Ways to Use Green Renewable Energy At Home

Jyotsna | February 22, 2012 | 2 Comments

Renewable energy is increasingly becoming popular because of the innumerable environmental benefits, plus the high-energy cost & forever advancing technology is leading people to think about installing intelligent systems that work on renewable energy in their houses.

Energy that is coal-powered is polluting as well as expensive, nuclear power is potentially dangerous, and then there are clean energy forms around us, like the wind, sunshine, running water & earth. All that is yet to be done by man is harness all this free energy. If we talk of renewable energy, the easiest system to connect to renewable energy’s to switch all electricity providers to the ones that use energy from renewable, clean wind, hydropower or solar sources.
1. Wind turbines

Wind turbines are capable of generating renewable & clean electricity. On the other hand, one must be located in an area that is reasonably windy for such turbines to work efficiently – preferably 40 feet over the ground. In case your home’s surrounded by vegetation, or if it’s sheltered by large buildings, or hills, then the wind turbine’s not meant for you. Moreover, be conscious that a small wind turbine might not make net savings, therefore make sure you’ve done the math before you invest.
2. Solar panels

In case you are looking to cut out middlemen, you could harvest power from the sun’s rays directly inside your home by installing PV photovoltaic solar panels atop your roof. Within an hour, the rays of the sun transmit more energy into the surface of the earth than humankind can possibly use in an entire year. However, man has not been able to use & make the most of such plentiful & free resources. There have been times when the solar panel was criticized in the past for being exceedingly expensive, although once solar panels became more popular, the production levels increased, the cost came down & people started considering them a more economical & viable option.

In case you feel costs of placing PV panels at home to generate electricity is not convincing for you, you can consider hot water solar systems that are cheaper when installing.
3. Geothermal

Heat pumps (ground source) take the heat from underground & use that to heat homes. Despite the temperature existing above land, under the surface its constant temperature that is b/w 10 degrees C & 14 degrees C. Systems require electrically driven pumps to move heat, therefore unless one makes use of green electricity for power, it’ll still source CO² emissions.

4. Hydropower

Having a fast moving river or stream running through the garden could mean that it’s possible to make use of such resources to produce electricity. Unlike wind or solar power, you can generate hydropower constantly – unless there’s a drought. Moreover, a small hydro scheme has the ability to produce a substantial amount of electricity. In case you feel this to be a feasible option, then you must contact the local council, the water authorities & the Environment Agencies as the project may have environmental impacts.
5. Biomass

Biomass happens to be one more source of renewable energy that could be made use of to heat houses. Sometimes referred to as bio-energy or bio-fuel, biomass is a plant matter like straw or wood. Dissimilar to burning fossil fuel, burning of biomass happens to be carbon neutral because the CO² formed is similar to CO² that is absorbed from atmosphere throughout a plant’s life. The costs involved to run a biomass boiler depends completely on the local fuel sources as you’ll have to purchase fuel. You could also generate biomass from organic wastes as that will be sounder environmentally.

6. Green Roofs

Another great way for saving energy is growing plants on the roof. This idea might sound wacky, but it’s got several environmental benefits. Green roofs will insulate buildings due to heat loss during winters & gain heat during summers, reducing the high energy bills. This will also aid in reducing pollution, especially an urban area. A Green roof can also decrease rainwater run-offs by a minimum of 50%, contributing to the urban drainage as well as flood alleviation scheme. Also, these attract wildlife, chiefly birds & insects.

Do remember that the kind of vegetation you’ll grow on the roof top requires careful thought & it’s probably wise to consult some expert rather than to get out your gardening gloves & a ladder! Furthermore, it’s essential to consult a structural engineer or an architect to verify that the roof can bear the soil’s weight, weight of plants, etc. before beginning work.

7. Connect to solar power

Two sorts of solar power can be used at home: one is active & the other is passive. Solar power that’s active is captured by solar cells (referred to as photovoltaics), which are stored so that they can later on provide electricity or heat. Passive solar does not involve any costly photovoltaic cells or mechanical systems like active solar, although they still take advantage of sun’s rays to heat homes through either direct gain where the light is collected through windows; through indirect gain where thermal energy is stored within walls & isolated gain, which is a sort of solarium.
8. Go in for hot solar water

Heat water for a shower, laundry or dishwasher through solar power! All you need to do is install solar hot water systems, but bear in mind that you are located in a place that has abundance of sunlight.

9. Use bio-fuel instead of oil

Heat your house using bio-fuels that are nontoxic, renewable & biodegradable power sources, such as the ones made from vegetable & animal oils & fats or wood. The most modern way is to use a pellet stove, which has bits of compressed sawdust & take lesser space as compared to logs of wood.

10. Solar pool system

In case you’ve got a hot tub or swimming pool at home, what you could do is make use of solar power in order to lessen the costs of heating the pool. Majority solar heating pool systems are quite cost competitive & are conventional systems. Also, a solar pool system’s operating cost is very low.

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