Wind Power to the People

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which is part of The U.S. Department of Energy, has developed The Energy Wind Program which is leading a thrust in the U.S. to improve performance, speed up technological advances and lower the cost of using wind turbines for energy creation. The program is working in cooperation with U.S. industry, academic and national laboratory sources to speed up research and development of more efficient and long lasting turbines.
The Energy Wind Program Has Specific Attainable Goals
The Wind Program has set forth specific goals in order to put the power created by wind turbines in a position of being an attractive and affordable alternative to fossil fuels through the remainder of the 21st century.
The stated goals are:
1. To increase the number of turbines in use in the United States to 12,000, up from 2,400 in 2007.
2. Reduce the cost that consumers pay for electricity generated by wind generators.
3. Change and improve the way electricity generated by turbines interacts through the U.S. power grids and make wind power more competitive from a cost standpoint for developers and builders of wind power systems.
4. Increase the number of states using wind power to generate electricity to 30 states, up from 8 states as of 2002.
How Do Wind Turbines Work?
Turbines operate on very simple mechanical principles. When the wind blows, the energy contained in wind pushes on two or three blades that resemble propellers on an aircraft. The propeller blades turn around a rotor which is connected to a main shaft (similar to the interconnecting gears and shaft on an automobile transmission). The shaft spins a generator similar to those in hydroelectric plants and the end result is generated electricity.
Challenges and Advantages of Using Wind Power to Create Energy
While from a theoretical standpoint the use of wind to create energy makes a lot of sense, like everything else it must be cost efficient to be truly worthwhile as an investment. Wind power is still struggling somewhat to compete with existing older methods of creating energy from the cost perspective. The cost of wind power has been decreasing quite a lot during the last decade but in some parts of the U.S. it is still more expensive to develop than older fossil-fueled generators.
And some of the best locations for building wind farms or large grids of wind turbines are far away from the cities where the electricity is needed the most. Therefore, large transmission lines must be built to get the wind power to where it is needed most. There have also been other difficulties to deal with that were not initially considered or recognized when turbines were first developed. There has been some concern with the noise generated by turbine rotor blades, safety factors (such as an instance where a huge wind generator located in Europe malfunctioned and flew apart) and birds accidentally flying into the turbine blades and rotors.
While these challenges are being worked out, it is still clear that wind turbines create a clean fuel product generated from a free, endless supply source. Wind power doesn't contribute to such problems as acid rain or problems in the atmosphere. Wind energy is something that really has no end to its supply. Because wind is actually a form of solar energy, as long as the sun is still generating energy there will always be wind energy and a need for wind powered turbines.

Wind Turbine Rotor Blades - Make Your Own or Buy Them

Wind Power is one of the fastest growing of the alternative energy sectors and making your own wind turbine rotor blades is not as complicated as you may think. But before you start cutting up pieces of wood, plastic or metal, make sure that the design of your rotor blades will be correct for the operating speed of your wind turbine generator.
A wind turbines rotor blades are the most highly stressed and vital component of any wind turbine design. Their job is to absorb the kinetic energy in the wind and convert this energy into a rotary motion around a central hub. While the central hub of the blades may be rotating at a gently speed, the tips of the blades are rotating much faster and the longer the blade is, the faster the tip rotates especially for propeller type blades.
When dealing with wind turbines and rotor blade designs, the term "tip-speed ratio" (TSR) is often used instead of blade rpm. The tip-speed ratio is the speed of the rotors tip as it rotates around its circular path divided by windspeed. So for a given windspeed, the higher the TSR the faster it rotates.
Gyroscopic forces are the worst threat to small wind turbine blades as their rotational movement causes them to alternately flap the blades back and forth once per revolution and unless the rotor blades are firmly secured they may fly off. If a blade breaks, and this has been known to happen, it may fly some distance through the air causing damage and injury.
Now that you have decided to make your own wind turbine there are two options available when it comes to deciding on the blades:

1. Build them yourself - This is the least expensive option but takes a lot of time and careful work as each blade must be of the same shape, design and balanced.
2. Buy premade blades - Buying off the shelf blades costs more but is a lot less work as the design, testing and balancing has been done for you.

Buying Your Rotor Blades
The advantages of buying your rotor blades is that there are hundreds of commercially available blades available to choose from with the most common being the propeller type design. Manufacturers make blades from several different types of materials and although wood was once commonly used to make blades for small wind turbines there are less companies that manufacture blades exclusively from wood. It's just too expensive and time consuming.
The rotor blades of modern wind turbines are professionally made and are typically made of extremely durable and relatively inexpensive synthetic materials, various types of plastic or composites. Of course there are also disadvantages to buying windmill blades instead of making them yourself with the biggest being cost.
Making Your Own Rotor Blades
While there are many advantages to buying your rotor blades, there are also some big advantages when it comes to building them yourself. The blades you make will match exactly your turbine generator design. You can design and shape your blades to fit your windspeed area making them from a variety of different materials either new or recycled. Wood is the most common DIY rotor blade material as it is easy to cut and shape.
But the biggest advantage of making your own rotor blades is the satisfaction of doing so and that you have saved money. However in reality, by the time you have finish making, painting and balancing your homemade wind turbine blades, the actual cost can be very close to equal if not more than that of premade commercial blades.
So there are advantages and disadvantages of making your own wind turbine rotor blades or just buying them. If you decide to build your own blades, take the time to learn about how to do it easily and cheaply even using recycled materials. Be sure to take the time to design the length, shape and tip speed of your rotor blades to fit your own particular application. Taking the time to learn before you start will ensure that your home made wind turbine operates trouble free for years to come as well as giving you the satisfaction of telling everyone that you did it.

Geothermal Energy - Heating From the Earth's Core

Geothermal Energy is another type of renewable energy resource that makes use of the large amounts of energy stored as heat in the water deep below the Earth's surface with the most prominent and visual example of this coming from "Geysers" and "Hot Springs" ejecting large columns of very hot water, steam and gases high up into the air. In fact the word "Geothermal" comes from combining together the two Greek words of Geo, meaning "Earth", and Therme, meaning "heat", with the resulting word "Geothermal" actually meaning "heat generated from the Earth", then the expression "Geothermal Energy" literally means "heat energy generated from the Earth".
Geothermal energy is obtained from the hot areas under the surface of the earth that remain at a relatively constant temperature all year around day and night. Once available, geothermal energy can be used either directly or indirectly as an alternative energy resource to both heat and cool our homes. This naturally occurring and free energy is extracted by a series of pipes filled with water buried below the Earths surface. This hot water is then used in our homes for heating, called Geothermal Heating, or to generate electricity, called Geothermal Power.
So how does it work. At the Earth's core, some 4000 miles below the surface, temperatures can reach over 9000 degrees Fahrenheit. This incredible amount of heat originated four billion years ago in a fiery combustion of dust and gas as the Earth was being created. Many scientists believe that radioactive decay of the inner core keeps the heat generating and flowing outward from this inner core to the mantle of harder rock which surrounds the core. When the temperature and pressure is high enough, some of this mantle rock melts. Then, because the melted rock or magma is less dense than the surrounding rock, it rises and moves slowly up to the Earth's crust.
Sometimes the hot magma reaches all the way to the Earth's surface as a volcanic eruption, but usually the magma remains underground and heats the adjoining rock as well as any water that has seeped down through geologic holes, cracks and faults in the Earth's crust absorbing the heat as it travels through these hot rocks. Some of this water, whose temperatures can reach as high as 700 degrees, travels back up through cracks to the Earth's surface and emerges as hot springs, geysers or pools of boiling mud. Far more often, however, the water and magma becomes trapped within the rock, forming a natural underground geothermal reservoir. It is these underground geothermal reservoirs that are able to give us another type of alternative energy resource with incredible potential.
Let us understand that geothermal is NOT mining, as mining removes the mined material forever, it is extraction of the heat from a hydrothermal fluid which is replenished, sometimes over very long periods by the Earth itself. This geothermal energy resources can be used either for direct consumption, heating or for power generation in one of the following three main ways:
Types of Geothermal Energy

1. Direct Geothermal Energy - this is where the hot water is available either on or very close to the Earth's surface and can be used directly for heating, bathing or washing.
2. Ground Source Geothermal - this is where the geothermal hot water is below the ground but not too deep allowing easy access of the geothermal resource using heat absorbing pipes or bore holes.
3. Geothermal Power Plants - these harnesses the extremely hot water or steam using vertical bore holes drilled deep underground and then uses the available super heated geothermal water and steam to generate electricity.

For domestic applications, one way of extracting this heat energy is by the use of a Geothermal Heat Pump. The geothermal heat pump doesn't create electricity, instead it circulates a thermally conductive liquid mixed with water through long pipes called an Earth loop buried up to 12 feet underground, operating on the same principle as the domestic refrigerator but in reverse.
A Geothermal Heat Pump, also known as a "Ground Source Heat Pump", is a very efficient way to heat and air-condition our homes and buildings as it can move heat in two ways: during the colder winter months, low temperature heat is withdrawn from the ground (the heat source) for direct use in heating buildings and other structures. In the hotter summer months, the geothermal heat pump operates in reverse removing the heat from the building and dissipating it back into the ground.
As a result of this simple process, direct use geothermal heating is becoming very popular for the home owner because it provides a cost-effective alternative to expensive oil or gas home heating systems. Energy savings using a ground source heat pump can be substantial over a long period of time.
Geothermal power on the other hand uses extremely hot water heated by the underground magmatic activity which is pumped to the surface and used for electricity generation. Once this super heated water reaches atmospheric pressure it turns to steam where it is used to operate steam-powered turbines and generators. Geothermal power plants are becoming more common in volcanic areas and countries such as Iceland, were it produces over a quarter of their energy needs.
The main advantages of Geothermal Power is that it is clean, cheap, no additional fuel is needed resulting in no greenhouse gases or air pollution. However, some disadvantages include ground water and waste water pollution, geographically restricted and high maintenance costs. But the biggest disadvantage is that the closer you put a Geothermal power plant to an active volcano or heat source, the larger the potential operational problems you can have.

Wind Farms - Like Them Or Loathe Them, You Need To Know The Truth

A lot of people may not be pleased by reading this article, as I have tried to put to bed a lot of the myths surrounding wind energy. Wind energy is here to stay, but fortunately, technology has a long way to go to really grasp the full potential of this truly renewable energy source, and a balanced argument can often be difficult without proper analysis of the facts.
They say 'ignorance is bliss' but if you want to put forward a powerful case for or against a proposed wind farm development, you have got to be able to see the project from both sides of the fence. This article sets out to provide a balanced view between what is assumed, and what is known, about this highly competitive form of renewable energy, and what is needed to make the industry more acceptable to people all too often branded as 'Nimby's' by people who should know better.
What this split of attitudes has done, is because media platforms have to compete in a progressively more fragmented marketplace, creating a narrative that has an easily identifiable cause célèbre - in this case, wind turbines - helps attract fierce debate, thereby driving circulation and, increasingly, online traffic. On the reverse side, keen proponents of wind power are sometimes too quick to dismiss any problems raised, levelling the charge of 'nimby' at any concerned group who voice a protest over planned developments. While not wilfully dishonest, both sides of the debate can be accused of colouring their opposing arguments to further their point of view by stirring up all levels of human emotions.
Clearly, there is a need to address the concerns of local communities when a wind farm is being built; but, the community should be engaged from the start so that the pros and cons of local developments are fully discussed. The dismissing of the problem by regulators and the energy industry as 'nimbyism' reveals that a 'barrier-oriented' view prevails. This can leave residents feeling disenfranchised and unable to control their own landscape.. Balanced dialogue and direct community involvement to redress perceived inequities are needed if renewables are to realise their aims of a far greater spread of wind power across all countries where wind is in constant supply.
It is becoming more and more prevalent that wind farms offer a flexible, modular system that if implemented as a diversified resource with effective nationwide spread can offer a reliable source of low-carbon energy, with virtually free resource, forming a core part of a mixed renewables portfolio in combination with a reduced platform of responsive conventional capacity. In particular, when compared with nuclear fuel, although the operating costs may be about the same, the size of the carbon footprint with nuclear is horrendous, when one takes into account the construction costs, the processing of the raw uranium, the perceived security issues, and of course, the draconian de-commissioning costs.
Now, given the UK government projections that onshore wind will become the cheapest way to generate electricity by 2020, it will remain a crucial component of the UK's renewable strategy, so whatever approach is taken, wind power is on a committed expansion across the UK.
If you look at the common objections to wind farms (see list below), you may find this useful in trying to put some considered opinions both for and against wind power. In many cases though, developers will quote from certain web sites, and as there is so much conflicting information for and against wind farms, you will have to carry out a lot of research on the topic yourself, and draw your own conclusions. In many cases, it becomes quite plain that wind power holds the key to one of the most prolific renewable energy sources in the UK, and may other countries around the world. However, what has not been demonstrated yet, is a technology that can actually convert this massive free renewable energy efficiently and effectively into electrical energy.
For every web site promoting the merits of wind turbines, an equal amount cast the opposite view. If the people on these sites can have many opposing views, how is the man in the street - or indeed, a developer - going to know the actual truth?
If you look at the following list, you will find the areas that cause most concern from both sides of the argument.
Only by getting your own facts together on every of the following points can you even begin to build up your argument, for or against the proposal.

1. Wind turbines and energy payback times.
2. Wind turbines, costs and subsidies.
3. Efficiency of wind turbines.
4. Intermittency of wind turbines.
5. The need for Offshore as well as Onshore Turbines
6. Wind power verses nuclear power.
7. Wind Turbines and Property Prices.
8. Wind Turbines and Safety.
9. Wind Turbines, shadow flicker and epilepsy.
10. Wind Turbines and Noise.
11. Infrasound from Wind Turbines, and the 'Wind Turbine Syndrome'.
12. Bat and bird mortality due to wind turbines.
13. Wind Turbines and their Carbon footprint.
14. Wind Turbines and their effect on the local environment.

The most compelling conclusion that can be drawn from this report is that wind power does offer an excellent way forward for the UK and the world to meet its ever expanding need for its electrical power requirements using truly renewable energy (and without this expansion, even 1st World countries will soon start to experience power blackouts). However, only with the right technology, can the world move towards a greater use of electrical energy from wind power where it is needed, along with a reduced demand for a massive grid infrastructure to deliver it to the consumer.
The way forward is not, in my opinion, on the continued installation of more bigger and bigger turbines (HAWTs), because this will not only wreck the environment, create a massive carbon footprint of its own in the construction, despoil the landscape, cause the most vociferous objections, and also promulgate the totally inefficient manner (less than 25%) in which wind energy is captured and converted to green electricity. This then has the detrimental effect of delaying or even postponing the eventual acceptance and widespread implementation of this highly efficient and highly desirable free energy source that should be providing us with much lower energy bills.
The more turbines that are distributed across the whole country, the greater the chance that wind capture is stabilised at any one point in time, smoothing out energy levels. By developing a family of turbines that are unobtrusive, far more efficient (greater than 50%), with energy outputs far greater per hectare than their giant HAWT cousins, our energy bills will be lowered, objections decimated, and the threat of daily energy blackouts totally avoided.
There is no question about the need for wind energy, or its importance to the economy or environment. However, only technology improvements can hold the key to its successful adoption.

Various Ways For Individuals To Go Green

One of these things that individuals very rarely take into consideration is green building. This can actually have two various definitions. The first definition for green building is to actually create a building which ends up creating more energy than it uses each month. This can be accomplished by using solar and wind in order to provide electricity for the building. By using solar panels and wind turbines, buildings can be built which will actually produce more electricity than the building uses every month. And that is just one of the definitions which is associated with green building.
The second definition of green building is using items which are eco-friendly. For example there is now an insulation for buildings that has been produced out of old clothing. Peoples old blue jeans and other types of clothing materials can now be recycled and converted into very effective insulation. Of course it doesn't stop with insulation. You can also find recycled glass for your windows and also wiring that's been recycled from various metals. Another thing you can purchase that's been recycled is sheet rock for the walls. And also by purchasing eco-friendly lumber, your whole home can be constructed with very little effect on our planet.
There is also something called green technology that can help both individuals as well as our planet. Green technology are things like solar water heaters for your home along with other types of solar energy and wind turbine energy. These green technology items are versatile, which means they can be put in to both home and commercial building. The best thing about green technology is the fact that it can save you large sums of cash and of course you are also helping the planet. You should also remember that as time passes brand new green technology items will begin to show up.
And finally staying on the subject of green technology, I would like to discuss electric cars. I am not talking about the hybrid cars that operate on electric and gas, I mean 100% electric cars that operate on batteries. Most people don't realize it, however these cars are available on the market today. While these cars are a bit more expensive than a conventional hybrid the positive results they have on the planet and the savings in gas makes these vehicles a good purchase.
To sum up, going green is not just all about recycling cans and bottles. For those who really want to go all out, there are lots of choices available. And while we are looking at more expensive green choices, over time the people who apply these techniques will end up saving money as well as saving our planet.