Green Power Sources

On any given day, enough sun shines to provide solar energy that would power the globe for 27 years- if only there we enough solar panels. And solar energy is but one of the many forms of renewable energy available today. Wind turbines, geo-thermal power, local micro-hydro systems, and other alternative energy sources are available as well. You have choices- many choices- and depending on where you live, your budget, and your motivation, you can implement one or many of these choices.

In addition, by building green power projects in your own home, you will be moving away from a limited resource: fossil fuels. As I heard on a radio report recently, investing in fossil fuels would be like investing in a blacksmith in early 20^th century. Aside from the fact that fossil fuels are a limited resource, we simply have better ways to make power. Regardless of how you feel about the politics of energy, the future simply does not lie with fossil fuels- it lies with renewable energy.

So let’s say you want to jump on the renewable energy bandwagon. Where would you like to get your power? As mentioned, solar power is one of the most efficient sources of renewable energy. Even on cloudy days, some sun shines through. Furthermore, passive solar systems and solar water heaters can be created to reduce your energy use and bills.

Currently, around 200,000 homes use solar power to create electricity. Furthermore, the technology becomes more affordable every day and government subsidies in North America (perhaps other countries, but I live in North America) make creating solar power in your own more and more attainable.

On the surface, wind energy may seem even more difficult to create. After all, when we think of wind mills, we think of giant metal structures created by cutting edge engineers built on very tall towers, often in remote locations. However, it need not be like this. Wind power was first generating electricity in 1890 and you can bet it wasn’t on large off-shore platforms holding enormous wind turbines. As the market for wind energy grows, creators of wind turbines have innovated, building smaller and more accessible wind generators.

People are building wind generators all over the world. Some, who live in remote locations, are using wind power to create energy for their homes. However, innovations in wind turbine technology are leading to more and more wind turbines being built in urban areas as well. They vary in efficiency, but all create some power. The cost is remarkably low considering the benefits. Small wind turbines typically generate around 20 kilowatts of energy (obviously depending on where it is implemented and the specific turbine)- enough to power most US households.

Other forms of power, such as geothermal energy, micro-hydro power, and other innovations will be detailed in their own sections. Solar panels and wind turbines will, for the time being, remain the green energy option of choice for most people.

People who are interested in using water to power electricity can take advantage of hydropower by placing hydropower generators in small back yard rivers and streams.