From The Workbench - Alternative + Renewable Energy Blog Valuable information for do-it-yourselfers interested in the latest in alternative + renewable energy

Hello and welcome back to the world of the working!  I hope and trust your Holiday was amazing and packed full of family, fun, food and more green living than you could shake a stick at.  We’re back to it, the work week and as such, I thought I’d kick things off with a new device that could do great things for this planet we reside on.

I just found an article about a new water device that many scientists think could be a very promising way to deliver clean, renewable energy all over the world!  That’s right my friends, clean energy all coming from existing waterways on this mostly-blue planet.  It’s all pretty darn scientific, so here’s what the article had to say about the jist of the device:

“a revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world,…The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs.   As water flows past, the cylinder creates vortices, which push and pull the cylinder up and down. The mechanical energy in the vibrations is then converted into electricity.”

I don’t know about you, but I like it!  The best news of all, however, is just how much more affordable it would be to produce.  According to scientists and research funded by the U.S. Government, “generating power in this way would potentially cost only around 3.5p per kilowatt hour, compared to about 4.5p for wind energy and between 10p and 31p for solar power. They say the technology would require up to 50 times less ocean acreage than wave power generation.”  Wow, sign me up.

How about they get this figured out, implemented and put into use as soon as possible, ok?  Ok.

Image by nathangibbs via Flickr

Talk about a strange way of using technology and energy to actually stay greener and more environmentally sound!  I just found a pretty awesome little method to help you, in all your day to day hustle and bustle, stay as green as humanly possible with minimal effort.  The best part about this new technique is that it blends seamlessly into an activity you do hundreds of times per day anyway…checking your cell phone.

That’s right, there is a new cell phone app on the block, the UbiGreen Cell Phone App that helps you, on a day to day, hour to hour basis, track your carbon footprint on this green and blue globe we call home.  The coolest part of this new app is just how easy it is to use!  According to the article, “new cell phone application developed by Intel and the University of Washington, senses whether you’re in a plane, train, or car to let you know exactly what your carbon footprint is.”  Wow.  No more guess work, no more hit and miss, this tells you exactly what your short drive to the supermarket, or overnight flight to Japan is actually doing to poor Mother Nature.  Sweet.

Now, the unfortunate bad news:  You’ll have to keep up your guess work and hit or miss for awhile; looks like this app might not see the light of day for about another year.  Blah.  At any rate, this is one I will be anxiously awaiting.  The fact that it uses a built-in accelerometer to track exactly how much you’re moving is just beyond cool, and beyond helpful!

(Image: U of Washington)

Today my friends, is officially Solar Power’s day!  I love when Wednesday gives me great news, and this, is some of the best.  According to new reports, a concentrated solar company named SolFocus is preparing and prepping what will be, upon completion, the world’s largest concentrated solar deployment in the entire world!

The project, to be built in Spain for EMPE Solar, will be a multi-site installment that will end up costing an enormous $103 million dollars.  Once finished, the site will be a 10 MW, multi-site intstallment that should generate and provide massive amounts of solar energy.  What’s more, this site will be, as mentioned, a concentrated solar site, which basically means that, “SolFocus modules use mirrors and reflective optics to concentrate the sun’s rays 500 times onto a solar cell. As a result, the systems use 1/1000 the amount of photovoltaic material typically used in PV modules.” More power, less material.  Not too bad!

The project will not be finished until an estimated 2010 launch date, but all of us stuck Stateside shouldn’t worry, the same company is planning a very massive California installation sometime in the very near future.  Pretty soon, massive concentrated solar energy farms might be popping up everywhere!  In the meantime, you can still do your part, head over to Northern Tool and start shopping all of our amazing solar energy products!  The more we do, the more we help.  Why not start right now?

Image via Wikipedia

I don’t know about you, but one of the worst days of EVERY month for me, is the day the power bill shows up.  It’s the same song and dance each month, I see the envelope in the box, I sigh, dread opening it and reluctantly make my way inside.  It’s that first glance each time that kills me, seeing the HUGE amount of money I owe just for powering my life.  Each month I wonder:  What can I do about this…how can I cut back?!

The good news is, there IS something I can do, and there is something we can ALL do.  How excited would you be if I told you that its possible to cut your home energy bills by 80% using wind and solar power.  80%.  How about instead of paying $100/month, you could pay $20.  Wow.  The article I just found has some very simple ideas that for not very much money, you can start outfitting your home with solar and wind power.  How about a special solar power system for under $200?  How about a wind turbine system that shouldn’t cost you more than about $100?

While I can not guarantee these ideas or plans will work half as well as a professionally installed system, I suppose it’s worth a try to do-it-yourself at home first, and if it doesn’t work, reevaluate and go from there.  The upfront costs of solar and wind power can sometimes scare people off entirely, but the long term benefits are always going to be there.  Cutting anywhere from 80-100% of your energy bill, or heck, there are even some people where the power company has to pay THEM back because of the excesses they are creating.  Believe it, and get on board.

With global warming comes more sun.  With more sun comes more heat.  With more heat comes the need for more air conditioning, which in turn causes more global warming.  Vicious cycle.  Guess what, with all that extra sun, ALSO comes more opportunities to HARNESS its power, and use clean technology more efficiently.  Northern Tool knows this, and as such has a great deal of amazing solar power products.

The thing many of us might NOT know, however, is that clean tech like solar energy goes a lot further beyond simple solar panels.  I just found an “enlightening” (pun intended) article that highlights the ins, the outs, and the in betweens of solar energy.

It is simple enough to say that anything that is energized BY the sun are solar powered, and now you can find out all the different ways that is possible.  Here are a few:

1. Solar Thermal
2. Photovoltaics
3. Silicon
4. Thin Film
5. Solar Dyes
6. Radical Solar Technologies

Head over and read up, you might just learn something that will spark a change in yourself.  Then, go out and enjoy the sun this weekend yourself!

Man, I’m moving to England.  Get this for an AWESOME incentive and plan to help out some of the less fortunate people of the country:  Energy incentives in the form of CASH to help encourage and spread the use of alternative energy methods like wind turbines, solar panels, and air and ground source heat pumps.

The BBC mentioned that almost 1 million people are living in what is known as “fuel poverty” in England.  The hopes are, and these are hopes that I truly believe could work here, that the spread of alternative energy methods might not only help people cut costs when it comes to heating and electricity, but also help the environment and the taxation of it by using conventional fuels.

Bottom line, this is an amazing, important way to take a first large step into energy conservation.  By making it easier for people to access things like this, the widespread adoption might soon fall into place.