Bio fuels - Are they good?

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As the term suggests, bio-fuels are fuels that are formed when biological matter decomposes. The bio-fuels are mostly derived from plants. Bio-fuels exist in all the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

Difference between bio-fuels and fossil fuels
Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways:

• Fossil fuels take a million years to build whereas bio-fuels can be made extremely fast, in a matter of days.
• Fossil fuels generate huge amounts of pollution. Bio-fuels are comparatively safer.
• Bio-fuels are renewable sources of energy unlike fossil fuels.

Different types of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels have been categorized into four types: first generation, second generation, third generation, and fourth generation.

The first generation bio-fuels are derived from vegetable fats, starch, and sugar, which are in turn derived from food-crops. The first generation fuels are also derived from animal fats. Biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil are some examples of this type of bio-fuels.

The second generation of bio-fuels is mainly derived from waste biomass, thus making it a more balanced option compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. Different kinds of alcohols and diesel generated from wood fall into the category of second generation bio-fuels.

The third generation comprises of bio-fuels derived from algae. Algae are farmed on large scales for creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are extremely environment-friendly as they can easily decompose into the soil without harming it.

The bio-fuels in the fourth generation are derived by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel. 

Advantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways:

• Bio-fuels lessen the burden on gradually-vanishing fossil fuels.
• Bio-fuels are environment-friendly. They help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
• Bio-fuels, especially, bio-diesel prove to be very cost-effective for consumers.

Disadvantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels are not bereft of criticism. Though beneficial for the environment, bio-fuels have its disadvantages, paradoxically in the environmental purview. Bio-fuels have received criticism for many reasons, a couple of which are stated below:

• Economists have long debated on the usefulness of first generation bio-fuels when compared to the lack of food they cause. Generating fuel from food crops makes food crops unworthy of human consumption. Some people believe that being a higher priority than fuel, food should not be farmed for making fuels but for human consumption.
• Making bio-fuels require acres of farming land, thus encroaching upon the natural habitat of plants and animals.

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Reduce energy usage

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The most difficult day of every month is when time comes to pay bills and mostly the enormous electricity bills that we get. It’s high time and we need to take serious measures to reduce the power bill. Do not worry. We will share some key tips and will make you reach your goal.

Make sure to discuss with family member about the importance of saving electricity. You can reward them a treat if their participation has led to savings. Suggest them some tips like switching of the lights when they are not present there and attending a call in another room or having dinner at the dining table. Make sure to switch off all the appliances even if you are sure to be back in five minutes. Yes, that will help a lot. Every drop of water makes an ocean.

We may prefer to switch off the television set or turn off the fan, but not the tube light. We need light at the time of night but see that the usage is required in all the rooms or not. Taking care of such these small precautions will surely leads us to savings in the long run by reducing the bills of the power demon.

One should plan to invest smartly on power. Replace all the incandescent bulbs present in the house with compact fluorescent light or those CFL bulbs. These bulbs consume less electricity as they consume less power.

Buy the energy saver gadgets that are available in the market. Such gadgets will monitor the intake of the entire power supply in your house and makes you take decision on how to control the usage.

Most of us assume on the fact that the rise in electricity bill is due to the vast number of electrical items present at home. But the truth is that the electricity bill is not directly connected or affected due to the number of gadgets, but by the way one uses them.

Take a step forward to avoid using those typical items regularly that consumes lot of power -

• The washing machine should be used only when there is a bucket full of clothes.
• The geyser should not be kept on for maximum amount of time.
• The air-conditioner should be kept at minimum high or low temperature.
• Take note to switch off the computer monitor when not in use. It consumes maximum power and it just takes a second to switch it again.

Lastly we suggest that for reducing the electricity bill by taking benefit of reading the energy saving guide like Earth4Energy that has some of the best solutions to generate energy at home and providing free electricity to some of your home appliances. In this way we can save power that is facing a huge shortage because of the large demand in the global countries. Try to reduce the requirement of those electrical wires and sockets for home and use the renewable energy extracted from natural resources like wind, sun, tides at a lesser price but having a long term returns.

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Using Wind Turbines to Power Your Home

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The first thing to look at, before you ever consider converting to wind power, is the area where you live. A windmill solution obviously requires wind. More specifically you want wind speeds that exceed 8MPH on average. Even 8MPH is considered a low-wind-speed area for wind turbines. 12MPH average is ideal.

To start, take the time to look at the wind speed charts that fit your area:

 If You Live in the USA:  http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/wndspd.txt

If You Live in Canada: http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/CN/WindSpeed.html

If You Live in the UK or Europe: http://www.xcweather.co.uk            

If you live in Australia: http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/AU/WindSpeed.html

Assuming that the average wind speed in your area is above 8MPH, then continue on to the other considerations listed below. If you don’t live in a suitable area, then you should consider a solar power conversion instead.

Convert Your Home Today:
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Wind Turbine Considerations
Once you’ve determined that wind power is suitable for your area there are a few other things you need to consider.  Really this is just about asking some questions and then answering them. Taking the time to do so will ensure you choose a wind power system that fits. Especially if you are planning to live off the grid, you should take the time to answer these questions before you start.

Your Power Needs

The first thing that needs to be considered is your power needs. Are you simply looking to reduce your power bill with a single small windmill? Or, will you want to power your entire home?
If you’re looking to power your whole home, you should take the time to calculate your actual power requirements. If you take the time to download Earth 4 Energy, their guide comes with a calculator and instructions on how to do this (you’ll need this guide anyway).

Storing Power from Wind Turbines
From the answer to your first question you then need to consider building a storage system for your wind turbine. A simple array of batteries can be designed to store as little or as much power as needed.

If you’re only building a small wind power solution to reduce your power bills then this is likely less of a concern.

On the other hand if you’re looking to live off the grid, you will need to consider energy storage. You should use your calculation for your power needs to design this part of your system. Take into consideration how much power you will need to store and for how long.

If you have weeks where there is less wind than usual, ensure that you have a large enough battery array to compensate (or better yet work to reduce you energy needs by using high efficiency bulbs and appliances).

Having a Backup Plan
Finally, for those who plan to live entirely off the grid, you should consider your backup plan. For most of us consistent power is a requirement. Ensure that you design your wind turbine solution with a backup plan. Generally a small gas generator is enough to ensure you have power if something goes wrong.

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Windmill Blades – Make them or Buy Them?

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So you’ve decided to build your own windmill. Possibly you took the right steps and purchased one of the top guides that teach the subject. Or maybe you’re more daring and trying to do it without professionally written instruction. In either case one area where many people get stuck is when it comes time to create their windmill blades.

Really when you get to this step you have two separate options:

   1. Build them yourself – Obviously this is the least expensive route
   2. Buy Premade Windmill Blades – Costs more but is a lot less work

From that I wanted to take some time to talk about the advantages/disadvantages of going either way. In reality if you put a value to your time, by the time you finish building the wind turbine blades yourself, the cost is close to equal. On the other hand, if you’re cheap like me, it might be that you’d rather do it yourself and save the money. In either case there are advantages to going either way.

Buying Your Windmill Blades

First let’s cover the advantages of buying your blades. In this case they are really quite obvious.

   1. The blades are professionally made
   2. More varieties of materials you can buy your blades in
   3. Less concern about getting the correct shape to catch the wind.

Of course there are also disadvantages to buying windmill blades instead of making them yourself. First, it becomes more difficult to tailor your blades to the generator you selected/created for your DIY windmill. And then, of course, there is the cost involved.
Machined blades can run you as much as $1,000 or more. To offset that cost, you may want to check eBay. Often you can find premade blades there, in diameters of 4’ to 6’, for around $100.
Making Your Own Windmill Blades

While there are advantages to buying your windmill blades, there are also some big advantages to building them yourself.

   1. The blades are created with your actual windmill design in mind.
   2. You save your money, and your home power system will cost less.
   3. You get to choose the style of turbine blade to fit your area. Especially in low wind speed areas, this is important.
   4. You get the satisfaction of telling everyone – you did it!

If you do choose to build your own windmill blades, I suggest you take the time to learn about the top three wind power conversion guides. With our top pick specifically, they recently added a video that teaches that exact topic.
In any case, be sure to take the time to design your blades to fit your application. Taking the time to do so will ensure your wind mill operates trouble-free for years to come!

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Alternative Renewable Energy Source

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This energy source is the most famous technique from our days. There is a new enthusiasm over an incomplete battle with radiant Nicola Tesla's energy. This radiant energy is a brand new competitor in this commerce that is actually on the rise. In this article we are going to evaluate if this radiant energy is capable to generate sufficient electricity for our energy supplies. 

We are going to discuss also about how we can tap this radiant energy and how will this power up our homes. Why is this energy source so important and how does it vary from solar and wind force? Here is the answer for this question. This solar energy production is done through a collection of solar panel cells that will convert the sunlight into electrical energy.

Wind force is produced from the power of the wind that will rotate the turbine generator blades or a wind rotor generator. Radiant energy obtains its force from electromagnetic waves. This wave is actually undetectable in the naked eye. It is as well recognized as energy from the space. These electromagnetic waves are most of the times all around us. 

This energy could come up from the sun's emissions or from the soil. At present, there are many homes making use of the solar power to generate the electricity, as well as that technology develops, the prices reduce & use as well as approaches to the alternative energy sources (like implementing solar energy plans in new and current build), will become realistic option for the people who would like to save some money, decrease carbon emissions & use clean green source of the power.

One more choice energy source that comes from the wind energy that is as well increasingly to be used by people that are worried about decline in the fossil fuels as well as rise in the domestic utility bills. Currently there is increased demand for installation of the wind energy systems to give greener, and cleaner living. Contrary to the famous belief, and wind doesn’t need to constantly blow for power homes with the wind energy. Like with the solar energy, huge benefit of the wind power is wind is clean, green as well as you may make that in your back garden. And out of all renewable energy resources that are accessible, wind power has best potential for development and growth.

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