Is BIOMASS GREEN ENERGY Source

Green power. Footpath near Great Bridgeford. The path follows a green tunnel between the mature hedge and the crop of Miscanthus. Also called Elephant Grass it is grown as a fuel for a mini power station in the area. Eccleshall Biomass Farming for Energy is a 2-megawatt power plant that will generate electricity using energy crops and provides 2,000 homes with electricity.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is biomass a green energy source? According to experts, yes it is. In fact, it is one of the three main areas of bioenergy.

But what is bioenergy? Well, it is a process by which organic material such as animal waste, plants and wood are used to generate electricity, produce heat and also aid in the production of biofuels.

In the case of biomass, hot air or water is generated to produce electricity. This is done through direct combustion and is considered the simplest and most common method of generating energy from biomass.

Aside from generating electricity, biomass can be used for hot air production so you can keep a place warm. For this to work, biomass has to be combusted in a furnace where it heats either water or air. Speaking of water, this enables you to have warm water so you can take a shower. In short, biomass in itself can also be used on a small scale as a heating system.

Since you can generate electricity and heat, some people have been able to combine the two which is known as combined heat and power or CHP. Something that many consider being good as you use one energy source for two purposes.

If you are able to compare the amount of electricity generated between biomass and let’s say solar energy, you will notice that biomass produces more because the energy in plants is already captured and stored.

You don’t have to collect it first which is what happens with solar or even wind energy since this is manufactured technology. It is readily available unlike the other two which is totally dependent on the weather.

Another is the fact that you can even use organic waste to produce electricity. No other green energy source can do that and by using this extensively, any government can save money because you don’t have to spend money to dispose of the waste and you will no longer depend on foreign oil that much to power your plants.

The downside to biomass is that because you have to burn waste and other organic materials to produce power, you add to the pollution which is already in the atmosphere. But this can be offset of course by planting more crops which we know helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

You will also have to shell out a lot of money initially for the costs of labor, the transport of these fuels and how these should be stored.

Biomass uses renewable natural resources which is why it is considered a green energy source. This means that we have an endless supply of it around just like the power of the sun or the wind which flows from the ocean. The challenge is to find suitable land that has a sufficient water supply so these will be able to grow.

This means that in areas where water is not that abundant, you cannot rely on biomass technology to generate power. When that happens, you use other means and one good example given the right geographical location is wave energy which is the process of generating power from the water.

There is a way to generate power without causing harm to the environment. We have the technology and green energy sources. We just need to muster the will to make it happen.

---

---

Pursuing ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ENERGY

Greg Ball at "Greenstock" in Yorktown NY in May of 2007, an event about renewable energy sources. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Record high prices at American gas pumps and continued trouble-brewing in the Middle East, Nigeria, and other areas of importance to the oil-driven economy have made it clear to Americans that we are in need of developing many new avenues of energy supply and production. In short, we need to reduce our dependency on oil, for it is ultimately finite and, frankly, the cheap sources of oil (not all oil—just the stuff that is cheap to remove from the earth) are running out. Energy consultants and analysts are insistent that cheap oil has “peaked” or is very soon going to peak.  What this means for us is an expensive future—unless we can find new sources of powering our mechanized and electronic civilization, new sources which are alternatives to oil. 

We must also switch to alternative forms of energy because our present forms are too damaging to the atmosphere. While this writer does not believe that the global warming trend is much, if at all, sustained by the activities of mankind (in short, it's a natural cycle and there's nothing we can do about it except prepare for the effects of it), we certainly do contribute at present to the destruction of the environment and to things like air pollution with our energy sources as they are. Coal is another source of energy that we need to wean ourselves off of—again, it is finite, and it is filthy, and the mining of it is dangerous and environmentally disruptive. We can also explore new, streamlined methods for producing electricity that we presently generate so much of via hydro-power so that we are less disruptive of the environment when we have need of constructing things such as large dams.

Developing nations which have turned industrialized in recent decades especially will need the benefits of alternative energy research and development, for they are presently doing much more environmental damage than the United States. The United States, Japan, and some European nations have been implementing studies into and programs for the development of alternative energy sources, and are therefore already leading the way in doing less environmental damage. The developing nations such as China and India need to look to Japan and the West as examples of what research and development to give government backing and private investment currency to. We could also add great robustness to our own economy by being at the forefront of such alternative energy sources development and then marketing the technologies and services to nations like India, China, Brazil, and so on and so forth.

Biofuels from things like “supertrees” and soybeans, refined hydroelectric technology, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells, the further building of atomic energy plants, the continued development of solar energy photovoltaic cells, more research into wind-harnessed power—all of these are viable energy sources that can act as alternatives to the mammoth amounts of oil and coal that we presently are so dependent on for our very lifestyles. The energy of the future is green. 

---

---

SOLAR HOME ENERGY: What is it for?

Solar energy—this term basically does not cause a stirring in the mind as the explanation that comes at hand is indeed too simple. Everyone knows what is meant by solar energy, and that is, the energy that comes from the sun. In its most basic sense, solar energy and other solar home equipment are nonetheless environment-friendly and not risky at all. But then you need not become one fine environmentalist first before you will be able to come across with whatever advantageous benefit solar home energy has. 

Flipped version of MIT Solar One House
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why is the solar home energy said to be environment-friendly? What are its general benefits? Practically speaking, when solar home energy is used, the electrical bills tremendously go down as compared to the other type of home energy available for all people. Why would you pay for such expensive bills when all you need to do is to employ solar home energy? 

Another major advantage of the solar home energy is the absence of the very complicated and dangerous wiring. Solar energy lights in the garden path or any other solar energy-powered items used in your home are ready to be installed less the wiring to be dealt with. In reality, these solar light bulbs are equipped with darkness sensors so they need not be turned on to give off the light and they need not be turned off as well when they are no longer needed. 

As a sort of simple explanation, the solar light bulbs will simply have to be purchased, taken out of the boxes, installed, and then presto! You just have to situate them where you want them to be and never worry about them ever again.

A List of the Benefits of Solar home Energy

Why is the solar home energy equally beneficial? Why is it more recommended for use? Here are some of its benefits which are truly worth the attention to be graced by anyone:

Solar home energy is environmentally friendly. As mentioned a while ago, solar home energy will not harm the environmental features. It is specifically clean and renewable as well. More so, it does not cause pollution just like what the rest of the traditional electrical forms do.

Solar home energy systems need the least maintenance. They are not fuel-powered so no need to buy the refills. 

Solar home energy makes you save a lot of money. The energy that is derived from the sun can be accessed for free as you make use of solar lights, solar panels, and the likes. The federal government most of the time gives out financial incentives. You don’t get affected by the rise of the fuel rates since you are using solar home energy.

Making use of the solar home energy makes you entirely independent from the foreign and centralized energy sources. Power outages will not likely affect you in any manner.

Most of the solar energy items are very easy to install thus lessening the complicated work of the wiring systems. 

Some Common Disadvantages of the Solar Home Energy

Of course, the disadvantages will not be taken aside. Here are some of the most common disadvantages of the solar home energy:

The employment of a solar home energy can be expensive at first. But as time passes by, it becomes a light to the pocket.

The strength of the solar home energy will relatively depend on the location of your home in relation with its facing to the sun. Also, the area of your home is another point to consider. You will need large areas to install the solar panels.

The Various Solar Energy Items

There are lots of solar energy devices that you may opt to buy. Included are the solar flashlights, solar heaters, car ventilators, solar video cameras, solar radios, solar pool purifier, solar mosquito inhibitor, solar lighting, and solar fountain pumps.

What You Must Do

Back in the earlier years, solar energy powered devices were very costly that very few homeowners made use of the solar home energy. But these days, small volumes of solar energy devices are put up for sale, therefore, making it affordable for all. If you don’t have enough money to fund these items you can always start small. 

---

---

Resources for ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

There are many different forms in which alternative energy is available. 

One of these is solar power. Solar power is driven by photovoltaic cells, and these are progressively getting less expensive and more advanced. Solar energy power can be used for electricity, heating, and making hot water. Solar energy produces no pollution, as its input comes completely from the sun's rays. However, much more work still needs to be done in order for us to economically harness the sun's energy. For the time being, the resource is a little too conditional—storage batteries are needed to be used as backups in the evenings and on inclement days. 

Windcraft - Photo by acidpix 

Wind energy has become the most-invested-in (by private investors and governments together) alternative energy source for the time being. The great arrays of triple-bladed windmills are being placed all over as “wind farms”, to capture the motion of the wind and use its kinetic energy for conversion to mechanical or electrical energy. Of course, there is nothing new about the concept of a windmill for harnessing energy. Modern wind turbines are simply are more advanced variations on the old theme. Of course, the drawback to wind energy is...what do you do when there is a calm, still day? Needless to say, during these times the electric company kicks in for powering your home or office. Wind energy is not altogether independent. 

Hydroelectric energy is available as a source of alternative energy, and it can generate a substantial amount of power. Simply put, hydroelectric energy uses the motion of water—its flow in response to gravity, which means downhill—to turn turbines which then generate electrical energy. Needless to say, water is ubiquitous; finding sources for driving hydroelectric turbines is, therefore, not much of a problem. However, hydroelectricity as a source of alternative energy can be complicated and expensive to produce. Dams are often built in order to be able to control the flow of the water sufficiently to generate the needed power. Building a dam to store and control water's potential and kinetic energy takes quite a lot of work, and operating one is complex as well,and conservationists grow concerned that it. Of course, a dam is not always needed if one is not trying to supply the electrical needs of a city or other very densely populated area. There are small run-of-river hydroelectric converters which are good for supplying neighborhoods or an individual office or home.  

Probably the most underrated and under-appreciated form of alternative energy is geothermal energy, which is simply the naturally-occurring energy produced by the heating of artesian waters that are just below the earth's crust. This heat is transferred into the water from the earth's inner molten core. The water is drawn up by various different methods—there are “dry steam” power plants, “flash” power plants, and “binary” power plants for harnessing geothermal energy. The purpose of drawing up the hot water is for the gathering of the steam.  The Geysers, approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, is probably the best-known of all geothermal power fields; it's an example of a dry stream plant. 

---

---

Why Use a HOUSE ENERGY SHIELD

We all know how dangerous lightning can be. In fact, the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters have proven through some experiments just how dangerous having your house hit by lightning is.

Lightning, when it hits a house, actually travels through a home’s electrical system. The lightning tries to find the quickest way to the ground. It can travel through your plumbing and even through the phone.

That is just the reason why you should avoid the phone or the computer during a thunderstorm. A lightning bolt traveling through your phone into your body can actually kill you in less than a second. You might reason out that there are a lot of stories circulating about people who survive being struck by lightning. However, you have to ask yourself one question: do you feel lucky?

In the same note, you should also avoid the shower, as water plus electricity equals very bad news. 

Now that you know at least the basics of home lightning safety, let’s move on to your stuff. As said before, Lightning can travel through the house electrical system. This would be no problem for simple appliances like electric fans or light bulbs. 

Don’t breathe easy yet, because the appliances that lightning does damage are the ones containing microchips. That’s right: lightning will damage your precious high tech equipment. 

What do you do? Well, they always say that preparation is always the best thing you can do. Here are some tips:

1) Unplug all damageable appliances if you think a storm is coming – This would disconnect all the appliances from your house’s main electrical circuit and will save your stuff from being fried.

2) Get a lightning rod – Of course, almost everybody has heard about a lightning rod. This simple device attracts the lightning and diverts it from the house. This device is also grounded. This means that the lightning rod actually makes a pathway for the lightning to reach the ground as quickly as possible without damaging your equipment.

3) Get a house energy shield – This is a relatively new concept built for the sole purpose of preventing surges from frying your appliances.

House energy shields are often installed by electronics companies who specialize in accessories. If you are imagining your house covered by futuristic energy shields that deflect lightning blasts, you may have been reading too much science fiction. A house energy shield is a system provided by some companies that will protect your electrical circuit from damage in case of energy surges.

A house energy shield composes of a number of surge protectors that protect specific appliances. This prevents lightning from doing any real damage to your precious stuff.

Another component of a house energy shield is the UPS or Uninterruptible Power Supply. This piece of equipment actually provides clean power when you experience a power surge or brownout.

We all know the risks of not properly shutting down your computer. A UPS actually gives your system the proper time to shutdown before running out of power. Another problem with sudden brownouts is data loss. Don’t you just hate it when a brownout suddenly turns off your computer and you remember that you forgot to save a document you were working on?

Well, this part of the house energy shield system will allow you to save your files even when you experience a brownout. Now isn’t that just amazing?

House energy shield systems can actually be found in the internet. There are all sorts of equipments and accessories which you can use to protect your electrical system from being damaged due to unfortunate incidents.

You may also choose to buy different types of surge protection equipment and design your own house energy shield. Whatever your choice, you need to know that technology today can let you do whatever you need.

So, there you go, those are some things you may want to know about house energy shields. Remember that a thing doesn’t have to look good or even be visible in order to be effective. This is the case with a house energy shield. Sure, your house may not be enclosed in a force field, but you are protected.

And in the end, protection really does matter, right?

---

---

Essentials of a SOLAR GREENHOUSE

Plant breeding and plant production is a very productive hobby and livelihood. It is good way to earn some living by producing high-valued crops. It is also a good way of contributing to the environment. The best way to sustain this endeavor is to get a solar greenhouse. Read on to learn the basics of the solar greenhouse.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What Is a Solar Greenhouse?

The very purpose of any greenhouse is to collect solar energy whenever the sun shining high. However, solar greenhouses serve a more specific purpose. It is able to do more than collect the solar energy. The solar greenhouse is able to store heat that can be used during nighttime, cloudy days or the cold season. It provides adequate heat that the plants will need for their growth even during the night time or the cold seasons.

The good thing about solar greenhouses is that there are choices to choose from and to suit the needs of the owner.

They can stand alone. This is very ideal for big production greenhouses.  The freestanding ones are ideal for commercial production. These are used to produce ornamentals or vegetables. They have two primary designs, the shed type and the Quonset type.

The shed-type has a long axis running from the east to the west. It has a south-facing wall glazed to collect maximum amount of the energy from the sun. The north-facing wall on the other hand is very much insulated to avoid heat loss. These features are what contrast a solar greenhouse from the ordinary ones.

The Quonset type can sometimes look like an underground pit. This is a low-cost greenhouse. It has a Quonset-shaped frame and looks like a tunnel. It has a layer or two of plastic film. This can save as much as 40% of the heating fuel.

They can also be merely attached to the greenhouses, very ideal for backyard use. The attached solar greenhouses are structures that form some sort of a room protruding from a house. This is a good space for transplants or herbs.

Passive or Active

The solar greenhouse is classified into two. It can be the passive solar greenhouse or the active. These two makes use of different resources, but still serve a same purpose.

The Passive Solar Greenhouse

In some places, where colder seasons tend to endure longer, there may be a need to resort to passive solar greenhouse, using gas or electric heating system. This is the only way to protect the plants from getting too much cold.

This is very ideal for growers as it can still give way to so much productivity despite the conditions. The use of heating systems for greenhouses to be cost-effective is best utilized if there are high-value crops to be produced.

The Active Solar Greenhouse

The active solar greenhouse makes use of supplemental energy. It transfers the solar heated air from the storage area to the other parts of the greenhouse.

Designing a Solar Greenhouse

Most would claim that managing and maintaining an ordinary greenhouse does not differ much with the solar greenhouse. However, there are a number of ways that they differ. These are significant distinctions.

Solar greenhouses, unlike the ordinary ones, have oriented glazing to get utmost solar heat, even during winter. Its materials are designed to minimize loss of heat. It uses heat storing materials. It also has insulation especially useful when there is no sunlight. The solar greenhouse also depends heavily on natural ventilation for cooling during summer.

Solar Heat Storage

This is one main feature in designing a solar greenhouse. To remain warm even during cool nights, there must be sufficient amount of solar heat stored. One common method used to store this energy is to put rocks or concrete directly receiving the sunlight to absorb the heat.

Cinder block walls at the north side of a greenhouse are also used as good heat storage. Dark-colored ceramic floorings can also be used to store the heat. Any wall or flooring not used for heat absorption is supposed to be colored light. This should be designed to reflect the heat and light and distribute it to the plants.

The management of a greenhouse can also determine the amount of heat stored. A greenhouse that is full of plants and structures can store heat easier compared to an empty one. Composts can also complement the heat storage goal as they help produce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the microorganisms in the compost also contribute to the increase in plant production.

Some would rely on any structure that would resemble a greenhouse to accommodate the plants. However, to be efficient and cost-effective, aim for the optimum setting in your solar greenhouse.

---

---

---

How to Make Your HOUSE ENERGY Efficient

One requirement of a house is that it should be comfortable to live in. Of course, many people will say that a house cannot be called that if it cannot be inhabited. In order to make a house comfortable, certain aspects of civilization are required. We need to have the benefits of technology within the house in order for us to live in it.

Let’s face it: few of us can live without the benefits of technology. Only by having the conveniences of our times available do we stand a chance at actually having comfortable lives. However, comfort does have a price. In order to have these technological conveniences we need to consume energy. Energy costs money and, as people will tell you, money is not easy to come by.

People try to find ways to save money when possible (at least, the smart ones do). An evidence of this is the way a sale can make a product immensely popular. If you take a look around you, you will probably notice that even millionaires try to save as much money as they possibly can at their level of lifestyle.

In order to save money we, of course, try not to waste any of it. Most people would rather not spend on anything that they do not need. Electricity bills have a way of making you feel cheated out of your money. People feel that electricity bills cannot be controlled, hence, they should just be paid. This is because people feel that electricity is a necessary part of life and thus, the costs of electricity cannot be reduced, only paid.

However, if you really try to look into your situation, you might be surprised to see that there are, in fact, many ways in order to make your house energy efficient. By having an energy efficient house, you can cut back on the cost of electricity and only pay for what you are really consuming.

There are many ways to make a house more energy efficient. These methods are often found by other people to be time-consuming and expensive. However, those who have chosen to employ these methods find that the savings you get by having an energy efficient house is definitely worth the effort.

One thing to consider in making an energy efficient house is material. The materials you use in building a house significantly affect the cost of heating and cooling. By choosing your materials wisely, you can have a house that does not consume much energy to maintain a comfortable temperature level.

Another thing to consider is the design. In order to make a house more energy efficient you’ll need the help of an architect. Some architects actually specialize in designing energy-efficient buildings. By going to these people, you can maximize your energy efficiency.

Of course, energy efficient houses may not look like a conventional home. In fact, these houses may even seem a little strange to those who do not realize the purpose of energy efficient designs. However, the technology today has made it possible for architects to incorporate both forma and function in their house designs. This means that you may be able to have a very aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient home.

Also, in order to have energy efficient home, you’ll need to take a look at your surroundings and see if there are any alternative energy sources available for you to use. By making use of alternative energy sources, you can significantly lower your electricity bill.

Alternative energy is also known as “free energy” to some people. This is because of the fact that these energy sources are constantly being produced through the earth’s natural processes and are thus, available for harnessing.

In order to harness those alternative energy sources for your home use, you’ll need to have some sort of mechanism or conversion device. Thankfully enough, many home alternative energy devices are now available in the market for those who want their homes to be energy efficient.

Energy efficient homes are possible, thanks to the ever evolving technology. Energy efficient homes show us that it is possible to have all the comforts offered by modern civilization without paying a very high price.

---

---

How to Lower HOME ENERGY Bills

We are blessed with the discovery and proper utilization of energy around us. There are several sources of energy that makes our living easier. Energy lights up our home every night, keeps us warm during cold winter, allows us to be entertained, and makes our living pleasant no matter what time of the day. And with all the other uses of energy from the moment we check our clocks in the morning to keeping us warn as we rest during the night, all of us would agree that it would be so hard to llive without it.

We can say that we have sufficient energy supply for a lifetime but that does not mean that we are not going to conserve it. After all, technology has its price. And that price is something we have to pay with cash.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And if coping with electric bill is your problem every time you see your bills, here are the ways on how to lower them:

· Provide good roof coating

A good roof coating deflects heat. And so, insuring that the roof receives a good coating would mean insuring you that your house would maintain good temperature on the inside.

· Keep your attic well ventilated.

Your attic is one of the more important parts of your house when it comes to the cooling system. The attic is your first and probably the most effective part of your house the keeps the whole house cool. But, in order for your attic to do its main purpose, make sure that it is well insulated.

Provide vents where the heat can come out during summer. Your attic door must also be sealed to ensure that the air from our house does not go through it and vice versa. The attic door can be sealed with weather strippers.

· Securing all the leaks.

Leaks contribute to high cost of home energy. Why? It is because air from your house can easily come out from these leaks. And the air from the outside can easily enter the house. Both increase the workload of your heating and cooling system.

You have to remember that air moves according to air pressure and temperature. Since the temperature of inside your house is most of the time different from the temperature outside, air moves freely from these leaks. Making sure that the leaks are sealed would mean less work on your heating and cooling system and lower electric bills.

Leaks would come from fireplaces, ducts, doors, ceilings, floors, walls, windows, plumbing penetrations, electrical outlets, fans, and vents.

· Reducing the thermostat

One degree centigrade is equivalent to 5% electric bill savings. Therefore, keeping your thermostat low will save you a lot of money. A total saving would also come from switching your thermostat further low when you are not home or if you are sleeping. The ideal temperature during winter is not higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Limiting the use of water heater

The second largest electric consumer next to your heating and cooling system is your water heater.

When you wash you clothes, you don’t need to heat the water up. Just use the water from the faucet. This will save you by as much as 90% in washing machine energy consumption.

· Use energy efficient material around your home.

There are commercially available materials that would significantly contribute to the reduction of the cost of home energy. One of these is energy efficient windows that deflect the outside temperature (whether during winter or summer) from entering your home.

· Use your appliance efficiently

It is pretty basic for all of us to turn off televisions, air conditioning, stereos and other electronic gadgets when not using them. However, most still disregard this. The reality is; we can save a lot if we only learn how to turn them off if not in use. Also, small things such as iPod chargers, cellphone chargers, digital clocks, lights and other things that seem to consume small electric current that remain plugged day in and day out contribute to your electric bill. Making sure you unplug them would certainly lower down your monthly electric consumption.

You have the details. All you have to do is to make sure you follow them all.

---

---

---

Global Warming and BUILDING GREEN

Building green is one of the solutions to global warming that many people do not think about. 

Building green is designing and constructing buildings with the environment in mind.  It is these practices that can have an impact on stopping global warming.

Houses give off a high percentage of a country's total carbon dioxide emissions.  In the United States, the figure is about 38%.  Since carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases, houses contribute strongly to global warming.

Scientific studies on climate helped establish a consensus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One way to cut the greenhouse emissions of houses, and therefore help stop global warming, is to minimize the energy use needed to sustain comfortable living in a house.  There are several ways to do this.

One way is to be careful about what building materials are used.  Some building materials can be from quickly renewable sources.  These include bamboo and straw.  Also, building materials can be used that originates near the building site.  This cuts down on transportation, and so cuts down on emissions of greenhouse gases and global warming.  One example is stone houses built with local stone.

Buildings are also often built using recycled materials.  Wood can be used from an older home that has been torn down.  This will prevent the need to cut down other trees.  Since the deforestation of the land contributes to global warming, this will help the situation.

Heating and cooling have a big effect on the amount of global warming caused by a house.  Some ways to help this are very simple.  One is to design the house to sit on the lot so that sunlight will come in through the windows and warm the house.  It can also be oriented so that breezes will blow through the windows more naturally for cooling.

In this way, passive solar energy can be used to heat and cool the house.  This will cut down on the greenhouse emissions from a house.  Global warming will be lessened.  Insulation is important to maximize on the cool or heat that is in the house.  With good insulation, you will need a less intense heat or cooling source.

The main heating and cooling source in most green houses will be solar panels, wind power, or hydropower.  Any of these sources will power a house with minimal effects on global warming.  At the same time, these sources of energy will sustain a household in a comfortable style.

There are several organizations in the US that aid in the cause of stopping global warming by encouraging green building.  One non-profit organization makes it their business to foster green building methods in both houses and commercial buildings.  This group of people from the building industry is a part of the Green Building Initiative.

The state of Washington has required builders of buildings larger than 5000 square feet to use green building practices.  Their law was enacted in 2005.  It should help to keep a cap on global warming.

Green building is important for a number of reasons. One just happens to be that it can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases.  If green building can help stop global warming, perhaps it is time for everyone to build green.

---

---

---

Geothermal as a GREEN ENERGY Source

We have the technology to do a lot of things and one of these is to tap the earth’s energy. This is exactly what we do when we decide to use geothermal which happens to be a green energy source.

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth's crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

Diagram of EGS with numeric labels. 1:Reservoir 2:Pump house 3:Heat exchanger 4:Turbine hall 5:Production well 6:Injection well 7:Hot water to district heating 8:Porous rock 9:Well 10:Solid bedrock
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

Aside from digging deep into the earth, there are some who believe we can generate power from hot dry rocks. You have to dig 3 kilometers deep are drilled into the earth first to find these hot underground radiogenic granite rocks. Right now, some Australia companies are exploring this technology.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don’t have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

Everyone knows that our planet has changed due to global warming. We learned our lessons from Chernobyl and Three Mile Island but this does not mean it may not happen again.

For us to do our share to protect the environment now and for generations to come, we have to promote alternative energy and geothermal as a green energy source is just one of many that is currently available.

---

---

BRICK STONE Home Energy Efficient

How Can Brick Stone Make Your Home Energy Efficient?

A home that’s energy-efficient is actually healthier and cost effective. Energy efficiency modifications in your home can eliminate or at least lessen the poor quality of air that’s brought in by various weather conditions. One way to make your home energy efficient is to pay attention to the building materials and to the house design. 

The Braden energy efficient farm house (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Australia, bricks have long been recognized as commonly chosen building materials. In fact, nearly 90% of the built houses in the said place are constructed using bricks. Because of the campaign to decrease energy consumption in its entire forms, there are building regulations these days that require the newly built houses to be more energy efficient. Well there are some things you need to know in order to come up with an informed choice. 

Think about the amount of energy that’s usually consumed in your home. Maybe, you’ll be surprised to find out that a large part of the home energy is used up in cooling and heating. Cooking and lighting, even when put together, comprise only a few percent. Hence, anything which can help lessen the cooling and heating bills of your home will be a good investment, right? But the question is, do you think it is possible to cut down cooling and heating energy consumption while keeping up a practical thermal comfort inside your home?  It is in this case that passive design comes into play. 

Passive design handles the energy coming from the sun to improve the house’s cooling and heating in a natural way. There are actually four major principles in passive design. These are orientation, insulation and thermal mass. 

·  Orientation. The huge glass portion in the north part allows the low winter sun in. And to block the high summer sun, simple shading like eaves is applied. 

·  Ventilation.  When the crest of summer time has already passed, air is permitted to get in and go out of the house in order to make it cool in a natural manner. To optimize cross ventilation, the either side of the building or the house have generous openings with almost negligible internal obstructions. 

·  Insulation. The insulation in the wall and ceiling serves as the obstacle to heat transportation. Insulation efficiency can be calculated by means of its R-value but it doesn’t present the whole issue. Various walls may have the same R-value but may not work the same. 

·  Thermal Mass. Wall materials that are dense and heavy, like bricks, suck up heat and hamper its conveyance through the walls. Through these, temperature changes become moderate and the heat absorption during summer is significantly hampered. Compared to brick walls, the lightweight materials have very low thermal mass. And because of this thermal mass, brick walls turn out to be more capable of moderating home temperature even if they have similar R-values. 

Now come to think of thermal mass and consider brick stone. The first two techniques in the passive design, which are orientation and ventilation, need to be set up into the house. And your home material preference has a major effect on the quantity of thermal mass in a house or a building. One of the simplest and most economical ways to put up thermal mass is through bricks. Those bricks that are made from clay contain very high thermal mass. They are available to make your home well ventilated, comfortable and more energy efficient. 

There is a research proving the idea that Brick stone homes are energy efficient. The said research has revealed that a large part of the heat is bounced back to the outside environment via the brick’s exterior panel.  Another conclusion that came out is that in summertime, the temperature inside a home that’s constructed from bricks remained favorable and comfortable in spite of the changing temperature outside.

The US Department of Energy stated that thermal mass stores up heat by means of converting its temperature. It can be achieved by storing heat coming from a warm room or by means or transforming direct solar radiation into heat. And since brick stone has more thermal mass than other building lightweight materials, it is a very useful element that can be used up in making your home more energy efficient. 

To sum up, brick is a very simple and inexpensive technique in putting up thermal mass in your next home. Therefore a brick stone home is more energy efficient than those that are made from other materials.

---

---

---