As the price of oil continues to rise, and as more people than ever wake up to what we are doing to the environment, solar power is rapidly becoming more popular than ever. In fact, one might even say that a revolution is taking place. An increasing number of people are finding value in becoming self-sufficient, and solar power is one of the top choices for those who desire to get "off the grid".
So just how popular is solar power becoming? Well, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 44% of Americans believe that solar power should become a standard method for heating homes in the United States.
Not only that, but according to that same survey 31% of Americans say that they are at least "somewhat likely" to use solar power in their homes in the next five years, and 13% say that they are very likely to do so.
Those are very encouraging numbers.
The cost of implementing a home solar power system is coming down at a time when more Americans than ever are viewing solar power as a practical alternative.
If you are in need of some inspiration, just check out the following video report about what one couple living in the Herefordshire countryside is doing with solar power....
Of course solar power is not the only alternative energy source that is good for the environment. There are others who are turning to wind power and geothermal methods of producing renewable energy. But solar is probably the most prominent at this point, and it certainly holds a lot of promise.
If you are looking for a way to help the environment and to become more self-sufficient, we encourage you to check out solar power as a possibility. We believe that you will be glad that you did.
Clean Energy – Do The Right Thing For The Environment
Almost 85% of the energy demands we have is met by non-renewable energy sources like oil, petrol, coal etc. Unfortunately, these resources are limited and with indiscriminate use will deplete and eventually dry up. Using these fuels also tends to emit carbon into the atmosphere which is toxic and a pollutant. This is the primary cause of the green house effect and global warming.
So what is the solution to this? How do you do the right thing for the environment? The answer to this lies in Clean energy.
Clean energy is known alternatively as Green energy, Renewable energy or Alternative energy. Basically, clean energy is non-fossil based. Clean energy is considered to be non-polluting, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. Generally sources of clean energy are natural sources which are harnessed to produce energy – wind energy, solar power, hydropower, tidal power, geothermal energy and biomass.
Clean energy is increasingly gaining popularity amongst individual consumers as well as businesses and organizations. It’s the best choice for those looking to do their bit for the environment and also increase their nation’s energy independence. In the US nearly one million homes have purchased Green certificates to support this form of energy.
One of the more common sources of clean energy is wind power. For centuries we’ve seen wind energy being harnessed and used by humans in the form of wind mills and sail boats. This source of energy makes use of airflows to run wind turbines. Basically, higher the wind speed more is the power output. Thus wind power is a very good source of energy in areas with strong winds which are constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites. Wind turbines are being used to pump water, for grinding grains and also to charge batteries. Germany, Denmark, India, Spain and the US account for about 80% of the world’s installed wind energy capacity. Find out if your area too is suitable for utilising wind energy.
Water Power, also known as Hydro energy is a very popular and highly effective source of renewable energy. Water has immense potential as an energy source as it about 800 times denser than air. This means that even a slow flow of water or a moderate sea swell has the ability to generate quite a bit of energy. Hydro power is one of the best, cheapest and cleanest sources of energy. Of course, building dams to harness this energy may prove expensive and pose environmental issues. Energy from water can be harnessed using large-scale hydroelectric dams, micro hydro systems, damless hydro systems deriving energy from rivers and oceans, tidal stream power, wave power, saline gradient power etc.
A third source of clean energy, and one that is the most freely available is solar energy. With solar energy there is no issue of boundaries of countries and who the resource belongs to. Solar energy is also very important as it is virtually pollution-free and therefore environmental friendly. Solar energy has gained increasing popularity since the 1970’s ever since oil prices started increasing. In many countries, solar energy is used in daily chores like for drying clothes, vegetables, for pickling etc. Similarly, there are now solar panels available which can be used to absorb sunlight and use the energy for heating and cooking purposes. In fact such is the potential of solar energy that newer factories being set up are using technology to utilise solar energy, helping the environment and reducing their own costs. Solar energy can be used for cooking, heating, distillation, power generation, cooling, refrigeration, drying etc. For harnessing solar energy products like solar cookers, water heaters, hot air systems, power tower, etc are available. You too can easily setup any of the solar power based equipments in your backyard or on your terrace. While the initial cost of setup may be on a higher side as compared to the AC powered equipments, in the long run solar power run equipments prove highly economical. Apart from that certain states also offer tax rebates, concessions and soft loans on purchase and installation of such clean energy harnessing products at home or in offices.
Biomass is another clean energy source. It is derived from the waste of human and natural activities. The major sources of biomass include by products from agricultural crops, raw materials from the forest, major chunk of household waste etc. Biomass is very efficient as a renewable fuel as it does not add any additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as it absorbs as much when being developed. In countries like India, villages have biogas plants which make use of farm and animal waste to produce gas for home and small industry use. In countries like the US, biomass is being used for heat and power generation.
Seeing how beneficial and economical clean energy sources are, it is definitely the right thing to do for the environment. Take a step towards clean energy today so that our coming generations get to breathe Oxygen and not CO2.
Keep up to date and learn better ways to protect the environment at Green Earth Community.
Article Source: Clean Energy – Do the Right Thing for the Environment