Harvesting Ground Heat Through Geothermal Heating Technology

Just below our feet lies an energy source that can easily help us warm both our homes and hot water tanks. This energy source is known as thermal energy and can be harvested using specifically designed geothermal heating technology. This article will give you a better idea of how this natural energy source has come into existence and how geothermal heating systems actually harvest this energy.

But how does this energy under the earths surface occur? Thermal energy is caused by a number of contributors. For example, heat radiates out from the earths core and warms the ground. The earth also absorbs energy from the heat of the sun. The strength of this heat energy trapped beneath the surface of the ground will of course depend where you are in the world. It does not really matter where you are in the world though as geothermal heating technologies are able to extract heat from the ground however weak that heat is.

The concept of harvesting heat energy that is present beneath our feet is far from new. In the Roman Empire water heated naturally underground by geothermal energy was put to use to keep their spas hot. In effect this was the start of basic geothermal heating systems. This harvesting of naturally occurring geothermally heated hot water is still used today in some parts of the world. Iceland, for example, makes full use of this naturally occurring energy source using geothermal power plants.

Geothermal heating systems such as the Ground Source heat pump are now used across the world with much success. As the name suggests the Ground Source heat pump collects heat from the beneath the ground and literally pumps this heat around a home or property. Ground source heat pumps use a series of pipes that are laid underneath the surface of the ground. The loop of pipes are filled with a solution has properties to absorb geothermal heat energy directly from the ground. The solution is pumped through the loop of pipes, and gathers heat as it travels. The solution eventually passes through the heat pumps the heat exchanger part of the system where the heat is extracted and refined. This harvested heat is then used to directly warm living spaces and heat hot water tanks.

Geothermal heating systems are forecast to become even more popular with households across the globe. In general many people want to become more environmentally friendly and do their bit to help save the planet. Most people are also becoming increasingly frustrated at the incredibly high prices they are paying for fossil fuels such as gas and coal. Alternative ways to heat homes that are eco-friendly and cheaper to run, such as Ground Source heat pumps and other geothermal heating technology, are the ideal answer.

Would you like to discover more about geothermal heating technology and the benefits of investing in a heat pump system for your home? A good starting point is to visit one of the companies that specialized in geothermal heating and renewable heating systems. One reputable and well established company is called EcoVision. You can easily find their website. EcoVision specializes in all types of environmentally friendly technologies, including geothermal heating. The EcoVision website is probably the best next step for you to discover more information.

About the Author
Rich Stevens writes articles for EcoVision. Discover more information about Heat Pump technology and how Heat Pumps work on the EcoVision website.

Ideas For How Businesses Can Take Advantage Of Solar Energy

Over the last few years, businesses have experienced drastic climbs in their energy costs, a trend that will only continue. If utility costs make up a good deal of your overhead, skyrocketing energy rates can have a devastating effect on your business. Solar energy is completely free, a gift from the sun every sunny day. Use this gift to save money and make profit. Here's a look at how businesses can take advantages of solar energy.

Cut Utility Costs
As utility rates continue to escalate, your company will not be as affected as much when you are already harvesting your own solar power. Every sunny day, you can watch the electric meter tick backwards, so you owe the electric company less every month. You won't be as affected by steep rate increases when a good portion of your energy is getting a suntan on the roof.

Emissions Trading
President Barack Obama has indicated that the US will enter a cap and trade program to control global warming. In the near future, greater governmental pressure will make for very valuable pollution cuts. You can use solar energy as a renewable resource to slash your company's emissions rates, selling resulting credits to more polluting companies. Make money from the sun with emissions trading and the advantages of solar energy.

Tax Credits and Rebates
Obama has also made it clear that he wants to invest in America's renewable energy resources. Many tax credits and rebates, both federal and local, now exist that make solar energy more affordable than ever. This is money on the table that's there for the taking. Solar energy always ends up paying for itself, but it pays the bill even quicker with the tax credits and rebates currently available.

Free Resource
Sunshine is always free. Invest in the infrastructure, and then the sunshine pays you back. Solar panels are almost completely maintenance free, so there are very little costs involved once you've got them up and running. They continue to pay for themselves several times over. Once you've invested in the structure, solar power becomes as free for your business as it is for the flowers. Visit the best San Diego solar installation company at SunPath solar to find out how you can go green with solar energy.

About the Author
Ryan Frank is an avid writer and blogger living in San Diego, CA.

20 Facts And Figures About Solar Energy

Here are 20 exciting solar energy facts that could be of interest to those considering converting their homes into renewable solar energy (partly or entirely). These fun facts about solar energy could also be of interest to any aspiring solar energy enthusiasts.

20 Solar Energy Facts and Figures

1. Solar panel technology emerged in the 1800's.
2. The first "true" solar panels were created in the 1950s.
3. Solar cell's efficiency may be as little as 4% (organic cells) or as much as 40% (experimental multiple-junction solar cells). The higher the efficiency of the material, the more expensive it will be to manufacture it.
4. One 100W light bulb that's constantly on, costs around $100 per year.
5. One photovoltaic roof shingle can produce as much as 15W of electricity. Several solar roof shingles could run one 100W light bulb that's constantly on.
6. A solar cell with 10 percent efficiency output and a 100 sq centimeters (15.5 sq inch) surface can produce about 1W of power.
7. An average household uses about 9,000kWh of energy annually.
8. A 350 Sq foot panel that produces 15W of power per Sq foot would produce a total of about 9,000kWh of energy yearly, which could power an average household with all the energy that it needs.
9. An average homeowner that uses electricity from their utility grid could spend $50,000 in the next 25 years on their electric bills.
10. Tax incentives for buying solar can be as high as 30% of the purchased solar powered system's cost.
11. In the US, tax incentives can result in shortening the time for the panels to pay back for themselves down to as little as 6-8 years.
12. You can get solar panels for free from homeowners or businesses upgrading their systems.
13. Solar panels typically have a 20-25 year warranty and 40 year lifetime expectancy.
14. In order to achieve the most out of solar panels, they have to be facing south and be installed at 20-50 degree angles.
15. You can wire solar cells to increase the Voltage of the system (series wiring), to increase the Current of the system (parallel wiring), or to increase both, Voltage and Current (series/parallel wiring).
16. Solar powered systems with a battery can provide a homeowner with electricity even during the time of local power outages.
17. You do not have to connect a home in the woods to a power grid, if you provide it with a powerful enough solar power generator.
18. Solar energy is very safe for the environment, since it produces negligibly small amounts of elements, and only during the process of manufacturing the solar materials.
19. In the future, we may see cars and houses painted with a translucent solar paint to generate energy.
20. Solar energy won't run out until the sun ceases to shine, which is estimated to happen in about 5 billion years from now.

As you can see, there are numerous good solar energy facts. It's also a fact that the whole world is anticipating further drops in the price of solar material, so that everyone will be able to enjoy all of the solar power benefits at a reasonable cost.

About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.solarpanelmanual.com which focuses on solar energy. Please visit his web site to learn more about solar panel installation.

Wind Energy Or Solar Energy - Which Is Best For Your Location?

When choosing the best option for reducing your power bill, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of two of the most popular energy sources: Wind Energy and Solar Energy.

Solar Energy

The earth does not produce energy on its own. Solar Energy creates two other sources of energy often utilized by homes and businesses: water and wind. Solar Energy is collected using various types of Solar Panels, which is then channeled into a home via "Grid-Tie" or "Off Grid" systems.

The Grid-tie systems collect solar energy and feed it directly into your electrical system through a grid-tie inverter. In this arrangement, the electric company is essentially the storer of any excess electricity collected throughout any given day. The advantage of this method is the cost savings in needing to purchase a battery bank to store the energy. If you happen to produce more electricity than you use, many electric companies will pay their customers for each extra Kilowatt Hour (KWH) of electricity fed back into their system. However, the amount electric companies pay their customers for the electricity is not typically as high as the amount they would charge you for the same amount.

Off-Grid systems are the same as Grid-tie, except they store the extra solar energy collected by solar panels into batteries. The off-grid inverters cost less, but there will be a substantial battery cost. The amount of batteries needed will depend on the number of solar panels you have. The more solar panels you purchase, the more batteries will be needed to store the energy.

Some areas of the country are more suitable for solar energy than others. Solar Panels need the direct rays of the sun in order to operate at peak efficiency. Cloudy areas such as Seattle, Washington are not going to produce as much solar energy as places like Phoenix, Arizona. While Seattle is one of the worst areas, if you were to make a line that went from Minnesota to Ohio to Maine, that area of the country fares only little better in its worst month. See a Solar Radiation map for more specific information in your area.

Wind Energy

Wind energy has the distinct advantage of being available both night and day. When the storm clouds roll in, blocking the afternoon sun, wind energy is there to pick up the slack. Interestingly, wind energy is actually produced by solar energy, albeit indirectly. As the sun's rays come in contact with the earth, some areas absorb more heat than other areas, and some areas receive more direct rays (e.g. the equator) than others (e.g. the North Pole). The warm atmosphere gases then naturally move to colder areas, creating wind.

Some areas of the country are more suited for wind energy than others. If you live in the southeastern section of the United States, wind energy is not a good option unless you live in a high elevation or near a coastline. A wind resource map can be located on the web site listed in this article.

Another important factor in determining whether or not wind energy is a good possibility for your home is whether or not you are able to place a wind turbine at a high enough elevation to produce a cost-effective amount of energy. Most guides recommend wind turbine installation at an elevation of 30 feet higher than the surrounding area. The higher your wind turbine, the more energy it is going to produce. Of course, this also means that initial installation costs will be higher as well. Overall, wind energy is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Just make sure your location is well suited for it.

Conclusion

It can be a very satisfying experience knowing that you are saving money and reducing your carbon footprint every time you see the wind blowing or the sun shining. With the federal government basically picking up 30% of the tab through tax credits, now is a great time to invest.

Thomas J. Martincic is the author and developer of the web site http://www.WindSolarEnergy.org. The web site contains a wealth of free information on wind and solar energy, provided in layman's terms.

Thomas J. Martincic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Martincic

Various Renewable Energy Resources And The Best To Use At Home

So do you want to know about renewable energy?

I understand why a lot of people are interested in this subject. In fact, I am one of them myself.

Renewable energy is becoming a very important resource of power; even governments are conducting huge researches on this matter.

I want you to think about this for a second- What if all countries and individuals use renewable power, how would it be?

Well, it will definitely change the future of the planet.

Renewable energy

It is the energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, geothermal heat, and many other resources. These resources are naturally replenished.

Geothermal energy: It is obtained by trapping the heat of the earth itself. It can be done in some places from the surface and in others it has to be a few kilometers deep.

Hydropower: Energy in water can be harnessed and used. Water is about 800 times denser than air, so even a slow flowing stream or a moderate sea swell can yield a considerable amount of energy.

Bio fuel: There are various types of bio fuels that could be made out vegetable oils, animal fats, the sugar components of some plants and many other resources.

Solar energy: It is the energy derived from the sun through the form of solar radiation.

Wind energy: Air flows are used to produce energy.

Warning: These last two renewable energy resources are perfect for everyone to use at home or even at the office. You can easily buy or build your own solar panel and wind turbine, and produce green free energy.

You can go green and start using renewable energy resources!

You can get more information on renewable energy by clicking here.

Save money, save the environment, and use solar or wind power at your home.

Check this out to see available power systems.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Newmen

Renewable Energy From The Deep Ocean - Video

Algae - The Holy Grail Of Biofuel?

By going vertical, we believe that we can increase still by increasing the surface area and the volume of material to get expose to sunlight. So, we have a system that continually recycles is also dynamic system and a close loop.

So, algae goes down starts under it is take. Gets pick up by pump goes up into the reactors and then gravity it takes control moves it to the reactors they get expose to sunlight go back into and take and the cycles are repeating over and over again.

The problem what surface is that one once the algae’s start growing light only penetrate about an inch in inch in half to the surface. So it blocks life from the rest of then surface.

A two we have a Norma’s mouth of water evaporation so we lose enormous amount of water that we costs they have to replace. And the third is most critical thing to us is that we get contaminates from other algae species that just flow and out the atmosphere landing there and become competitive with the algae that we want to grow.

I know that algae is the fastest organism fastest growing plants on the planet and as the questions the greatest amount of carbon dioxide. But the same time it produces lipids basically vegetables oil and a lot of it.

So, if you look at the single cell of algae on the right species as much as 50% of it is body weight is high grade vegetables oil. So what we are questioning carbon dioxide will also producing these high grade lipids that can be used of a variety purposes.

If I grown on acor of corn and I am looking at from the stand point of producing oil I can grow about 18 galloons of oil per acor per year. So now move up lets go to the next highest or what is the most prevalent is palm. Palm we get 7 to 800 gallons per acor per year algae and go up to 20,000 galloons of oil per acor per year, and that is should not open pounces that is not a close bioreactors system.

We took 110th of that State of New Mexico and converted and algae production we can bit all of the energy to Mans for the entire United States. The beauty of algae’s the fact that we can actually be selective about what carbon chance of coming out of it.

So, for example if you want to make jet fuel we can give you a strange of algae that is going to make it the carbon chase their necessary to manufacture jet fuel much more efficiently than you can any other crap.

If you want to make diesel for a truck we can give you the carbon chase that ideal for that. So, we can tailor the lipids base on the species that algae that will rolling.

Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services

Renewable Energy Should Be A Personal Goal - Are You Responsible?

Just like many other global subjects, the present environmental situation is one of those topics which are SEPs or 'somebody else's problem' - to borrow a phrase from Douglas Adams. Whether the size of the task is so big that we are just not able to understand the full implication, or whether we feel that our little efforts will have such a tiny impact on the global situation that they will be worthless is hard to say.

However, if we all take on board the responsibility for making sure that we no longer waste so much of the planet's resources, then together we can ensure a more positive future for all of us. One way to reduce our carbon footprint is to convert to renewable energy where possible. If we as individuals take the decision to reduce our own carbon footprints then this equates to an impact on a global scale.

A great example of an individual who has started to use renewable energy is that of a farmer, who, rather contrarily, grows tomatoes all the year round in several giant heated greenhouses. Now, on the face of it, there is one individual who is going right against nature and using up a lot of resources for his own personal gain. Not a bit of it!

He has employed some unique lateral thinking and has actually adapted his whole farming technique so that he uses completely sustainable energy. He gets tons of fruit and vegetables which are thrown out by the local supermarkets and ferments them in giant slushy containers. A high-technology plant is used to trap the resulting methane which is burned to provide the extra heat needed to heat his greenhouses.

"But what about all that carbon dioxide?" I hear you techno-savvy readers cry. "Isnt that one of the main culprits of global warming?" Well, it is true, that burning methane (CH4), does produce a lot of CO2. He uses this extra carbon dioxide by-product to help his tomatoes to grow. He pumps it into the greenhouses to help them photosynthesize. The growing plants turn it back into oxygen.

This is just one example of someone who has given a few moment's thought and turned a huge scary problem into a neat solution. Just think of the alternative. Year-round heating of huge glass-framed structures; buying imported CO2 -it makes you shudder to even think about it!

We are all searching for ways to lessen our impact on the environment and do our bit for the planet. The best ways to achieve this are by taking small steps and doing things that are achievable and realistic.

http://www.greenysearch.com is an environmentally friendly website that lets you take one of these small achievable steps right now. It's a browser powered by Google but with a dark page background. This causes your monitor to emit less light, reduces your electricity bill and saves the environment all in one. Just set it as your home page and you will save the environment every time you search. Try it now and see how easy it is to do your bit

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_J_Martin

The Best Places To Find Renewable Energy

We already know that the use of electricity, gas and coal are all resources that we may eventually run out of. These are the non-renewable resources that we rely heavily on today. We use these non-renewable resources to do many things, including supplying us with power, heating our homes, businesses and schools and more. When we use all the non-renewable resources up and there are no more to gather, then what? How will we go without the convenience that we are so accustomed to? It's nice to flip a switch to get power and it is even better when the latest technology allows us to press a button to do all the things that women and men had to work for hours to accomplish. We are fortunate to live in a world with so many modern gadgets. Unfortunately when we lose it we may be so accustomed to the modern perks that we will not know what to do when we don't have them any longer.

What we have to rely on in the future is renewable resources. These resources are all resources that offer us an abundant supply and will never run out. They recharge and allow us to enjoy them again and again. The renewable resources consist of Solar, Wind, Biomass, Hydrogen, Geothermal, Ocean, and Hydropower We need all of these and right now we have access to each one of them. What do they do and how do they help us with solar power? Let's find out.

Solar refers to the solar energy that we get everyday either directly or indirectly from the sun. Solar energy can be used for several things, such as heating, electricity to home, schools, businesses, or buildings, heating water, cooling and ventilation.

Wind helps the suns heat down to earth. When the wind combines with the heat of the sun, it causes evaporation. When the water turns into precipitation it produces energy that can then be captured by hydropower.

Hydropower takes energy from flowing water and captures it turning it into electricity. Hydropower is very complicated and requires a great deal of technology in order to successfully accumulate energy from water.

Biomass is an organic matter that can help to make up the plants. It can be used for the production of electricity, transport fuels or chemicals.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element found on earth, usually with other elements. If hydrogen is found alone it can be burned or converted into electricity.

Geothermal looks toward the inner parts of the earth for heat and can be used for power, heating, and cooling.

Ocean produces thermal energy using the heat from the sun. It can also use mechanical energy for the tides and waves.

As you can see the renewable resources are all around us. We know what they do and how we can use them. There are so many benefits to using renewable resources. If we don't use them now we may not have a choice later. The knowledge we learn from today will help us use the energy more wisely.

About the Author:
Thomas Kerin is and expert on solar panel installation at OVR Solar.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Best Places to Find Renewable Energy