Solar Energy at Night !!

If you've ever bought carbon offsets, you may have noticed that the most or all of the purchase price goes toward wind energy, not solar. In the world of large-scale alternative energy, wind reigns supreme, mostly because it's cheaper. But a recent development in solar-energy production could make solar power a far more viable option.

In most cases, the sun's energy is converted into electricity in one of two ways: using photovoltaic cells, which turn the sun's light into electricity using a semiconductor material that absorbs photons and releases electrons; or using solar-thermal turbines, which use the sun's heat to generate steam, which then spins a turbine to produce electricity. It's the solar-thermal power plant that is poised for a big change.

Canada to add 1.2GW of wind in 2012 in 20% growth rate

The contribution of wind power to Canada’s electricity supply is expected to grow by almost 20 per cent in 2012.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) expects new turbines to add almost 1.2GW of clean energy to the grid’s capability this year.

This marks the second consecutive year with more than 1GW of new installed capacity.
CanWEA’s analysis suggests that every 1GW that is added stimulates investment worth C$2.5bn ($2.5bn), creates a combined 10,500 years of employment and provides power for around 300,000 homes.

A Village In Assam Uses Solar Power To Run PCs!

Residents of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district of Assam boast that they never witness any power cuts like big cities and towns as solar energy power their households. 

Source: EFY Magazine

A farmer named Ainul Hussain has bought a computer for his son in a remote tiny village-island of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district, which has a population of around 1,500. Officially, there is no electricity in the region but villagers have taken a step to uplift their standard of living by introducing solar panels in their households.

"We have to be careful with its usage, because it needs a lot of energy to run. My son operates it and it is for him that I bought it," he said. "These panels are available in Nalbari, but I bought mine from Guwahati. I had to shell out about Rs 10,000, which is a large amount for a simple man like me, but our quality of life has improved. So it's all worth it," explained Hussain in an IANS report.

US DoC On Solar PV AD And CVD Rulings

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations of imports of solar cells from China.

Solar cells are produced from ultra-refined polysilicon and are the building blocks of solar photovoltaic power-generation systems, which convert the energy of sunlight directly into electricity.
Commerce determined that Chinese producers/exporters have sold solar cells in the United States at dumping margins ranging from 18.32 to 249.96 per cent. Commerce also determined that Chinese producers/exporters have received countervailable subsidies of 14.78 to 15.97 per cent.

The Findings of DoC:
* On October 10, 2012, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules (solar cells) from the People's Republic of China (China).

Home Solar Power

The introduction of a home solar power system can provide a significant level of free, clean and renewable electricity for members of your household. Not only can these systems provide electricity but they can also help to heat your hot water supply which can result in lower energy bills.

If you're interested in reducing your carbon footprint whilst contributing to a cleaner environment then you may already be considering the installation of a renewable energy system to your home. Solar power is often the renewable energy of choice for homeowners across the world due to its general affordability and reliability.

Vision For PV Manufacturing In US

USA: Beyond policy and financial constraints of today, this session on PV manufacturing at the recently held Intersolar America 2012 revealed the shape of the future industry structure, from manufacturing to energy production, where value and performance will become the new paradigm.

US strengths to encourage solar manufacturing
Speaking on PV Manufacturing in the US: Leveraging US strengths will encourage domestic solar manufacturing, Eric Peeters, Business VP, Dow Corning Solar Solutions said that the global PV challenge includes driving down the cost of solar. Three key opportunities for cost reduction will drive future investment in solar. These are: module and cell efficiency, operational excellence/economy of scale and balance of systems innovation.

The United States is well positioned to help with these challenges. In terms of efficiency, the US is home to many materials equipment R&D. Gains are essential to a sustainable growing industry. New technologies, materials and equipment are now required.

Small Wind Turbines

Before purchasing small wind turbines for your home or business, you should consider the surrounding environment of the placement location, and if it meets the requirements for a wind turbine installation to be cost effective and efficient.
Wind speeds vary a great deal, depending on your surroundings. For example, if you live in an estate (collection of compact houses), the power from the wind is usually weaker than in the middle of a field in the countryside.

If you live in the countryside, and are surrounded by many fields and open spaces, then the average wind speed approaching your home may be more powerful than inner town or city locations.

Another factor to consider is the way the land around you lies.

Wind Energy Facts

There are many different wind energy facts relating to the use of this renewable energy source.
Wind energy is fast becoming a more popular choice for many large scale renewable energy designs and construction.
A well known wind energy fact lies within the opposition usually met from a proposed wind farm development and this is down to the "NIMBY" factor (not in my backyard).
Most people would like the idea of a wind farm proposal to provide clean, cheap electricity from wind energy, yet how many of these people would like a wind farm close to their home?

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Wind Energy

There are a range of advantages and disadvantages of wind energy to look at, including the many problems associated with wind turbines.

In this day and age, the world needs to look at the different natural energy sources available to us. Global warming could be due our energy craving lifestyle, so we should look into more environmentally friendly energy sources.

How To Transform Wind Into Energy

There are many ways in which transforming wind into energy can be beneficial, as wind is used for a variety of purposes and activities.
We shall now explore a range of wind energy factors, including how wind can be fun and how to use this wind to your own advantage.
Wind energy has existed since life on our planet began, it is currently used in recreation and industry.
It is believe that the Egyptians were the first to successfully harness wind and turn it into energy, and achieved this through the use of sails. This is still used today, however mainly within the yacht industry.

Wind Turbines At Sea

For many years, wind turbines at sea have been producing significant quantities of electricity for a large range of countries across the globe.
With the construction of on-shore wind turbines on the rise, should we be looking into the construction of more off-shore wind farms?
Coastal wind energy is usually much more reliable and of a greater force than in land wind energy.

This coastal energy is far greater due to the open spaces the wind is able to use. The sea is flat, until you come to land, this gives wind energy a large open, clear path, where it can gain energy before hitting a land mass.

Wind Turbines Impact On The Surrounding Environment

There are many issues relating to a wind turbines impact on the surrounding environment, and these contribute to the significant level of disadvantages of wind turbines.

This article discusses some of the impacts wind turbines place upon the environment, and the disadvantages of producing this type of natural electricity.

Noise Pollution

The most noticeable impact a wind turbine places upon the environment is noise pollution.
Many people think wind turbines are a great idea, yet a large proportion of these people would oppose a wind farm development close to their home.
This is down to the noise, and many people compare the sound output of a wind turbine to a small jet engine.

How Do Wind Turbines Work

This article covers the topic of how wind turbines work, in order to provide a basic understanding on the process of electricity production from the wind.
Firstly, it is important to understand the design of the two main types of wind turbines available today.
It is significant to ask this question as the two main types of wind turbines are horizontal and vertical, and these designs use the wind in slightly different ways regarding the wind energy harnessing process.

Wind Powered Energy

Many countries have seen an increase in the number of wind powered energy appliances aimed to produce low-cost, renewable electricity for more and more people.
A wind turbine works by harnessing energy from the wind and turning this into power.
The main advantage of using wind turbines to generate more of our electricity is down to the fact that wind energy is a totally renewable and clean method for generating electricity.

Wind Energy India

You may not associate wind energy in India as a viable renewable energy source, yet some energy consulting services will support the use of wind power in India. During 2001, India produced around 1000 MW of wind energy making it the third largest user of wind energy in the world. India trails just behind Europe and the United States for the lead in renewable energy production from the winds energy source.


For India, renewable energy production such as wind power, plays a huge role in supporting future generations and providing them with a source of clean, low cost electricity. The use of wind turbines globally is on the increase, yet some criticism in areas such as Britain is associated to the placement of some wind farms.

What Is Solar Power?

People who are starting to learn about solar energy and how we can harness and utilise this renewable energy source may ask themselves the question of what is solar power? This article aims to provide easy to understand information covering the topic of what solar power is.......

Solar Power Battery Chargers

You may not realize just how useful and convenient solar power battery chargers actually are.

A solar power charger is able to charge a battery (or number of) in order to store electricity as a solar energy supply for use when you need the power.
Before solar battery chargers came along, solar power was only useful during daylight hours.
Remember solar calculators? The earlier models were only efficient during bright periods, and no power could be stored to use the calculator during dark periods.

Deforestation: A dirty business

If you thought that illegal logging and forest clearing was mainly carried out by poor farmers and land squatters who simply can’t afford to obey the law, well then you've been misled. Like most big problems, corruption and big money are to blame.

Pros & Cons of Solar Energy

Below is an in depth list of the pros and cons of solar energy.
These pros and cons will cover areas such as solar energy for the home, and the industrial use of solar power.

Solar Energy Pros:

• Solar panels give off no pollution, the only pollution produced as a result of solar panels is the manufacturing of these devices in factories, transportation of the goods, and installation.
• The production of energy from the use of fossil and some renewable fuels (e.g. wind turbines) can be noisy, yet solar energy produces electricity very quietly.
• One of the great pros of solar energy is the ability to harness electricity in remote locations that are not linked to a national grid. A prime example of this is in space, where satellites are powered by high efficiency solar cells.

The myth of renewable energy

Renewable energy is natural energy which does not have a limited supply. Renewable energy can be used again and again, and will never run out.

In other words, solar and wind energy is supposed to be the magic pudding of energy.
But if you want to create renewable energy, you need a huge amount of solar panels and wind turbines. By one count, Germany will need 111,000 100-meter wind turbines to replace the nuclear power plants that it has decided to phase out. Even if we ignore the carbon dioxide created in building these turbines, this will have zero net savings in carbon dioxide emissions once they are in place. And of course, unlike the nuclear power plants, the turbines will produce no electricity when the wind is not blowing.

FOOD POLLUTION_what's it?

Food pollution means the presence in food or associated with food of toxic chemicals (elements or compounds) and/or biological contaminants which are not naturally present in food or are above their natural background levels (for those chemicals which are naturally found in some foods). This may affect each of us by causing mild to severe food-illnesses or, even worse, contributing or causing the development of serious health problems such as hormonal and metabolism problems, or even various types of cancer. Nervous system problems may also be induced by food polluted with certain pesticides. Additionally, in rare cases when highly polluted food is consumed, serious food poisoning or death may occur almost immediately. In average, more than 70 million cases of food-borne illnesses occur in U.S. every year resulting in approx. 5,000 deaths per year!