Is there anything I can do about Global Warming?

Alternative energy sources are the wave of the future. Alternative energy sources are absolutely available and can easily be harnessed to produce clean energy and help manage the problems we are facing due to global warming. There are three ways available that homeowners can do to help reduce harmful emissions and save on their energy bills. These include geothermal, solar power and wind power. The greatest fact of all is these energy sources are considered free and renewable. A combination of the three will ensure you may never have to pay for energy again. Even installation costs may be reduced because of the tax incentives currently offered to homeowners by local, state and federal governments. Let us look closer at the three readily available forms of energy.

Geothermal energy is also applied at larger scales for electricity generation in various countries. Roland Horne, who leads the geothermal institute at Stanford University, gives an overview of existing and future geothermal energy systems. Geothermal energy, or energy generated from the heat stored in the ground, is another up-and-coming alternative energy source. To harness this energy, homeowners can install a heat pump in their yards to transfer heat from the ground to the house in the winter time, and divert heat from the house to the ground during the summer. We will be discussing more on geothermal energy in the future as it develops.

Sunlight is an energy source that’s free and renewable. Technology is to the point that anyone can harness the power of the sun even on a small scale. Yet, on a scale large enough that reduces your electricity costs. In addition, solar power can reduce the strain on the grid that provides power to all homes and businesses. For each reduction in power needs on a grid, there is a reduction to carbon emissions overall. GreenDIYenergy claims that you can buy materials and install the solar panels for less than $200, and set up in less than 1 day! The materials you need to build a DIY solar panel can be found in your garage or around the house and at your local hardware store. Of course all or part of the installation costs can be recovered through energy rebates from your power company and tax incentives from your government. Of course the savings in energy is worth the small installation charges. These savings will pay for the system over and over again year after year. I wished I implemented solar energy years ago.

The downside to Solar Energy is the cloudy days. So it makes sense to build a wind generator too! Wind is a third readily available form of energy. It is renewable and costs nothing to harness apart from the installation cost of course. Windmill technology has progressed very rapidly in the last few decades. We are at a point where we can easily build a windmill for electric power with an investment of less than $200. Building a windmill is easy with available DIY instructions. By utilizing used auto parts, odds and ends and general supplies from your local hardware store, you can build a wind generator in no time. Wind is free, right? Do you need a better reason for do it yourself electricity. In addition, wind wheels for outdoor-decor are available in numerous sizes and forms. Common materials for the angled blades are plastic, aluminum, metal and wood. The question is why should we go through the trouble of building wind mills and solar panels? The answer is obvious but cannot be stated enough.

Electricity production and consumption are most commonly measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour means one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of electricity produced or consumed for one hour. Electricity costs are also going up with increasing power demand. Homeowners especially find it difficult to pay high energy bills every month Geothermal, windmill and solar power generation solutions are the best solutions to help reduce your energy bills. Electric power is so expensive and will get more expensive in the future. These DIY plans show you how to greatly reduce or completely eliminate your electric bills. In fact, power companies will by back any unused energy (albeit at lower prices then they sell it) if your system is tied into the grid. Power storage in superconductors can be indefinite, just another way to be prepared for those long cloudy days. “Who was it that said necessity is the mother of invention?”

It is too bad we did not treat energy the way we treated transportation. A care or two at each household! Geothermal energy, wind mill and solar panels at every house. We may have been breathing clean air today. Finally, renewable energy creates little or no emissions compared with more traditional sources of energy. In states such as California where air quality is a problem, the state sees alternative energy as a way to reduce emissions and improve air quality. We urge everyone to jump on this bandwagon. Reducing carbon increases oxygen. Oxygen increases animal life. Increasing animal life increases plant life. We could eat better, breath better and live longer. I am all for that!

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