| Subcribe via RSS
The transition to renewable energy is set to deliver an economic pay off as well in the years to come. Various studies show that a shift to alternative energy sources will raise the GNP in the coming decade and create new jobs, as Prof. Eicke Weber, spokesperson for the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance, points out More »
Over the last few years, wind and solar proponents have been battling it out to take the top spot in the clean energy discussion. However, when it comes down making a purchase on a smaller scale, solar is king. Solar panels are smaller, more discreet and, most importantly, they’re a proven commodity.
Still, that doesn’t mean they’re always the best option. According to Earth2Tech, the “small” wind turbine market is expected to double by 2013. By the way, I put “small” in quotes because were talking small in terms of output (100KW or less), not size. Look at the 100KW turbine in the picture and you’ll see what I’m talking about. More »
Tags: clean energy, energy sources, solar panels, wind energy production, wind power
Renewable energy campaigners want to harness energy from wind and the sun to generate 30% of a Cornwall town’s electricity needs.
Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (Wren) wants to explore ways of introducing hundreds of solar panels to the roofs of homes and businesses.
Wren says that the scheme could also generate £450,000 a year for the town.
The money would come from a feed-in tariff which offers a premium price for renewable energy.
‘Financial benefits’
A number of developers and landowners have shown interest in setting up solar energy farms in Cornwall to take advantage of the feed-in tariff.
Stephen Frankel, of Wren, said: “We’ve some of the best sun and wind resources in the country More »
Tags: alternative energy sources, clean energy, energy companies
A record number of homeowners had solar panels installed this month, according to energy regulator Ofgem.
The devices have been fitted to 2,257 homes so far during August, up from 1,700 in July and 1,400 in June.
More than 6,688 homes have had solar panels fitted since April, when the government’s scheme to reward people who generate their own energy altered.
The feed-in tariff system now enables homeowners to receive 41.3p for every unit of energy they generate.
This is regardless of whether they use the energy or sell it back to the National Grid. More »
Tags: alternative energy, clean energy, energy production, solar energy, solar panels, solar power systems
The solution to the world’s energy crisis might be found in a magnetic device that utilizes both ambient temperature and magnets to generate power. In theory, the “Searl Effect Generator” (SEG) has the potential to run completely on its own through a complex interaction between various materials, resulting in an unlimited supply of free and clean energy.
Discovered by John Roy Robert Searl in 1946, the “Searl Effect”, as it is called, effectively captures the kinetic energy generated by More »
Tags: alternative energy, clean energy, energy, energy production, energy sources
Every wind and solar project requires some form of reliable backup power.
When the wind isn’t blowing and the skies are overcast, power providers must be able to turn to another source of energy quickly to meet demand. Concerns about grid reliability have grown amid the construction of more wind and solar projects.
Pumped storage hydropower, a clean source of energy and a proven technology, is viewed by many as the best way to provide utility-scale backup power for the growing number of wind and solar projects in the U.S.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering about 60 proposed pumped-storage facilities in the U.S. More »
Tags: alternative energy, alternative energy sources, clean energy, energy sources, hydropower
As fossil fuels continue to diminish and climate change poses an ever-increasing threat, scientists around the world are searching for new and more efficient methods of generating energy. Wind energy is one of the more promising alternative energy sources and Norwegian scientists are currently in the development stages of what promises to be the world’s largest wind turbine. As if creating the biggest wind turbine in the world was not enough, it also floats. Current plans for the world’s largest wind turbine have the machine standing 533 feet tall.
The proposed rotor diameter of this machine is 475 feet. Obviously, these gargantuan dimensions make it difficult to imagine many places able to accommodate such a device. Fortunately, the floating design makes the turbine suitable for open ocean use.
In addition to being the world’s largest wind turbine More »
Tags: alternative energy, clean energy, wind energy production, wind turbine, wind's energy
Overall speaking, U.S. has very good wind energy potential, and one of the U.S. states that could have the biggest benefits from harnessing wind energy is Iowa. Iowa was so far ranked as 10th U.S. state for total wind energy potential but the latest study carried out by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that Iowa has significantly bigger wind energy potential than it had according to previous estimates.
The result of this study puts Iowa at No7. among U.S. states in wind energy potential ranking, More »
Tags: clean energy, use wind, wind energy, wind energy production, wind farms, wind turbines