Green Energy Is Here And Now – Are You Doing Your Part?

Green energy is no longer a thing of the future.  Green energy is here and now, and you should know what it means and how to make use of it.  Not only will green energy save you a ton of money when used correctly, but it will also have an impact on the saving of our planet.  With that in mind, how can you say no to green energy?

Solar energy

Solar energy is using the sun as an energy source.  Solar energy has been around for many years and you may already be using it in some aspect.  Many people use solar energy in their landscaping and outdoor lighting.  If your outdoor lights don’t need to be plugged into an electrical outlet and automatically turn themselves on when it gets dark, then they are using solar energy.

The same concept that powers outdoor lighting using energy from the sun can be used to power your entire home.  This is done by installing solar panels in the roof of your house.  These panels will then connect to your home’s power source and everything that uses electricity will be using the solar power instead of the power supplied by your electric company.  Solar panels can be expensive to install but look for government grants before you spend your own money, this can cut down on the cost.  Most people who install solar panels as an energy source for their entire homes make their money back within five years or so by not having to pay an electric bill.

Wind energy

Wind energy works much like solar energy, except that it uses the wind to generate a power source for your home.  Wind power is created by turbines, or windmills, that generate power as they are turned by the wind.  A large enough wind turbine, in the right conditions, can generate enough power to take care of all of your energy needs.

Water energy

Water energy is a wonderful source of energy if you live near a running stream or creek.  It works just like wind energy except the running water turns your mill instead of the wind.  Water energy has been used on farms for many, many years in outlying areas that were late to get power from the electric companies.

Giving and getting back

You can use one or all of these sources of green energy to power your home and help to save the planet.  You already know that you are giving resources to the environment by not using up so much of the electric company’s power source.  But did you know that you can also get back from the electric company by using green energy to power your home?  You will have to check your local laws, and with your electric company, but in many places if you generate more energy than you use the electric company has to buy that extra energy from you.  Yes, you read that right, the electric company could actually pay you a monthly electric bill for the remainder of the years that you own your green home.

The Trouble With Electric Cars

Electric transportation has been around since the early 1800’s, but of course not in the form that we consider a car today.  Electric cars, also called electric vehicles, are zero emissions vehicles that produce none of the greenhouse gasses and emissions that a gasoline powered vehicle produces.  They are so good for the environment that the state of California actually tried to pass a bill which would set consumer quotas for owning and driving electric cars.  This bill was shot down by lobbyists for the motor companies and oil companies.

Today electric cars are being sold, but at a price that makes them unattainable to most people.  An affordable electric car can be had in the United States, but their range between battery charges top out at 110 miles, which is double the range of most of the affordable electric cars sold in America.  The more expensive electric cars being sold for $100,000 to $400,000 will take you about 200 miles between charges.

The problem with the popularity and sales of electric cars could be that there are few public places in which to charge the battery.  Very few states have strived to make accommodations for drivers of electric and hybrid cars.  For example, in California many shopping mall and grocery store parking lots have outlets on light posts in the parking lots so that people can plug their cars in while they shop.

Maybe if more states would make these kinds of accommodations, more people would opt for electric cars.  At this point it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a family to travel across the country by car on vacation if they have an electric car unless they tow a generator along behind them.  Of course, even at the maximum of 200 miles between charges, it still wouldn’t be feasible even with a generator.

While electric cars do save on greenhouse emissions, how much do they actually save on the total carbon footprint?  How much electricity needs to be generated in order to charge an electric car?  Could the increasing costs of electricity be another reason why electric cars haven’t caught on?  Perhaps someone is working on a solar powered electric car.