alternate energy 

Alternate Energy Info That You Should Know

Fossil fuels still power the world's economies and will continue to power it for the next hundred years or so. They provide humankind with a comfortable existence and permeate virtually every facet of human life. It is hoped that within the next hundred years, humankind will learn to replace at least 60% of its voracious appetite for fossil fuels and their derivatives with alternate energy sources.

One of the most promising alternate energy forms to power our homes and cars and entertainment equipment is nuclear power. It is already providing power to much of Japan and certain communities in the United States. Disposing of spent fuel rods however, is a continuing problem at nuclear energy plants.  Some have suggested burying them in hardened concrete; others have suggested blasting them into outer space and still others hold out promise of neutralizing spent nuclear fuel rods by chemical means or other more esoteric means.  Other than this major problem, nuclear power is surprisingly clean and cheap. Many say it is the cleanest and cheapest source of useful energy available on a large scale. Perhaps. It may be with us for a long time if ways can be developed to neutralize the spent fuel rods or to recharge them for reuse.

Solar power is a promising alternate energy source that utilizes and joins photovoltaic cells (solar cells) in arrays that are then arranged in larger panels for use on roofs. These PV cell panels are gradually becoming more efficient and cheaper. In a typical single family home of 2000 sq ft that uses a standard 1000 kwh of power per month to run appliances, it is relatively easy to build 10-12 joined solar panels and bring in an electrician to hook it up to your electrical power box. Each 100 kwh panel built costs no more than $130 if you build it yourself. Each panel takes a weekend to assemble with tools most people already own. This would allow you to power virtually 90-100% of your home.  The primary drawback of solar however, is that your home needs to be located in a place that gets six or seven months of sunny days per year.  A secondary drawback is the need to have and maintain good long-lasting energy storage batteries so the power that is created is not dispersed or wasted.

Wind power generators are also promising alternate energy sources. Building your own wind generators makes a lot of sense if:

• You have a house or farmhouse spread over an acre or more;

• The average wind speed in your area is clocked at 11 mph+; any less means your system will not work reliably. Consult an expert before installing a wind power solution at home;

• You draw water from wells. You don't have to draw water from outside wells but if you must draw water from outside sources on a regular basis, a wind power system offers the best solution.

• Your house needs an uninterruptible power supply. You need no longer worry about brownouts with wind power generators and solar panel arrays on your roof or nearby.

There may even come a time when you need to protect your equipment from damage - especially from angry neighbors who are begin to suffer from intermittent brownouts or complete blackouts.  There are no foolproof ways to keep your neighbors from attacking, damaging or trying to steal your power system during severe emergencies. People need to survive and will take desperate measures if necessary.  You would be better off encouraging others to build their own systems and offer your own expertise to your neighbors.

A typical wind power system has a tower and five blades to churn out wind energy. The height of the wind tower can vary depending on the location of your house. You may need a higher tower if you are in a low-wind zone (11-15mph); you can work with a shorter tower if you live by the beach where the wind blows faster,more frequently or consistently. Wind energy can be converted into useful electrical energy that can run various electrical appliances. You can even store the power generated for later use, making wind generators more efficient than conventional power systems. Whether you speak about wind mills, wind turbines, or wind generators, you are talking about the same type of power device.

Other less conventional sources of energy are also being developed:

• One such development is in cold fusion. In 1989, cold fusion was announced with great fanfare, to the chagrin of many people in the science community. However, the significant claim of its discoverers, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons that they could create excess heat without harmful neutron emissions or strong gamma radiation during experiments involving electrochemical cells using heavy water and palladium has held strong. In fact today, cold fusion excess energy production experiments have had greater and greater successes.The devices used to harness this energy and the uses it will be put to are still under development and probably will not appear for several more years;
• METHERNITHA. This religious group lives in CH-3517 Linden, Switzerland. The religious community is energy-self-sufficient thanks to their Testatika machine - a type of influence Wimhurst Generator that runs on its own static power after being started and charged by rotating 2 disks counterclockwise to each other. Each machine once started, produces 3 KW of power - enough to fully power a one bedroom apartment. A demonstration machine is only about 70 cm wide, 40 cm deep and about 60 cm tall.
  
  It delivers DC-Voltage ranging from 270 to 320 Volts. This depends on the dryness of the air at any time. At this voltage, it can supply at least 10 Amperes of direct current. It is claimed that this energy machine collects it's huge amount of "FREE" energy from the charged and ionized air particles around it.
  
  There are still a few questions about how to overcome the normal drag-resistance of a conventional Wimhurst machine but that is a secret the Methernitha group is keeping to itself. The inventor, Mr. Paul Baumann, claims he discovered the basic principles of it by studying the properties of lightning.
  
  The power machines he has built for this community have been working reliably for almost 20 years now. They are well-known by engineers and the community has been open about sharing the device with others but will not release critical details of exactly how their device works until they have determined that people on earth are ready for it. The research team within Methernitha works completely autonomously and is financed out of the community co-operative's own resources, without any outside support. Once the details are released to the public, these machines hold tremendous promise in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

 

Leave a comment | View Comments

 

Click Here to Cut Your Gasoline Costs and Get Instructions on Converting Your Car to Run With Water

Click Here to get DIY Solar Panel Instructions

alternative energy Videos

Solar Panels Headlines

Solar panels to light Hubbard Foods

Solar panels installed on the roof of Hubbard Foods in Mangere are NZ's largest installation of the roof panels.

Read more...

---

Brewster solar panels operating now

Brewster is in the alternative energy business. The solar arrays that were installed atop the Eddy and Stony Brook Schools in the spring were finally activated last week.

Read more...

---

Rutgers' Chinese solar panels show clean-energy shift

Thousands of solar panels at university will save some $200,000 in energy costs this year

Read more...

---

Solar power catching on among Cache residents

Todd Fallis talks about the solar panels that he had installed at his home in North Logan. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal)

Read more...

---

New solar panels light warehouse

A roof covered in solar panels is about to light up a breakfast cereal warehouse in south Auckland in the country's largest installation of new-age, ultra-thin solar panels.

Read more...

---