Nonrenewable energy sources, mainly petroleum, coal and natural gas, pose many challenges for the global population, particularly because they are in short supply. As world’s finite supply of these sources becomes depleted, energy needs are rising. In societies where we use these fossil fuels for everything from transportation to cooking, it can be difficult to decrease the amount of energy we need.
The author’s examination of what and who is really behind Palmer Renewable Energy’s attempt to bring a biomass plant to western Massachusetts. Society should be examining the motives of those involved and the financial viability of the plant itself.
COP17: is this coalition of governments, international organizations, and civil society declaring war on climate change or is this like the contradictory policy that for 20 years has been unable to give a global response to climate change? The Durban Platform for Enhances Action gives us a thread of hope, but failure is just around the corner. The 194 nations participating in the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa forged a roadmap that will lead to the drafting of a future global agreement, to be ratified by 2020.
The discovery and first extractions of Shale Gas are dated back to the late 1800’s but it was eclipsed by larger conventional gas reservoirs and its cheaper extraction costs. With global natural gas reservoirs running low and technological advancements to Shale Gas extraction which made it cheaper and more profitable, the gas is now high on the agenda of many Governments around the globe.
There is no silver bullet for providing a country as large and topographically diverse as the U.S. with a single source of sustainable, clean energy, but it is worth our future and checkbook to examine our potential sources of energy. It must be: available, reasonably priced and not detrimental to the ecosystems that sustain our planet.
With the progression of technology, we have got several energy saving devices. They can help preserve and sustain environment. They can help our earth turn into a better living place.
Solar energy is a clean, renewable and widely untapped resource that is poised to become a part of the energy makeup of the future. It is also unregulated by government or corporate entities, which means that it is completely free to use–once you have installed the proper equipment, of course.
I sent a penguin to Durban, South Africa. Not a real one, just a cartoon via social media. It’s part of an effort launched by four Belgians to drum up international interest in the largely ignored Climate Summit. The penguins are the latest of a barrage of efforts to rein in pollution. And since little materialized from the 190-nation summit, expect more like it by increasingly disillusioned groups and individuals.
Wind Turbines appear in a variety of forms (the most common two being those that rotate around a horizontal axis (which are more older and common) or around a vertical axis). Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) incorporate the main rotor shaft and an electrical generator at the top of the tower and must be pointed into the wind.
There’s a relatively new and exciting type of solar panels which are known as a “thin film solar panels”. There are several types of PV panels that fall into this category but the most interesting aspect of these devices is that manufacturers are now actually able to “print” solar panels!
