This means solar panels are finally worth investing in, especially with the ever rising energy and fuel costs.   By connecting individual solar panels together, the required power needed to operate the home’s electrical appliances is supplied efficiently and at low cost to the homeowner.

Wind turbines, also called windmills or wind generators, have also benefited from new scientific technology.  Lighter materials, better electronics, and more efficient generators allow today’s wind turbines to operate with lower wind speeds than ever before.  This feature allows more users around the world to take advantage of the free power of the wind.

But as we know, the wind doesn’t always blow nor the sun always shine, no matter where one lives.  This is why having a combo wind/solar arrangement is recommended for those who want the best possible, and most dependable, electrical energy supply.  Since the solar panels do not work during the nigh time hours or during periods of cloudy rainy weather, it makes sense to have a wind turbine to fill in the gaps when solar panels cannot operate efficiently.

And when the wind slows to a gentle breeze, or stops altogether, the solar panels are there to continue charging the battery bank or putting electricity back into the local power company’s grid.  In some places the power company will give you credit or pay for any excess electricity you may produce.  If nothing else, you will save money on your power bill each month when the electricity your solar/wind combo system produced is deducted from that used during the month.

Assembling your own solar and wind power system is easier than you might think.  You don’t have to be an electrical genius to connect the solar panels together or a mechanical engineer to mount a wind turbine generator on a pole or rooftop.  But the main advantage of setting up the solar/wind power system yourself is being able to maintain and repair the system when needed.  This means less down time and repair expense for the owner.

Choose the system which is right for your part of the world.  Check the average wind speed in your area and allow for hills or tree stands which may impair the wind flow.  Some wind turbines will operate with very low wind velocities while others require much higher wind speeds to drive the generator.  Blade configurations vary on different wind turbine models with different results and operating speeds.

Solar panels also come in different sizes with different wattage outputs depending on the materials used and the particular manufacturing processes involved.  This allows a certain amount of leeway for the buyer to match the purchase with the money budgeted for the entire solar and wind power system.  Do your homework and purchase the right solar/wind system and start using nature’s free energy resources.  It’s the future of clean inexpensive energy for our planet, but why wait?

How To Be Prepared For  Natural Disasters

With all of the hoopla concerning the December 21 2012 Armageddon event some say the Mayans predict will happen, many people are preparing by installing emergency power supplies just in case they may be right.  But whether something does happen or not, they will be prepared for other minor power outages and perhaps even a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane might cause.

Solar cell panels and wind turbine generators are just the thing for such events as they need nothing but sunshine or wind to keep essential electric items operating in these most crucial times.  A correctly installed solar/wind power combo system will keep you up to date with the latest news by keeping the cell phones charged and the emergency radio operating.

Your food will be kept cold and lights will make everything seem better as you wait out the storm or for the emergency to end.  Sure, gasoline generators will do the same job, but only if they don’t break down and you have plenty of fuel to keep them going.  And the noise they make is enough to make things seem even worse than they really are.  Solar and wind power systems do not require fuel or make lots of noise and seldom break down in an emergency situation.

Remote Location Use of Solar and Wind Power Systems

Because of their dependability, solar panels and wind turbines are perfect for supplying power in remote locations.  With a good battery storage bank, a solar panel array combined with one or more wind turbines will furnish all of the necessary electrical needs of a hunting camp or remote vacation cabin.  The power needed is gained by simply adding more solar panels or another wind turbine.

The solar panels may be mounted unobtrusively on the roof of the cabin or shelter to not only keep them out of sight, but to guard them from damage by animals or falling limbs.  The wind turbine may be mounted on a mast, either standing alone, or mounted on the roof of the cabin or shelter.  The newest model wind turbine generators are made to be much quieter than those manufactured in the past.  This is go od for the ambience of isolation, which is the point, isn’t it?

Setting up the wind turbine generator and solar panel array is not difficult at all for the novice as everything is easily explained in the directions which comes with most solar panel kits.  By connecting the solar panels together you can obtain the needed electrical power to run all of your lights, radios, cell phone chargers,  etc.

Maintenance and Repairs For Solar/Wind Power Systems

Depending on the particular solar and wind powered electrical system you choose, maintenance is usually a snap.  Other than regular cleaning of the solar panels to rid them of dust and debris which might affect their efficiency, solar panels are relatively maintenance free.  The battery storage bank does need to be checked regularly, but there are electronic battery monitors just for this purpose to tell you when a battery is not holding a full charge.

Wind turbine generators do have moving parts and will need to be checked on a regular basis.  If any parts or servicing is needed, the company should be able to supply them in a short period of time.  Most wind turbine companies pride themselves on fast turnarounds where parts and service is concerned.  They realize some customers may be without a full electrical power supply until their wind turbine is repaired.

Because of the efficiency and dependability of a properly installed solar/wind electrical power system, it should be the number one choice for isolated wilderness applications, as well as for those unexpected emergency power failures caused by any number of natural disasters occurring all around the world.  Check these fine systems out if you are considering an alternate electrical power source for your home or other alternative power needs.

Let’s dig a bit deeper…what is a fuel cell anyway? Fuel cells are little devices that rely upon chemical reactions to generate energy. They are considered cleaner, more affordable, and much more reliable than the so-called “traditional energy sources” like fossil fuels.

After many years of secrecy regarding their inventions and other developments Bloom Energy “spilled the beans” on a 60 minutes interview. On February 22, 2010 the company’s principal co-founder and CEO, Dr. KR Sridnar, appeared on-screen with Lesley Stahl and told the world what was “going on”.

The root of the technology behind the Bloom Energy Server owes at least some of its existence to the NASA Mars space program. Dr. Sridhar worked on this program and was responsible for building the required technology to help support life on Mars. To be more specific, he was to use a combination of solar energy and water to produce not only air to breathe, but fuel for transportation.

In a nutshell here’s what Sridhar’s invention does…it utilizes a clean electrochemical process (rather than dirty combustion) to convert air and a fuel source into electricity. Virtually any fuel source ranging from natural gas to a wide variety of biogases can be utilized. If the Bloom Energy Server is powered by a renewable fuel it can be 100% cleaner than a coal-fired power plant.

Are there any drawbacks to this new technology? Well, absent from the 60 minutes interview was any indication of how this technology might be utilized in the automotive industry and its pursuit of an efficient source of clean omissions.

Customers of the “Bloom Box” are some of the largest and most influential companies in America. Coca-Cola, eBay, Google, Staples and FedEx believe enough in this technology to become customers.

The current mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is a big supporter of the Bloom Technology. He recently said: “My first reaction was this was a company guaranteed for greatness,” said Bloomberg. “When we look at Bloom Energy we are looking at the future of business, at the future of the economy, at the future of America.”

These are exciting times with the advancement of new sources of energy being unveiled all the time. The Bloom Energy Server wants to be a part of this future.

- Wallace Kirby

It’s not tiny, that’s for sure. The Clarity, Honda’s zero-emission hydrogen powered car is pretty large, or rather long, for a Honda sedan. Not ridiculous Escalade-long, just long for a Honda. It needs to be because there has to be a place to store the fuel cells (in the trunk area).

The Clarity is constructed around a hydrogen fuel cell stack that produces electric power by creating an electrochemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. The only emissions are water, which certainly sounds good to all the polar bears out there, I’m sure. The braking system generates energy that is stored in a lithium-ion battery (found under the back seat) that serves to supplement the power provided by the fuel cell stack. Because it’s all fuel cells and and batteries, this car is incredibly quiet and smooth.

The range on a tank of the gaseous hydrogen fuel is 280 miles (450 Km). Gaseous hydrogen is dispensed by the kilogram (note to Americans: DON”T FREAK OUT…the metric system makes MUCH more sense and you’ll figure it out in no time). The car gets 72 miles-per-kilogram (74 miles-per-gallon) which is a bloody big improvement over previous alternative energy cars.

Because hydrogen fuel isn’t exactly easy to find, the Clarity has only been released for real-world testing in Japan and Southern California, where hydrogen stations can be found. Honda is currently working on one day making Home Energy Stations available at home, in our garages. Could be cool.

Before you pshaw this alt-energy car, here this: the Clarity can hit 100 mph (and no, that’s not going downhill in San Francisco; it was on a track). The English car program Top Gear took it out for a drive and the usually cynical-as-hell hosts had to admit it was an excellent car. It’s no 911, but it’s the best alt-energy car they’d tested and said it was difficult to tell it even was one.

Honda has managed to produce a car that can actually work in the real world because they shaved hundreds of pounds off the fuel cells, improve the power-to-weight ratio by 120%, increase fuel efficiency by 20% and have a drivetrain that is 45% more compact compared to their previous fuel-cell vehicle. And they did all this while GM continued to crank out their ridiculous Suburbans and Yukons.

Honda plans to lease about 200 of the Claritys over the next two years to select customers in areas that have enough hydrogen fuel stations to support the number of cars on the road. Currently the lease cost ($600 per month) includes all maintenance and services (but not fuel) and is only available to drivers in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine. The cost of producing one of these Star Garnet Metallic-colored beauties is enormous, estimated to be about a million dollars each (though Honda won’t release any figures). The price will obviously go down as Honda accumulates more data through their controlled leasing program and is able to reduce costs. If you’re in Southern California, keep your eyes open for a Clarity, because you probably won’t hear it coming in all it’s stealth silence.