Use These Online Calculators to Lead a More Sustainable Life

Use These Online Calculators to Lead a More Sustainable Life

So you want to go green. But where do you start? Unless your sibling or significant other happens to be a green energy specialist or sustainable living expert, the path to true eco-friendliness and energy efficiency is difficult to take. Often times homeowners will simply spend money on perceived fixes because some TV talking head said so, while failing to address aspects of their lives that result in the most energy waste and ecological abuse. In fact, many people miss the easy fixes altogether due to obsessing over the big stuff.

While they won't replace the advice of a paid expert, free online calculators are great tools for getting you on the right track as far as greener living is concerned. Even just by bookmarking and using the following five calculators, you're sure to increase the likelihood of making changes that will equal real and noticeable results:

Green Homes Project Aims For 100% Solar Power

Green Homes Project Aims For 100% Solar Power

The solar panels SolarCity installs on SheaXero homes will generate clean, renewable energy that saves money and offsets electricity consumption. The homes will feature a suite of 11 energy-saving features, including energy-efficient Trane® HVAC systems, Jenn-Air® Energy Star® appliances, high-performance insulation and dual-pane, low-e windows.

“SheaXero homeowners can save thousands of dollars per year on energy costs,” said Rick Andreen, president of Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities. “Net-zero homes protect owners from the impact of electricity rate increases while safeguarding the environment for the next generation.”

Can Solar Be Competitive With Coal? New Study Examines

Can Solar Be Competitive With Coal? New Study Examines

The report, from researchers at MIT led by Tonio Buonassisi, a professor of mechanical engineering and manufacturing, identifies early-stage technologies that, if employed together, could reduce the cost of making solar panels to 52 cents per watt. Currently, the cost is over a dollar per watt. At 52 cents per watt, assuming similar cost reductions for installation and equipment such as inverters, solar power would cost six cents per kilowatt-hour in sunny areas of the U.S.—less than the average cost of electricity in the U.S. today. Solar power in sunny areas now costs roughly 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, although the cost can be sharply higher in small installations or in cloudy areas where solar installations generate less electricity.

The Growth Of Solar Power In Our World - Part 2

The Growth Of Solar Power In Our World - Part 2

Nobody expected the kind of price drops that we saw this year and by some calculations it’s as much as mid 30% drop. When I said exponential drops, I’m talking about somewhere in the 7 to 12, 13% range, but when you start saying numbers like 34%.

What some calculations show, we saw in 2011. It certainly moved the bar forward dramatically and I think for the futurists and the people that really want to think about the impact in the future, consider this. When we get to grid parity – let’s assume it’s worst case 2017. What that means is the cost of solar panels now is such that it can compete with natural gas out on the grid.

The Growth Of Solar Power In Our World

The Growth Of Solar Power In Our World

Let’s face it in earthly terms as well as in business terms the solar energy industry is in its infancy as a maturing market for supplying and allaying the need for other energy such as oil. It is barely walking yet. There are many who would like to belittle its growth and even discount the eventual contribution of solar energy to our needs as a nation and as a world.

Solar Power In Farming

Solar Power In Farming

It is important to choose a reputable solar panel installer if you decide to purchase a system. Ideally they would be a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association, where a member directory is available at SEIA to help you find installers and industry experts.

A trustworthy installer will give you honest advice on whether your farm is suitable for solar power, and the options available to you. An experienced installer will know how to design agricultural installations, and will be able to advise you on the size and cost of the installation required to generate enough electricity for your needs. Many companies will design ground mounted systems instead of roof installations, as farm roofs are likely to be too weak or old to support the weight of solar panels.

NO MORE SOLYNDRAS: GROUPS CALL ON DOE TO FORCE PUBLIC RELEASE OF DETAILS ON DELAYS AND 12 SECRET COST OVERRUNS AT VOGTLE REACTORS

NO MORE SOLYNDRAS: GROUPS CALL ON DOE TO FORCE PUBLIC RELEASE OF DETAILS ON DELAYS AND 12 SECRET COST OVERRUNS AT VOGTLE REACTORS

Southern Co. has already commenced construction activities at the Vogtle reactor site, with cost overruns already documented in a manner that should give pause to U.S. taxpayers on the hook for Solyndra-style federal loan guarantees. The Vogtle license would allow Southern to commence construction of the containment, reactor cooling systems, spent fuel storage pools, and other major nuclear plant components. The organizations charge that these major structures could change substantially if they are redesigned to take the lessons of the Fukushima accident into account, and therefore continued construction of the new Vogtle reactors could be wasting money and resources.

Solar Thermal Energy For Home Water Heating

Solar Thermal Energy For Home Water Heating

“Solar thermal utilizes the sun’s energy to create heat, so the operating price remains steady over time compared to conventional heat sources,” said Nigel Cotton, Solar Water Heating Global Leader of the International Copper Association (ICA) and founder of Solarthermalworld.org, a web portal for solar thermal professionals.

Own An Electric Vehicle?

Own An Electric Vehicle?

Do you own an (EV) Electric Vehicle? Well if you do then you are one of the leading edge drivers in a growing movement of cars that run only on electricity. Congratulations are in order. I think you should be saluted for it. The move the EV is growing as more and more car companies are rolling out EV models. NO longer confined to Japanese cars. Now we have American cars, German cars and more rolling out onto our highways using only electricity for fuel.

Nuclear Reactor Financing Deal To Raise Bills Before It Is Built?

Nuclear Reactor Financing Deal To Raise Bills Before It Is Built?

The Cooper report notes: “In the four states in the Southeast where funds are being collected from ratepayers under new advanced cost recovery for nuclear reactor construction in the Southeast, each individual nuclear reactor project costs $15 to $20 billion. Over $4 billion has already been approved for advanced cost recovery, yet it appears increasingly unlikely that the most of reactors will ever be built. Ratepayers will have paid billions but received nothing for their money. If reactor construction moves forward as proposed, almost $85 billion of construction costs will move into the utility rate-base causing rapid increases in typical consumer bills within a decade. Less costly, more consumer and environment friendly alternatives will be crowded out of the resource mix. “

Wind Turbines In Hurricanes?

Wind Turbines In Hurricanes?

Here is an interesting read from the NY Times about the impact of very high winds can have on wind turbines. As more and more turbines are installed and proposed for windy areas along coastlines where hurricanes and storms hit there is mounting concern that large storms can topple these wind power machines.

UCLA Researchers Achieve Higher Solar Cell Perfomance

UCLA Researchers Achieve Higher Solar Cell Perfomance

In the last few years, much work has been done to improve the efficiency with which these devices convert sunlight into power, including the development of new materials, device structures and processing techniques.

Home Fuel Cells For Power Generation

Home Fuel Cells For Power Generation

Fuel cells and fuel cell technology has been a big buzz now for the last couple years with lots of talk and plans for cars that run on them and so on. But it has seemed to be very much a thing of the future and not of today in terms of consumer use of fuel cells for power generation.

But along comes a company to my attention of late that seems to be proving that wrong. Clear Edge Power is advertising a hydrogen fuel cell power system for home and business use now, not next year or beyond.

Nation’s Oldest Family Mushroom Farm Goes Solar

Nation’s Oldest Family Mushroom Farm Goes Solar

“Keeping mushroom crops in a controlled environment requires a tremendous amount of electricity to maintain optimal growing conditions, and we thought it was a natural step to use solar power to shoulder some of that load,” said Marlboro Mushrooms’ Tom Brosius. “It is great to harvest the sun’s power and take advantage of a renewable resource. We anticipate it will generate 100% of our annual electric needs.”

Solar Thermal Tower Completed in NV Desert

Solar Thermal Tower Completed in NV Desert

“Completion of the solar power tower is a significant milestone not only for SolarReserve and our plant, but also for the solar energy industry as a whole. This project is on track to bring American innovation to fruition and is already creating jobs,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve. “Our U.S.-developed technology has the ability to store energy for 10-15 hours and solves the issue of intermittent power generation to the grid, the number one limitation to other solar and wind renewable energy technologies. We can deliver electricity ‘on demand’ the same way a coal, natural gas or nuclear fueled plant does – but without emitting any harmful pollution or hazardous materials – providing a genuine alternative to conventional power generation.”

Solar Power Homes In Florida

Solar Power Homes In Florida
Over the past few years, the state of Florida has asserted itself as one of the states in the forefront of sustainability. When it comes to alternative energy and homes however, the developers in Florida have been somewhat lacking. Early this year, developer KB Homes moved forward with what is expected to be the first set of new houses in Florida complete with solar energy panels as a regular feature in communities.

Nation’s Oldest Family Mushroom Farm Goes Solar

Nation’s Oldest Family Mushroom Farm Goes Solar

Mushrooms do not normally need much help from the sun, but nearly 5,000 solar panels have popped up alongside buildings that house white button mushrooms near West Grove, Pennsylvania. Marlboro Mushrooms, the oldest family mushroom farm in the country, has added a 1.13 Megawatt solar array to help offset energy costs.

What Do We Use Wind Power For?

What Do We Use Wind Power For?

The Pros And Cons Of Geothermal Energy

The Pros And Cons Of Geothermal Energy

ClearEdge Power Receives CSA Certification, Meets Demanding Industry FC-1 Standards

ClearEdge Power Receives CSA Certification, Meets Demanding Industry FC-1 Standards

Ten (10) Questions Before Buying Solar Panels

Ten (10) Questions Before Buying Solar Panels

With the focus on environment and saving energy worldwide, it is not surprising that solar panels are considered the biggest energy generating potential. Solar panels not only save money and the environment but have all the requisite benefits of natural gas and electricity.

Maintain the Protection for the Tongass National Forest

Maintain the Protection for the Tongass National Forest

Harvest Rain with Solar Power

Harvest Rain with Solar Power

Collecting rain water is a common sense solution, particularly when you want to use the recycled water for gardening, washing cars or getting some cleaning done in the yard. It is easy to collect a barrel full of rain water but you need to find a way of putting this water to efficient use.

Easing concerns about a catastrophic release of greenhouse gases

Easing concerns about a catastrophic release of greenhouse gases