What is Energy?

In Layman terms, Energy is the amount of force or power when applied can move one object from one position to another or Energy defines the capacity of a system to do work. Energy exists in everybody whether they are human beings or animals or non living things for eg: Jet, Light, Machines etc..

Energy can have many forms: kinetic, potential, light, sound, gravitational, elastic, electromagnetic or nuclear. According to the law of conservation of energy, any form of energy can be converted into another form and the total energy will remain the same. For eg: a laborer when pushes the pile of bags, his potential energy stored inside him is converted into the kinetic energy from the movement of matter or when you burn the wood it's chemical energy is converted into the heat energy or when you charge your mobile phone the electrical energy is converted into the chemical energy which gets stored inside the battery's molecules.

The many different natural and renewable energy technologies highlighted throughout the website are by no means breakthrough. Many of the renewable energy technologies have been around for years, and as time goes by, are increasing in efficiency.

What are the sources of energy?

Energy are broadly classifies into two main groups: renewable and Non-renewable.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy which is generated from natural sources i.e. sun, wind, rain, tides and can be generated again and again as and when required. They are available in plenty and by far most the cleanest sources of energy available on this planet. For eg: Energy that we receive from the sun can be used to generate electricity. Similarly, energy from wind, geothermal, biomass from plants, tides can be used this form of energy to another form.

What is Energy?

Before getting into knowing what are energy sources we must know what energy is. Energy is the ability to do work. Energy helps in powering business, manufacturing and transportation of goods and services. There are many different ways in which the abundance of energy around us can be stored, converted, and amplified for our use. 

Energy comes in different forms heat, light, thermal, mechanical, electrical, chemical and nuclear energy. We all use energy for our daily work like when we walk, jump, eat food, drive car, play etc. Energy is stored in different ways and can be transformed from one type to another. 

So, the energy sources from which we gain energy are classified broadly into 2 groups namely: Renewable and Non-Renewable (Fossil Fuels)

Renewable Sources

Renewable Sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydropower. Solar energy is the energy that we get from the sun. It is the major source of energy among all the nations. However, there are major drawbacks related to limited production as well as high costs that don't allow people to use it in a wider scale. Solar energy is responsible for growth of plants and indirectly, the existence of all animal life. Wind energy is used in large farm fields where they can use windmills to provide power for the accomplishment of agricultural tasks has contributed to the growth of civilization. This apart from solar is another clean and renewable source of energy. The major drawback is that it can be used only in the coastal regions and can be noisy too. Geothermal energy is the energy stored inside the earth. The center of the earth has temperature about 6000 degrees F. The heat that is stored inside the earth is used to produce steam,

Introduction

We all have been using sun's energy since years for numerous purposes but only recently we have started using the sun's energy for generating power. About 70% of the light that hit the earth gets reflected back to space and only the remaining 30% light is enough to meet up our needs for years to come. So, solar energy is the energy that we get from the sun. We get enough energy from the sun that it could meet up our power demands, if only we could harness it properly. The energy that is absorbed by the earth is used for drying clothes, used by plants in the process of photosynthesis, taken in by the ocean where the heat creates wind and heat currents and for heating up homes.

How Solar Energy Works?

When we get the solar energy from the sun it gets trapped and stored and can be used in various ways to generate power. Solar energy can be used as direct or indirect, active or passive. Basically there are 2 ways in which we can harness sun's energy:

Solar Power - Energy from the Sun

Imagine a place, where everything from cars to homes and industries are powered by solar energy. Where the air is pure. Energy costs nothing. Power shortages are history. Man is finally at peace with the environment. Dangerous escalating pollution levels, depleting natural resources and out of control fuel prices, the world is looking to the skies for the solution.

The answer lies in tapping the unlimited, clean, eco-friendly energy of the sun. The sun is the key to the existence of life on the earth. It has been there for billions of years and continuously shooting its solar energy in our direction. The sun continues to warm our planet and we need to find some more efficient ways to harness it's energy to full potential. This energy has to be harnessed by technology in order to be converted into something that is usable by mankind. There are two types of solar technology that can be used to do this, one referred to as passive, the other active. Active solar energy trap light from the sun and then perform some action by producing the current for eg: Solar Panels. Passive solar energy simply trap solar energy for eg: GreenHouse.

As the demand for the fossil fuels grow, the idea to tap energy from the alternative energy sources continue to come, and solar energy in particular. For both the consumer and the environment can and will be life-changing once solar energy is adopted broadly. Today we use solar energy for various purposes from drying clothes, to generate power, to heat up our homes or heat water. The energy that sun generates is helping thousands of people from across the world. The idea to convert the solar energy into electricity is a noble one but the costs involved in installation and maintenance of solar kit are limiting the users from adopting this method. However, nations across the world are giving it a serious thought before it gets too late.

Introduction

Wind energy has been used since several years to power homes, sail boats, pump water from wells or heating and cooling homes and offices. Today with the ever increase in the demand for fossil fuels and with the prices soaring all time high numerous resources have been invested in the wind energy. Today less than 3% of total world energy demands are met by wind energy and in the years to come this figure is going to be much higher.

How Wind turbines Work?

Basically there are two types of turbines: vertical and horizontal. Both of them work in the exactly same way except the difference in their design. The process of producing electricity is the same in both the turbines.

Wind turbines consists of a rotor or blades which converts the wind's energy into mechanical energy (turbine). The energy that moves the wind ("kinetic energy") moves the blades. They(blades) spin a shaft that leads from the hub of the rotor to a generator. The generator turns that rotational energy into electricity which is then stored in batteries or transferred to home power grids or utility companies for use in the usual way. If you place an object like a rotor blade in the path of that wind, the wind will push on it, transferring some of its own energy of motion to the blade. This is how a wind turbine captures energy from the wind. At its essence, generating electricity from the wind is all about transferring energy from one medium to another.

Wind Turbines Impact

Wind Turbines Impact

Wind energy is a renewable source of energy and offers green solution to ever increasing dependence on fossil fuels. Though it is not used worldwide on a larger scale but still in some countries it currently represents 10% of electric supply. In order to battle with the global warming induced climate change and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels the dependence on wind turbines is going to increase in the years ahead and sight of wind turbines will become more common occurrence.

Impacts

1. Noise Pollution: A major disadvantage of using wind turbines, is the noise pollution that it creates. Though it is used on a larger scale in some countries and are built in the large farm lands because nobody wants their home close to the wind turbines. Though technology is being developed to increase its efficiency yet it is not able to reduce the noise. Noise pollution also depends on the wind speed, the more the wind speed, the greater the noise pollution.
   
2. Affects Wildlife: Few studies have been done to determine the affect of wind turbines on wildlife and the evidence is clear that they pose threat to the lives of birds and bats. The presence of large turbines causes birds to avoid that site. In some areas birds have been found dead where large turbines are located. The installation of such large structures in wild areas after clearing of trees has a negative affect and may result in loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat.

Facts of Wind Energy

Wind energy is another form of renewable energy which is available in abundant and is renewable. So, there will always be constant supply of it. The initial cost to set up wind energy is very high and requires huge initial investment, but once it starts working, it is one of the cheapest form of electricity to maintain.

Below are few facts that many of you don't know. So, just have a look at them and see how wind energy can become as the major source of power generation if it is harnessed up to it's potential.

1. Wind energy is a form of solar energy which is caused by sun's heating of the earth's surface. The use of wind energy is growing rapidly because it is abundant, cheap, clean, widely available and environment friendly.
2. The wind turbines effectiveness depends on the location where they are placed. Ideally, wind turbines should be located where there are constant flow of wind throughout the year.
3. U.S, Germany, India, France, U.K, Spain, China, Italy, Denmark and Portugal are the top ten nations where wind turbines are used most efficiently.

Wind Energy Basics

Winds are caused by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the roughness of the Earth surface and Earth's rotation. Winds flow patterns are changed by the topography of land, water and plants. Modern wind turbines use this flow of air to generate electricity. Humans use this wind flow for various purposes e.g.: generating electricity, drying clothes, sailing.

Wind energy today is the cleanest and most reliable way to generate electricity. Wind power neither produces any toxic emissions nor any heat-trapping emissions that contribute to global warming.

The fact that wind energy is most widely available, abundant and increasingly cost-competitive energy resources, making it a viable alternative to fossil fuels that harm our health and threaten the environment .

How fast the wind blows, how often and when has an important role to play in power generation costs. Power output of wind turbines increases as the cube of wind speed. 

In other words, if the speed of the wind doubles, the production of electricity is increased about eight times. Thus, the winds with the higher speed are less expensive and easier to catch.

The term wind power describes the process by which wind is used to make the mechanical energy or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind energy into mechanical power.

This mechanical power may be used for certain activities (such as milling of rice or pumping water) or a generator can convert mechanical energy to electrical energy at home, business, schools and other facilities.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Wind Energy

Excessive heating of earth due to burning of fossil fuels have forced people across the globe to generate power through wind. It is being used extensively in areas like USA, Denmark, spain, India and Germany. Like any other source of power generation, wind energy has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Wind Energy:

1. Renewable Energy : Wind energy in itself is a renewable energy which means it can be produced again and again since it is available in plenty. It is cleanest form of renewable energy and is currently used many leading developed and developing nations to fulfill their demand for electricity.
2. Reduces Fossil Fuels Consumption : Dependence on the fossil fuels could be reduced to much extent if it is adopted on the much wider scale by all the countries across the globe. It could be answer to the ever increasing demand for petroleum and gas products.
3. Less Air and Water Pollution : Wind energy doesn't pollute at all. It is that form of energy that will exist till the time sun exists. It does not destroy the environment or release toxic gases.
4. Initial Cost : The cost of producing wind energy has come down steadily over the last few years. The main cost is the installation of wind turbines. Moreover the land used to install wind turbines can also be used for agriculture purpose.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Rising sea levels and escalating pollution levels has generated worldwide interest and has given rise to new wind turbines designs. Wind turbines mainly are of two types: vertical axis(VAWT) and horizontal axis(HAWT). HAWT are the most common type of wind turbines built across the world. VAWT is a type of wind turbine which have two or three blades and in which the main rotor shaft runs vertically. They are however less frequently used as they are not as effective as HAWT.

The main difference between the VAWT and HAWT is the position of blades. In HAWT, blades are on the top, spinning in the air and are most commonly seen while in VAWT, generator is mounted at the base of the tower and blades are wrapped around the shaft. The main advantage of VAWT over HAWT is it's insenstivity to wind turbines and therefore can be mounted closer to the ground making it effective for home and residential purpose. Vertical turbines spin on the vertical axis and comes in various shapes sizes and colors. It's movement is similar to a coin spinning on the edge.

Here are some of the advantages of VAWT:

1. The turbine generator and gearbox can be placed lower to the ground making maintanence easier and lower the construction costs.
2. The main advantage of VAWT is it does not need to be pointed towards the wind to be effective. In other words, they can be used on the sites with high variable wind direction.
3. Since VAWT are mounted closer to the ground they are more bird friendly and down not dectroy the wildlife.
4. VAWT quiet, efficient, economical and perfect for residential energy production, especially in urban environments.

Despite these advantages VAWT's suffer from serious drawbacks. Let's have a look at some of them:

1. As the VAWT are mounted closer to the ground, less wind speed is available to harness which means less production of electricity.
2. VAWT are very difficult to erect on towers, which means they are installed on base, such as ground or building.
3. Another disadvantage of VAWT is the inefficiency of dragging each blade back through the wind.

Introduction

Geothermal energy as earlier has been explained is the energy that lies within the earth. It is one of the most renewable source of energy which is never going to extinct and can be found almost anywhere - as far away as remote deep wells or may be closer to your home. Energy inside the earth is never going to deplete and will remain as a source of heat, for millions and millions of years and we can harness that energy that is going to be cheaper and can help us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and global warming and public health issues that result from their use.

How Geothermal Energy Works?

Our planet, Earth, is covered with the is covered with the thick outer shell called crust, which is made up of many different rock layers and plates whose components keeps on shifting and changing. Under Earth's crust, there is a layer of hot and molten rock called magma. Heat is continually produced there, mostly from the decay of naturally radioactive materials such as uranium and potassium. The amount with in the earth's surface contains 50,000 times more energy than all the oil and natural gas resources in the world. So, due to extreme heat inside the earth these rocks start developing cracks and release energy in the form of water or heat on to the earth's surface. To get that heat, water is pumped down an "injection well". Then it filters through the cracks in the rocks where they are at a high temperature. The water then returns via the "recovery well" under pressure in the form of steam. That steam is captured and is used to drive electric generators.

Geothermal Energy

The benefits of geothermal energy in the form of heating and cooling has been discovered by thousands of people worldwide who swear by the comfort it provides and the simplicity of its operation. Geothermal energy has proven themselves over the decades and several manufacturers and many contractors provide the competition you need to ensure quality installation and service at a fair price.

Geothermal Heating

A Geothermal heat pump is used to harness geothermal energy from inside the earth to heap our homes or to use that heat for industrial purposes. Geothermal heat pumps are built on the same basic premise as regular heat pumps. The difference is that the geothermal type draws heat from the earth instead of from outdoor air. The heat from the earth is considered to be stable and even. In addition to providing heating for your home, this type of energy can also provide air conditioning and in most cases, hot water.

In the winter, this process is reversed. The heat pump extracts heat from the relatively warm ground, usually warmer than the outdoor cold air, and pumps this heat into the conditioned space. This natural form of heating can also help improve humidity control by maintaining about 50% relative indoor humidity, making geothermal heat pumps very helpful in humid climates.

Geothermal Cooling

Geothermal cooling is a process by which shallow ground is utilized within a system to regulate temperature. By creating an earth loop of piping through the area outside your home, under the frost line, you can use this for cooling your home. During the summer you will remove the heat from your home and distribute it back into the earth loop outside your home. In the summer, the heat pump extracts heat from the conditioned space and sends it out to the earth loop to warm the relatively cool ground, or pond. This stable temperature is harnessed, using a geothermal device, to draw heat energy out of a system and thus transfer the cool temperatures into a warmer area.

Geothermal Power Plant

The earth's crust is a rich source of energy and fossil fuels are only part of the story. Thermal energy or heat is stored deep inside the earth. To put it in perspective, the heat in the upper ten kilometers of the Earth's crust is 50000 times the energy of all oil and gas reserves in the world!

The word "geothermal" literally means "Earth" plus "heat. Geothermal Resources is the largest source of energy worldwide and used by people for centuries.

This is a renewable resource and can be produced over and over again for years to come since earth has abudant amount of heat energy stored inside it, therefore it will not disrupt the ecological balance of our planet.

Geothermal power plants operating around the world are proof that the heat inside the earth is easily converted to electricity in geologically active areas.

Many municipalities, companies, universities and government agencies in the western United States fetch directly to the hot water from underground reservoirs. For owners of a house or building anywhere in the United States, the emergence of geothermal heat pumps brings the benefits of geothermal energy at their doorstep.

Deep underground there are rivers just like on the surface. They are really hot, as the magma is close to the river or around them, warming the surface of the rock.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Geothermal Energy

As our reliance on fossil fuels have started to increase, geothermal energy is seen as the new source of power generation by digging out the heat stored inside the earth. Though not used fully due to factors such as location and high costs but in the years to come when fossil fuels would start to diminish, it will turn out to be the cheapest source of power generation. Geothermal energy suffers from its own advantages and disadvantages as described below.

Advantages of Geothermal Energy:

1. Significant Cost Saving : Geothermal energy generally involves low running costs since it saves 80% costs over fossil fuels and no fuel is used to generate the power.
2. Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels : Dependence on fossil fuels decreases with the increase in the use of geothermal energy. With the sky-rocketing prices of oil, many countries are pushing companies to adopt these clean sources of energy.
3. Environmental Benefits : Being the renewable source of energy, geothermal energy has helped in reducing global warming and pollution. Moreover, Geothermal systems does not create any pollution as it releases some gases from deep within the earth which are not very harmful to the environment.
4. Direct Use : Since ancient times, people having been using this source of energy for taking bath, heating homes, preparing food and today this is also used for direct heating of homes and offices.
5. Job Creation and Economic Benefits : Geothermal energy on the other hand has created many jobs for the local people.

Geothermal Energy Facts

Geothermal energy is renewable energy source and will continue to produce energy for over several years since it's available in abundant at few selected areas where volcanic activity takes place.

Below are few facts that many of you don't know. So, just have a look at them and see how wind energy can become as the major source of power generation if it is harnessed up to it's potential.

1. Geothermal energy is the renewable source of energy because energy is produced continuously inside the earth.
2. Geothermal energy is clean and safe and today supplies less than 10% of world energy.
3. U.S, Iceland, France, Russia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Portugal are the top nations where geothermal power is generated.
4. Geothermal energy has been in existence of over 100 years (since ancient times) when people used to harness it for taking bath, heating homes, cooking food etc.
5. The positioning of geothermal power stations is greatly affected by geological activity. Areas with active volcanoes and earthquakes are most suitable to extract geothermal energy.
6. Geothermal energy can be found in the form of volcanoes, hot springs and geysers.
7. Basically three types of geothermal plants to extract energy from beneath the earth: Dry steam, Flash steam, and Binary power plant.

Geothermal Energy Cost

Geothermal energy is the clean energy and has enormous potential in fulfilling the energy needs for some of the countries. Geothermal energy does not produce waste or generate greenhouse gases and is actually free which means it costs nothing. Since it is the heat contained inside the earth and that heat will be produced for long period of time even when non-renewable resources would start to diminish.

However, to harness that energy comes with the price tag, since you need some method to extract that energy from inside the earh. The most common method to extract that energy is through the use of geothermal power plant. The other method which is mostly used by residential households is by the use of underground pipes. The investment costs, mainly in drilling and equipment of the pipes accompanied by the cost of the pump

The main factors which can influence the decision for the use of geothermal energy are geographical exploration to identify a suitable site, development of the site, construction of the power plant, hire skilled professionals who can operate the plant and transfer skilled manpower to those locations. Other factors which also come into the picture are cost to the environment, operation and maintenance.

If you are a residential consumer, the main costs associated with it are labor, fitting of long pipes under the ground. However that cost can soon be recovered within few years with the advantages that it offers in the long term. Homes can have residential solar powered systems that supply both heat and energy, along with a geothermal heating system.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Below 10 meters from the Earth the temperature remains nearly constant between 50° and 60°F (10°-16°C). Like the cave, this ground is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler air in summer. 

Geothermal heat pumps harness this energy from beneath the earth and take advantage of this resource for heating and cooling of buildings.

Geothermal Heat pumps (sometimes referred to as Geoexchange, water source heat pumps), have been in use since 1940's. Geothermal Heat pumps use the heat below the earth's crust to heat homes and offices during winter rather, than the outdoor air temperature. 

As a result, the system can achieve a relatively high yield (300%-600%) during the coldest winter nights, compared with 175%-250% for air-source heat pump to cool days.

During winter, the heat below the earth is used as the medium to heat homes, as heat is removed from the heat exchanger by the heat pump system and it is pumped into the indoor air delivery system.

During summer, the process is reversed as heat pump moves heat into the heat exchanger from the indoor air. Heat extracted by the heat pump can also be used to heat water, providing a source of hot water during summer.

In U.S., many areas experience varying temperature ranging from 45°C during summers to Sub-zero cold in winter. Few meters below the surface soil remains relatively constant temperature.

The ground temperature which normally maintains at 45°F(7°C) to 75°F(21°C) is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler air in summer.

Geothermal Power Plant

Geothermal power comes from the slow decay of radioactive minerals such as uranium, which causes the rocks to become magma. Tectonic plate movement causes the movement of magma up from the edges, forming a reservoir in which geothermal steam and hot water can be recovered through wells.
Geothermal energy uses heat to produce steam, which in turn powers a generator to produce electricity.

Geothermal energy is generated deep in the ground, in the form of hot molten rock, or a Magma formed from the collapse of radioactive materials like uranium. 

This energy becomes available to us at the borders of tectonic plates, when rubbing together and sliding under the another, casuing the magma to break from the edges and pushed to the Earth's surface forming a geothermal reservoir.

Types of Geothermal Power Plants

There are three types of geothermal steam plants depending on the way the energy is generated:

1. Dry Steam Power Plant : The first is the dry steam power plant which is used to generate power directly from the steam generated inside the earth.
   In this case, we do not need additional heating boilers and boiler fuel, as steam or water vapour fill the wells through rock catcher and directly rotates the turbine, which activates a generator to produce electricity.
   This type of power plant is not common since natural hydrothermal reservoirs dry steam are very rare.
2. Flash Steam Power Plant : The most common type of geothermal power plant, flash steam plants use waters at temperatures greater than 360F.
   As this hot water flows up through wells in the ground, it is collected in a flash tank where drop in pressure causes the liquid to boil into steam.
   The steam is seperated from the liquid which is then used to run turbines which in turn generate power. The condensed steam is returned to the reservoir.

History Of Geothermal Energy

History says that the first use of geothermal energy occurred more than 10,000 years ago in North America by American Paleo-Indians. People used water from hot springs for cooking, bathing and cleaning.

The first industrial use of geothermal energy began near Pisa, Italy in late 18th century. Steam coming from natural vents (and from drilled holes) was used to extract boric acid from the hot pools that are now known as the Larderello fields.

In 1904, Italian scientist Piero Ginori Conti invented the first geothermal electric power plant in which steam was used to generate the power.

With the above experiment, the first geothermal plant in USA started in 1922 with a capacity of 250 kilowatts. It produced little output and due to technical glitch had to be shut down. However, in 1946 first ground-source geothermal heat pump installed at Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon

During the 1960's, pacific gas and electric began operation of first large scale geothermal power plant in San Francisco, producing 11 megawatts. Today there are more than 60 geothermal power plants operating in USA at 18 sites across the country.

What is Nuclear Energy?

Nuclear energy is another non-renewable source that has gained popularity in the last few years. With the depleting resources and high energy demand the world is looking towards the nuclear energy as its source that is created from the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear energy, as the term says, is released from the very nucleus of an atom. This happens as a result of its mass being converted to energy. Even though nuclear power is safer than burning electricity for fossil fuels, it is still a hazard to our health and the environment.

Nuclear power is produced through two different processes: Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion.

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear fission is the process of releasing the atomic energy by splitting the nucleus thus creating two products of roughly half the mass of the original. A nuclear reactor splits the nuclei of uranium atoms, creating large amounts of energy. This process also creates radioactive waste and radiation, which can contaminate the environment. Nuclear fission is the physical process responsible for all types of power generation, including that used in both nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the future. It is what provides the sun and the stars with the energy to shine continuously for billions of years. Nuclear fusion is when multiple atomic particles join together to create a larger atom. Fusion reactors join hydrogen atoms together to form helium atoms, neutrons and other forms of energy. This is the same type of nuclear energy used in hydrogen bombs. Fusion has been used here on earth to produce nuclear bombs, but has not yet been controlled so that we can obtain useful energy. Unlike nuclear fission, there is no limit on the amount of the fusion that can occur.

What is Biomass Energy?

Biomass is a renewable energy because it contains the energy which comes from the sun. Biomass is basically an organic material made from plants and animals. Through the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll present in plants absorbs the energy from the sun by converting the carbon-dioxide present in air and water from the ground in carbohydrates. The chemical energy that is present in plants is passed onto the animals and people that eat them. So, when these plants and animals are burned they turn back into carbon dioxide and water and release the sun's energy they contain. In this way, we can say that biomass is renewable source of energy because we can always produce more crops and plants and waste will always exist. As long as biomass is produced this source of renewable energy will last for ever. Examples of biomass include: plants, crops, trees and garbage.

Biomass in itself contains chemical energy. So, when you burn wood which is a biomass fuel, the chemical energy inside releases as heat. It can also be used to produce steam which can further be used to generate electricity. Using biomass for energy can cut back on waste and can also help in reducing the landfill. With the increase in costs people are trying to turn to more biomass and less fossil fuels

Pros:

1. Less dependence on fossil fuels
2. Reduction in landfill disposal
3. Easily available and inexhaustible fuel source
4. Has the potential to reduce greenhouse gases. Though it also emit carbon-dioxide, but carbon-dioxide released by it is largely balanced by the carbon dioxide captured in its own growth. Where as carbon-dioxide released by fossil fuels was captured by photosynthesis millions of years ago.

Importance of Recycling

Recycling is important in today's world if we want to leave this planet for our future generations. It is good for the environment, since we are making new products from the old products which are of no use to us. Recycling begins at home. If you are not throwing away any of your old product and instead utilizing it for something new then you are actually recycling. When you think of recycling you should really think about the whole idea; reduce, reuse and recycle. We've been careless up to this point with the way we've treated the Earth and it's time to change; not just the way we do things but the way we think.

We should recycle because:

• To Make Environment Clean
• Conservation of Materials
• To Save Energy
• Reduce Garbage in Landfills

Recycling is good for the environment, in the sense, we are using old and waste products which are of no use and then converting them back to same new products. Since we are saving resources and are sending less trash to the landfills, it helps in reducing air and water pollution. Energy saving is important if we are to reduce the future effects of global warming. If we recycle one aluminium can, we are able to save enough energy to run a TV for around 3 hours. This will obviously depend on the energy consumption of your TV, but it gives you a great idea as to just how much energy can be saved during the process of recycling products.

It is believed that (the U.S.) cut approximately 40 million newspapers each day, leading to the equivalent of about half a million trees ending in landfills every week. We've been careless up to this point with the way we've treated the Earth and it's time to change; not just the way we do things but the way we think. Paper, plastic, glass, aluminum cans are examples of some products that are recycled in large quantities.

Why Should We Recycle

Several reasons exist as to why we should promote recycling. Recycling helps us to convert our old products into new useful products. In other words, it is good for the environment. Since we are saving resources and are sending less trash to the landfills, it helps in reducing air and water pollution. Listed below are few reasons why we should all recycle old products.

1. Reduce pollution : The more you recycle old products the less you will require the need of buying new products. As a result there will be energy saving. 
   
   Reduction in the harmful gasses will not only help in cleaning the environment but will also clean the air we breathe. The more clean air we breathe the more positive impact it will have on our life.
2. Reduction in Landfills :Size of the landfills can be significantly reduced if we reduce our daily waste and recycle more. If we don't recycle the product the landfills site will become more common around the city which will certainly affect wildlife and environment. So to reduce it we must recycle as much as we can.
3. Conservation of materials : All the new products are made from the raw materials which are procured from harvesting the earth's natural resources. for eg: you need wood to make paper and wooden products. 
   
   If more trees are cut down to make such products it will affect wildlife and environment in a significant way. This can be reduced if recycle more and more paper and rely less on new products.

How Paper is Recycled?

Paper is one the material that can be easily recycled. Recycled paper is paper that was made from paper and paper products that has already been used and recovered. People need to take their time and save the paper products so that they can be recycled. Paper recycling begins with us. We all need to show our interest in recycling to make it successful. 

The Paper recycling activity can start at school, college, home, office, local community and even at drop off centers. We all need to understand what products can be recycled before staring the recyling process and how to properly prepare them for the recycling.

If you have a keen interest in knowing how the paper is recycled, you can make a visit to your nearby recycling plant and see how the waste paper undergoes recyling process. Most companies share process and information with people to make them understand better how the recycling process takes place and encourage them to participate in this process.

Paper is collected from the bin and deposited in the large recycling container along with the paper from the other recycle bins. This is the first process in the paper recycling process. Once the paper is collected from the recycle bins it is taken to the recycling plant where the waste paper is sorted and separated into types and grades.

The second process is pulping. In this process large amount of water is addded to the waste paper to produce pulp. Once pulp is produced it is then passed through a series of screens to remove larger pieces of contaminants for eg: inks, staples, plastic film and glue. The clean paper pulp is then placed in the machine that uses centrifugal cleaning to spin more of the debris from the paper pulp.

Tire Recycling

Tires become totally unusable once they are torn and damaged. They then end up in taking up the space in our landfills which affects the environment and also results in climate change. They also become the home ground for mosquitoes and rodents which are responsible for carrying many diseases. 

One major risk associated with disposal of tires is pollution of underground water. Many people burn their tires which releases some toxic chemicals into the atmosphere which may affect the health of the people. You must have seen street kids playing with the tires making another perfect recipe for disaster. 

The best way to reduce the filling of tires in the landfills is to become involved in tire recycling. One of the major issue in tire recycling is the durability of tires as they are very hard to break down and therefore are seen lying in open space in large heaps.

With the market growing for recyling of tires, many companies are chipping in with the help of grants from the local and state governments and are finding some practical uses of putting that waste into some valuable uses. Recycling of tires involved taking in the old tire and converting them back into other type of products. 

It is estimated several millions tires from private as well as commercial vehicles are discarded every year. Earlier only a few percentages of tires were recycled bit with more companies coming in and help given by government bodies, about 80% of tires are recycled which prevents old tires from taking up the space in landfill sites. We, people also need to contribute our effort in making this environment clean so as to make this place a better place to live in for our future generations.

Various recycling methods exist for tire recycling. Tires are being used by number of companies by substituting fuels like wood, coal and natural gas which are consumed in utility boilers. Tires are also being used as fuel at wood and paper mills throughout the nation. Another process involves heating up the tire in a reactor unit under high temperature without oxygen. Once the vapor is formed it is sent to water cooled unit where it is condenses into a liquid fuel forming diesel and other fuel oils

The products that can be made from the old tires include Fuels, shower tiles, carpet padding, rubber roads, speed bumps and several more. The good thing about tire recycling is that it can be recycled again and again though the process is really a intensive one. The benefits include reducing landfills space, releases less toxic chemicals into the air, Prevent the spread of diseases which could occur by piling of the tires in the landfills sites.

What are Recycle Bins?

Recycle Bins are large containers that you must have seen outside your home, in parks or streets and are used to store recyclable material. Once it is filled with the material the same is then picked by the local municipal body or local recycling firms to process those and make new products from them.

These recycle bins are very large and normally placed at local supermarket store or recycling centre. These bins are also separated from inside so that they can contain different types of material in different compartments. For e.g.: You could wish to separate paper, plastic and disposable glasses. Local recycling firms then process this garbage which in turn helps in making the environment clean and reducing the landfills.

In order to make sure that more and more people participate in recycling activity local municipal corporations are now encouraging home owners to dispose off their waste products in recycle bins. These bins are provided to the home owners by municipal corporations themselves. These are normally called household bin are most commonly type of bin today.

Recycle bins is a great way to start recycling. It has helped enormously in last few decades to process waste products which could otherwise would have ended up in filling up the garbage. Recycling in other way would help in Energy Conservation, Reducing pollution and landfill reduction.

Conserve Energy and Money in Your Home

The major energy users in your home are heating system, air conditioning, electric water heater, refrigerator, dryer, lighting - all contribute to your overall monthly electricity bill. Below are few tips to help you use them more efficiently, lower your energy use and save money on your monthly electric bill.

Kitchen Energy Savers

1. Use cold water rather than hot to operate your food disposal. Cold water also helps get rid of grease by solidifying it, so it then can be grounded up and washed away.
2. Install an aerator in your kitchen sink faucet.
3. Never boil water in an uncovered pan. Water will come to a boil faster and use less energy in a kettle or covered pan.
4. Keep range top burners and reflectors clean. They will reflect heat better, and you will save energy.
5. Match the size of the pan to the heating element. More heat will get to the pan and less will be lost to the surrounding air.
6. Turn off the oven five to ten minutes before cooking time is up and let trapped heat finish the cooking.
7. When using the oven, cook as many foods as you can at one time.
8. Get in the habit of turning off the elements of surface units on your electric stove several minutes before completing the allotted cooking time.
9. Avoid opening the oven door repeatedly to check food is cooking. This allows heat to escape and results in the use of more energy to complete the cooking of your food.

Want to do something to help stop Global Warming

Here are 10 simple things you can do to stop global warming.

1. Change a light : Replace regular bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. They consume less power then ordinary bulbs and have longer lifetime. Some countries have completely banned the usage of ordinary bulbs and force the common public to use CFL bulbs.
2. Drive less : By driving less you are not only saving fuel but also helping in reducing global warming. Also, look out for other possibilities, for eg: car pooling. If you have colleagues who live in the same area then you can combine trips. If you need to go to a local market then either walk or go by cycle. Both of them are great form of exercise.
3. Recycle more : Try to use the disposable products into some other form. Just don't throw them away. You can recycle almost anything for eg: paper, aluminium foils, cans, newspapers. By recycling you can help in reducing landfills .
4. Check your tyres : When you drive make sure your tyres are inflated properly. If not, then obviously they will consume more fuel. Keep your engine properly tuned and drive less aggressively. Aggressive driving and frequent applying of brakes hampers the engine and can lower the mileage of your car.
5. Use less hot water : Buy energy saving geysers and dishwasher for your home. Avoid washing clothes in hot water. Just wash them in cold or warm water. Avoid taking frequent showers and use less hot water. It will help in saving energy require to produce that energy.
6. Avoid products with lot of packaging : Just don't buy products with lot of packaging. When you buy such products you will end up in throwing the wate material in the garbage, which then will help in filling landfill sites and pollute the envoinment. Also, discourage others from buying such products.

Causes of Global Warming

Global warming is affecting many parts of the world. Due to global warming, the glaciers are melting which are causing the rise in the sea level. When the level of the sea rises, it cause danger to the people living in the low lying areas. So, this cause a big problem for the people, plants and animals living on the earth. When the level of the sea rises, it covers the plants and causes some of them to die. When they die, animals lose their main source of food. We, human beings lose our two sources of food, plants and animals. It may also force prople to lose their homes. In other words, the whole chain will get affected if nothing is done on time to stop global warming from spreading it's wings.

Here below are few of the main causes that are contributing their best towards global warming.

1. Pollution : Pollution weather it is vehicular, electrical or industrial is the main contributor to the global warming. Everyday billions of vehicles release various gases into the atmosphere. This cause earth to warm up and increase it's average temperature. Electricity causes polltion in many ways. Fossil fuels are burnt for eg. coal is burnt to produce electicity. Coal is the major fuel that is burnt in these power plants. Coal produces around 1.7 times as much carbon dioxide per unit of energy when flamed as does natural gas and 1.25 times as much as oil. Over 75% of the electricity worlwide is produced by burning fossil fuels. Many gases are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burnt of which main is the carbon dioxide gas. Industries on the other hand release various gases into the water and air. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide are the major greenhouse gases. Different gases have different heat trapping capabilities. Some of them trap more heat than carbon dioxide. Methane is much more effective then carbon dioxide in entrapping heat in the atmosphere. By driving cars, using electricity from coal fired plants and heating up our homes from natural gases, we release carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the atmosphere.
2. Deforestation : Deforestation is the cutting down of trees and plants to make way for any development activity. Carbon dioxide is the air that our body lets out when we breathe. Trees take in this carbon dioxide and release oxygen that we breathe in. With the cutting down of more and more trees is leading to greater concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. This means that it is very important to protect our trees to stop the greenhouse effect, and also so we can breathe and live. Deforestation is blamed for rise in the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere by cutting or burning them. New development projects, requirement of land for homes and factories, requirement for wood and also soil erosion are the major factors that are causing deforestation, which in turn leading to global warming.

Effects of Global Warming

Global Warming is already affecting the human kind, plant and animals in number of ways through increased ocean levels, droughts and changed weather patterns. Global warming is well recognized by scientists around the world as a serious public health and environmental concern.

Below is the list of effects that global warming is having on environment, climate and human kind.

1. Melting of glaciers : The melting of glaciers will create pleothra of problems for human kind an the animals living in the earth. Due to increased global warming, the level of the sea will rise which will lead to flooding and this will in turn create havoc in human life. Apart from raising the sea levels, it will also endanger several species of animals and thus will hamper the balance of the ecosystem. Moreover these large glaciers reflect light back into the space and with meltdown of these glaciers, earth will be further warmed.
2. Climate Change : Irregular weather patterns have already started showing results. Increased percipitation in the form of rain have already been noticed in polar and subpolar regions. More global warming will lead to more evaporation which will cause more rains. Animals and plants cannot easily adapt to increase rainfall. Plants may die due to it and animals may migrate to other areas, which can cause entire ecosysten out of balance.

Facts of Global Warming

Global warming is not the new phenomenon. It has been occurring since few decades and fastly growing. It has already started showing it's effects with the melting of glaciers, rising sea level and change in weather patterns. Sometimes it's difficult to detect which is a fact and which is a scientific scaretactics.

Here are some of the facts on global warming.

1. Global warming is the result of increase in the greenhouse gases which heat up the earth's atmosphere : The greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane accumulate at the surface of the earth and thus prevent the heat to escape back into the space. The result is that they warm the earth surface more than needed and leads to global warming. The overall temperature of the earth has increased by 0.8 degree celcius since 1880.
2. Global warming is also responsible for the climate change : Because of the global warming, earth is getting warm and resulting in more evaporation. More evaporation means more rainfall in the areas which receive scanty rainfall and droughts in other areas. As a result the whole weather patterns is getting unpredictabble.
3. Main gases contributing towards global warming are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide: Man made activities have contributed significntly towards global warming. Pollution from vehicles, industrial waste, burning of fossil fuels have increased in earth's global temperature. 75% of the electricity which is used worldwide, is produced by burning coal which is the main source of global warming since it produce large amount of greenhouse gases.

Benefits of Public Transportation

Between 1990 and 2006, emissions in the transportation sector increased by more than 25%, representing almost half of the total national growth in greenhouse gas emissions during this period.

Public transportation use reduces travel by private vehicles

Those who choose to ride public transportation reduce their carbon footprint and conserve energy by eliminating travel that would have otherwise been made in a private vehicle. The result is fewer vehicle miles of travel and reduced emissions.

Public transportation use reduces congestion

Public transportation serves some of the most congested travel corridors and regions in the country. Increased use of public transportation in these areas eases congestion; as a result, automobiles traveling in these same corridors achieve greater fuel efficiency

Why Save Electricity?

With the rising costs and shrinking economy more and more people are acting responsible and seacrhing for reasonable ways to save electricity. The other reason apart from these are that saving electricty will bring down your electicity bills, save you money and decrease pollution. Although many people have shifted to renewable sources such as solar power, there are other electricty saving tips too which will help you to conserve power.

Electricity Saving At Home

Replace old light bulbs with new florescent bulbs. Turn off the lights when not in use. Never leave electrical appliances on a standby. Keep doors and windows closed when heat or air conditioning is on. Check heat setting on the water heater. By lowering down the temperature you can reduce electricity. Put a layer of insulation around the water heater. Avoid using dryers in the washing machine since they consume huge amount of electricity when switched on. Turn off the water when brushing teeth and use less water for shower which will save electricity which is used to heat water. Do not use light bulbs during day hours. Use sunlight as much as possible.

Electricity Saving At Office

Use Ceiling fan as much as possible instead of air conditioners. Use maximum day light and use florescent bulbs. They are initially more expensive than the regular bulbs, but the benefits of the CFL bulbs will prove much more cost-effective in the long run by the amount of power they will save. Switch monitors of your PC when you are going to be away from PC for more than 10 mins. Use LCD monitors instead of CRT monitors. Get the consumption of AC's, PCs, Printers, Scanners, Refrigerator, Microwave Lift, EPBAX, lights, coffee machines etc.