Energy Conservation
The Role We Can Each Play
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We can all play a part in lessening our reliance on fossil fuels.
A- Use low-energy lamps such as CFL replacements for as many incandescent lightbulbs as possible in our home or apartment.
B- Turn off all lamps in areas where they are not needed.
C- Turn down water heater temperature to between 120-125 degrees.
D- Seal your home or apartment from obvious air drafts.
These steps could save the average family $300. to $400. a year in electricity costs alone, lessening the fossil fuel needed to produce it. It certainly becomes plainly obvious that if all Americans stopped driving their automobiles and ceased all commercial transportation, which includes both ground and air travel, we would most likely not be importing any foreign oil and would likewise be exporting at least some of the oil that we produce here. Obviously, this is not feasable.
Lately, most governments of the world have made it their priority to begin to deal with the problems of energy consumption and how to deal with the over consumption of fossil fuels along with Renewable energy sources. Many are adopting the latest in renewable energy technology such as Wind Power and Solar Power generation. Many have begun new projects that when completed will save millions of dollars on imported oil, domestic use of oil, or other fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy is the road to take. We must now tame this new source to be more competitive and more reliable than its predecessors which have been a source for many decades earlier. Today, we are learning this taming process very quickly and as we adopt these new technologies they will become more rewarding. Eventually, it is hoped, the oil wells of the world will wane into a minority source of energy.
With Renewable Energy in the news of late and the phenominal increase in Windmill farm deployments in 2004 and 2005 along with greatly expanded use of Solar Energy in this same period in many areas of this country, it is hoped that this trend will greatly lessen our needs for Fossil fuel sources in the near future.
Categories: Education, Science Tags: automobiles, CFL, electricity, energy, Energy Conservation, foreign, fuel, LED lighting, Play, projects, renewable, Renewable Energy, Role, save, solar energy, Solar Power, sources, The Role We Can Each Play, trend, wind energy, Wind Power, With Renewable Energy
Overview of Wind Farms As An Energy Source
With energy issues becoming a daily subject in the news, wind energy is gaining notoriety. Here is an overview of wind farms and their potential.
An Overview of Wind Farms
A wind farm is simply a collection of wind turbines in a location used to produce electricity. Wind farms can be found in the United States, but are far more prevalent in Europe. China is also beginning to invest large amounts of resources in wind farms as its energy needs grow.
The fundamentals of electricity production through wind farms are pretty simple. Highly efficient wind turbines are placed in locations where they will receive the maximum amount of wind energy. These turbines can be traditional horizontal windmills or vertical eggbeater windmills.
Regardless, the wind turns the blades as it passes, which turns a generator within the turbine. The turning motion converts the wind energy into electricity when the generator cranks, which is then sent into a utility company power grid or stored in batteries. This process is similar to hydro-power with wind being used instead of water.
The stereotypical wind farm is an exercise in topography. The goal is to find locations where wind exists as frequently as possible. Put in practical terms, ideal spots are in areas where ground variation occurs as wind is produced when different surface areas heat up at different rates. As each surface heats up, the air rises and cooler air rushes in to replace it. Thus, we have wind. Given this situation, ideal locations for wind farms are often along shorelines or in valleys funneling winds from the shore.
Many people are under the impression that wind farms are located only in areas of land where winds are howling through valleys and over hills. While this is certainly true, the current trend is to build wind farms off the shorelines of countries.
The advantage of offshore wind farms has to do with the frequency and generation of winds. Shorelines represent fertile wind generation areas. On top of this, the open space of the ocean allows winds generated from remote locations to move towards shorelines. If you have ever spent time going sailing, you have an understanding of how strong these winds can be. On top of all of this, placing wind farms in the ocean avoids the cost of buying pricey space on land.
Wind farms are up and functioning in most snark world countries. The bigger issue is getting them to produce enough energy at as low a price as possible to make them a viable energy production platform.
Categories: Education, Science Tags: alternative energy, An Overview, automobiles, cars, China, company, current, electricity, electricity gas, energy, Europe, farms, fuel, fuel injectors, generator, money, Overview, Overview of Wind Farms As An Energy Source, power, save, snark world, Source, tires, trend, tubine, tune up, United States, wind, wind energy, Wind Farms, wind mill, windmill
Overview of Nuclear Energy
In the effort to get away from our oil and coal dependency, nuclear energy is getting attention again. Here is an overview of nuclear energy.
An Overview of Nuclear Energy
Harnessing a chemical reaction at the nuclear level of certain materials produces nuclear energy. The process is known as nuclear fission.
Nuclear fission occurs when certain materials, such as uranium, are manipulated in a manner that causes them to decay quickly. A byproduct of this decal is immense amounts of heat. The heat is then typically used to turn turbines much as occurs in hydro-power dams. The spinning turbines produce electricity, which is then used for commercial applications and propelling naval vessels such as submarines.
The largest known nuclear reaction can be seen everyday in the sky. The sun is essentially a nuclear reaction, but on a much larger scale than we could ever replicate. It does not blow up because of its immense gravity. It does, however, shoot off massive solar flares which contain more energy than we could use in years.
Nuclear energy is a popular subject with governments because it produces a lot of energy with relatively small resource requirements. Countries such as Russia, France and China have invested heavily in nuclear energy production. There are, however, significant problems with nuclear energy.
Nuclear fission is a fairly unstable process. Energy is produced by speeding up and slowing down the decay process. Essentially, it is a balancing act. Allow the decay to happen to quickly and your risk a meltdown. Although meltdowns are rare, they are absolutely devastating when they occur.
The best known nuclear disaster was Chernobyl in 1986. Located in the Ukraine, the individuals controlling the reactor attempted an ill-advised test. Blame has been put on the controllers and the basic design of the plant, but nobody is really sure as to the exact cause. What is known is control was lost and the nuclear fission went to fast. Huge steam explosions occurred followed by a full nuclear meltdown. A huge radioactive cloud escaped and dropped radioactive material over much of Eastern Europe. 330,000 people around the reactor had to be evacuated. Thousands died immediately. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have suffered health problems. Birth defects are a sad, regular occurrence. All and all, the meltdown produced 300 times the radioactive material produced in the two bombs dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World War.
Nuclear energy is a very efficient way to produce energy, but one that is extremely devastating when it goes wrong. All and all, we are better off finding another platform for our snark energy needs.
Categories: Education, Science Tags: An Overview, chernobyl, China, Eastern Europe, electricity, energy, Europe, fission, France, health, Japan, nuclear, nuclear energy, nuke, Overview, Overview of Nuclear Energy, power, reaction, Second World War, uranium
