to regulate room temperatures. They use glass produced by SageGlass in Faribault, and it is expected to enable more efficient use of energy. The glass can turn from being transparent to tint by simply pressing a bottom. For instance, tinted windows are used to keep the interior cool as it reflects sunlight. The transparent ones are used during cool days to allow heat to penetrate into the rooms.

However, the cost of the windows is approximately 2 to 5 times more expensive. The windows are coated with a diminutive layer of ceramic components. This enables the windows to darken when exposed to low electrical current.

Hydrogen Used To Power Forklifts

A forklift is seldom associated with high tech. However, based on what Geoffrey Bromaghim from the National Hydrogen Association says they are more advanced nowadays. Forklifts are emerging as one of the first hydrogen vehicles in the United States. Moreover, forklifts use extensive energy to lift heavy boxes. This power comes for a large lead-acid battery which causes both pollution and is time consuming to charge.

The use of hydrogen cells are more expensive but much faster. According to Bromaghim, the faster recharging time reduces the labour cost and makes it an effective option. There are approximately 28,000 forklifts that are used in the United State, out of which only 200 operate with the use of hydrogen fuel cells.

Simple Methods to Reduce Your Electricity Bill

A son of a preacher and a former nuclear physicist Rep. Vern Ehlers of Missori, gave simple money saving strategy to improve the use of energy efficiency. For him, the experience of living in a cold place made him think of insulation. So he invested in trying to eliminate all the heat leaks in his household, and it did not take long for the pay-off to be seen. He saw 30 percent drop on his energy bill in the next months.

Conclusion

The expo was a success with new and innovative ideas. The cow power approach is certainly something new and need to be taken into serious considerations. It can hold promising solutions in making farming more rewarding.

Source: Physorg