Solar And Wind 4 Me

Daily headlines make everyone aware of the dangerous situation in which our environment must operate. The human population has historically overtaxed its natural resources and today we are seeing the long-term effects of this selfish behavior. While many people try to reduce their “carbon footprint” by recycling, spending their money in more effective ways and eating a more “earth friendly” diet, one of the most important practices we should all begin is improving our energy efficiency.

One of the most well developed methods of becoming energy efficient is through the use of renewable energies such as outdoor solar lights. In fact solar power is the best developed and most broadly applied of the modern energy technologies and almost anyone can use it to reduce their traditional energy consumption.

How? It is actually quite simple to recognize the ways in which the sun’s energy can be put to use in even the most basic methods. For example, during the hot summer months a home owner or apartment dweller could close all window blinds, curtains or shades to reduce their need for air conditioning or home cooling. (Imagine a summer without warnings about “rolling blackouts” because everyone has to keep their air conditioner turned to its highest settings simply because they allowed the sun to pound into the room all day long.) Alternately during the winter months they could easily rely on the sun’s warmth to heat up a room during the earlier hours of the day and then close the blinds before dusk in order to capture the remaining heat.

Those who have the financial means can use solar energy in a significantly wider number of ways, and not just to heat their domestic hot water or supply their homes with some energy. While such functions are ideally where all home owners should be headed, currently the materials and equipment required to convert a home’s energy supply entirely to a solar powered system are not within everyone’s budget or ability. Home owners can however employ a wide number of solar powered LED lights and appliances (including radios, solar landscape lights, ovens and attic fans) as an effective approach towards energy efficiency.

Finally, solar power has finally reached the automobile industry and several major manufacturers have promised consumers that they will make cars with rooftop solar panels available by the year 2010. While such vehicles may not be fully powered through solar energy it is clearly a step towards a healthier planet.

Jonathan Gal
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/the-importance-of-solar-energy-to-our-everyday-lives-734197.html

Burn it.

As more and more buyers are wanting energy-efficient and green homes, builders and sellers are trying to meet this growing demand.  In the past few months, the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) has incorporated a green features section on every MLS report where builders and sellers can list whether the home has Energy Star appliances, solar panels, bamboo floors, and rain collection systems already in place.

If you’re looking to buy an environmentally friendly home, the drawback is that most of the homes you’ll find are new construction.  This is great if you’re wanting a newer home anyway, but a lot of green buyers don’t want new construction because of the trees that are cut down and the idea that there are already enough homes on the market right now without having to build more!

The best advice for these buyers looking for older homes is to search the MLS using the new green features option.  Find a home that already has some of the features you want, and then use the money you’ll save by buying now to go towards other features that you add in either now or along and along.  Earth friendly materials are starting to make their way into mainstream stores, like Lowe’s and Home Depot.  So, it’s becoming much easier to find these materials.  Sure, you won’t find items such as reclaimed wood in a Lowe’s, but you will in specialty stores around the area.  So, why not take a home you love and make it as green as you want it to be?

For newer homes in Charleston that are geared to be energy-efficient, you’ll find a few neighborhoods to choose from.  All of the homes in Summertrees were built to EarthCraft standards.  This neighborhood is on Johns Island, and the builder was Brentwood Homes.  EarthCraft is a program with guidelines ensuring that homes reduce energy by using tighter building construction, air sealing, controlled ventilation, as well as more efficient duct work, HVACs, and vents.  Water usage is also reduced, which cuts down on utility bills.  Last, the interior and exterior paint is low VOC.  These homes are also supposed to have better indoor air quality for an overall healthier lifestyle for the owners. 

Another builder, David Weekley Homes, is also starting to build green homes.  This builder uses a different program called Environments for Living, which is a national program with three levels of green-ness.  David Weekley’s new homes are classified in the highest level of requirements, which is the Diamond level.  These homes are fifty percent more energy efficient than comparable homes built to the standard codes in 2004.  And, for a better comparison, we’ll compare these homes with the Energy Star standards, which people are more familiar with.  Energy Star requirements are only fifteen percent better than the standard 2004 building codes.  So, these David Weekley homes are significantly better than Energy Star.  Buyers are also guaranteed that their new home will not use more than a certain amount of energy from heating and air conditioning.  If the buyer finds that the home exceeds this amount, he or she will be reimbursed the difference in cost.  Of course, this reimbursement does not account for the energy wasted during that time, but at least builders are trying to hold their homes accountable for energy standards.  And, this is a step in the right direction, I think.

For more information about these builders, check out their websites.  And, if you want to buy a pre-owned home and green it up yourself, check out the MLS with the new search feature!

Lee Keadle

Solar panels, just like leaves on a plant collect energy from the sun and transform it into a usable form. In the case of leaves, the sunlight converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, like sugar, that can be use for energy by the plant. The solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, which can be stored and used like all electricity.

A solar power generator uses solar energy to convert it into electrical energy in order to run the household appliances. Nowadays, one can easily see TVs, washing machines etc being powered by a solar power generator.

It is termed as “green generator” as it is a proven source of energy which adds nothing to the global warming and the atmospheric pollution. Rather it helps a lot to save the natural energy sources such as petroleum which are on the way of going extinct.

It is emerging as one of most reliable eco-friendly power generating devices. Its total inability to produce air-polluting smoke and irritating sound as other oil run generators do makes it special.A solar power generator is one of the best answers to the shortage of electricity.

A well optimized solar power generator helps a lot to minimize the soaring electricity bill as it is capable of running almost all the appliances merely using the free and unbound solar energy.

Moreover, this device is very user-friendly and needs least efforts while its installation. It is widely used in the countrysides and at those places where people face regular power crisis.

Like all other power generators, it too runs on a definite mechanism. The solar energy is concentrated on the solar panels only to produce DC ( direct current). Then this DC is converted into AC ( alternating current) using the solar inverter already present in the generator itself.

Apart from these two components, the third important components of a solar power generator are its rechargeable batteries. These batteries constantly keep receiving power from the inverter in order to run all the appliances.

The strength and efficiency of a solar power generator depends completely on how powerful its inverter is. It is the most important part of the generator as it has the capability to convert DC into AC. While buying an inverter, it is advisable to buy one which can produce a bit more energy than the actual demand of the home appliances.

In many homes it happens that there is hardly any appliance which is run buy AC. Thus those homes don’t need solar power generators with any inverters, apart from devices like DC input systems and DC meters.

Pattrick Savarna
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/solar-power-generator-an-ecofriendly-green-generator-671935.html