Fuel Ez

A few arguments why sun electric power beats fossil fuels

For years, solar energy was basically a form of energy source that a majority of men and women couldn’t think about as a significant electricity option for their household. Classic fuels took over the power market. Despite the fact that the vast majority of electricity these days is still via classic fuels, more and more people are utilizing solar electricity to power their properties. Why do people today choose solar power? Well, there are several decent main reasons why homeowners decide on to use solar energy instead of fossil fuels.

One reason people prefer to use solar energy to power their house is that it is actually Totally Free of charge! Without a doubt, if you didn’t know, the sun does not charge a monthly fee for us to suck up the energy manufactured by its heat. Coal and gas energy plants send a charge to your home each and every month, however you will never receive a monthly bill for applying solar power.

The second reason individuals choose to use solar technology rather than coal or natural gas is because it has exclusively good effects on the planet. With solar energy, there aren’t any hazardous unwanted gas introduced into the environment, absolutely no natural settings harvested and damaged, and no enormous carbon footprints left on the planet (these are only some of the negative effects brought on by the production of fossil fuels, which have been occurring for over a century). There is nothing like powering your house with 100% clean and safe solar power that you can be confident is not harming anyone.

A third and final reason why folks choose to use solar energy, is really because a solar energy system can be developed in a home for relatively cheap. You actually can build your own solar panels. Bet you didn’t imagine that! Indeed, it’s feasible for regular Joe to create his very own solar panels for less than 0, install them himself, and then watch his energy bill get smaller and smaller each month. You will find step by step manuals that take you step-by-step through the whole method. I suggest getting one of several DIY Green Energy guides and getting started on your own solar power venture today!

The End of Fossil Fuels: Back to the Pack Horse, or is There Another Way?

One alternative, hydrogen (see authors article Hydrogen – Fuel of the Future, or Just a Spark in the Dark?) , has gained some stock reasons for its failure to gain support and acceptance.

1. No distribution network.

2. Fear of explosion.

When the automotive industry was active in testing this fuel, tests were similarly carried out with liquid petroleum gas (LPG). This fuel also had no bulk distribution network and was also more volatile than petrol. For safe handling both hydrogen and LPG require a robust fuel tank. In Europe LPG gained acceptance and promotion and is now widely available, hydrogen didn’t.

Interestingly, LPG is produced by the same companies that produce petrol and diesel as it is a by-product of that process. More interestingly LPG is produced from the same raw product as petrol. This comes from the same oil fields as petrol. Hydrogen does not come from oil fields.

More recently bio-diesel was extensively prototyped and tested. Again it failed to lift off in a marketing sense.

Bio-fuel is produced from green mass, grown in farm fields and not pumped from oil fields.

Alternative fuels are inherently more expensive than fossil derived fuels. Apparent price parity with petrol/diesel only comes about because the cost of fossil derived fuel is maintained at a high value through supply control of the raw material and taxation on derivative sales. This could be seen as a global attempt at triple bottom line accounting as while oil and gas are relatively cheap to mine, the oil field to petrol pump costs take no account of the millions of years it took the earth to lay down the deposits.

Yet even in countries where petrol and diesel prices are the highest, consumption continues to rise. An indicator, perhaps, that more expensive alternative fuels will not find themselves priced beyond the market.

Marketing and market timing are the key factors here. If and when the world does run out of fossil fuels there will be many alternatives to choose from. The current stalemate is that the producers of raw fossil fuels (countries not companies) cannot withstand the effect that a mass movement away from this resource would create.

This is a very general summary of a very complex world situation, also it does not take account of the environmental issue that surround it, but you can rest assured that, given a gradual process of development, the world’s wheels will not stop turning for want of petrol.

It would seem then that the dichotomy is that though millions will be adversely affected by global warming, if the world were to make the major step of ditching the use of fossil fuel consumption in favour of an alternative, that switch would also adversely affect millions.

Catch 22.

© Copyright 2007

Find More Hydrogen Fuel Articles

Sources Of Energy – The Fossil Fuels

There are three basic forms of fossil fuel:

• Solid: coal and its products
• Liquid: oil and its products
• Gas: natural gas and liquified petroleum gas (LPG)

All fossil fuels are organic in origin and thus contain carbon to a greater or lesser degree. This means that there is no way of avoiding emitting CO: when we burn fossil fuels. However, there are considerable differences in the proportion of carbon in each of these different fuels and thus in the amount of CO, emitted. When we compare the burning of coal with the burning of oil or gas we arrive at a very interesting and relevant comparison. (It is assumed that coal is pure carbon, oil is represented by approximately one carbon atom to two hydrogen, and methane is CH4, a carbon-hydrogen ratio of 1 to 4):

• Coal/coke (carbon): C + 02 = C02
• Heating oil: C:H4 + 302 = 2C02 +2H20
• Gas (methane): CH4 + 202 = CO, + 2H20

If we compare the above chemical reactions we can see that the main product of combustion of coal is C02, whereas with both oil and gas, water (which is ecologically neutral) is produced as well, indicating a less polluting burn. In fact, as a rule of thumb, the higher the proportion of hydrogen (a high energy burner) in a fuel, the less harmful it is. The ultimate ecolog¬ical fuel is hydrogen (in which the only product of combustion is water); there is a growing lobby for its development linked to solar power. We thus have a range of fuels with carbon (coal) at one end and hydrogen at the other.

Solid fuels (coal and coke)
The use of coal presents us with another problem. Besides burning with the highest proportion of C02, coal burning can be polluting in other ways. The constituents of coal vary enormously from anthracite, which is around 94% pure carbon, to brown coal or lignite, which contains many other compounds including sulphur. Most of the coal in Britain lies somewhere between these two extremes. When burnt, not only C02 but also sulphur dioxide is produced; this combines with water to form sulphurous acid—the main cause of both smog and acid rain. In Britain, the clean air acts of the 1950s and 1960s, which introduced smokeless fuel zones, reduced the sulphur pollu¬tion in the big cities; but this pollution was transferred to the upper levels of the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere up to 18 kilometres) via the tall chimneys of coal-fired power stations and coking plants. From being a local problem of smog in large cities, it became the regional/global problem of acid rain.

Fewer and fewer people are now burning solid fuel in their houses, for reasons of dirt, smell, pollution, inefficiency, time and cost. This trend is likely to continue, and from an ecological point of view should not be discour¬aged. Burning coal in an open hearth, where 90% of the heat goes up the chimney, belongs to a bygone age. If, however, you are heating your house with one of the latest high-efficiency solid fuel boilers, you are doing less damage to the environment than if you used electricity for the same purpose.

Liquid fuel (oil and its derivatives)
In Britain, oil had its heyday as fuel for heating during the 50′s and 60′s; a combination of the discovery of North Sea gas and then the ’73 energy crisis put an end to its popularity. If we look at the chemical reaction, we can see that when oil is burnt approximately one molecule of water is produced for every carbon dioxide molecule. This points to oil being a better fuel to burn than coal in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. On average the sulphur content is also considerably less. This makes oil a more benign fuel than coal to burn in terms of acid rain and other pollutants; but we need also to take into account the other environmental costs of extrac¬tion and transportation. The main environmental cost is that of marine pollu-tion, which is a growing concern.

Liquefied petroleum gas (propane and butane)
LPG is a product of oil; it exists in two forms, propane (C3H«) and butane (C4H,(I). These are both members of the paraffin series of which methane is the first member and heating oil is about the sixteenth. Both have a carbon content closer to oil than to natural gas. Energy costs for its distribution are higher than for natural gas, and similar comments can be made about its polluting effects on the sea as with heating oil. The most interesting recent development in the use of LPGs is as a substitute for the chlorofluorocar-bons (CFCs) in refrigerators.

Natural gas (methane)
Methane is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels to burn as there are two mole¬cules of water produced for every one of carbon dioxide. It has very few-impurities and its cost in terms of extraction and distribution is only 7%, which makes it the most efficiently distributed of all the fossil fuels. This is because of the huge network of gas mains that crosses Britain. The efficiency of appliances that use natural gas can be of a very high order (condensing gas boilers can extract up to 95% of the available fuel heat in peak conditions). However there are also gas appliances with very low efficiencies, such as the mock coal fires with open fireplaces, where most of the heat goes straight up the chimney.

Natural gas is therefore the most ecological choice amongst fossil fuels, but we should treat it very sparingly as we may have little more than 30 years accessible reserves. However it could become a renewable source for the future: in China methane gas is commonly manufactured from agricultural biomass. We could do the same.

The other side of the coin is that methane is also an increasingly serious greenhouse gas: a thousand million tons is released into the atmosphere every year from rubbish tips and agriculture, contributing nearly 20% of global warming. If a higher proportion of this gas could only be collected and used before escaping into the atmosphere we would be solving two problems at once.

Solar Energy Alternative to Non-Renewable and Polluting Fossil Fuels

In today’s climate of growing energy needs and increasing environmental concern, alternatives to the use of non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels have to be investigated. One of such alternatives is solar energy. Solar energy is quite simply the energy produced directly by the Sun and collected elsewhere, normally the Earth. The sun creates its energy through a thermonuclear process that converts about 650,000,000 tons of hydrogen to helium every second. The process creates heat and electromagnetic radiation. The heat remains in the sun and is instrumental in maintaining the thermonuclear reaction. The electromagnetic radiation (including visible light, infra-red light, and ultra-violet radiation) streams out into space in all directions.

Only a very small fraction of the total radiation produced reaches the Earth. Much of the world’s required energy can be supplied directly by solar energy. More still can be provided indirectly. Among the renewable resources, only in solar power do we find the potential for an energy source capable of supplying more energy than is used.

Due to the nature of solar energy, two components are required to have a functional solar energy generator. These two components are a collector and storage unit. The collector simply collects the radiation that falls on it and converts a fraction of it to other form of energy (either electricity and heat or heat alone). The storage unit is required because of the non-constant nature of solar energy; at certain times only a very small amount of radiation will be received. At night or during heavy cloud cover, for example, the amount of energy produced by the collector will be quite small. The storage unit can hold the excess energy produced during the periods of maximum productivity, and release it when the productivity drops. In practice, a backup power supply is usually added too, for the situations when the amount of energy required is greater than both what is being produced and what is stored in the container.

More Renewable Fuels Articles

Making Biodiesel To Solve The Fossil Fuel Problem

Have you ever considered making biodiesel? Well now is the time to start considering it. Anyone who reads the papers knows that fossil fuels are hurting our environment. Increased emissions of greenhouse gases are polluting the atmosphere and creating the effect of global warming. The effects are already seen in rising temperatures, poor air quality, acid rain, and failing health.

An additional dilemma with fossil fuels is that the resources are becoming fast depleted. Although technically renewable, nature fills fossil fuel reserves at a very slow rate, and companies tap them very quickly. With the combined effect of fossil fuels being required, they are also bad for the environment and soon to be gone as the world is finding itself in an awful dilemma. Yet this dilemma may be solvable by making biodiesel fuel as an affordable and clean alternative.

In the past, we have attempted to solve the fossil fuel problem using a combination of two methods. The first method has been to encourage people to use less fuel through education. This is ineffective and unnecessary. Although some people may be excessive in their fuel consumption, our society’s dependence upon technology has created a system in which that consumption is necessary.

A second solution has been to increase the cost. Although rising prices are a side effect of increased demand and decreased supply, they also serve to limit the amount of fuel people can afford to consume. Unfortunately, this means the wealthy can still use just as much, while everyone else cannot. If everyone was making biodiesel, there would be no limit, allowing people to drive their vehicles to work and heat their homes in the winter easily.

It is bad enough that fossil fuels and the oil companies that peddle them should be polluting the water, air, and land. Now that those resources are almost gone, should society stand by paying exorbitant prices, waging wars to secure more resources, and denying people much needed comforts? Instead of limiting pollution and saving fossil fuel reserves at the expense of ethics and quality of life, people can have it all by making biodiesel fuel.

Although it may sound complicated, the production of this alternative fuel source is actually quite simple. All it takes is a desire to make the change, a little dedication, and the right information. Unfortunately, as with every new and alternative technology, there is plenty of false information and companies wanting to exploit consumers.

Anyone interested in saving themselves money while saving the environment should seek online information that is fact based and backed by a reputable website. When conducting your own research, start with http://www.ultimate-biodiesel-guide.com. This site not only offers a comprehensive manual, but also a complete site with additional resources, newsletter subscription, and a lot of free bonuses. In addition, the brilliant minds behind the site are always available to answer any questions or concerns about biodiesel fuel. They can be reached directly using the site’s interactive contact page.

Related Biodiesel Fuel Articles

Fuel Costs: Solar Energy Will Match Fossil Fuels

With the increasing development in technology and the increasing incentives offered to producers of renewable energy, there are now reports that solar energy will soon match fuel costs.

In the past, people do not even seriously consider shifting at least  part of their household to electricity-producing solar panels because of the high cost of equipment. Nowadays, specialists from different countries are developing cheaper and more portable equipment that could be easily be set up by electricians. There are even do it yourself kits available.

In recent reports, some countries may achieve “grip parity” or the time when the cost of shifting to solar energy will match fuel costs. In the long run, shifting to solar will be cheaper because you don’t need to pay anything but the maintenance of your solar panels and batteries.

Earlier estimates said it will happen in 2020 or later but there are new studies showing that there is a large chance that we will achieve “grid parity” in 2013. Production costs for solar panels will definitely fall, especially not that they are being commercially used. Once people realize that solar energy is cheaper than fuel, a snowballing effect would ensue, pushing production up and costs down.

Depending on the size, you may regain your investment after four to ten years. To add to that, you contribute to a cleaner and greener world instantly.

There is something called “peak oil” a phenomenon referring to the peak production of crude oil globally. It means that the world’s resources have reached its peak point of production and afterwards everything will go downhill. Peak oil, according to some, may be in 2013. Because of this, it may be predicted that there will be a greater rise in the interest of renewable energy sources like solar energy.

There are other countries where solar panels have already reached grid parity. Examples are in Spain and in California – the most economical in the United States in the solar energy industry. However, these are mostly for large and commercial installations. In a few years, small scale kits for residential homeowners will surely drop in prices and reach that targeted grip parity.

Alternative to Fossil Fuels

The fossils fuels typically used to heat the home are coal, oil and gas. These resources take millions of years to replenish so renewable energy technologies like wind turbines, solar panels and biomass heaters offer an effective alternative and can help reduce your homes CO2 emissions.

Renewable energy sources produce much less CO2 and other greenhouse gases than traditional methods and will never run out or are continually replaceable.

A large amount of the United Kingdom’s renewable energy is generated on a large scale basis, through wind farms or hydroelectric power plants. There are also lots of ways to generate your own renewable energy at home so you can take control of your own energy production.

There are various technologies you can use at home to generate both heat and electricity. Solar water heating uses heat from the sunshine which is soaked up through solar collectors that are fitted to your roof.

The heat is transferred to a cylinder of water which can be warmed up throughout the day for use in your home. Switching to solar water heating instead of using gas would save the average three bedroom household around £65 every year and would cut carbon emissions by about 325kg annually.

You can also use the suns energy to produce electricity for your homes lighting and appliances. A solar photovolatics (PV) system involves installing solar PV panels on your homes roof. These panels turn sunlight into electricity, saving you money and protecting the environment.

A standard PV system is capable of generating enough electricity to meet almost half of the average households annual consumption, assuming the home is not heated with electricity.

Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly way of producing all the heat necessary for a well insulated house. Heat pumps work by extracting heat from an external source such as the ground, water or air. There is a range of different systems to suit all shapes and sizes of households and obtaining heat this way can shave several pounds off your annual heating bills.

A microwind turbine is another way of generating renewable electricity and if you live close to the water then you could consider using a hydroelectricity system to produce electricity.

Biomass is a slightly different way to generate energy as plants and untreated wood are used. A biomass boiler is a cost effective way to heat your home and the average three bedroom house could save a few hundred pounds every year just by switching from gas, oil or electric heating.

Whatever environmentally friendly energy source you choose, you might be eligible for a householder grant from the government to help you integrate renewable technologies into your home. You can claim a percentage of the total cost of installing renewable energy sources. The amount you can claim varies depending on where in the United Kingdom you live.

Find More Renewable Fuels Articles

Utilizing Fossil Fuel – 4 Top Reasons They Should Be Discarded

United Sates of America leads the country as far as use of fossil fuel is concerned. The fossil fuel includes Oil, natural gas and coal. These are consumed daily by us. But have you ever thought as to how they are formed. They have been formed over millions of years from dead remains of plants and animals under the ground.

1. Fossil Fuel: Source of Carbon emission

When human use these fossil fuel these emit a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and carbon dioxide is one of the green house gases which has been the prime cause of global warming. Therefore over a period of time the concentration of Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere. This has in turn raised the fear that the surface temperature of Earth will rise as these green house gases trap the solar heat and does not let them go out.

2. Consumption of fossil fuel on rise: How long the reserve last

Fossil fuels are used extensively to power vehicles, to heat and cool our houses and generate electricity. We are using it extensively and since they are non-renewable sources of energy they cannot be replenished. This has raised serious concerns that soon we may be running out of these fossil fuel.
In United States the average usage density is 12 barrels per person per year. It has made us almost dependent on these fossil fuels. Though USA has its own reserve but the demand is far greater than the supply. So its deficit is met by countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia which has a surplus supply of fossil fuel.

3. Time to Wake up for the Green movement

The extensive use of these fossil fuels has raised the green house gases in the atmosphere and this is causing global warming. It has affected millions of lives not just in United States but all across the globe. All these have led to the Green movement in the country .People are now exploring new alternative sources of energy so that our fossil fuel supplies can be kept intact in future.

4. Use of Alternative sources of energy for better tomorrow

If we can limit the consumption of fossil fuels in America we can gain in two ways. We will improve on the quality of the environment as and also our dependence on other nations for fossil fuel will reduce drastically. Thus the pride with which we say “American Made” will have a much more meaning. Thus by reducing the consumption of the fossil fuels and increasing the use of alternative energy, we will become self-sufficient in this area also

Find More Renewable Fuels Articles

The Use of Fossil Fuel

The United States is the leading nation in the use of fossil fuels in their country. Fossil fuel is a part of nature which has been formed in the ground, taking millions of years to form and mostly consists of dead plants and animals. We use many fossil fuels today such as coal, natural gas and oil in large quantities because of its availability.

By the use of fossil fuel, humans have been the greatest contributors to global warming by the huge amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the greatest source of ‘the greenhouse gas’ allowing for radiative forcing. A lot of carbon dioxide is released when you burn fossil fuel and this has lead to the increase in the atmospheric concentration of this greenhouse gas, CO2. One of the concerns raised is that the Earth’s average surface temperature will rise as solar heat becomes trapped.

Fossil fuels are used for power in our vehicles, to heat our houses as well as for cooling them, and it also generates electricity. As it has taken millions of years to create; our supplies will soon deplete and is a major cause for concern due to overuse. Once gone and all used up, these sources of energy are not renewable.

The most valuable source of fossil fuel is oil, and the United States uses on average, about twelves barrels of oil per person each year. Foreign oil is on the increase and we have become dependent on it to meet requirements for energy. The Middle East has an abundance of oil in supply compared to the United States. Supply is increasing in order to meet the demands so it has to be bought from countries such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

The birth of the green movement arose because of the increasing levels of fuel fossils used annually, with the urge for people to explore the use of alternative energy forms. This way we can on save fossil fuels and avoid depleting our natural supplies of it completely. The biggest reason is because of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions which will affect people the world over – from the United States and beyond.

By looking into the use of alternative energy sources for reduction the use of fossil fuels, we are saving our environment by improving air quality, and reducing dependence for energy sources to other countries. The U.S. still realise the importance of being “American Made” so by using alternative fuels they will become more self sufficient, and not deplete the remaining fossil fuels in supply.

What is the Difference Between Bio Fuels and Fossil Fuels?

That’s a good question I’m glad you asked. Bio-fuels are actual fuels that forms well when biological matter decomposes. Bio-fuel exist in gas, solid, and liquid, in all of the three states of matter, and they are mostly deprived from plants. >b>Okay here’s the difference between fossil fuels and bio-fuels Another great question. 1. Bio-fuels can be made super fast, in as little as a few days or so, while Fossil fuels takes a lifetime time to build, such as a million years. Interesting huh? Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways: 2. Bio-fuels are definitely renewable sources of energy while fossil fuels are not. 3. Did you know that fossil fuels creates very large amounts of unsafe pollution while Bio-fuels are much safer? Well yes, it’s true. What are different types of bio-fuels? Here’s the four types of bio-fuels… 1. First generation. 2. Second generation. 3. Third generation. 4. Fourth generation Now the first generation fuels are deprived from fats, animal fats, sugar, starch, and vegetables, and obviously these foods are in return deprived from food-crops. Three types of bio-fuels are biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil. Alright the second generation of bio-fuels mainly comes from waste biomass. This makes it a much more balanced option when compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. The second generation of bio-fuels consist of different kinds of diesels and alcohols from wood. Now we’re on the third generation of bio-fuels. The third generation bio-fuels are deprived from algae. Algae are great at creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are great! and are extremely friendly because they can decompose into the soil without harming it. Bio-fuels here in the fourth generation are comprised by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel. Does Bio-fuels have any Advantages? Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways: 1. Bio-fuels really does lessens the burden on less valued, vanishing fossil fuels. 2. They are friendly to the environment, and one of the greatest advantages is that they help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. 3. Extremely cost effective. Disadvantages of bio-fuels Bio-fuels have received criticism for a lot of reasons, and here’s a couple of them… 1. There has been a long debate on the usefulness of the first generation fuels when it’s compared to the lack of food they caused. They generate food from fuel crops and it makes them unworthy for a human to consume. A disadvantage of bio-fuels is that it requires acres of farming land.

More Renewable Fuels Articles