Poll: Will solar power be a major source of energy in the U.S during your lifetime?

Note: There is no need to give up your age, here. :-)

Just a question to get people thinking. Many Americans are waiting for someone to tell us that it's OK to make a move towards solar power. It is a natural disposition for most to stick with what's familiar until they are given a directive to change. With that being said, and with environmental legislation seemingly drudging through quicksand up on Capitol Hill, I thought this question would yield many interesting perspectives. Though the question pertains to solar power use in the U.S., those from all countries are invited to chime in. It would be good to hear from you...

Post away! Thanks for your time!

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For info on making your own solar panels, click here.

Walruses flee melting Arctic Sea Ice

For the 3rd out of the last 4 years, it appears that melting arctic sea ice is responsible for walrus relocation to Alaska. Overcrowding and stampeding are also of concern. This is yet another example of how the global warming trend is becoming more and more prevalent. Eventually, there will not be enough antagonistic studies (attempting to discredit its existence) to overcome the overwhelming evidence of global warming.

If you want to read the whole article, click here.

Wind Energy... for Free?

For those new to the concept of wind energy, here is a bit of information for you. A wind turbine is technically a rotary device used to extract energy from wind that is used to generate electricity. To avoid confusion, a windmill does the same thing, except the windmill's energy is used by machinery directly. It's a small difference, but that is what differentiates the classification between the two.

Wind turbines can be used to generate free energy to supplement your utility-provided power. However, the cost of having one professionally put in is somewhat prohibitive on an individual basis. Similar to solar panels, these can be excellent long-term investments, and thus there has been a movement afoot to create your own. I have provided a link on building your own solar panels or a wind turbine generator if you would like information on a cheaper way to take advantage of this technology.

Clean Coal

Many of you may have seen commercials about "clean coal". We certainly are seeing them here. In case any of you are like us, and had no idea what "clean coal" is, here are a few facts. That term is generally applied to a technology called carbon capture and sequestration (storage), or CCS.

A more general definition would suggest that it is simply technologies that remove all of the unfortunate byproducts of burning coal for energy, such as greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. It is not a revolutionary form of coal, just a new way of processing it. It sounds like the EPA's regulations have at last started to gain some traction, which may explain the uptick in advertisement of these new technologies. Also, with the powers that be toying with the idea of climate change, it probably is a pre-emptive maneuver by coal-energy producers to stay ahead of the curve, as these new technologies are probably fairly expensive.

If you are just dying to know more about CCS processes, check out America's Power website.

As always, thanks for your support!

Free Energy? Perpetual Motion...

This topic is kind of new to me, so I don't claim to know all the details, but this looks like something worth investigating. There are several "free" energy claims floating around on the internet. One of the most popular ways to accomplish this is the use of magnets to create the perpetual motion. I did some checking, and there is a little resistance in the scientific community to this concept, as they say this theory violates laws of thermodynamics; however, there are machines that produce energy in a manner that you could argue is simply mis-named as perpetual motion. A clock would be a good example here. The magnet (or gravity, in the clock example) does not create energy itself. They just drive the mechanized system that creates the energy.

Mind you, from my research, we are not talking "Say goodbye to utility companies forever!!" material here. In layman's terms, this would allow $50 dollars worth of electricity supplied by the utility company to be multiplied to supply, say $75 dollars worth of energy. It's a novel concept, and definitely something worth checking into. If you want more information, click here.

Thanks again for reading!

Solar "Communities"

The fact is that one of the most prohibitive aspects of alternative energy sources is cost. We see it every day. Whether it's buying a hybrid car, installing a more energy-efficient furnace, or harnessing solar energy for use in our homes, there is little doubt that many of us simply have "better things to do" with our money, especially in economic times like these. So I looked around trying to answer the question "How are other people doing it?".

One answer is the concept of what I call solar communities. It is where communities "pitch in" towards the purchase of solar panels & associated equipment, as well as attending workshops together. In doing so, these communities take advantage of their collective buying power to negotiate bulk discounts from suppliers, as well as getting group discounts from the installers. It's a good deal all the way around. If you Google the phrase "solarize salem" or click here, you will find the site of one such group in Salem, Oregon. Last I checked, I think they had about 40 homes signed up so far, with room for 60 more. Pretty cool, huh? And it appears to be spreading to other similar efforts across the state. If you think others in your community would be interested in something like this, I would contact these good folks and get some pointers!

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Related Links:

For info on making your own solar panels, click here.
Solarize Salem - solarizesalem.org

Introduction: Why do I care?

Most people start blogs because they want to talk about something they love, or maybe they're trying to find others that share a common interest, I mean, there are all kinds of reasons.

A close relative of mine works in the environmental protection industry here in Kentucky, and as such she has really changed my perspective on the importance of environmental issues. I actually started this blog because here in Kentucky, the "going green" concept is still in its infancy. This is not surprising in a state that has deep roots in the coal, tobacco, and manufacturing industries. Going green is "going" to disturb a lot of pockets in this area, which is why the anemic rate of growth for this industry is not terribly shocking.

Unfortunately, all of that is quite irrelevant. The fact is, we have not been particularly good stewards of this wonderful planet we have been entrusted with. I am not going to grandstand as if I am the guru of environmentally conscious living. Heck, I'm just getting started actually.

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog. I wanted to force myself to learn as much as I can about the "green" concept. This blog gives me a platform to post said information for others so they can use this blog as a source of information. In other words, I do the research so they don't have to. I will be posting anything I can find that I think will help others in their quest to go "green", or on a lesser scale, just be more conscious about how we treat our home planet.

Now, many who view this site will be far more seasoned in the "green" lifestyle, especially at first. Feel free to post your comments, or even hints on how to improve this site. I will try to keep this site filled with new info as much as I can (I work in IT, so sometimes they hold us for ransom and I don't have time to sleep, much less post :-). But I sincerely appreciate your patronage, and I hope everyone can learn something from this site.

Thanks,
Ron G