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Portable Solar Power Systems Going Green with Mobile Solar Power Sources

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 6 comments

Portable Solar Power Systems for Going Green by way of Mobile Solar Power Sources

Solar energy is a clean and efficient source for energy. The demand is greater than the supply for now. The cost of supplying electricity to remote locations is expensive inefficient and time consuming. Solar power is an excellent alternative to this. Portable solar power is currently referred to as packaged sunlight. The concept is to use an adapter that allows you to use solar power that’s been accumulated during times when you do not have enough solar energy. They are mainly used at night.

Solar powered battery chargers are fast becoming very popular. They simply plug into your cigarette lighter and charge your car in minutes. On a larger scale you can purchase portable generators that allow you to use energy produced by sunlight when sunlight is not available. These solar power sources are used by corporations, small businesses, and individuals. They are used to supply power to entire networks or simply to operate a DVD player. The type and size of generator you want to purchase will depend on your individual power needs. Within the next three years, it is believed solar panels will be made that can supply power to cell phones as well. However, the cost of such phones is anticipated to be high because it’s still expensive to design that type of solar panel.

The internet offers abundant information to compare portable solar power products and their uses. This information can  be very useful in deciding what products will give you the best deal for your money. If you still have questions, a great resource is the Advanced Energy Group at Solar4Power.com. It is a respected supplier of green solar power and portable power systems throughout the United States. They offer quality products and consulting information on solar power options. They also have an excellent rating for their technical support to customers.

While many remain skeptical about using solar power, it really does make economic and environmental sense. The portable mobile solar power devices available at reasonable costs make it even more efficient, safe, and worth while to do for the environment. As the solar power industry grows, expect to see many new and better green portable devices available on the market.

 

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Source: green energy

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

Renewable Energy can Bring about a Brighter Future.

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On No comments

Renewable energy is, by definition, energy generated from sources that cannot be depleted. Two well-known examples are wind and solar energy. Renewable energy is considered a very important part of the solution. Its share (including large hydro and biomass) in global primary energy is projected to be between 8% and 17% possibly increasing to above 61% in 2100.

Renewable energy is helping us bring about a new energy future, one that is cleaner, more sustainable, more affordable, more secure and less reliant on carbon-based fossil fuels. While there is no “silver bullet” that will solve the world’s energy problems, it is clear that renewable energy and efficiency technologies are an indispensable component of the solution.

Wind, solar, and geothermal are still considered “alternative” types of energy that just can’t be relied on to power our world. Wind power is projected to experience a fivefold increase, but the EIA does not project any significant offshore wind power in its reference case.

Renewable energy is cost effective compared to nuclear energy and fossil fuels, both financially and environmentally. Presently the cost per watt is about $4 to $5 and projected to be about $1 by the year 2015.

Nuclear should be part of the pie. The key issue is to cut carbon dioxide emissions new; a less important issue is whether or not we will eventually run out of nuclear materials to run nuclear power plants. Nuclear should be the transition energy, that takes us from fossil fuels to the renewable energy sources.

After all, living on nuclear energy is like living on a set amount of capital, but living using renewable energy sources is like living from an everlasting income. Electricity produced from nuclear energy could at least reduce our dependance on burning coal to produce electic power. The U.S. alon e generates a full 60 percent of it’s electric power from burning coal. Burning coal, a non-renewable resource at such rates can only hasten global climate change.

Renewable energy can provide important new ways to reduce pollution, diversify and secure energy supply and help provide access to energy in support of poverty eradication. The burning of fossil fuels is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions and these emissions need to be reduced to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in order to achieve the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to prevent dangerous climate change.

Renewable energy sources (wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, etc.) are generally thought of as harmless, but this doesn?t mean they have no environmental consequences at all. Most of them have a significant aesthetic impact and require large areas of land.

Source: green energy

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

Green Marketing Concepts

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 1 comment

Now You Can Jump On The “Going Green Train” – Here Are The Secrets to Opening Up Your Business To A Whole New Eco Friendly Niche Market!

Think Your Business Has Reached its Maximum Potential? Convinced that there’s no where to go but sideways? Feel like you’ve gone as far as your know-how can take you?

No matter what kind of business you have, nothing could be farther from the truth. Even the best businesses have room to grow.

The last thing you want to have on your hands is a stagnant business. You want something that changes with its surroundings. Something that grows with you.

To do that, you need better sales tools. Sound expensive? Sound difficult? Sound cumbersome? It isn’t!

Generating Sales Has Never Been Easier!

Source: niche

Categories: Green Investing Tags:

Tree Landscape Benefits Beyond Green

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 1 comment
by Thomas Fyrd

When looking at your yard, are there any trees? If not, there are many benefits you and your landscaping are losing out on. Trees are nature’s way of helping you reduce your power bill, be more “green”, improve your curb appeal and create memories to be share throughout a lifetime.

As seen on many popular television shows, curb appeal requires plant life and color. Adding saplings to your yard will not only beautify your home with what may looks like shrubs today, but in years to come, will give you robust trees with gorgeous foliage to relax under.

Studies prove this investment into your home?s property value is something that, from the first day planted, will bring you financial returns. You also want to keep an eye on the trees you may already have. Check the general health and life expectancy of your present trees. If they have already reached their prime or show signs of disease, think about planting new trees, giving the baby tree?s time to grow before having to remove the older ones.

To be more – green – is a world wide effort to reduce energy costs and what better way than through something green like a tree. When strategically planted within your landscape, trees can lower your power bill.

Protecting your home’s southwest side with a tall shade tree will give you shade during the hot summer months, yet during the winter, they will lose their beautiful autumn leaves to let the sun shine through with its warmth. Another option, for homes in primarily wintry climates, may be to protect your home from blistering winds with Evergreens. By doing this, you will lower your heating costs. Going green will pay off in energy saved, anyway you look at it.

Did you know trees can help to tackle other common green issues, like greenhouse gases and global warming? Yes, nature to the rescue again. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas of top concern, and use it in the photosynthesis process. It is assimilated into the leaves, wood and cells of the tree which all play into a tree’s life cycle. Leaves fall and decompose, adding carbon to the soil and in turn, make a rich soil for the tree to grow in. This tidy succession is like a storage system which lasts for many years inside a tree’s trunk or through the use of its lumber in our everyday furniture, fences, and homes.

Being friendly to the creatures around you is something else you can add to your list of reasons to plant trees in the backyard landscape. Although building a bird house with your family may bring some birds into your vicinity, planting a sanctuary where they can live, find food and escape from dangers could be a wealth of observations and memories.

This habitat in the form of a tree will attract birds, squirrels and a variety of other wildlife. In addition, if you already know which animals are native to your area, you may want to research which trees will attract them or will benefit their diets.

Family participation in planting trees can provide many scrapbook moments. Planting a tree in memory of a family member, pet, or in celebration of an event are all good reasons to bring a family together.

Watching your grandchildren playing in piles of leaves or seeing who can swing the highest in the tire swing, can be memories you can make from the tree you planted with their mother when she was a child. Pictures you snap and place in your scrapbook are waiting to be taken and stored as memories to share from generation to generation.

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Source: Landscaping

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

Tree Landscape Benefits Beyond Green

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 7 comments
by Thomas Fyrd

When looking at your yard, are there any trees? If not, there are many benefits you and your landscaping are losing out on. Trees are nature’s way of helping you reduce your power bill, be more “green”, improve your curb appeal and create memories to be share throughout a lifetime.

As seen on many popular television shows, curb appeal requires plant life and color. Adding saplings to your yard will not only beautify your home with what may looks like shrubs today, but in years to come, will give you robust trees with gorgeous foliage to relax under.

Studies prove this investment into your home?s property value is something that, from the first day planted, will bring you financial returns. You also want to keep an eye on the trees you may already have. Check the general health and life expectancy of your present trees. If they have already reached their prime or show signs of disease, think about planting new trees, giving the baby tree?s time to grow before having to remove the older ones.

To be more – green – is a world wide effort to reduce energy costs and what better way than through something green like a tree. When strategically planted within your landscape, trees can lower your power bill.

Protecting your home’s southwest side with a tall shade tree will give you shade during the hot summer months, yet during the winter, they will lose their beautiful autumn leaves to let the sun shine through with its warmth. Another option, for homes in primarily wintry climates, may be to protect your home from blistering winds with Evergreens. By doing this, you will lower your heating costs. Going green will pay off in energy saved, anyway you look at it.

Did you know trees can help to tackle other common green issues, like greenhouse gases and global warming? Yes, nature to the rescue again. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas of top concern, and use it in the photosynthesis process. It is assimilated into the leaves, wood and cells of the tree which all play into a tree’s life cycle. Leaves fall and decompose, adding carbon to the soil and in turn, make a rich soil for the tree to grow in. This tidy succession is like a storage system which lasts for many years inside a tree’s trunk or through the use of its lumber in our everyday furniture, fences, and homes.

Being friendly to the creatures around you is something else you can add to your list of reasons to plant trees in the backyard landscape. Although building a bird house with your family may bring some birds into your vicinity, planting a sanctuary where they can live, find food and escape from dangers could be a wealth of observations and memories.

This habitat in the form of a tree will attract birds, squirrels and a variety of other wildlife. In addition, if you already know which animals are native to your area, you may want to research which trees will attract them or will benefit their diets.

Family participation in planting trees can provide many scrapbook moments. Planting a tree in memory of a family member, pet, or in celebration of an event are all good reasons to bring a family together.

Watching your grandchildren playing in piles of leaves or seeing who can swing the highest in the tire swing, can be memories you can make from the tree you planted with their mother when she was a child. Pictures you snap and place in your scrapbook are waiting to be taken and stored as memories to share from generation to generation.

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Source: Landscaping

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

Batteries Included – A Future Of Green Silence

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 2 comments

by Joyce M. Stuart

The idea of electric cars has not been developed recently, and in fact successful electric vehicles were being developed and manufactured back in the 1830s, with projects in the Netherlands, and in Scotland, achieving great success, with vehicles reaching speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. Mostly popular with ladies, the typical town vehicle was clean, quiet, needed no cranking to get started, and cruised at a comfortable 20 miles an hour. The gas powered cars were being outsold quite dramatically.

Perceptions of electric vehicles today tend to lurch from rickety old golf carts to the slightly absurd milk flats, but the truth is that electric cars today can easily out perform their gas powered counterparts. Not only can they outperform them, but they can do so at a fraction of the cost to both the consumer, and more importantly, the environment. For example, the new Tesla Roadster can leave the Ferrari Spider standing at the lights whilst gliding effortlessly past the Mercedes SL550, whilst costing about a cent per mile in the process. With a top speed of about 130 miles per hour and with a three hour charge sustaining a full 250 mile trip, this is anything but a milk float.

It isn’t just the fact that these electric vehicles produce lower gas emissions, they also produce far less noise pollution too – an often forgotten element of our gas powered vehicles. Some people who have lid comfortably into the driving seat of a sport electric car are shocked by the lack of noise, vibration and raw growl – and it has jokingly been suggested that speakers be installed in some of these models to simulate the growl of a familiar engine. On the flip side of the coin, some people have expressed concern that with almost silent cars nipping around town, there may be an increase in the number of children and elderly people injured on the roads, since the familiar clues of oncoming traffic will no longer be available.

As far as the consumer is concerned, there has to be an advantage – having a clean conscience and knowing that you are doing your bit to help create a greener environment is certainly one of them, but there also need to be advantages in the pocket too. There are many of these, and in the UK for example, by splashing out under five thousand pounds you can obtain a nippy little G-Wiz, which can be parked anywhere in London for free, (itself a saving of over 5,00 – paying for the car in just one year), and there is also no road tax to pay. Not only that, but the car is rated as being in the lowest category for insurance, without losing out on performance. The advantages really are very clear, and financially it makes far more sense than an equivalent gas powered vehicle.

On a larger scale, Israel has launched a scheme called Project Better Place and it is the intention of this scheme to make Israel completely oil free within just ten years. With half a million re-charging points across the country, and with top distances for vehicles between charges reaching two hundred kilometres – easily enough to travel from any point of Israel to any other within the country, this is a practical reality. The model being put forward is not unlike that for mobile phones, with the suggestion that the vehicles are given away free, and that instead of paying for fuel and tax in the normal way, drivers can choose various plans, such as pay-as-you-go options for recharging costs, to buying credit for unlimited mileage for a certain period of time, and so on.

As with any major change to long established consumer habits, there has to be enough demand to make the whole idea of replacing gas powered vehicles with electric ones, otherwise the finance is simply not going to be sufficient to enable change on any real scale. Most people are now aware that milk floats are not the be all and end all to such vehicles, and with films such as Minority Report showing Tom cruise tearing up the road in a sporty little electric Lexus, many people are starting to see that there are multiple advantages to the idea of switching over, and that there is no need whatever to sacrifice style for efficiency or even for the environment.

Many people have raised concerns regarding the apparent green option which electric vehicles represent, citing the fact that they still need to be charged, and that this electricity comes from power companies burning fossil fuels. This is not entirely true, as there are an increasing number of companies and facilities generating green energy, either partly or in full. However, even if the power does come from burning fossil fuels, there is still an advantage, since it’s all about the conversion ratio of fuel to energy. Burning fossil fuel in a car is highly inefficient, whereas using fossil fuel to generate electricity which is used for electric vehicles is a far more efficient use of that energy, and therefore will result in far less fossil fuel being required.

Perhaps it is becoming increasingly easy to picture a world in which we can glide around quietly and serenely, with no smog or fumes choking our streets, no noise roaring through our urban spaces, and no need for concern when stuck in traffic that fuel is being wasted. Although fears have been raised that when we all return home for work and plug our cars in for the night we’ll overload the mains grid, these too have been quashed, with energy companies pointing out that only a fraction of capacity is reached at night, and with all of us switching to electric cars the overall need for energy will be massively reduced. Perhaps we can even envisage a day when our cars are recharged from the energy our own solar panel roofs collect through the day whilst we are at work – a recipe for a virtually clear conscience.

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Source: Energy

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

Save Money on Gasoline by Using Water for Fuel

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 6 comments

by Alan Chan

The incessant rise of fuel prices has been breaking the finances of drivers and vehicle owners worldwide including YOU!

BUT it’s not easy either to take a bus or a taxi to get from one place to another in time. Not to mention it’s having that shiny car gives you a special place within the society.

In light of that, practical steps and alternative fuels have been introduced to help car drivers and owners save even a bit in fuel expenses. BUT here’s the problem – either one these substitutes are NOT for everyone or they’re not as successful as they state it.

Not even the renowned gasoline is a good substitute for fuel. Use it and you’re sure to pollute the natural world even more.

Methanol, propane, ethanol – these are just some of the safer options to replace gasoline BUT the fact remains that none of these substitutes prove to 100% resolve the annoying issues behind commonly used fuel.

BUT here’s some great news – using water for fuel is a surefire way of eliminating the health and environmental risks of fuel along with the price hike problems that come along with it.

What could be better than dramatically lowering your fuel expenses and keeping the environment safe while doing so?

I could go all day telling what advantages of water-for-fuel are. BUT to whet your appetite, here are seven of the outstanding benefits of water-for-fuel you won’t have should you use other alternative fuels:

Fuel Saver Kit Fact

1. Get more out of your gas by increasing its mileage by up toor even more than 35% regardless of whatever driving conditions you’re at! That means a whopping $900 savings annually AT LEAST.

2. Experience smoother, noise-free, and more placid driving with water for fuel.

3. See your car’s performance and driving power enhanced to impressive proportions.

4. I think this one is worth repeating – forget about harmful smog from your car as water is all natural and harmless.

5. You’re assured that your car won’t add heat to he surroundings as water is an excellent coolant, too!

6. Eliminate the soot and dirt from your engine and prevent them from coming back.

7. Sit back as you don’t have to worry about your engine’s pistons, valves, etc. as they will have better performance for a longer period of time.

Get this – using water is a popular way of producing power for the longest time and the same principle applies when using water for fuel.

Wait! Don’t stock drums and tons of water. You won’t need those. With as little as a quarter of water plus your car’s engine, your vehicle will be powered with HHO or Brown’s Gas that has been famous for being 300% better than fuel.

You get all of those engine and car boosting advantages MINUS the harm to the environment.

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Source: Energy

Categories: Green Energy Tags:

The Power Of The Sun For Your Home

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 2 comments

The use of solar panels for heating and electricity in homes is rapidly becoming more and more popular. There are televised programs on the Discovery channel showing the benefits of solar power as well as programs such as the home building show with Tye Pennington that show how solar panels can save money from heating bills.

Solar panels are not complicated to install and they are not as costly as one might imagine. You are paid back ten fold what you put out over five, ten and twenty years down the road. Studies where buildings have opted to use solar panels have come back showing savings in energy cost in the thousands.

Using solar energy is not only beneficial to your pocket book but to our lives in general. Most electricity within the United States is powered by coal or oil. These resources are non-renewable and will some day cease to exist. They cost money to pull out of the earth and they cost money to break down into use. They cost us money to have it shipped across the nation. The power of the sun however is free.

The sun is a renewable energy source that can provide heating, cooling, lights and more simply through the use of solar panels. There are even solar cell vehicles that are in prototype phase at this time. The world can benefit greatly from using solar panels in their home and beyond.

You can find an abundance of information form where to purchase to how to install solar panels online. The savings will thrill you and the knowledge that you are keeping the planet healthy for your children may be all that you need to make a change in your energy use.

Source: Solar Conversions

Categories: Green Living Tags:

Environmentally Friendly Gardening Tips

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 4 comments

One of the reasons gardening has started to become so popular in recent years is because people are becoming more aware of problems with our environment. And many are concerned with the overuse of harsh chemicals, pesticides, and other things which are harmful not only to the environment, but to human beings as well.

So not only is gardening becoming popular by itself, but “green” gardening – or environmentally friendly gardening – is one of the primary goals for most hobby and home gardeners.

Now of course the most obvious first step involved with environmentally friendly gardening is to stop using dangerous chemicals for controlling pests, reducing weeds, and fertilizing grass, trees, bushes, food, and flowers. Since many people have grown up with these methods for gardening though, they’re not quite sure how to go about doing these standard chores in a more natural, earth and people friendly way. So here we’ll look at several basics:

1. Composting. Composting is an all natural way to get rich, fertile soil for your flowers, trees, bushes, vegetables and fruits, lawn grass, and anything else you might want to grow naturally. Compost is basically what nature makes on it’s own, when no human interferance is involved. Leaves fall to the ground and slowly decompose. Animal droppings are left where they fall and these decompose too. The wind, rain, heat, and cold all work to mix these decomposing natural items together, and this eventually creates a rich, fertile soil base for new plants to grow in.

People create compost themselves, by simply recycling any organic materials from their home. These include fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, used tea and coffee grounds, shredded paper, wood chips and fireplace ash, grass clippings, dead leaves, and any other natural organic material that is regularly found around the house.

2. Companion Planting. Companion planting is a natural way to control many diseases, pests and bugs in your yard and garden. There are natural combinations of plants which, when planted in close proximity to each other, will naturally help repel standard pests or other common problems. Sometimes companion plants are used to simply improve the flavors of one or both vegetables when they’re planted close together, but companion planting is quite useful as a natural pest control method too, so it’s well worth learning as much as you can about.

3. Gray Water. Using gray water is an environmentally friendly gardening method, because it allows you to conserve the amount of water you’re using for your gardens and yard areas, instead of simply wasting it. Gray water is a form of recycling: You simply reroute certain drainage areas of your home into the yard and garden areas, so each time you shower for instance, or wash a load of cloths, instead of the water going into the sewer system it will instead be routed to your plants.

Source: environmentally friendly gardening

Categories: Green Living Tags:

Live Green & Save: 10 Eco-Friendly Ideas

July 25th, 2008 Get Your Green On 3 comments

From the current issue of All You Magazine “Live Green and Save”…

1. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Swap a regular 110-watt bulb for a 32-watt CFL, which uses almost 70% less energy. Plus, it lasts 10 times longer!  (Savings: $30 in energy for the life of a bulb)

2. Put your computer on sleep mode. Your computer sucks up energy even when it’d idel, so program it to sleep for 12 hours a day.  You’ll help extend its working life, too. (Savings: $44 per year on your energy bill)

3. Don’t drive once a week.  You can reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 800 pounds a year just by taking the bus, carpooling, riding your bike or walking instead of driving one day a week. (Savings: 130 gallons of gas per year, or $390)

4. Shorten your shower. Using less H2O when you bathe means you consume less energy to heat the water.  Install a low-flow showerhead and you’ll conserve even more. (Savings: almost $250 per year)

5. Rearrange kitchen appliances. If you refrigerator is in direct sunlight, recruit someone to help you move it away from the window.  Heat from the sun makes your refrigerator work harder; For each degree above 70 around the fridge, it’ll use 2.5% more power. (Savings: up to $70 per year on your utility bill)

6. Don’t wash dishes by hand. All that rinsing wastes lots of hot water.  Use your dishwasher (be sure it’s a full load) and save 5,000 gallons of water as well as a whopping 230 hours of your time every year! (Savings: $40 per year if you own an Energy Star appliance)

7. Adjust your water heater. Peek at the thermostat on your heater.  You’ll save 3-5% in energy costs for every 10 degrees you turn it down.  Optimal is 120 degrees year-round. (Savings: $28 per year on your electric bill)

8. Fix leaky faucets. Repair a pesky drip and you’ll conserve 5 gallons of water per day, which adds up to more than 1,800 gallons each year! (Savings: only $3, but a lot of H2O)

9. Raise the thermomstat this summer. If you turn up the air conditioner just 3 degrees, your home will still be plenty cool but you’ll use less energy.  Change the filter as recommended and you’ll save even more. (Savings: about $180 on your utility bill)

10. Heed the speed limit. Driving 65 miles per hour instead of 75 on the highway can stop the emission of about 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.  (Savings: 75 gallons of gas per year, or about $225)

Great tips!  I have praised All You Magazine over and over for it’s abundance of manufacturer coupons, but the articles are great, too! Order your subscription today!

Source: Energy Resources

Categories: Green Living Tags:
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