Energy Independence

2006-08-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

With the current state of rising global oil and gas price and with clean coal technology lack of implementation, consumers must take an active role in deciding where we get our energy from and how we use that energy. It's up to home owners, apartment renter and businesses alike to begin thinking of alternative energy resources that are available now that can help reduce the amount of energy we consume on a daily basis.

This means gasoline for your vehicles, home heating fuels, gas for cooking, and electricity from the nations power grids (that is generated by burning oil, coal or through nuclear fission) that provides the electrical needs of our cities and towns. It's time that individuals took a proactive approach to energy independence by using alternative active and passive energy resources. The hot energy topics of today are Solar, Wind, BioDiesel and Alternative Energy Technologies for Vehicles.

Solar energy can be harnessed by collecting the thermal energy that impacts the earth on a daily basis to supplement the energy that is used for heating for example. Or it can be used in much the same way oil and coal plants generate energy by the generation of steam to power turbines. Electricity can be generated through the use of solar cells that convert the suns directly into electricity.

Wind energy or the kinetic energy that is tied up in wind is fairly simple to extract with the technology we have today and as energy conversion technology improves these system will get smaller as their efficiency goes up providing us with another clean source of renewable energy.

Biodiesel is chemical approach that allows oils from grains to be used to power the vehicles we drive everyday. Though the energy density of a bio-fuel is lower than it is for gasoline, it is not mush lower and presents another fuel that can help towards breaking our reliance gasoline.

For powering our vehicles, research has been on going since the 1970’s on pollution free hydrogen powered vehicles. Another solution is the advanced battery/battery management systems that power electric motors directly. Far in the future is the promise of solar powered cars; but until solar cell technology efficiency goes way, way up and the energy density properties increase drastically it’s unrealistic to think that this technology will soon be available to meet current motor vehicle needs.

There are other energy sources such as oil from shale, ocean power generation, fusion power... that have been studied since the mid 1970's but as yet have not produced the results required to meet our ever growing energy needs. But with increased expenditure in research & development by corporations and government alike (hopefully working symbiotically) it’s possible that in the short term and long term solutions will be developed to meet our energy needs.

Lastly what is perhaps the most practical an economical way to gain energy independence is through energy conservation. That means vehicles with substantial increases in gas mileage; an active initiative by the government and industry for better home insulation on old and new construction, an active initiative to get more people to use the public transportation systems available in cities, more energy efficient consumer electronic devices...

It's up to us as to the type of future we and those that come after us are going to have. Therefore it's up to us to take the needed steps now that will allow us to live in an ever growing world that has limited oil, gas and coal resources.

Here are a few alternative energy ebooks that may be of interest:

Alternative Energy Resources
Biodiesel Maker
BioDiesel Made Easy
Electricity - Make It, Don't Buy It

Here are some books that will allow you to get informed on the world energy crisis and what we can do about it:

The Homeowners Guide to Energy Independence: Alternative Power Sources for the Average American

Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-Tied Home

Real Goods Solar Living SourceBook: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living

The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, off-Grid and Sustainable Living

Fuel from Water: Energy Independence with Hydrogen

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