solar power is a wonderful resource because it is always available, it is clean, and there is no pollution associated with it.  The energy is generated with solar panels which gather the sunlight and convert it into electricity.  Cars are not the only items using solar energy.  Factories and homes are also making use of this new development.  solar panels on homes was not very common in earlier years.  Many home owners who wanted to have a modernized home would try this energy saving method.  Back then, you would see only a few homes once in a while with the solar panels on their roofs. 

In our world today, almost every home has some form of solar energy resource.  Homeowners can place the solar panels on their roofs, many of which are very discreet.  You do not have to use extra land or space that you are already using.   The excess power that is provided by the power company can be sold back to the utility company.  You will reduce the price of your electric bill even when you are not tapping into the solar power.  

We have been dependant on the use of fossil fuel for many years, and many people have just now realized the ending result for the environment.  As I mentioned earlier, we are now experiencing the beginnings of global warming and the effect that pollution has on the environment.  The recyclable forms of energy are now being used because the resources are running out.  Solar power is the most popular form of alternative energy.  

There are many different uses for solar power.  They can be seen on street lights, school crossing alerts, and traffic uses.  It is also possible to power large garage doors and gates with solar power.  This will prevent the installers from digging into ditches and installing cables.  The sun is a very powerful resource.  For example, the energy from the sun that is produced for one hour is long enough to provide power to the entire world for one year.  

Developing countries around the world are also benefiting from the use of solar power.  Many of the underdeveloped areas previously had no way of getting power to the remote locations.  But with the use of the sun, the energy source is made possible.  Many companies are working to make solar power the default method of energy, instead of fossil fuels.  The sun is a wonderful energy source and is not said to run out for a long time.  As long as we preserve the resources that we have now, we can help our economy and our environment for years to come.

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Solar Energy

When shopping for a hybrid vehicle, there are several factors that you need to consider.  You should learn and memorize these factors so that you can get the most out of your hybrid purchase and to ensure that the eco car will meet your needs.  Weight is a very large determining factor in the hybrid community.  The method of hybrid means that when your vehicle is in need of more power, your gasoline engine will take over.  Therefore, in order to run the longest on your electric motor, the car needs to run as light as possible.  

If the vehicle is too heavy, then the point of it being a hybrid is completely wasted.  Hybrid SUVs and other large electric vehicles are kept lighter than the gasoline versions.  This was much of the reason that hybrids were difficult to buy in earlier years, because most of the models were small cars.  However, technology has made large advancements in the vehicle industry, which has allowed the companies to design larger hybrid vehicles with less weight.  

The wonderful option about hybrid cars is that you do have a choice of models.  Do not be afraid that you will not be able to find an eco-friendly car that will meet your lifestyle.  When shopping, if you are concerned about the weight, check the description of the gas mileage.  You should also keep your options open as far as dealers.  Shop around and find out what is available.  Do not feel pressured by the sales person, they are only trying to make a sale.  Simply inform them that you are shopping around and let them tell you what the hybrid has to offer.  Even if the first dealer that you go to is the one that you are positive that you will shop with, you will have a bargaining edge if you visit other dealerships as well.  

The Internet is also a great resource for information.  You can read customer reviews about the vehicle and about local dealers.  The Internet will also have more detailed information about the manufacturer that the car dealership might not tell you.  Compare prices so that you will know how to negotiate a better deal with the salesperson.  You need to also test drive the hybrid before making a commitment.  You will be able to decide for certain if the vehicle has the features that you are looking for.  After all, you want a hybrid, but you want a car that will conform to your lifestyle.

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Choosing a Hybrid Car

Global warming is becoming a large awareness for people all over the world.  Consumers are trying to buy products to keep this phenomenon from taking place.  In turn, this is putting a lot of oil companies under the spotlight for fueling to this disastrous occurrence.  In response to this worry, the oil companies are producing alternative fuels.  Car companies have also started to invest in the alternative fuel market.  Many of the newer cars being produced can run on alternative fuel methods such as ethanol, E85, and electricity.  Electric cars are the newest hit in the car dealerships.  These vehicles are also known as “hybrid” cars.  

The technicians at car shops and car dealerships are also being trained about the new alternative fuel cars.  They are asked to learn about bio-diesel, propane fuel, ethanol, and other alternative methods.  Many gas stations are also reacting to the new eco friendly option.  In response, the gas companies are designing their gas stations so that one or two types of alternative fuel is offered.  The idea is that many consumers want to change their fuel habits, but do not have the time to make their own bio-diesel or other alternative.  Therefore, the gas stations provide this new method making it easier on the consumer and putting extra funds in the pocket of the gas company.  

The Clean Air Act of 1990 helped to produce these new alternative methods of fueling.  The first method was ethanol, which is a fuel made from corn oil, also referred to as “grain alcohol”.  Ethanol can also be made from other plant materials.  The alcohol that is in beer and wine is another form of ethanol.  Some say that ethanol is not as energy efficient as other fueling options, but companies have been working on the recipe to make it more efficient.  

As this new alternative method of fueling becomes popular, consumers and companies are being effected.  Obviously the effect is positive.  It will benefit the consumers because they are not having to spend as much money, the environment is becoming a healthier place to live in, and businesses are growing in a positive way.  In the coming years, alternative methods for fuel is expected to increase greatly in popularity.  Countries all over the world are hearing word of this new advancement in eco-friendly products.  They are working daily to produce new methods of fueling and to help make it easier on consumers to obtain the new fuel.

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Alternative Fuels

Since ancient times, wood fires have been used for heat. The earliest of these were open fires in pits. Fireplaces emerged in recent times as a way to heat homes, but while they are lovely to watch, and do throw some heat, much is lost into the atmosphere – this is not efficient for home heating.

Wood burning stoves are a more recent development for home heating. They come in a range of sizes and shapes, with varying heat outputs that are usually measured in kW. Typically made of cast iron or steel, they can be utilitarian or quite ornate. Modern wood burners are about 75% efficient, meaning that about 75% of the heat goes into the room, while about 25% is lost to the atmosphere. Ultra modern pellet burning heaters are another way of using wood for heat, and a very efficient one.

Wood as a fuel is classified as “biomass” or “biofuel”. This means that the source of the fuel is organic. The best kind of wood to use if you have a wood-burning stove is wood that is seasoned ideally for at least two years in a dry place. It must be free of paint; preservatives and nails as these can all emit harmful gases when burned.

Wood pellet burners are increasingly popular and very cost-effective. The pellets are made from the by-products of sawmills. Both wood in the form of logs and wood in the form of pellets are essentially carbon neutral. It is true that carbon is released when wood is burned, but wood left to rot also releases carbon. As a renewable resource, living wood and newly planted trees will be able to sequester much of the carbon released in the burning or decay process. One note – you should never cut a tree down just for the sake of burning it.

Modern wood burning stoves and pellet burners are built to be environmentally friendly and offer an alternative to using non-renewable fossil fuels for heat. Certainly, any fuel, whether it is coal, or wood will have some impact on the environment as it is harvested, transported and used for fuel. Wood however, is at least renewable, and in many cases needs only to be transported a short distance to it’s final destination.

If you are considering using wood for home heating, be sure to thoroughly check out the stove or burner you intend to use, and be sure that the wood you are using is well-seasoned (it burns much more efficiently). In terms of saving money and probably helping to save the environment, wood can be a good heating alternative.

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Are Wood Burning Stoves Ecologically Sound?

The process of carbon capture and storage requires that the carbon dioxide be captured and compressed in order for storage. This is where things get interesting. The process requires an increase in fuel needs of the power plant by around 11-40%. So, not only is more fuel used, but also the cost to the end user will increase. However, the reduction in CO2 released into the atmosphere could be as much as 90%.

Storage is another concern. CO2 can’t just be stored in containers. It’s been established that the best ways to store carbon dioxide are in old and empty oil and natural gas fields such as those found in the North Sea, or deep coal seams and saline formations. Other options are in forming mineral carbonates with the CO2 to produce what is basically a very stable rock, or storage within the ocean. All are actually considered to be safe ways to store carbon dioxide, with mineral carbonates being the most stable and leakage from geological formations or oceans at extremely low levels, but the cost of transportation is high and in the case of forming mineral carbonates, the cost of the actual process is an increase of anywhere from 60-180% energy usage by the capturing plant. Ocean storage is probably the least desirable form of storage, as large deposits of CO2 in the ocean are known to be quite hazardous to the ocean ecosystem.

Currently, there are a handful of carbon capture and storage programs in use:

- The oldest is the Sleipner project and is located in the North Sea. Norway’s StatoilHydro strips CO2 from natural gas as it is piped out of a field deep below the sea. The carbon dioxide is then disposed of in a saline formation. By storing the CO2 in this way, Statoil saves itself hundreds of millions of euro in avoided carbon taxes.
- The Weyburn project in located in an old oil reservoir in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. The CO2 that is capture at Great Plains Coal Gasification plant in Beulah, North Dakota is injected in to the oil reservoir at the rate of around 1.5 million tons per year.
- The third site is located in Salah, Algeria, where there is a natural gas reservoir like Sleipner. As the CO2 is separated from the natural gas, it is re-injected into the subsurface.

The technology is already in place, or near in place, for capturing CO2 before, during or after it becomes a by-product of the energy producing process, but the questions regarding the viability of CCS versus costs in terms of money and energy have yet to be answered.

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Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

Are those threats real or is this just hype to further political awareness?  Global warming refers to the temperature of the earth near surface air. It allows the earth to be habitable, as it absorbs some of the heat from the sun.

Greenhouse gases that have been released into the earth’s atmosphere are contributing to the rise in the surface air temperature. What impact is this having on earth right now?
Scientists show that the average temperature has risen in the last century.

It’s believed that most of that increase has come in the last couple of decades. With the increase steadily rising, scientists believe that it will continue to rise at an even faster pace for the future.

Arctic ice is slowly disappearing over time. The warmer temperatures caused by the global warming effects are melting the ice. Polar bears are feeling the effects of the melting ice as they find themselves stranded in the middle of the open sea. Ultimately, these polar bears are losing their life by drowning in the seas trying to find more ice patches to climb onto.

With the melting of the ice, we’re seeing a rise in the sea levels. Currently, the rise is a small amount, but since the temperatures are soaring at a fairly rapid rate, the rise will become a problem in the future.

The water level will be raised to a point where flooding will occur, which could make it difficult in pumping it out of the areas where people live.  Precipitation is increasing as well.

The amount of rainfall and snowfall is increasing over time. Storms are not only becoming more abundant, but we’re starting to see them increase in intensity as well. Hurricanes will probably occur more often, be stronger and reach farther inland.

The warming temperatures are also causing more evaporation to occur. The more evaporating we see, the more chances for these storms to develop, which could ultimately result in the high category hurricanes, we’re seeing today.  The heavier rainfalls will occur, driving people from their flooded homes.

The ecosystems are seeing hardships, too. Some species of animals are slowly moving northward for livable conditions, while other species are slowly dwindling in numbers and struggling to survive extinction.

Global warming is showing some slow effects right now, but they are believed to increase over time unless we start to do something to reverse it. By using some green living methods in our daily lives, we can slow down those disastrous effects to save the planet for our heirs.

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Global Warming - Crisis or Hype?