Clean New Power

renewable energy for a better world

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Biofuels or Food?

June 2nd, 2008 · biofuels

Biofuels are one way of reducing the world’s dependency on petrol. It will be difficult to reach high volumes soon but as with all efforts, every little bit helps.

It’s not all good news though. A big controversy is building on the influence this is having on the world food prices. Already prices of agricultural crops have gone up substantially in the last 12 months.

You can make ethanol from corn, then mix it with gasoline to drive your car. More corn is needed because it is also used to feed the cattle in the US and Europe. So it changes from a low value commodity into a high value renewable energy source.

The same is happening with palm oil which is a basic cooking ingredient in most of Asia. More and more plantations are being seen as fuel farms because the oil is mixed into a biodiesel and prices of palm oil is becoming a problem for low-income residents.

biofuel or food?

biofuel or food?

Some other voices: A Swedish bus company ‘Flygbussarna Airport Coaches’ is advertising their transition to environmental biofuel using some funny pictures.

Flygbussarna Airport Coaches wants you to know that they now run on environmental biofuel. To illustrate how clean this biofuel really is, their print ad campaign shows people drinking it right off the pump to prove that it is “clean enough to drink.” The campaign, which was created by Acne Advertising agency, Stockholm, Sweden and photographed by Martin Runeborg, shows people quenching their thirst by galloping biofuel. I just hope they do not light up a cigarette after this fuel consumption…

Drinking Biofuel – Flygbussarna Airport Coaches (GALLERY)

Biodiesel and ethanol, the most common biofuels in use today, are produced mainly from agricultural crops: sugar cane, soybean rapeseed and corn. However, these crops are often water intensive and pose a number of environmental problems related to land use and soil degradation. This is why the Commission favours so-called ‘second-generation’ biofuels which are more efficient and less problematic from an environmental viewpoint. These are typically made from agricultural residues and ‘woody’ sources such as straw, timber, woodchips and manure

EurActiv.com – Wood, food or biofuels? | EU – European Information on Sustainable Dev.

Could you believe that countries are raising taxes on imports of ethanol to ‘protect’ their farmers?

A key part of this approach to biofuels is agricultural protectionism. A number of countries, including Brazil, can produce ethanol much cheaper, with a greater saving of nonrenewable energy and lower emissions, for example, by using sugar. But this sugar-based ethanol is subject to a prohibitive tariff in the United States (and there are similar barriers in Europe)

Straight Talk – The (Food) Price of Success – Finance & Development, December 2007

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Solar Power Home

January 16th, 2008 · solar power

In the past few years, the solar power home has become a lot more popular. One big reason this is happening is that some power companies and governments are now providing compensation for people who incorporate solar power into their houses. Solar panels and components are also getting a lot less expensive, putting solar power within reach for a wider segment of the population. However, before you jump right in, there are a few things to think about in regards to powering your home on the light of the sun.

First, you’ll need to know how much power you use in your home. You can do this by figuring out the wattage required by all the appliances in your house. You can also look at your power bill to see how many kilowatt hours (kWh), your home uses each month. Compare this number to the power available from solar systems. Remember, if the numbers on a solar system seem too good to be true, they probably are. Make sure that you’re investigating reputable providers and that any system you’re thinking about buying comes with a warranty or guarantee.

Most people use too much power to directly replace their existing power provider with a home solar system. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on a solar home. There are a number of different ways to incorporate the benefits of solar power without going completely off the grid. Solar water heaters are popular. In these systems, the sun’s power (with or without the use of solar panels) is used to provide hot water for the entire building. Rooftop tanks are popular, but check to see whether or not your roof can support the extra weight. Some people with swimming pools switch to a solar-powered heating and filtration system, to reduce the environmental impact of their pools.

If you’d like to provide electrical power to your home via the sun, you’ll require a solar power system. This doesn’t have to be a standalone setup, however. One popular method of providing sustainable power without going off-grid, and without having to buy expensive batteries is called a grid tie-in. In this setup, power produced by your solar power system goes to supply your house if it’s needed, and when it’s not, it goes back into the power grid. Your power company will reimburse you for this power, either at the rate it costs them to produce that power, or by running your meter backwards.

Remember to consider your location. Solar power isn’t for every home. If you don’t receive enough hours of direct sunlight, you could have trouble justifying the expense of a solar power system. Consider making adjustments to your home to allow it to use passive solar energy, using a wind system, or look into power companies that produce their electricity in a sustainable manner instead. While passive and active solar installations are easiest with new construction, don’t rule out adapting your existing structure to be more efficient and make use of the sun’s energy.A solar power home isn’t right for everyone, but it can work for many homes. Investigate further to find out if your home and your site are right for using the sun’s power.

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The Basics of Home Wind Power

January 8th, 2008 · wind power

With rising energy costs, households all across the country are looking for alternatives to paying for electricity. One of the more intriguing options is a home wind power generation system. Unlike a fuel cell or solar system, home wind power generation has a low total cost of ownership, and can lower electricity bills by as much as 80%, depending on how much wind your home’s location typically gets. It’s also environmentally friendly, and releases no CO2 into the atmosphere.

 

Wind turbines capture kinetic energy from the wind, converting it to electricity by using a reduction gear to take the slow moving fan blades to run a fast generator in the center, which then delivers electricity to the house. If your utility uses net metering, any excess electricity you generate is credited against your bill – indeed, in some months, the local electric "bill" is a check because you gave them more electricity than you used. Most turbine companies will send a crew out to set up the turbine, and help you fill out the paperwork with your utility.

The primary benefit, from an engineering standpoint, of home wind power generators is that they eliminate the overhead caused by transmission line power losses. While an individual wind power generator isn’t as efficient as an individual coal fired burner on a BTUs to kilowatts basis, the reduction in transformer and power line losses makes up for it. In terms of carbon offsets, for a typical household use, a wind power generator offsets about 1.2 tons of sulfates and nearly 200 tons of CO2.

A typical wind power turbine costs about $12,000, with larger ones going to $20,000 and will last for 20 years. Dividing even a high end one by 240 months (20 years times 12 months) will give a per month cost of around $85; the question becomes "Will it save you more than $85/month in electricity bills?"  And the answer to that is dependant on your location and local zoning ordnances. Fortunately, wind turbines are very low maintenance, and as demand for them rises, prices are coming down. There are models for as low as $6,000 available now.

It’s an open matter as to whether or not a wind power generator increases your property’s resale value. In some markets, where green consciousness is high, it is – in others, where having a giant fan sticking out of the backyard is considered an eyesore, or blocks line of sight for the neighbors, it’s definitely not – talk to your local community advocacy groups to get the lay of local opinion before installing one.

 

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