Biofuels have been around as long as cars have.

A biofuel is a fuel that contains energy from geologically recent carbon fixation. These fuels are produced from living organisms.

Generating Electricity from Wing Waves.

Wind turbines, like windmills, are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more aboveground, they can take advantage of the faster and less turbulent wind.

Producing electricity from solar energy.

Solar energy is a free, inexhaustible resource, yet harnessing it is a relatively new idea. The ability to use solar power for heat was the first discovery.

Turbines catch the wind's energy with their propeller-like blades.

A blade acts much like an airplane wing. When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade.

Solar energy may have had great potential

Solar technology advanced to roughly its present design in 1908 when William J. Bailey of the Carnegie Steel Company invented a collector with an insulated box and copper coils.

We have been harnessing the wind's energy for hundreds of years.

For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of wind turbines are usually built close together to form awind plant.

Biofuels are produced from living organisms.

In order to be considered a biofuel the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials.

Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth.

Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.

Geothermal heat pumps can tap into this resource to heat and cool buildings.

A geothermal heat pump system consists of a heat pump, an air delivery system (ductwork), and a heat exchanger-a system of pipes buried in the shallow ground near the building.

In the future, civilization will be forced to research and develop alternative energy sources.

Possession of surplus energy is, of course, a requisite for any kind of civilization, for if man possesses merely the energy of his own muscles, he must expend all his strength - mental and physical - to obtain the bare necessities of life.

Showing posts with label solar energy in the united states. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar energy in the united states. Show all posts

Monday, 10 June 2013

New Solar Installations In Maryland Double In Q3

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New Solar Installations In Maryland Double In Q3
WASHINGTON, DC - Continuing a strong year for the solar industry in Maryland, 15 megawatts (MW) of new capacity were added last quarter, nearly double the previous quarter and nearly triple the same period last year, according to the new quarterly report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The "U.S. Solar Market Insight(R)" report found that prices across the state have fallen 15 percent over the past year, prompting nearly a thousand homeowners and businesses to install solar in just the third quarter of this year. "Maryland's solar industry is growing in a big way," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. "Contributing to this rapid growth are smart and effective public policies, such as the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which are enabling more and more Marylanders to choose clean, renewable solar energy." In 2013, 113 million was invested in Maryland to install solar for home, business and utility use, and there are currently more than 151 solar companies at work throughout the value chain in Maryland, employing 2,000 people. The 186 MW of solar energy currently installed in Maryland ranks the state 14th in the country in installed solar capacity. There is enough solar energy installed in the state to power 20,000 homes. Nationwide, the solar industry employs 143,000 Americans and pumps nearly billion a year into the U.S. economy. But solar also benefits the environment. "The 17,500 megawatts of solar energy currently installed across the United States can generate enough pollution-free electricity to displace 20 billion pounds of coal or 2.2 billion gallons of gasoline," Resch added. "That's the equivalent of removing 4.3 million passenger cars from our roads and highways. Every 3 minutes of every single day, the U.S. solar industry is helping to fight the battle against damaging carbon emissions by flipping the switch on another completed solar project." ### ABOUT SEIA: Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014, the Solar Energy Industries Association(R) is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA(R) is building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to champion the use of clean, affordable solar in America by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org. MEDIA CONTACTS: Ken Johnson, SEIA Vice President of Communications, kjohnson@seia.org (202) 556-2885 Samantha Page, SEIA Press Officer and Communications Manager, spage@seia.org (202) 556-2886
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