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22Mar

Obstacles Beyond Success: 5 Barriers Towards Renewable Energy Technologies

The development of renewable energy technologies is growing significantly nowadays. Renewable energy is a natural resource that helps provide suitable electricity in your home. As a homeowner, utilizing these natural resources that can create power from hydropower, wind, and solar is viable for your home’s energy needs. The wind and solar energy are producing about ten percent of electricity in the US. It is considered as an achievement for these technologies which have overcome several barriers against their competitors. To know more of them, here are five barriers towards renewable energy technologies focusing on wind and solar.

The Market Entry

Market entry is one of the significant barriers toward wind and solar technologies. The natural resources need to compete with other energy resources like gas, coal, and fossil fuels. The low-cost solar and wind technologies also need to prove their worth by showing investors and homeowners that they can also generate a large quantity of energy. The nuclear, coal and natural gas are providing most of the energy for the United States. Other countries also invested in these resources which shows that they can hold enormous market power over wind and solar. Hence, it becomes a tough situation for wind and solar energy technologies to enter the market compared to more traditional sectors. The wind, solar, and other renewable resources might also need to compete with companies that are benefiting from existing expertise, infrastructure, and policy. It can be a difficult market to enter, and it presents a formidable barrier for these renewables. However, an increase in government investment in clean energy like Astral Energy in the form of research and development, loan assistance, and subsidies would help wind and solar technologies enter the market. Doing so can help provide electricity for households while reducing greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution.

The Capital Costs

The capital costs are the expenses for installing the wind and solar farms. It is one of the barriers to renewable energy technologies. Although wind and solar and other renewables are cheap to operate, their maintenance is minimal, and their fuel is also free. Hence, the expense would primarily come from building these technologies. Installing solar systems would range from 2,000 to 3,700 dollars per kilowatt. The wind technologies also cost from 1,200 to 1,700 dollars per kilowatt to install. However, fossil fuels like the natural gas plant might only cost about 1,000 dollars per kilowatt. Installing wind and solar technologies would need a higher cost which makes the government as well as financial institutions more likely to find renewables risky. They can lend money into higher rates which makes it difficult for developers or utilities to sustain the investment. However, investors should realize that the wind and the utility-scale solar can become least expensed renewables if the costs over the lifespan for installing them are taken into account. Besides, their energy capital cost might also continue to lower down for the next years to come.

The Misconceptions Regarding Their Reliability

The misconceptions with the reliability of renewable energy can be one of the barriers to adopting wind and solar power. The renewable energy competitors would highlight that the solar and wind generation would always need government assistance to produce electricity grid which means they’re unreliable. They can also stress that renewable energy generators would need fossil fuels as a backup when the sun doesn't shine, or the wind stops blowing. But they must consider that the wind and solar are clean energy. They become highly reliable when wind and solar are spread into a large area and paired with compatible generation sources. Smart appliances, real-time pricing, advanced batteries, and other modern grid technologies would also help wind and solar to have a well-performing grid. These technologies can help California, United States, and other countries to reliably and safely operate the modern grid and generate energy using high levels of renewables. For many utilities, it can be ideal to consider the value of solar, wind, and other renewable resources. These renewables can provide energy planners with narrowcast parameters and long-term opportunities.

The Siting and Transmission

The solar and wind systems are decentralized renewable energy. They are smaller generating systems that are spread across a large area that work together to produce power. One of the advantages of decentralization is grid resilience. However, they can still present two primary barriers to renewables namely siting and transmission. The site is the place where you need to locate the solar farms and wind turbines on the land. Selecting an appropriate location can be challenging, making it one of the barriers to renewable energy. Doing it also requires permits, contracts, community relations, and negotiations that lead to increased costs for the project. On the other hand, transmission is the infrastructure and power lines needed to control and move the electricity from the area generated to its consumption. But since the solar and wind are newcomers, then most transmissions that exist nowadays was built to contain nuclear plants and fossil fuels.

There’s an Unequal Playing Field

The unequal playing field brought by other energy industries is one of the barriers to renewables. It means that you can’t see multi-billion dollar industries without any political influence. Some countries spend almost 38 billion dollars on subsidies for fossil fuels annually. The government incentives like subsidies will help taxpayers to fund the mining, electricity generation, drilling, and the industry’s research and development that can help increase domestic production. The other companies also diverted their capital for more productive projects like energy efficiency that might affect the growth of renewable energy. Moreover, wind and solar will get fewer subsidies and receive less political treatment. The disconnection between policy and science expresses that the price that you pay to energy solutions like fossil fuels might not represent its real cost. It also means that there would be no equal playing field for renewables. They’re competing with industries that directly get subsidies and indirectly unable to punish polluters.

Takeaway

The renewable energy technologies are a clean power generating systems. They help provide suitable power for every homeowner. However, despite their success in the industry, there would still be barriers or obstacles that wind, solar, and other renewables need to overcome against competitors such as those mentioned above.
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15Mar

A Natural Resource: 7 Facts About Natural Gas That You Might Not Know

Natural gas is a hydrocarbon gas mixture that is one of the world’s most significant energy resources. It is a fuel that is useful for cooking, water heating, space heating, and powering the appliances in your home. It’s a sustainable resource that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas is a mixture of different compounds such as methane, chains of carbon, hydrocarbons, and hydrogen atoms. It is formed after the exposure of decomposed animal and plant matter from the heat and pressure under the Earth’s surface over millions of years before transforming into natural gas. This natural resource is a significant source of energy in America and other countries in the world. To catch you up, check out more of these seven facts about natural gas that you might not know.

Natural Gas is Odorless

Natural gas is an odorless fossil fuel since it’s mostly made up of methane which doesn’t have any smell. Its telltale scent came from the added odorizer like sulfur that can help quickly detect any possible leaks. Another form of odorizer is tert-Butylthiol or t-butyl mercaptan that smells like rotten eggs. The natural gas odorizers may vary in most countries depending on their gas distribution regulations. Other companies also add a compound called thiophane into the mixture. It is a volatile and colorless liquid that contains an unpleasant smell. The odorizers mixed to it can also help consumers recognize the natural gas more effectively. Apart from being odorless, natural gas is also colorless and tasteless. Utilizing it for your home’s needs is an ideal way to control your power and energy costs. This natural resource will not only help you save energy but also to help protect the environment by producing less greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural Gas is a Cleaner Fossil Fuel

Natural gas is one of the cleanest combustions of fossil fuels. Compared to coal, burning it can produce 50 percent less carbon dioxide. Many oil and gas industry named it as a bridge fuel because it is cleaner to burn on power plants than coal. Thus, natural gas can be better for the climate and the environment. The use of natural gas as an energy resource in the power generation systems can provide a cleaner alternative from other fossil fuels such as coal. It can produce less carbon and other harmful chemicals that can be ideal for the environment and public health. Using it can also help contribute to improving the local air quality.

It Undergoes Seven Basic Processing Stages

The delivery of natural gas to consumers would require many processing steps and infrastructures. Before delivering it to your houses, it needs to first undergo three categories namely processing, transportation, and storage. The natural gas needs first to meet the specific quality measures before transmitting into the transportation system. The quality measure will help the pipeline network or the grid to produce high-quality natural gas. It is also necessary to remove the hydrocarbon gas liquids and other contaminants before delivering and transporting it to consumers. The processing time would also take long since it involves several stages to remove water, oil, HGL, and other impurities such as nitrogen, helium, sulfur, and more. Its composition will determine the number of processes and stages it needed to produce high-quality dry natural gas through pipelines. There are seven primary stages for processing natural gas. The first stage is Gas-oil-water Separators. It uses pressure to separate the fluid streams and other liquids from the gas such as water and oil. The second stage is separating or removing the condensates at the wellhead gas and sending the natural gas to storage tanks. The third stage is Dehydration that helps remove water condensation in the pipelines. The next step is Contaminant Removal that helps remove nitrogen, helium, hydrogen sulfide, and other contaminants. Then next is the Nitrogen Extraction that uses the Nitrogen Rejection Unit or NRU. The sixth stage is Methane Separation which the natural gas undergoes the demethanization process, absorption methods, and cryogenic processing to separate methane from HGL. And the seventh and last stage is Fractionation that helps separate the HGL into component liquids through its varying boiling points.

It’s a Complement to Renewable Energy

Natural gas is a flexible and reliable energy resource. As renewable energy resources continue to grow as an efficient power source, no wonder it can be a strong complement to renewables that can provide enough power source for your home. Natural gas is a great power source on demand. As a consumer, utilizing fossil fuel as an energy solution such as natural gas is a way to save more energy bills while reducing carbon emissions.

A Good Alternative Fuel for Vehicles

Compressed natural gas or CNG vehicles can help improve air quality by reducing harmful gas emissions. Its engine can function the same way as the gasoline engines. The liquified natural gas or LNG is also ideal for vehicles that travel long distances. Some of the many advantages of using natural gas vehicles are the widespread distribution infrastructure, domestic availability, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to using diesel fuels and other conventional gasoline.

Natural Gas Helps You Save Money

As a consumer, using natural gas as an alternative energy solution can help you save money from your energy bills. It is a clean fuel that leads to less propane, electricity, and heating oil usage in your home. The natural gas appliances can also be more energy efficient than other models, so it helps you save money.

Natural Gas is Environmentally Friendly

The use of natural gas in your home can help reduce your carbon footprint. It is a smart energy solution to provide your home, the schools, and businesses with a clean and efficient energy source. It can also be ideal for upgrading your home with highly efficient natural gas appliances to help reduce emissions while reducing your energy bills. When it’s burned on power generation systems, natural gas would only produce 15 percent less carbon dioxide than wood, 30 percent less than oil, and 50 percent less than coal. This natural resource would also produce no sulfur dioxide, monoxide, and other airborne particles that can be harmful to animal and human health.

Takeaway

The natural gas can be a bridge fuel to a renewable future. It is an ideal renewable resource that can help upgrade and revolutionize your home. It’s also an abundant resource to help reduce your carbon footprint and other gaseous gas emissions that are harmful to the environment. Indeed, with the growing renewable energy resource industry nowadays, it can be ideal to know significant information about a reliable resource like natural gas such as those mentioned above. It shows the significant benefits of using natural gas on the environment that can help conserve and save the Earth.
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08Mar

Conserve and Preserve: 6 Innovative Electricity-Saving Technologies

The advances in technology continuously gives an impact to the lives of people. Its purpose is to provide life experiences with ease, comfort, and convenience. There are new technologies intended for the food industry, fashion, education, as well as for the film and music industry. Technology is so dynamic; it always aims to respond to people’s needs. A concrete manifestation of technological advancement is the comfort and security you experience at home. You might have the latest entertainment appliances, a new model of kitchen equipment, or a modernized surveillance system to protect your home from intruders. All of these things undoubtedly make the most comfortable life. However, since this technological advancement requires electricity to function, Mother nature will consequently suffer. Excessive consumption of electricity results in negative consequences resulting in climate change. The technologies listed below are useful in helping you save electricity every day. Read on and choose some that will suit your home.

Motion Sensors

A motion sensor is a technology that is capable of detecting any physical movement within a particular environment. The device turns off lights in a room when not in use. It also switches off fans if the device doesn’t detect any motion in the surrounding. Business owners usually use this device and have it installed in their business premises. The motion sensor helps you save electricity consumption every day. It’s an electricity-saving device for your equipment and appliances at home like an electric fan, radio, home security system, and plenty more. If your goal is to lessen your bills the following month, you can buy one in your nearest store for your business and your home.

LED Lighting

Incandescent bulbs were the conventional sources of light in most houses in the 20th century. However, incandescent bulbs consumes a lot electricity. As a result, a lot of people have switched to LED (light emitting diodes) lighting. Making the switch will significantly help one save electricity consumption every month. The company and business owners have also switched to LED lighting like in the hotels, resorts, shopping malls as well as different well-known casinos around the world. The use of LED in saving electricity is beneficial and efficient in places where there’s a need to keep the lights turned on 24 hours a day.

Reflective Roofing

Another effective way to save electricity is to install reflective roofing on your roof. The reflective roofing has the materials with reflective pigments helping to absorb less heat than usual. If your roof doesn’t absorb much heat, you can keep your home cool in hot summer without turning your AC units to the highest coolness level. If winter is the time to use the heating system units, summer will make your electricity consumption increase with your air conditioning units at full blast every day. With the use of reflective roofing, you can lower down your bills for months. Contact an experienced person now to do the installation on your roof to ensure the quality of work.

Advanced Windows

Modern insulated windows have sensors and microprocessors which are responsible for automatic adjustment with the shading of your house. It’s based on the amount of sunlight from the outside as well as the time of the day whether it’s in the morning, noon, afternoon, or in the evening to make sure that your home has enough illumination.   These insulated windows help you save electricity consumption by reducing the amount of electricity-wasting air infiltration. If windows are not installed correctly, it will allow air to penetrate through defective seals. You have to design your windows that will give your home insulation for peak energy efficiency. You should always use your heating and cooling systems in cold winter and hot summer. Make it sure to use your electricity efficiently during that time by installing smart advanced windows for your home. Doing it is one of the best ways to conserve energy while helping you save money.

Magnetic Refrigerators

The traditional refrigerators have a system process called vapor compression. It uses coolants that are harmful to the environment. However, due to the technological advancement today, researchers invented the modernized refrigerator that has magnets to create cold. The magnetic refrigerator utilizes the magnetocaloric effect. The Magnetocaloric effect means that the low and high temperature will depend on the magnetic field. Moreover, this modernized model of refrigerator uses a water-based cooling fluid. Hence, it won’t harm the environment. Most importantly, you can save electricity consumption every day.

Smart Power Boards

The smart power board is essential for measuring the flow of electricity from an outlet that can help detect when your device is in use or a standby mode. Just like the multi-boards, smart power brands also allow you to make the most out of your limited power sockets. When the technology recognizes your device from its standby mode, the smart power board will help cut the flow of electricity more efficiently. It won’t compromise the energy flow of the other connected electronics from your device, so it can help commence energy flow from your device more effectively.

Takeaway

The advancement of technology plays a vital role in helping you be more effective in whatever you do and be efficient in your time. It’s not a good practice to move forward with your life and sacrifice nature. Living the most comfortable life while ruining your environment has never been a good idea. The technologies discussed above are just a few of those available in the market. You can search the internet to find more latest tech of your interest. Make it a practice of living your life today while you take good care of nature. Enjoy what the fast-paced world offers and help to preserve the world at the same time.
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01Mar

5 Significant Benefits of Using Energy-Efficient Appliances

These days, households remain to be one of the major contributors to harmful greenhouse gases because they use home appliances that consume a lot of energy. That’s why it could be ideal when you take advantage of today’s innovation such as using energy efficient tools to reduce the emission of carbon footprint.   As homeowners, the energy-efficient appliances are essential to help you save money and energy, protect the environment, and enhance your lifestyle. Thus, the more energy efficient home appliances you use, the lower your utility bills will be while protecting the environment from harmful gases such as carbon dioxide.   Having these appliances could benefit you and your country, and the entire world as well. That being said, here are the significant benefits of using these helpful home appliances.

Energy-Efficient Appliances Help Prevent Greenhouse Emissions

Greenhouse gases are the leading causes of global warming and climate change. These gases are responsible for absorbing the infrared radiation that would lead to holding and trapping the heat in the atmosphere. As a result, the warmth from the Earth’s surface would continue to increase.   Burning fossil fuels, which creates electricity can also contribute to global warming. Fossil fuel combustion would release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases can act as an insulating layer that allows the solar radiation to go in but preventing it from reflecting out into the Earth’s surface.   When the solar radiation heat gets trapped to the surface of the Earth, then it would result in climate change and global warming. So, the use of energy efficient appliances in your home such as dishwasher and refrigerator would help save energy that can also help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and help protect the environment.

These Appliances Help You Save Water

Everyone depends on water to live. And conserving water should be your responsibility. You should help keep the water pure and safe and help preserve it for the next generation. Thus, one of the best things you can do is to use home appliances that will consume less water and energy to help reduce your water and electricity bill for the next years to come.   Electricity rates are increasing every year due to excessive demand for energy from households and other business entity. Hence, it can be ideal to use energy efficient appliances such as dryers, washers, refrigerators, freezers, air purifiers, etc. for more efficient energy conservation at home while helping you save water bill as well.   These energy efficient appliances can provide you more convenience because they won’t only help you save water bill, but they can also help do your household chores more efficiently while protecting the environment.

Energy-Efficient Appliances Help Save Money

Apart from preventing greenhouse emissions and conserving water, energy efficient appliances also help you save money by reducing your energy bills at home. The likes of Astral Energy, and other energy providers to help you get further energy efficient improvements for your home.   One of these energy efficient improvements for your home is buying appliances that can help you save your electricity bills. Replacing your old incandescent light bulbs will also help reduce electricity consumption. Some of these incandescent light bulbs include the energy efficient LEDs or CFLs that can help save more than half of your current electricity bills.   Having these home appliances also allows you to take energy efficient actions quickly. Some of them is washing your clothes with cold water using an energy-efficient clothes washer to help protect their color from fading and keep them to last longer. Thus, you can save money and reduce your electricity bill as well.

Energy-Efficient Appliances Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint is the number of carbon compounds such as carbon dioxide emitted due to consumption of fossil fuels from your house and other businesses. These carbon compounds can lead to trapping the sun’s heat from the Earth’s atmosphere that is one of the primary causes of climate change.   However, you can help reduce your carbon footprint and other greenhouse gases by using energy-efficient home appliances since they have lower emissions of harmful gases into the environment. Using these appliances is one of the best ways to help reduce them that can help decrease the effect of climate change to all living things.   Moreover, air pollution, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases are harmful to the environment, for human health and to other living things as well. That’s why according to research, reducing carbon footprint and other greenhouse gases can help prevent premature deaths by the year 2100.

They Can Help Enhance the Quality of Your Life

The energy-efficient appliances are essential for enhancing the quality of your life. Using them can be more convenient by making your life a lot easier. Some of these home appliances will only need a lesser replacement and maintenance, so you can assure that they can help you save money and your time as well.   An example of this is when you replace your ordinary fluorescent bulb with a more energy efficient light bulb. As the days passed by, you can observe that it can last longer while it can help reduce your electricity bill.   It is also the same way the energy efficiency can help provide positive effects on the environment. By using environmentally friendly appliances, you can help breathe cleaner air while helping your family, and other people to become healthier and happier as well. Thus, using them can be an ideal way to help improve the quality of your life.   Furthermore, these ideal appliances can also help improve the economy too. They can provide a positive impact on the economy by saving a significant amount of money and save up to billions of dollars on the national level. Thus, using them can help benefit every homeowner and the nation as a whole.

Takeaway

There are a lot of benefits when you go the energy efficient way. Using energy efficient appliances, you’ll not only save money and reduce your monthly energy bills, but you can also help conserve and protect the environment.   Furthermore, with the growing average of households that produce air pollution and other harmful chemicals, the use of energy efficient appliances is indeed one of the best ways you can do to help fight climate change. It can be a simple way to save Mother Earth for the next generations to come.
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22Feb

5 Helpful Ways to Save Electricity at Home

Monthly bills are part of the reason why a husband and wife have arguments. It might be the unknown charges reflected on the bills or the unexpected fluctuation due to the excessive use of the service. Rental fees, taxes, and insurances, as well as phone and internet bills,  are the typical responsibilities of every household each month. Also, the fluctuation of monthly electricity bills usually creates a continuing issue. To avoid being in a tight jam, here’s a list of helpful ways to save your electricity consumption. Read on below and practice them at home to lessen your next monthly expenses.

Turn Off the Lights When Not in Use

Lightings inside and outside of your house that are usually left unattended often result in high charges. Lights in the bedroom, in the bathroom, as well as in the kitchen and dining area that are used even when no one’s around all add up. If you want to save on electricity, you better practice turning the lights off when not in use. Inform all your family members to do the same and make it a habit at home. Also, you can open all the windows and some doors during the daytime to let natural light come in. Natural light with fresh air will surely give your home a more healthy environment.

Manage Your HVAC Usage

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is for heating and cooling commercial as well as residential buildings. If the weather is too warm, you can turn on the air conditioning unit to turn down the temperature. If it’s too cold,  you can use the heater to make you and your family feel warm at home HVAC equipment consumes a lot of energy. However, there’s a way to avoid excessive electricity consumption. After a few years of use, HVAC tends to accumulate trouble especially if you don’t give it proper and regular maintenance. If your HVAC starts to manifest malfunctions, it’ll surely consume more power than normal. That’s why you have to make it sure that your HVAC equipment has regular maintenance from a specialist to avoid excessive electricity consumption. It looks like you’re paying more, you’ll be saving more money in the long run. Regular maintenance for your HVAC will surely enable you to avoid the possible costly repairs in the future and worse, buy a new one if it’s completely broken due to small mishaps that could have been resolved by regular maintenance works.

Use Your Washer and Dryer Efficiently  

Doing laundry is one of the most tiring house chores especially when you do it every day. With advances in technology, there are smart washers and dryers available in the market today. If you’re busy or don’t have the time, you can have one of them at home to help you out with your laundry. Since washers and dryers are typical home appliances, you tend to use it from time to time. You might say that it’s fine as long as you've cleaned your clothes and other fabrics properly using the machine. However, if your goal is to save electricity and water consumption, you could start doing it with your laundry. It is a good idea to do laundry in bulk. Washing your clothes and other fabrics every day will consume more water and electricity. However, doing your laundry once a week or over the weekends will surely save you more bucks. Different brands and units of washers and dryers have different designs and capabilities. Others are designed for a long day of laundry work, but some aren’t. Other units consume more electricity and others are electricity-saving models. You have to choose one that is suitable for your need and goal.

Make Use of Your Kitchen Appliances

Prepping meals is usually what most people do at home. If you don’t want to take your breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the fast food restaurant, you’ll surely have to cook your meals at home. If you are married and you have children, preparing food is very important. Preparing and cooking food isn’t and doesn’t have to be rocket science. Appliances such as Rice cookers, microwave ovens, pressure cookers, and electric stoves are just a few examples of kitchen appliances that consume too much electricity. Using these appliances from time to time will surely give you fluctuation in your next bills. If you want to cook a particular dish, make sure that it will cater to all of the members of the family. If you’re using an electric stove, make use of the time that you’ve turned it on. As much as possible, cook everything that you’re going to eat in a particular meal to maximize the time you’re using the stove. Using kitchen appliances from time to time will surely consume electricity. That’s why making it a practice at home good for slashing down the bills on gas and electricity. If there’s an extra meal, keep it in a safe storage for anyone who’d want to eat it later. Moreover, having a regular inspection of the appliances that you use in the kitchen will make you find one that needs repair or an appliance that needs to go the dump. Remember that kitchen appliances with underlying issues or malfunctions often consume more electricity and worse, cause electric-related accidents.

Takeaway

If your goal is to lower down your electricity bill every month, you can apply all of the cost-saving tips discussed above. Make sure to have a proper discussion about this stuff between you and your whole family. It’ll be better if all of your family members have the same understanding and objective as yours.
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15Oct

Summer Energy Saving Tips

Last summer was a steamy one for much of North America, and 2019 promises much of the same. The National Weather Service is predicting higher-than-average temperatures for large swaths of the West and Southwest, as well as much of New England. Only the upper Midwest is expected to feel like an average summer. Meteorologists are also predicting high summer humidity and precipitation throughout the Southeast, with an above average hurricane season and higher potential for early tropical storms, according the AccuWeather. When it gets hot and muggy outside, your home air conditioning system is your refuge. But it can really run up your energy bills during the hottest months unless you adopt a few smart energy-saving habits.
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