Archive for the ‘solar lantern’ tag

Cuba Leapfrogs The World With Sustainable Solar Energy

In two short years, energy-smart Cuba has bolted past every country on the planet. the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has declared Cuba to be the only country on the planet that is pproaching sustainable development. Key to this designation is the island?s Revoluci?n Energ?tica, an energy conservation effort launched only two years ago. For two decades, Cuba has been developingrenewable energy and energy-conservation strategies to cope with the fuel shortage. Educating citizens about energy conservation has been one of Cuba?s programs to move toward a more sustainable energy future.

The solutions to Cuba’s energy problems were not easy. Without money, it couldn’t invest in nuclear power and new conventional fossil fuel plants or even large-scale wind and solar energy systems. Instead, the country focused on reducing energy consumption and implementing small-scale renewable energy projects.

Ecosol Solar and Cuba Solar are two renewable energy organizations leading the way. They help develop markets for renewable energy, sell and install systems, perform research, publish newsletters, and do energy efficiency studies for large users.Ecosol Solar has installed 1.2 megawatts of solar photovoltaic in both small household systems (200 watt capacity) and large systems (15-50 kilowatt capacity). In the United States 1.2 megawatts would provide electricity to about 1000 homes, but can supply power to significantly more houses in Cuba where appliances are few, conservation is the custom, and the homes are much smaller.

About 60 percent of Ecosol Solar’s installations go to social programs to power homes, schools, medicals facilities, and community centers in rural Cuba. It recently installed solar photovoltaic panels to electrify 2,364 primary schools throughout rural Cuba where it was not cost effective to take the grid. In addition, it is developing compact model solar water heaters that can be assembled in the field, water pumps powered by PV panels, and solar dryers.

A visit to “Los Tumbos,” a solar-powered community in the rural hills southwest of Havana demonstrates the positive impact that these strategies can have. Once without electricity, each household now has a small solar panel that powers a radio and a lamp. Larger systems provide electricity to the school, hospital, and community room, where residents gather to watch the evening news program called the “Round Table.” Besides keeping the residents informed, the television room has the added benefit of bringing the community together.

“The sun was enough to maintain life on earth for millions of years,” said Bruno Beres, a director of Cuba Solar. “Only when we [humans] arrived and changed the way we use energy was the sun not enough. So the problem is with our society, not with the world of energy.”

To find out how to solarize your home go to:

http://mysmartphoneapps.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

?

Alternative Energy Usage For Emerging Countries – More Tips

Do you think the issue of alternative energy usage for emerging countries is an important one? With the world stage increasingly looking for ways to cut down global warming factors for emerging countries the idea of using alternative energy is gaining ground. This has increasingly been a sore point in international relations considering the fact that coal-fired and oil generators produce power inexpensively and cost is a very important consideration in emerging countries. So suggesting they consider alternative energy usage which is more expensive has always led to interesting dialog. Now that you see the concern and have some background information can you now see that alternative energy usage for emerging countries is a subject that can be full of dichotomy especially from established economies.

Alternative energies (Wind, water and solar) are increasingly touted as renewable energy resources with claims that once their respective technologies are perfected, they could potentially replace the need for traditional energy in the electric power generation process. Surprisingly enough geothermal power is also one of the other alternative energies for emerging countries being researched.

Location Can Matter With Alternative Energy

The switch to alternative energy usage is usually a matter of finding the one that works the best in your particular geographical location. If you live in areas that have limited exposure to the sun then solar energy may not be a good choice.

Wind Power And Micro Hydro Power

In some of those areas, wind is not a problem as it seems to blow nearly every day. Using wind power to turn turbines to generate electricity can work there, but may not work in other areas that experience less windy conditions. Another of the alternative energy usage for emerging countries, hydro-power uses the power of rivers to turn generators, but the cost of the infrastructure to get power to the people from the generator may still be high for long range use.

Conclusion

Now it’s time to start putting these ideas into practical use. The sooner we perfect the commercial utilization of the three alternative energy sources of wind,water and solar energy the sooner we can see some financial relief from using traditional energy sources. Of course we are protecting the environment every single step of the way. And from the average consumer’s perspective they would hopefully see a gradual lowering in what they have to pay for energy. We feel that for these reasons and others not even imagined yet that alternative energy usage for emerging countries is something that should be pushed sooner then later.

Be Aware Of Alternative Energy Investments

It is possible to have a portfolio which profitably (that’s the key word, is it not?) invests in alternative energy funds. “Green” energy production is expected to be a multi-billion (in today’s dollars) industry by 2013.

The most recently developed wind-turbine technologies have brought us wind-produced energy which is more cost efficient as well as more widespread. More state-of-the-art wind energy technologies are typically more market competitive with conventional energy technologies. The newer wind-power technologies don’t even kill birds like in days of old! Wind energy production is a growing technology, and companies engaged in it would make up an excellent part of a growth or aggressive growth portfolio.

Next to consider are solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, technologies. These are to be found implemented in pocket calculators, private property lights, US Coast Guard buoys, and other areas. More and more they find their way onto the roofs of housing and commercial buildings and building complexes. Cost is falling. Their energy efficiency (the ratio of the amount of work needed to cause their energy production versus the actual energy production) is steadily on the rise. As an example, the conversion efficiency of silicon cells has increased from a mere four percent in 1982 to over 20% for the latest technologies. Photovoltaic cells create absolute zero pollution as they are generating electrical power. However, photovoltaic cellls are not presently as cost effective as “utility produced” electricity. “PV” cells are not [capable at present for producing industrial-production amounts of electricity due to their present constraints on space. However, areas where photovoltaic cell arrays could be implemented are increasingly available. In sum, costs are going down while efficiency is rising for this alternative fuel technology.

Many alternative energy investment portfolio advisors are confident that alternative energies derived from currents, tidal movement, and temperature differentials are poised to become a new and predominant form of clean energy. The French are actually fairly advanced at hydro power generation, and numerous studies are being made in Scotland and the US along these sames lines. Some concerns center around the problems with the deterioration of metals in salt water, marine growth such as barnacles, and violent storms which have all been disruptions to energy production in the past. However, these problems for the most part seem to be cured through the use of different, better materials. Ocean-produced energy has a huge advantage because the timing of ocean currents and waves are well understood and reliable.

Investments in hydro-electric technology have grown in the last two decades. Hydro-electric power is clean; however, it’s also limited by geography. While already prominent as power generation, the large, older dams have had problems with disturbing marine life. Improvements have been made on those dams in order to protect marine life, but these improvements have been expensive. Consequently, more attention is now being paid to low-impact “run-of-the-river” hydro-power plants, which do not have these ecological problems.

The reality is, the energy future is green, and investors would do well to put their money out wisely, with that advice in their minds.

Fuel-Cell Cars: The Wave of the Future?

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are expensive and impractical. So why would we even consider them? With gasoline prices well over $4 per gallon and reduction of CO2 emissions a priority, all alternative fuels and future car technologies are getting a closer scrutiny these days. Not only that, if a proper infrastructure was created, Hydrogen could very well be the world’s next propulsion fuel. Its cheap and abundant…so what are we waiting for?

What are they, and how do they work?

Hydrogen can be burned in a combustion engine or be converted back into electricity through a fuel cell. In an internal combustion automotive engine, gasoline or hydrogen can be used in a dual-fuel system that will suffice until a widespread hydrogen infrastructure can be built.?These dual fuel cell systems are much like the electric hybrids like Toyato’s Prius, yet they use hydrogen rather than electricity to supplement the gasoline.

In the long-term, with an infrastructure in place, hydrogen-on-demand vehicles can use either a hydrogen compound for internal combustion, or a fuel cell can create electro-mechanical energy and water. A fuel cell isn’t as complicated as a conventional gas or diesel engine and isn’t subject to high temperatures, corrosion or some of the structural weaknesses found in other types of engines. This affords a flexibility and durability for Hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen is processed through the fuel cell and combined with oxygen to create electricity. This newly formed energy is sent to pistons to propel the car forward (or reverse if you like). These fuel cell cars promise zero emissions and pollutants, with the only tailpipe emission being water vapor.?Fuel-Cells are basically a combination of a battery and an engine making them a very unique advancement in car propulsion systems. Every year more and more efficient fuel cells are churned out by engineers and factories propelling the hydrogen car possibilities forward. Fuel-Cell conventions and conglomerates abound and with more and more government grants focusing on Fuel-Cell and Hydrogen Car development, the future continues to get brighter for Hydrogen Fuel-Cell cars.

While there is concern that putting hydrogen fuel cell cars on the road is as bad of an idea as was the ill-fated Hindenburg, experts say the two aren’t related, and recent advances in car technology include development of safe, on-board hydrogen storage systems.
Infrastructure and hydrogen highways.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a hydrogen highway is a chain of hydrogen-equipped filling stations along a road. What will it take to make it happen? Norway started the HyNor Project in 2006; Japan has several stations, as does Germany, and California now reports having 25 stations in place from San Diego to Sacramento. All of these stations will add to a momentum of change and will hopefully give rise to a new determination to improve on present Hydrogen powered vehicle prototypes in order to begin to switch our fleet of petroleum based cars. The Hydrogen car will arrive even if it takes time: The future is now.

« Older Entries    Newer Entries »