Chapter 1: What Is Alternative Energy

Chapter 2: Alternative Home Energy

Chapter 3: Sustaining Life: Sustainable Power

Chapter 4: An Alternative Energy Education Method

Chapter 5: Alternative Energy Sources - The Best Aid In Times Of Crisis

Chapter 6: Global Warming Worries Lead To New Alternative Energy Ideas

Chapter 7: Global Warming And Building Green

Chapter 8: Benefits Of Green Energy Sources

Chapter 9: Investment Into Alternative Energy Research And Development

Chapter 10: How To Make Your Own Green Energy Source

Chapter 11: Government Grants For Alternative Energy

Chapter 12: Pursuing Alternative Forms Of Energy

Chapter 13: Solar Energy – This Commodity Is Not For Sale

Chapter 14: Solar Energy Is A Form Of Green Energy Source

Chapter 15: Benefits Of Green Energy Sources

Chapter 16: Darkness Ahead, The Quest For Sustainable Power

Chapter 17: Electric Cars And Rising Gasoline Prices

Chapter 1: What Is Alternative

Energy There is a lot of energy that we can harness if we

only seek to research and develop the

technologies needed to do so. We can get away

from the fossil fuels and the old electrical grids

by turning to alternatives to these energy

sources.

One of these alternative energy resources is

wind power. Wind turbines continue to be

developed that are progressively more energy

efficient and less costly. "Wind farms" have

been springing up in many nations, and they

have even become more strategically placed

over time so that they are not jeopardizing birds

as former wind turbines did.

Another alternative energy resource is the one

that is most well known: solar energy. This

involves the manufacturing of solar cells which

gather and focus the energy given off directly by

the sun, and translate it into electricity or, in

some cases, hot water. As with Wind Power

Solar Power, creates absolutely zero pollution.

Ocean wave energy is seen by governments and

investors as having enormous energy generating

potential. A generator in France has been in

operation for many years now and is considered

to be a great success, and the Irish and Scots are

running experimental facilities.

Hydroelectric power has been with us for a

while and where it is set up, it is a powerful

generator of electricity and cleaner than a grid.

However, there are certain limitations to the

availability of the right places to set up a large

dam. Many run-of-the-river, or small and

localized, hydroelectric generators have been set

up in recent times due to this limitation.

Geothermal energy is extremely abundant, since

it lies directly beneath our feet, just a few miles

below the earth's surface. This energy is

produced by the heating of water through the

actions of earth's fantastically hot molten core.

The water turns to steam, which can be

harnessed and used to drive turbine engines

which in turn generate electricity. Great amounts

of research and development should be put into

geothermal energy tapping.

Waste gas energies, which are essentially

methane, reverse the usual energy-pollution

relationship by creating energy from waste that

lies in the dumps and from some air pollutants.

This gas is used in fuel cells and can be used in

standard gasoline generators.

Ethanol is a gasoline substitute and is created

from such things as wheat, sugarcane, grapes,

strawberries, corn, and even wood chips and

wood cellulose. There is controversy over this

fuel with regards to its ever becoming truly

economical or practical except in very localized

areas, but technologies for its extraction and

admixturing are continuously being refined.

Biodiesel energy is created out of the oils

contained in plants. So far, the commercial

stores of biodiesel have been created using

soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils. At the

time of this writing, biodiesel is typically

produced by entrepreneurial minded individuals

or those who want to experiment with alternative

energy, but commercial interest from companies

is on the rise. It burns much cleaner than

oil-based diesel.

Atomic energy is created in atomic energy plants

using the process of nuclear fission. This energy

is extremely efficient and can generate huge

amounts of power. There is concern from some

people about what to do with the relatively small

amount of waste product atomic energy gives

off, since it is radioactive and takes hundreds of

years to decay into harmlessness.

Chapter 2: Alternative Home Energy

Types of Alternative Home Energy

Home energy consumption is one of the main

problems of people today. The fact is, we all

need electricity to power our lives. We need the

level of civilization that can be provided by

electricity. However, most people think that the

price they pay is just too much for the amount of

electricity they get to consume.

In the true spirit of humanity, people did what

they always do whenever there's something that

does not completely satisfy them about life: they

innovated.

Alternative home made energy has been on the

roll ever since people have made designs

efficient enough to make them feasible. People

may think that alternative energy is just a recent

development, but in fact, alternative home

energy has been around even before electricity

was discovered.

Consider these types of alternative home energy:

1) Wind energy – Nowadays, windmills are used

in homes to run small generators. These

generators produce and store electricity to be

used in running small home appliances.

However, windmills have been around for a long

time. If you take a look at the word "windmill"

you will realize that this type of alternative

home energy device was used for a purpose

other than producing electricity.

Yes, the windmill was indeed, used to mill grain.

As you may well know, grinding grain my hand

is very hard work. So in order to make life more

convenient and the production of flour more

efficient, windmills were used to turn the large

grinders.

Seeing as how this was so effective, it was

inevitable that the windmill evolve into the 21st

century in order to be used as a power source.

2) Solar energy – Many people think of this type

of alternative home energy as something that's

technologically advanced. In a sense, harnessing

the power of the sun to produce electricity is.

But this alternative home energy has already

been in use for a long, long time.

Think about this word for a second: clothesline.

Aha, you get it now, don't you? Yes, we have

been using solar energy to dry our clothes for

God knows how long. Think about that spin

dryer or hair dryer you have and think about

how much electricity it uses to do a task that the

sun has been able to do for years, albeit at a

slower pace.

This alternative home energy is harnessed

nowadays for a variety of tasks. Some use it to

heat their homes, others use solar power to heat

water, and other people use solar cells to power

small appliances and save a little on that

electricity bill. The efficiency by which we are

now able to convert solar power into electricity

is of such a degree that it is very possible to

power a whole house! Now, isn't that amazing?

3) Hydropower – This type of alternative home

energy makes use of water currents in order to

turn turbines to run generators. Once again, this

is not really a new technology. Like windmills,

waterwheels were often used to harness the

power of a nearby river in order to grind grain

into flour.

4) Biogas – This is another alternative home

energy source. Biogas is produced naturally via

the decomposition of different biological

material. By using biogas instead of the common

LPG, home owners can cut back on their heating

bills.

As you can see, there are a lot of different types

of alternative home energy. What you need to do

is explore these options and discover which type

is the best for you to use. You have also been

informed as to how we have used these energy

sources in the past and how they are being used

today.

Unfortunately, some of the methods of

harnessing these different alternative home

energy types may yet seem impractical to the

common homeowner. However, as technology

continues to evolve, you can be sure that the use

of alternative energy will be more efficient.

By using alternative home energy, you

accomplish two things: you save on your

expenses and you help create a better world.

You see, alternative home energy sources do not

produce any harmful effects to the environment.

By using these sources, you harness relatively

free energy. Some people may say that the

devices used to harness these sources may be too

expensive, but in the long run, you"ll end up

saving so much more than you spend.

Chapter 3: Sustaining Life:

Sustainable Power

When we speak of energy, power, and

development, we all think development,

industrialization, advancement; all these leads to

pollution and degradation of the environment.

You hear advocates say that our environment

was a lot purer in long gone ages because people

do not use energy.

Who's Liable?

That is not necessarily true; you see ancient man

used fire to cook things, and then the sun to

warm them up. Even humanity itself uses energy

to be able to move and go about life each day.

We cannot survive without energy and yet we

blame it for the destruction of our planet. It is us

who use energy to no ends, it is us who abuse its

use therefore we are liable to find the solution to

pollution. It is our responsibility to our selves

and the future generation to seek ways of

supporting our way of life without harming the

environment.

The Scope and Definition of Sustainable Power

Generally sustainable power is thought to be any

renewable kind of energy. Meaning it is any

puissance whose source cannot be depleted and

does not contaminate the environment on a long

term basis.

Although sustainable power maybe confused

with alternate or green energy the two are

distinctly different. Sustainable power is

conducive to nature but it is set apart from green

or alternate energy because its source is

unending, it cannot be exhausted.

Power Source

Sources of sustainable energy vary. It can be as

simple as hydrogen to as complex as nuclear

energy. When we speak of sustainable

development we must consider the basics before

heading of to the complex, after all we haven't

used the newly scientifically discovered energy

long enough to know its possible effects. The

first things to consider are those that nature itself

supplies; like the air, wind, solar, tidal, and

water resources.

Techno Speak

With all the media hype surrounding this

idealism you'd think that we aren't already using

sustainable energy! Yes, we already are using

alternate energy resources. We have water dams,

the waterfall power plants, wind mills,

geothermal plants, and the nuclear power plants.

There are three technological classifications for

the technologies that help us attain sustainable

power; these include biomass combustion,

hydropower, and geothermal plants. First

generation power automatons arose during the

industrial revolution. This is the time where

people discovered that manufacturing will

become faster thru the use of machines, and

faster output means larger sales. In a way

sustainable power was researched and invented

not for the future but for the moment; to improve

lives, industry and the economy.

Second Generation energy resources comprise,

various forms of modern bioenergy, solar

photovoltaics, solar power and wind power.

These technologies emerged from the need to

depend on oil so much. Research and

Development was massively funded during the

1980's and we are now reaping the benefits.

Third Generation sustainable energy resources

are those that relatively new; biorefinery

technologies, ocean energy, hot dry rock energy,

biomass gasification, concentrating solar thermal

power and even nanotechnology may make

future appearances that will hopefully end our

quest for continuous energy sources. On the

stage of research and experimentation these

resources are still under development but raise

the hopes of those who continually seek

sustainable power.

All that have been mentioned are technological

advances and discoveries of everlasting energy

source, but in the end like everything in our

lives, the future is in our hands. Even when we

are provided with more nature friendly energy

resources if we don't conserve and use it wisely

we will still end up damaging the very planet on

whose existence and well being we very much

depend on.

Chapter 4: An Alternative Energy

Education Method

The best method of educating young people

about alternative energy production that this

writer has ever witnessed is the use of the

PicoTurbine Company's kits, books, and

projects. The PicoTurbine Company produces

these things for the purpose of advancing the

cause of renewable (alternative) energy and

getting young people to look into the future and

see that the environment that's being seeded now

is the one they will inherit then. As the late,

great Gerry Ford said, "Things are more like

they are now than they have ever been before."

If we are to change the future world for the

better, then it starts right here and now with the

advent of "green" energy systems.

One of the core concepts of PicoTurbine can be

stated: Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and

I might remember some of it. Involve me, and I

will master it. Based on this old tried and true

adage, the kits that the company produces come

with activity suggestions to get the young people

into hands-on learning situations. One

suggestion of the company is to demonstrate

how heat can be produced by wind energy (the

company's specialty) through using a "picture

wire" for the heating element. PicoTurbine has

found that people typically think of wind energy

as being "cold" energy, and are pleasantly

surprised to see how wind can be used for

generating heat in the home. Another project

suggestion that the company offers is to have

different groups split off in the classroom and

then compare their respective wind turbines that

they have built. They can see which ones

produce the most or least electricity; which ones

start up with need of the least amount of wind

power; and for very young children, which ones

have the most aesthetic appeal.

There is a core curriculum that PicoTurbine has

in mind for teachers to instill in their pupils.

Renewable, alternative sources of energy

include solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and

biomass in addition to wind-produced energy.

When we use more alternative sources of

energy, we decrease our nation's dependence on

foreign oil supplies, which often come from

nations who cannot really be called our "allies".

Alternative energy is already becoming cost

effective when set against the fossil fuels that we

are so reliant on currently.

PicoTurbine points out that wind farms and solar

arrays are already letting their makers enjoy

commercial success. In the last two decades, the

cost of photovoltaic cells expressed in terms of

per-watt has gone from nearly $1000 to just $4!

It has been predicted by analysts that by the year

2015, the cost per watt should only be about $1

(in today's dollars). Students also need to be

taught about the hidden cost of fossil fuels:

pollution and environmental degradation. Air

pollution from burning fossil fuels has been

shown through studies to increase incidences of

asthma attacks, heighten the effects of allergies,

and even cause cancer. Switching over to clean,

green energy found in the alternative forms

would prevent air pollution and help bolster the

environment.

Chapter 5: Alternative Energy

Sources - The Best Aid In Times Of

Crisis

You have been hearing all about it. It seems to

be a big problem now all around the globe.

Energy crisis is something that people can be

blamed for. But it is too late now to point fingers

to whoever committed the biggest mistake. What

you can do to do your share in helping to solve

the root of the problem is by finding and using

available alternative energy sources.

Look around you. Amidst all the technological

advancements, you will still be amazed at how

nature provides for all the needs of mankind. But

through the years, this has been overlooked and

taken advantage of. This resulted to the energy

crisis that we have now. But you cannot turn

back the time to undo the damage. The best

thing that you can do is to help resolve the

problem or reduce it even with your own little

means.

But first, do you know the available renewable

sources of energy that surrounds you. It is

everywhere. Look up and there is the sun that

produces solar power. The sun's rays are

converted into electricity through solar cells,

solar thermal panels, parabolic mirrors and other

medium.

Look underneath. Did you know that the heat

coming from the ground can also be turned into

energy resources? There are holes that are being

drilled in certain regions to find steam that are

being produced by the heat underneath. The

steam is purified to be used as power to electric

generators.

Feel the air. The wind can also create energy as

this drives the blades of the wind turbines. This

rotation produces electrical current that can be

utilized through electrical generator. In 2005, it

was reported that the capacity of the

wind-powered generators reaches up to 58,982

megawatts.

Hydroelectric energy comes from water. The

later can be used for its kinetic energy or the

tidal power to produce the energy. It can also be

contained in a dam that harness the gravitational

fall of a river to become the energy source.

Crisis Alert Now more than ever is the time to

act to make use of the available renewable

energy resource like the abovementioned. Aside

from the fact that they are free, they will be

available as long as you know how to care for

your environment.

There are methods and studies being conducted

by experts worldwide to find ways on how to

improve on the utilization of these available

sources of energy. People must learn to slowly

detach themselves on being too dependent on the

use of energy sources that are non-renewable. In

a matter of years, the latter will decrease until

they slowly diminish. Are you going to wait for

that time to come when all along, if you will

only look around, you will discover how nature

provided for everything that you need. All you

have to do is to find ways on how to use them

wisely.

Time to Care Upon finding the means on how

you can make use of the available resources

around you, the next thing that you have to make

certain of is how you will care for such. Once in

a while, it will be okay to pause from your busy

life to look back and give gratitude to where it is

due.

You can do your share of caring for these

available alternative energy sources by being a

good citizen who cares for your environment.

You can start in your own simple ways like not

adding up to the pollution, planting plants and

trees and supporting products that do not contain

chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Chapter 6: Global Warming Worries

Lead To New Alternative Energy

Ideas

The fear of global warming has led to some

interesting alternative energy ideas for the future

that would have less impact on the environment.

Constant research takes place daily for sources

of energy that utilize our natural resources, have

little repercussion on our atmosphere, cost less

and are naturally renewable.

There has been much research in the area of

solar power, tapping geothermal heat inside the

earth, harnessing the power of the tides as an

energy sources and wind turbines, but scientists

are going further into their imaginations to

develop energy from sources never thought of

before.

For instance; scientists are studying marine

algae in the hopes that they could generate

power from the methane given off by rotting

algae; the methane could then be harnessed to

provide methane for burning to power industrial

needs for energy. Corn is being tested as a fuel

(ethanol) for cars, as well as home heating

sources, and there are many other areas that you

may not have thought about.

Early studies are looking at falling rain and how

it might be used to generate power (same

premise as harnessing wave power). I'm not a

scientist, so I can't even begin to explain how or

why this might work.

The idea I like best is powering our own

personal IPod, cell phone and home computer by

walking power. A leg brace, equipped with an

electricity generator, gets the power from your

every step. Need it charged quickly? Go for a

long run; need a little power to power my laptop

to get me through the meeting, go walk an hour!

Chapter 7: Global Warming And

Building Green

Building green is one of the solutions to global

warming that many people do not think about.

Building green is designing and constructing

buildings with the environment in mind. It is

these practices that can have an impact on

stopping global warming.

Houses give off a high percentage of a country's

total carbon dioxide emissions. In the United

States, the figure is about 38%. Since carbon

dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases, houses

contribute strongly to global warming.

One way to cut the greenhouse emissions of

houses, and therefore help stop global warming,

is to minimize the energy use needed to sustain

comfortable living in a house. There are

several ways to do this.

One way is to be careful about what building

materials are used. Some building materials

can be from quickly renewable sources. These

include bamboo and straw. Also, building

materials can be used that originates near the

building site. This cuts down on transportation,

and so cuts down on emissions of greenhouse

gases and global warming. One example is

stone houses built with local stone.

Buildings are also often built using recycled

materials. Wood can be used from an older

home that has been torn down. This will

prevent the need to cut down other trees. Since

the deforestation of the land contributes to

global warming, this will help the situation.

Heating and cooling have a big effect on the

amount of global warming caused by a house.

Some ways to help this are very simple. One is

to design the house to sit on the lot so that

sunlight will come in through the windows and

warm the house. It can also be oriented so that

breezes will blow through the windows more

naturally for cooling.

In this way, passive solar energy can be used to

heat and cool the house. This will cut down on

the greenhouse emissions from a house. Global

warming will be lessened. Insulation is

important to maximize on the cool or heat that is

in the house. With good insulation, you will

need a less intense heat or cooling source.

The main heating and cooling source in most

green houses will be solar panels, wind power,

or hydropower. Any of these sources will

power a house with minimal effects on global

warming. At the same time, these sources of

energy will sustain a household in a comfortable

style.

There are several organizations in the US that

aid in the cause of stopping global warming by

encouraging green building. One non-profit

organization makes it their business to foster

green building methods in both houses and

commercial buildings. This group of people

from the building industry is a part of the Green

Building Initiative.

The state of Washington has required builders of

buildings larger than 5000 square feet to use

green building practices. Their law was enacted

in 2005. It should help to keep a cap on global

warming.

Green building is important for a number of

reasons. One just happens to be that it can

reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. If

green building can help stop global warming,

perhaps it is time for everyone to build green.

Chapter 8: Benefits Of Green Energy

Sources

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil

fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our

cars and electricity. Since we are now using it

more than ever, there is a consequence. We are

depleting our resources and slowly killing our

planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and

then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because

there are advantages to using them which we

will never be able to get if we don't change our

ways. This is also even if some will argue that

the problem with green energy is that it is

sometimes difficult to generate the power we

need. While that may be true, that is why there

are other green energy sources available and

we just to know which ones are viable given the

geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar,

wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not

produce anything harmful which may have a

negative effect on the environment. This is the

exact opposite of what you get when you

continue to operate a coal or nuclear power

plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon

dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause

that much damage but there are currently 50,000

coal plants around the world and that number is

expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful

into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the

spend rods and if another nuclear accident

should occur. We remember Chernobyl and

Three Mile Island. We have probably learned

better ways to prevent another incident from

happening. Through the years, a few minor

accidents have occurred and although the leak

was contained, just imagine if it wasn't?

Green energy sources may not be maintenance

free but at least it does not require that much to

maintain them compared to conventional means.

In the end, we save money because such

facilities don't cost that much to operate.

The next advantage of using green energy

sources is that we will never run out of them.

For centuries, the sun's rays have reached so has

the wind which is blown from the sea. By using

it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a

nonrenewable resource.

If you think about it, many of us have taken

these green energy sources for granted. If we do

the right thing now, future generations will not

have to face the mess that we could have

handled on our own years before.

In short, the power is in our hands. We have the

technology and we know what to do with it. The

only thing we need is to do is to put our money

where our mouth is because despite the number

of conferences on global warming and climate

change, little has happened.

It is easy to talk about how concerned we are

about the environment but you have to ask

yourself when will more solar panels or wind

turbines will be erected? When will the number

of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?

Green energy sources is the solution to the

environmental, political and social problems of

this lifetime. By spending more on these

technologies, no country will have to depend on

another or even a corporation for their power

needs because they are self dependent and free.

Chapter 9: Investment Into

Alternative Energy Research And

Development

The US government must continue to back the

expansion of the role of alternative energy

research and development and its

implementation by companies and homeowners.

Although this writer believes in the reign of the

free market and that 'that government is best

which governs least", our current system has

companies and people expecting federal backing

of major initiative with direct investment, in the

form of tax breaks, rebate incentives, and even

direct central bank investment into the

alternative energy industry.

The US and its citizenry need to invest all of the

time and energy that they can spare to the

conversion from a fossil fuel burning society to

one that is green for several different reasons.

The green economy will not harm the

environment or the quality of our air like fossil

fuel burning does. We can become the energy

independent nation that we need to be by cutting

away our need to import oil, especially oil that is

produced by anti-American nations such as Iran.

Ultimately, renewable energies and extremely

efficient energies like atomic energy are far less

expensive than the continuous mining and

drilling for fossil fuels. If we do not invest in

our future now, catastrophe awaits us. We are

going to need to consume more energy than ever

in our history as we sail into the 21st century

and beyond—our dependency on foreigners for

meeting these energy needs only leaves us open

to sabotage while draining our coffers in order to

fill other nations'.

It can be argued that federal, state, and local

governments should work in conjunction on the

issue of alternative energy research and

development and implement mandatory

programs for new home construction and all

home remodeling that stipulate the installation

of alternative energy power sources—eventually

over a certain period of years transforming into

100% installation of alternative energy sources

for any new home or corporate building—as

well as backing a similar program to have all

new vehicles produced in the nation be hybrid

vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles

by the year 2020. All levels of government could

also impose mandatory compliance laws on

construction and utilities companies. The utility

companies in all 50 states should be required to

invest in alternative energy research and

development while also being required to buy

back, at fair rates, excess energy produced by

homeowners through their use of alternative

energy power sources. Strong financial

incentives need to be in place for new

companies to invest in developing renewable

energies. This would not only make the US

energy independent at the fastest possible rate,

but it would stimulate the growth of the

economy and provide tens of thousands of new,

good-paying jobs for people.

Alternative energy generation in the forms of

solar, wind, hydroelectric, biofuel, geothermal,

and atomic; alternative energy storage systems

such as more efficient batteris and hydrogen fuel

cells; and alternative energy-furthering

infrastructures with superior energy efficiency

all need to be brought into the affordable price

range through development. Government

investment into these matters would surely help

us along.

Chapter 10: How To Make Your

Own Green Energy Source

Wouldn't it be great if we can produce our own

green energy source? If we can do that, we don't

have to pay electrical bills or gasoline anymore

for our cars. While we can buy some of the

equipment, the rest will have to be done on our

own.

Take solar or wind power for example. We

already know how to harness and make it. If you

want to make one, do some research online and

then set up the system yourself.

To have solar energy, you will need to buy an

inverter, battery, charge controller, solar panels,

some wires and support structure. The only

difference with wind energy is that you need a

fan. Once you have everything you need, you

can put it all together.

If you are not skillful, you will be happy to

know that some companies sell the entire

system. By buying it from them and having it

installed by their experts, you are sure that there

won't be any problems the moment you switch it

on.

There is one more thing you need before you can

use one or the two green energy sources. Before

you buy the materials or the system, make sure

you have a flat area that is about a hundred

square feet or so because it occupies a lot of

space.

For those who don't have the space or the budget

to use these two energy sources, another option

is to create your own biofuels.

Biofuels are used in many countries and they get

it from harvesting corn, sugar and other crops.

Luckily, you don't need a farm to produce it

because you can also make your own using

some recycled waste.

A good example of this is vegetable oil which

we use for cooking. To turn this into a biofuel,

we first filter it by warming up the liquid and

then filtering this with a coffee filter. The next

step is to remove the water also by boiling it

again at 100 degrees for a short period of time.

We need to know the amount of lye present in

the vegetable oil and we do this by a process

known as titration. When we are done with that,

we now mix sodium hydroxide to produce

sodium methoxide.

The process of converting used vegetable oil

before it becomes a biofuel takes quite awhile

and it must be heated the entire time. This is

done so the fuel we produce is pure and only

when this is achieved that we give it time to

cool.

Just how much biofuel we make after all the

work varies but you will have an idea of how

much you have produced since this is the one

you see floating at the top. If there is still some

glycerin present, filter it again. From there, you

already have your own backyard biofuel which

you can use and even sell to those who are just

as concerned with the environment as you are.

By making our own green energy sources, we

make ourselves less dependent on gasoline in its

various forms to power our heater, home or car.

Why don't a lot of people do it? Well simply

because they don't have the time to make it and

would rather rely on someone else to do it for

them.

Chapter 11: Government Grants For

Alternative Energy

In his State of the Union Address for 2007,

President George W. Bush called for a 22%

increase in federal grants for research and

development of alternative energy. However, in

a speech he gave soon after, he said to those

assembled, I recognize that there has been some

interesting mixed signals when it comes to

funding.

Where the mixed signals were coming from

concerned the fact that at the same time the

President was calling on more government

backing for alternative energy research and

development, the NREL—the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory of Golden,

Colardo—was laying off workers and

contractors left and right. Apparently, the

Laboratory got the hint, because soon after the

State of the Union Address, everyone was

re-hired. The second speech of the President's

was actually given at the NREL. There is almost

unanimous public support for the federal

backing through research grants, tax breaks, and

other financial incentives of research and

development of alternative energy sources.

The NREL is the nation's leading component of

the National Bioenergy Center, a 'virtual" center

that has no central bricks and mortar office. The

NREL's raison d'etre is the advancing of the US

Department of Energy's and the United States'

alternative energy objectives. The laboratory's

field researchers and staff scientists, in the

words of Laboratory Director Dan Arvizu,

'support critical market objectives to accelerate

research from scientific innovations to

market-viable alternative energy solutions. At

the core of this strategic direction are NREL's

research and technology development areas.

These areas span from understanding renewable

resources for energy, to the conversion of these

resources to renewable electricity and fuels, and

ultimately to the use of renewable electricity and

fuels in homes, commercial buildings, and

vehicles." The federally-backed Laboratory

directly helps along the United States' objectives

for discovering renewable alternative fuels for

powering our economy and our lifestyles.

The NREL is set up to have several areas of

expertise in alternative energy research and

development. It spearheads research and

development efforts into renewable sources of

electricity; these would include such things as

solar power, wind power, biomass power, and

geothermal power. It also spearheads research

and development of renewable fuels for

powering our vehicles such as biomass and

biodiesel fuels and hydrogen fuel cells. Then, it

seeks to develop plans for integrated system

enginnering; this includes bringing alternative

energy into play within buildings, electrical

grids and delivery systems, and transportation

infrastructures. The Laboratory is also set up for

strategic development and analysis of alternative

energy objectives through the forces of

economics, market analysis and planning, and

alternative energy investment portfolios

structurings.

The NREL is additionally equipped with a

Technology Transfer Office. This Office

supports laboratory scientists and engineers in

the practical application of and ability to make a

living from their expertise and the technologies

they develop. NREL's research and development

staff and its facilities are recognized for their

remarkable prowess by private industry, which

is reflected in the hundreds of collaborative

projects and licensed technologies that the

Laboratory now has with both public and private

partners.

Chapter 12: Pursuing Alternative

Forms Of Energy

Record high prices at American gas pumps and

continued trouble-brewing in the Middle East,

Nigeria, and other areas of importance to the

oil-driven economy have made it clear to

Americans that we are in need of developing

many new avenues of energy supply and

production. In short, we need to reduce our

dependency on oil, for it is ultimately finite and,

frankly, the cheap sources of oil (not all

oil—just the stuff that is cheap to remove from

the earth) are running out. Energy consultants

and analysts are insistent that cheap oil has

"peaked" or is very soon going to peak. What

this means for us is an expensive future—unless

we can find new sources of powering our

mechanized and electronic civilization, new

sources which are alternatives to oil.

We must also switch to alternative forms of

energy because our present forms are too

damaging to the atmosphere. While this write

does not believe that the global warming trend is

much, if at all, sustained by the activities of

mankind (in short, it's a natural cycle and there's

nothing we can do about it except prepare for the

effects of it), we certainly do contribute at

present to the destruction of the environment and

to things like air pollution with our energy

sources as they are. Coal is another source of

energy that we need to wean ourselves off

of—again, it is finite, and it is filthy, and the

mining of it is dangerous and environmentally

disruptive. We can also explore new,

streamlined methods for producing electricity

that we presently generate so much of via

hydro-power so that we are less disruptive of the

environment when we have need of constructing

things such as large dams.

Developing nations which have turned

industrialized in recent decades especially will

need the benefits of alternative energy research

and development, for they are presently doing

much more environmental damage than the

United States. The United States, Japan, and

some European nations have been implementing

studies into and programs for the development

of alternative energy sources, and are therefore

already leading the way in doing less

environmental damage. The developing nations

such as China and India need to look to Japan

and the West as examples of what research and

development to give government backing and

private investment currency to. We could also

add great robustness to our own economy by

being at the forefront of such alternative energy

sources development and then marketing the

technologies and services to nations like India,

China, Brazil, and so on and so forth.

Biofuels from things like 'supertrees" and

soybeans, refined hydroelectric technology,

natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells, the further

building of atomic energy plants, the continued

development of solar energy photovoltaic cells,

more research into wind-harnessed power—all

of these are viable energy sources that can act as

alternatives to the mammoth amounts of oil and

coal that we presently are so dependent on for

our very lifestyles. The energy of the future is

green.

Chapter 13: Solar Energy – This

Commodity Is Not For Sale

If anything good came out during the recent

increases of the fuel oil prices, it is that once

again, there is a merry interest in alternative

sources of energy. Even when pump prices has

been decreasing like nothing we have seen

before, the uproar created and the pain it did to

business will have a good chance of sticking.

The desire for alternative sources of energy is on

the forefront and may it stay there for good - as

it should.

Extracting oil from crops is a good idea; the

downside is that food supplies could be

dramatically reduced. Wind power is another

excellent thing except for the many buts that

wind power generation have.

If costs is the main objection to solar power

generation that should be the least of worries.

The installation of solar panels is until today,

considered a specialized job. Like any

commodity in the market, when the demand is

high but the supply is limited, the cost increase.

As more and more homes clamor for alternative

sources of energy, better technology and more

labor is drawn to the job that market forces

could take place and result into much lowered

prices. This though is still in the future.

Today the reality is the instability and the

unpredictability of pump prices. But even if it

does provide stable and predictable price

movement, solar energy is free and it is

inexhaustible.

While the technology of tapping out this

resource is not, homes that are solar powered are

getting back dividends in terms of higher

appraisal for their homes, confidence in not

being surprised by power shortage and outage,

not being dependent on the fluctuation in power

prices and the definite advantage of having

provided a better environment solution.

Today, the typical ways at tapping this resource

usually are:

•Through a Heliostat – this are focusing

collectors composed of mirrors that are aimed at

the sun to collect the energy. The temperature

that heliostats could provide reaches more that

4,000 degrees centigrade. This high temperature

is sufficient for use even for furnaces.

•Through Flat Plate Collectors – employ a

system of pipes. The water inside the pipes

becomes heated and is ideal for heating purposes

like schools, homes swimming pools, offices etc.

•Through Solar Distillation – instead of heat,

this provides water. The mechanics is similar to

the processes of plate collectors except that this

is generally used to steam salt water. To do this,

tanks and ducts are usually installed in surfaces

that receive a good sun. Through the heat, the

salt water turns into steam and when the steam

condenses, the water is collected for regular use.

•Through photovoltaic Cells – These are the

most common type of collecting solar energy

characterized by solar panels installed in

rooftops and other flat surfaces that there is a

good sun, converting the power collected into

electricity.

Unlike any products, whether refined or

manufactured, the processing of solar energy do

not need additional costs of energy to power it

up. It is energy generating by itself. Except

maybe for regular inspection and replacement of

parts (when it employs a mechanical device), the

tapping of solar energy is virtually maintenance

free. Once installed, it could be used for as long

as needed for the amount of energy, (depending

on the capacity of the unit), which the owner

requires.

Chapter 14: Solar Energy Is A Form

Of Green Energy Source

Solar energy is a green energy source because it

is a renewable and it does not cause any harm to

the environment. This is achieved by converting

the sun's rays into electricity with the help of

solar cells.

There are three basic approaches how we can

use this form of green energy source namely

passive, active and by using photovoltaic cells.

When we refer to passive solar energy, nothing

is converted. What happens is the building's

design helps avoid heat loss and gets the most

out of day lighting.

Such a technique can also be used in homes

because studies have shown that this can reduce

the heating requirements by as much as 80%

with minimal cost. This means you don't have to

turn on the air condition or heater that often and

if everyone does that, we don't consume that

much electricity which we get from

non-renewable resources.

The second approach which is active solar

energy is the first way of converting sunlight

into heat. You should know that there are certain

limits to this one and all it can do is make sure

you have hot water.

The third approach is the big scale version and it

can power an office or an entire home. This is

done with the help of solar cells that convert

sunlight into electricity. The smallest ones

around can be seen in calculators and watches

with large ones planted over huge acres of land.

The only limitation to this green energy source

is the fact that it can only generate power when

the weather is good and the sun is out. Should it

rain, then nothing is collected and converted.

When this happens, the auxiliary system is

turned on until the weather improves.

Despite that, scientists and students themselves

have made solar powered cars. NASA or the

National Aeronautical Space Administration has

sent satellites into space that are powered by

solar panels. A fully functional airport can

function on its own thanks to solar power even if

it is situated in the middle of the frozen desert.

So people can see the awesome power of solar

energy, did you know a kilowatt of solar energy

can produce 5.5 hours of electricity per day. If

you have more solar cells in place, naturally you

will be able to produce enough power to last

several days.

Solar energy is just one form of green energy

source around. Through the years, we have

learned to tap other resources and these

examples include wind power, geothermal

energy, hydroelectricity and biogas. These are

all safe and by using these more often, we don't

need to depend on oil which is a nonrenewable

resource.

To make this happen, we have to persuade our

law makers to promote the use of such

resources. Although you hear speeches left and

right about their concern for the environment, it

is all talk and not that much action. It is

something that has to change.

Two countries that have increased solar usage

happen to be Germany and Japan. Spain, France,

Italy and South Korea are next in the list and

where is the United States? Well, one thing is

for certain and that it is not in the top 10 despite

the fact that it is an industrialized nation.

Chapter 15: Benefits Of Green

Energy Sources

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil

fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our

cars and electricity. Since we are now using it

more than ever, there is a consequence. We are

depleting our resources and slowly killing our

planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and

then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because

there are advantages to using them which we

will never be able to get if we don't change our

ways. This is also even if some will argue that

the problem with green energy is that it is

sometimes difficult to generate the power we

need. While that may be true, that is why there

are other green energy sources available and

we just to know which ones are viable given the

geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar,

wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not

produce anything harmful which may have a

negative effect on the environment. This is the

exact opposite of what you get when you

continue to operate a coal or nuclear power

plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon

dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause

that much damage but there are currently 50,000

coal plants around the world and that number is

expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful

into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the

spend rods and if another nuclear accident

should occur. We remember Chernobyl and

Three Mile Island. We have probably learned

better ways to prevent another incident from

happening. Through the years, a few minor

accidents have occurred and although the leak

was contained, just imagine if it wasn't?

Green energy sources may not be maintenance

free but at least it does not require that much to

maintain them compared to conventional means.

In the end, we save money because such

facilities don't cost that much to operate.

The next advantage of using green energy

sources is that we will never run out of them.

For centuries, the sun's rays have reached so has

the wind which is blown from the sea. By using

it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a

nonrenewable resource.

If you think about it, many of us have taken

these green energy sources for granted. If we do

the right thing now, future generations will not

have to face the mess that we could have

handled on our own years before.

In short, the power is in our hands. We have the

technology and we know what to do with it. The

only thing we need is to do is to put our money

where our mouth is because despite the number

of conferences on global warming and climate

change, little has happened.

It is easy to talk about how concerned we are

about the environment but you have to ask

yourself when will more solar panels or wind

turbines will be erected? When will the number

of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?

Green energy sources is the solution to the

environmental, political and social problems of

this lifetime. By spending more on these

technologies, no country will have to depend on

another or even a corporation for their power

needs because they are self dependent and free.

Chapter 16: Darkness Ahead, The

Quest For Sustainable Power

A looming danger is ahead, darkness

everywhere, no electricity, no oil. What happens

to us when oil runs out? Can you imagine

nothing to fuel our cars, airplanes, tractors, a

decline in farming, a decline in food production?

The future seems gloom, everybody's predicting

that humanity itself will fall into decline. The

richer countries siphoning of crops from third

world countries to create bio-fuel; the third

world countries slowly fading in hunger. We

need to find sustainable power and we need it

fast; our very existence depends upon it.

Solar Power

When we think of alternative energy resources,

solar power immediately comes to mind.

Evidently when we talk of solar power, we

speak of harnessing the suns god given energy.

This solar energy is transformed into electric

current with the use of photovoltaics,

concentrating solar power and other various

technologies which are currently in the

developmental and experimental stage. Solar

energy works well for domestic electricity

supply.

Wind Power

Employed for ages with remnants of its bygone

past still evident in Northwestern Europe, the

Wind Mill is making a come back. The best

thing about the power of the wind is that it can

never be depleted. It is natural, all around us and

all we have to do is construct wind farms and

then everything's done. Economically utilizing

the power of the wind makes sense. It literally

has no maintenance and overhead costs.

Tropical countries use hydroelectricity as their

source of power, using the waters gravitational

force which comes from a high source. This is

a great alternative for energy, it is a whole lot

cheaper and it is environmentally safe because

hydroelectric plants do not emit dangerous

substances in the air nor the waters. It is pure

nature. Fossil fuel driven power plants emit

dangerous gases into the air while plants that are

hydroelectrically driven are proven to emit a

much lesser degree of greenhouse grass.

Nuclear Energy

Another source of alternative energy is nuclear

energy. Nuclear energy together with other

kinds of nuclear technology can harness energy.

Nuclear reactors can generate steam energy by

heating the water thus converting water into

steam and then converting the steam into

electricity. Nuclear energy are widely used in

vessels and ships from all over the world.

Geothermal Power

Geothermal power is the heat that is being

amassed down below from the earth's surface.

This is another way of making conventional

power than that of fossil driven plants which is

very much costly. This power is much feasible

and also another environmental friendly

alternative source of power driven by nature

itself.

One big geothermal plant can power up to one

whole urban community, supplying all the

power it needs while a small geothermal plant

can power up a small village and small

buildings. One good thing about natural

sources such as this one is that a geothermal

power plant does not harm the air or the ozone

layer because they do not emit poisonous gasses

while in operation.

Using any of these alternative power sources can

help us and the earth as well. It is cost effective

and they are much less harmful to the earth.

Using bio-fuel and using alternative power

sources can be a way to save the earth and this is

the future of our world.

Chapter 17: Electric Cars And

Rising Gasoline Prices

Rising gasoline prices may just make other

forms of alternative means of transportation

become more attractive. One of the ways not to

be affected by the rising prices of gas is to have

an alternative means of travel. Of course, saving

up on gasoline use may help in some way, but

such actions may still leave one affected with

the rising prices of gas. A better way would be

trying to use a mode of transportation aside from

one that makes use of fuel aside from gasoline.

One such example is the use of an electric car.

An electric car is one type of an alternative

vehicle. It makes use of electricity as its primary

power source. Instead of an internal combustion

engine, the electric car, also commonly called as

an EV or electric vehicle, has an electric motor

to make the vehicle move. It is an alternative

fuel vehicle that does not use refined fossil oil

for fuel.

Electric cars get electricity for power by means

of electric battery packs built on board. One of

the advantages of using electric vehicles or EV's

is that they are environmentally friendly. Unlike

fossil fuel that emits a number of pollutants into

the air when being used, the use of electricity for

power does not do so, except that the power

plants that may produce them do. However if the

EV owner or even their employer was to install a

combination wind power solar power generation

kit to their home or work, EVs could be charged

with Zero emissions. With the use electric cars,

the emission of harmful pollutants may be

reduced substantially. Less cars using fossils

fuel and gasoline would help make this possible.

And someday, when more electric power is

sourced from nuclear, solar, wind and

hydro-electric power plants, pollutant emissions

will even be reduced more.

Performance-wise, electric cars offer smoother

and noiseless operation that cars relying on

gasoline. Electric cars provide stronger

acceleration and the electric motor requires

lesser maintenance than the internal combustion

engines of cars using gasoline and other fossil

fuels.There are presently road registered EVs

that do a quarter mile in under 11.5 seconds. The

Tesla Roadster for example smoothly accelerates

from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 sec. This is faster than

most high end sports cars. By using electricity

through batteries, energy conversion is more

efficient. Electric motors makes use of 75

percent of the chemical energy converted into

electricity to run the car. Internal combustion

engines or ICE's only are able to make use about

20 percent of the energy stored in gasoline to

power the vehicle.

If most think that the electric car is a recent

invention, then they are mistaken. The electric

vehicle is in fact one of the earliest vehicles

known to exist. Small electric powered vehicles

even predate the development of the diesel and

gasoline engines. The earliest electric carriage

was built between 1832 and 1839. The

development of other electric cars also increased

for some time during the 1860's along with the

improvement of the storage battery. It was even

the electric cars that held many of the speed and

distance records during this time. But

unfortunately, the advent of the internal

combustion engines came during the early

1900's, which led to the decrease in the use of

electric cars.

With the appearance of the more powerful and

affordable diesel and gasoline powered cars

starting in the early 1900's, the market for

electric cars slowly disappeared. Although there

were still electric cars being made, those that do

exist were being produced for specialized

applications. One of the most common use for

the electric vehicle today may be found in the

golf carts as a primary mode of compact

transport in golf courses. But because of the

rising gasoline prices as well as the worsening

pollution, there has been an renewed demand for

the less polluting alternative electric vehicles in

recent years.

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