Power, energy conversation , and alternative energy is on everyones mind these days. The politicians are all over it with threats to tax us into submission, trying to force us to do something about our power use. The environmentalists are convinced we need to revert to the stone-ages in order to save the planet .

For me I believe there is middle ground and it is in our best interest because it is good for our pocket books . We dont have to get on the politicians band wagon nor do we have to create some alternative lifestyle.

If the Cap and Trade bill passes most american household can expect about a $3000 increase in their annual energy use cost .

You can, however, do something now to beat them at their own game. Its called home energy alternative and for the first time it can actually cost effective.

The key is alternative power or you may like the term green power. The thing I like about green power is; it is cheaper than the power companys energy . We get at least two benefits from it.

The first one, in my way of thinking, is: it saves us money.

The second is: it is good for the environment.
I dont want you to think I am completely without scruples . My wife and I have been recycling long, long, before it was a convenient thing to do. I dont feel guilty when it appears I am inconsiderate of my fellow man. We have been doing our part for a long time now with very little recognition and now that someone has made it politically correct we have to put up with threats from the government and the environmentalists.

I didnt intend to write this to get on my own bandwagon about the two that will remain nameless from now on in this article.

Green energy or alternative power is pretty cool because there is a lot of it you can do yourself, but if you are not a do-it-yourselfer there are systems you can purchase and install on your own or purchase with installation included .

Years ago I tried a water heater that was controlled thru a heat pump that was supposed to pay for itself in short order. The thing actually worked reasonably well but I soon found out it would probably quit working long before I ever realized a decent ROI.

It was, however, a good learning experience. The main thing I learned was to research the validity of the device you are considering building or purchasing before you commit to it.

In the case of the heat pump water heater, the unit itself was not efficient enough. It could heat water just fine but the power it took to run the pump, especially in the winter time, never made up for the power I was saving over a regular electric water heater. My point is viability; compare the efficiency of the system you are considering in relation to where you live against the expense of the system and how long it will take to break even on your money.

Today there are two primary power alternatives for your home. Namely, solar and wind power. In my research it appears solar is the better choice for most areas in the United States.

To make wind energy work you need a few things, the first being wind, imagine that. Next you need a mechanism of some sort. A combination of a wind mill and a generator or a turbine will suit this purpose. Then you need a tower of some sort to get the turbine high enough in the air to capture enough wind.

There are actually sites on the internet where you can gather the average wind velocities in your area and even at what heights. In my research I found you need an average wind velocity of 9 to 12 mph at a reasonable height for a wind generator to be efficient enough to do the job. On the other hand if the wind force gets too high you may find your system will get damaged if you do not have a high wind safety control of some sort .

Of course you also need a system to transport the energy (electricity) you generate to your home or to whatever device you are trying to run. Usually these systems consist of wiring, a battery bank, converters, meters and an array of items to store and deliver the electricity.

Solar power is now more viable because of the photo-electric cell technology, PV Cells (photovoltaic cells) they are called. Interestingly PV cells are now efficient enough to be viable in most areas of the US.

Previously solar power was just large collection systems that heated water in a fairly cumbersome method on your roof. It was just the suns rays heating up black things to the point you couldnt touch them and they could actually make steam in the water circulation systems. These systems could be quite dangerous if you didnt have the proper gages etc . There is also a lot of maintenance with solar heat collection systems.

I should also mention wind generators may require more maintenance then what you are willing to deal with.

The cost of a PV cell system can be quite reasonable even if you are not a full blown do-it-yourselfer. It is fairly easy to compare the cost of a system to the how much you can saveover a given period of time.

If you are a DIY person it can be a lot of fun or at least personally rewarding to put a PV cell system together. Its kind of like a large craft project, at least until you get to the electricity delivery system part. The power delivery system is basically the same between a wind generator and a PC Cell generator.

The other cool thing I have not mentioned is: if you generate more power then what you can consume yourself you get to sell it back to your power company and guess what? They are required by law to buy it from you. Basically you just run your meter backward and it magically reduces your power bill. Isnt that great ?

I want to learn what other people are doing to decrease their carbon footprint. So I would appreciate your feedback on what you are doing or stories about what you have seen or heard about.

Years ago, before it was easy to do, my wife and I started to recycle. There were very few re-cycling centers at that time and they were fairly selective in regards to what materials they would accept.

Newspapers was the first big thing, and then metal cans and other metals. I remember we had to remove the labels from the tin cans we recycled and they would only accept corrogated cardboard. It was a long time before they would accept any plastic and even when they did start it was only a few certain types of plastic.

We collected our recycleable items in separate containers until we had enough to make it worthwhile to make a trip to the recycle facility.

There they had different areas and bins where you could leave your stuff. I remember there was a big room where you would leave your newspapers in just a huge big pile.

It is so different now. We have a large bin at our house that we collect everything that is accepted all in the same bin and our local garbage company picks it up every other week. Sure a lot easier then when we first started our personal recycling efforts.

Our other green efforts are around trying to build some sort of green alternative energy system for our home. We have also done the light bulb thing but I keep seeing articles and other information that the flourescent bulbs may be worse for our environment then the plain old incandescent bulbs. Certainly need to be careful how you dispose the flourescent bulbs. They have mercury in them you know.

I’ve also heard it takes more energy to manufacture a floursecent bulb then what the bulb will save you over time. Conflicting information makes it difficult sometimes to make the right decisions.

Keep up the good work, all of you who are trying.

What happened recently is different, and has much more far-reaching consequences. It is becoming less expensive for us in the Sunbelt of the southwestern United States to power our homes and businesses with energy that is generated onsite by a solar-electric system than it is to purchase fossil fuel energy from the utility.

This is not to say that everyone can generate all of their electricity and do it economically. But, if your system is sized and sited properly, you are working within a comprehensive energy management plan, and if a number of other factors converge, then a small investment in supplemental solar-electric energy generation for your home or enterprise can exceed the average, long-term real return of the stock market.

Excerps from a Homepower Magazine article by Paul Symanski in 2004.

So the increase in photovoltaic cells has progressed a lot since this article which makes it even more probable you can make your own home system a viable alternative to supplement your home energy needs.

Well actually it wasn’t the solar panel that didn’t work. As usual it was my mistake and of course it was because of my flawed philosphy of “if all else fails, read the instruction.”

In order to make your solar panel effective you need to have the panel charging batteries. Then you use a converter to convert the DC current to AC current to supply power to your house or to an appliance.

My first small (mini) panel that I built had only enough cells to produce about 6 volts. When you have low output from your panel you need to wire your battery bank in parallel, but of course me being me I didn’t pay attention to that little fact and I wired my battery bank in series.

To charge a bank of batteries wired in series you need at least 15volts of output from you solar cell array. My output was only around 6 volts so it did not charge my battery bank.

I was really discouraged when I wasn’t getting a charge to my batteries and actually just gave up for a time. I finally went back to the instructions and diagrams and discovered my error.

I am now going to do one of two things.

1) Assemble more cells to increase my voltage output.

or

2) Re-wire my battery bank in parallel.

Of course the lesson here is simple: “If you are going to spend the time and energy to do something that is totally new to your technical knowledge, for crying out loud teach yourself how to do it!!!” “You need to look at every last little detail or you waste a lot of time and invite discouragement toward your project.”

Until next time when I have something positive to report.

Norm

There are three main grades of gasoline: regular, mid-grade, and premium. Each grade has a different octane level. Price levels vary by grade, but the price differential between grades is generally constant.

The cost to produce and deliver gasoline to consumers includes the cost of crude oil to refiners, refinery processing costs, marketing and distribution costs, and finally the retail station costs and taxes. The prices paid by consumers at the pump reflect these costs, as well as the profits (and sometimes losses) of refiners, marketers, distributors, and retail station owners.

In 2005 the price of crude oil averaged $50.23 per barrel, and crude oil accounted for about 53 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular grade gasoline. In comparison, the average price for crude oil in 2004 was $36.98 per barrel, and it composed 47 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline. The share of the retail price of regular grade gasoline that crude oil costs represent varies somewhat over time and among regions.

Federal, State, and local taxes are a large component of the retail price of gasoline. Taxes (not including county and local taxes) account for approximately 19 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Within this national average, Federal excise taxes are 18.4 cents per gallon and State excise taxes average about 21 cents per gallon. Also, eleven States levy additional State sales and other taxes, some of which are applied to the Federal and State excise taxes.

Additional local county and city taxes can have a significant impact on the price of gasoline.

Refining costs and profits comprise about 19 percent of the retail price of gasoline. This component varies from region to region due to the different formulatioins required in different parts of the country.

http://www.webproductsbynorm.com/greenenergy/GreenEnergySqueezePage.html

I love this method of vegetable gardening. As you might have guessed, there’s no digging. This method of vegetable gardening is particularly suited to people with physical disabilities or older people. But I mostly prefer it because I think its better for the soil.

When soil is dug over it destroys the soil structure. By creating a no-dig plot you are not disturbing the soil at all – which means that the worms, soil microbes and creatures can continue doing what they do best in your garden.

To get the best results in your garden, you want to aim for no compaction of the soil. Nutrients, water and air all travel through the soil by pathways made by worms and plant roots. When you compact the soil these pathways are destroyed.

If you design you plots to be no more than about 1.25metres (4 feet) across (by however long you want), you won’t need to stand on your plot.

If you start with a small bed, (1.25m x 2.5m / 4 x 8) you can leave space so that you can expand when you are ready.

No matter where you live, a “no-dig” veggie garden is a great option. It doesnt matter what type of soil you are starting out with, as the layering of materials over the surface will continue to add nutrients and improve your soil. Eventually you will end up with dark, rich soil.

Skinny plots work best.

A no-dig garden plot is made on top of the existing ground. It can be built over garden beds, lawns and hard or rocky ground even cement. You need to position it in an area that receives at least six hours sun a day and where there is good drainage.
When preparing the plot you don’t need to pull up lawn or an existing garden, because you will be smothering what is already there.

Building your plot

I like to install irrigation before layering the materials of my plot as I find it saves me so much time. Trickle or soakage irrigation (used with a timer) is a far better way to water than by having to do it by hand or by moving sprinklers.

Please remember when handling manures or fertilizers, soil or any organic matter for that matter, to always wear tough gloves to protect you from coming into contact with any nasties. Washing your hands thoroughly when youre finished in the garden is always a good idea.

1. Form the walls of your plot. You can use logs, old timber planks (non-treated), bricks, stones, pavers, sleepers – even straw bales etc. If you have any disabilities you might want to get help with this.

2. Start with a thick layer of wet newspaper (I have an old baby bath I use, filled with water to soak the newspaper), making sure to completely cover your plot. It should be a minimum of 6mm (quarter inch) thick and needs to overlap by about 75mm (3inches). This smothers any weeds and prevents more from growing. Only use newspaper as most glossy, coloured paper has toxic chemicals.

3. Lay out pads (segments, or biscuits) of pea straw, lucerne hay or other organic straw, making sure there are no gaps between the pads.

4. Add a 20mm (inch) layer of good organic fertilizer (mature chicken manure is fantastic).

5. Cover with about 200mm (8inches) thick of loose straw or hay type material.

6. Add another 20mm (inch) layer of good organic fertilizer (perhaps blood & bone or organic pelletised fertilizer etc).

7. Finish off with a top layer of compost, about 100mm (4inches) thick, buy it if you don’t have your own compost – it will make all the difference.

8. Water your plot well and allow a few weeks to settle.

9. Plant out your vegetable seedlings after two or three weeks (not seeds).

Some of the benefits of creating a no-dig, raised plot include:

In your new garden some easy veggies to try are potatoes, lettuce, brassicas (cabbage family) and cucurbits (cucumber family). It’s better to leave root crops until your plot has matured a little.

A mature plot, just planted out.

Mixed plantings of vegetables and herbs are beneficial in vegetable gardens, rather than long rows or a whole bed of one type of plant. Companion Planting provides benefits to your vegetable garden in many ways, including having healthier, more vigorous plants with higher yields, as well as pest and disease control.

Each season you need to top up your plot with additional layers of compost and / or mulch to help prevent weeds, retain moisture and promote healthy growth and great yields.

I found the following article in ezines and thought it was very appropriate to what I am pursuing in regards to DIY Green Energy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I want to thank Kathleen Easter for this great article.

It is now possible to build your own solar panels and windmills in the comfort of your own basement or garage. Building alternative power generators can save hundreds of dollars over commercial units. You no longer need to break the bank to have your very own green energy power system.

This maybe a news flash the homeowner will want to pay attention to. If Obama gets his way, the average homeowner will be forking over about $3000 for the privilege of heating and cooling their own home.

The Cap and Trade Energy bill is about to make its way into history as one of the biggest boondoggles of all time.

If this fiasco is passed into law it can raise the utility bills of the average homeowner by about three thousand dollars per year. That being said, it will take about three thousand dollars pay cut for Joe Six Pack. Can any working man or woman afford such a pay cut?

You may want to build your own solar panels to convert your home from the electrical guzzler it now is to one of self sufficiency and ween yourself from the power grid.

With the lunatic thinking or lack thereof by the American law makers, it is a certainty American homeowners are going to be feeling an economical pinch like never before. However, it is possible to offset some of this lunacy with some rational thinking by the homeowners themselves.

Converting to a solar home can be a major investment. However, it is now possible using available technologies to build your own solar panels and save hundreds of dollars in the process.

If the DIY mechanic knows the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer he can make his own solar panels. All he needs to do is be able to read English or know someone who does.

It is now possible to build solar panels right in the comfort of your own basement or garage. It is very easy to do and it can be fun and rewarding as well. Imagine the joy and pride you will have in building your very own high tech solar system and at a fraction of the cost of hiring it done by a professional.

Most of the instructions on building your own alternative energy appliances are complete and easy to follow. In fact many women are building there own solar panels and you should hear them rave about how easy it is.

If you are thinking about upgrading your home to an alternative energy home, using renewable energy, be aware there are numerous publications available to guild you through the process step by step.

These DIY solar panels are every bit as efficient as the most expensive panels money can buy and at a fraction of the cost.

You can even make building your own solar panels a family affair. The whole family, from young children to the teenager, boy or girl, and the wife to can help in building your very own solar powered system. It can create a real bond within the family working together, doing something of great worth and beneficial for the whole family.

There is nothing so rewarding as accomplishing something you never dreamed you could do.

Isn’t it time for you to invest in you and your families future and stop investing in the power company? Discover how easy it is to convert your home to solar power now by building your own solar panels. Do it now before Obama takes your $3000 to buy a collar for his pooch.

Discover how to chop your utility bills down to size now! Go here to get How to Build Solar Panel Guide for the DIY’er. Now it is possible to build cost efficient solar panels in the comfort of your own basement.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathlene_Easter

I thought I should let folks know I started a new blog on the subject of Internet Marketing. http://6degreesofseparationonline.com.

It didn’t make sense to me to try to blog about DIY Green Energy projects along with Internet Marketing in the same publication.

So if you want to see what I am doing or have done in regards to my sojourn with the venerable Alex Jeffreys go to:

http://6degreesofseparationonline.com

Don’t give up on me and my Green Energy efforts, I promise I will get back to them.

This could be a gigantic waste of time, or it could be a piece of information to help us understand how internet marketing works.

I happened across a program the other day on the subject, “Six Degrees Of Separation”. Fascinating stuff and one of the studies that gave credence to the subject was done in regards to the internet, the “World Wide Web.”

The idea that we are only 6 steps apart from anone else in the world, itself is a definition of a network. WaaaLaa, there isn’t a bigger network then the World Wide Web.

The concept of six degrees, or at least when someone noticed this phenomenon and tried to map it, soon provided a picture or diagram of a network. People connected to other people with a common interest and a method of linking those people to each other.

Apparently the thing that makes six degrees work is finding that first link. The first link (a person with a common interest that you connect with) will most likely have knowledge of multiple links that might share a common interest. Then those multiple links will also have multiple links and so on and so on. So a piece of information, or it could be an actual object, passed to that first link will only have to link approximately 5 more times until it finds it’s intended target.

Study after study has verified this to be true more times then not.

The WWW provided the researchers with a gigantic network on which to perform their studies and experiments.

I started reading the huge volume of material available on this subject and soon got kind of lost. The subject branches off to all kinds of related subjects many of which are philosophical in nature and too deep for me.

I am sharing these thoughts primarily because I just had to write something about it so I could let it rest for awhile. It hurts your brain to think to long about it.

Then I decided to map my experience thus far and what’s to come in the future in regards to my on line marketing adventures.

1) There is ME and my desire to develop an on line business, to provide useful products to anyone searching for same.

2) Then there is ALEX, my first link. Actually I’ve had a number of other first links but none that actually linked anywhere else, so I guess they don’t qualify as a first link. ALEX on the other hand (fitted with a plethora of links of common purpose) has provided ahub where the flow of information is drawing me closer to the next significant step in the process of connecting to that first person to join my list, the first person to accept a free offering, the first person to purchase a product.

3) Let’s see now, have I described 6? Me, Alex, the hub, first list person, first person to accept free offering, first person to purchase. Taaa Daaa SIX !!!!

4) The HUB by the way consists of the whole training package and the forums. One of the things described in the articles about “Six Degrees Of Separation” was: ”many times therewill be a “hub” where lots of common information or items came into and were re-routed to destinations of common interest.”Examples of hubs: Alex’s training course, a post office, a airline hub etc. etc.

Boring maybe but I think it is fascinating. I don’t know if you can actually apply the six degree principle in how you market. I am, however,going to be interested to see how many times it takes 6 links to get from me to a customer or client or partner or some end result or target.