Nevada Solar One

I can only think of one word for this picture....Beautiful.
It's only an artist's impression drawn up before the project started, but as of June 2007, it is completed, up and running. It sprawls across 1,300,000 square metres of grass land in Boulder City 40km south of Las Vegas. It's the biggest plant of a clean energy source built to date and uses the sun's energy to heat up liquid which when turned to steam, powers an existing traditonal power plant. I'll give you the link to an original (and slightly more knowledgable!) article right after i've rattled off a few stats at you, and they are some big stats!

OK:

• 76km of parabolic cylinder concentrators
• Almost 219,000 mirrors reflecting tracked heat into...
• 18,000 receiver tubes
• 1,500,000 work hours to construct
• 16 months to build

Want to read more? Click this

Solar Power Incentives Program

I've found a link that makes making home solar panels or any other kind of Renewable Energy source installation a lot easier to work out pricewise, Whatever state of the USA you live in, you can just click on it on the map, and find out what rebates and grants ar available to you.

It's easy, click on this: DSIRE

I'll admit, until i found DSIRE, i was in the early stages of a massive research marathon, trying to find out exactly what each state is offering! Thank God i found it, huge time-saver!
I really hope you found it useful, as much as we're all trying to make the effort, we can't deny that investments like this take careful consideration. Solar Panels ARE dropping in price, and as well as the helpful options offered by the Government, it is gradually getting a lot easier to modernise the way we live off the planet.

Thats all for now folks!

Home Solar Panels

Well done everyone!
It's actually happening. We are really doing something about the problem we ALL face....Global Warming. I must admit, about a year ago, when the issue swept over nation after nation, just like a wave, i thought it would be just that- a wave, here today, gone tomorrow, and leaving behind it, a massive unsolved problem. I thought we were done for, that it was just a matter of time now before we create for ourselves an uninhabitable environment that would quickly wipe us out.
But instead, home solar panel sales are on the rise, wind farms are being designed, we are recycling much more stuff, we are switching off un-used appliances in the home, we are using more eco-friendly products that create less carbon dioxide during manufacture, use and disposal....in short, we are stepping right up to the challenge! And that makes me really proud of us!

Something, or should i say someone,who has also stepped upto the challenge in a HUGE way, is Google. That's right, the Internet Giants. I found this article the other day, you've got to check this out!:

Google Solar Panel Project: "Google has installed over 90% of the 9,212 solar panels that comprise the 1,600 kilowatt project. Panels cover the rooftops of eight buildings and two newly constructed solar carports at the Googleplex" (to read more click here)

I wish we could all pull this kind of project off, but for now i think most of us can leave that to the tycoons of the industrial world. As consumers, our obligation is to become more open minded to alternative sources of energy. The most obvious one to me is home solar panels. Cloud aside, sunshine is really the most constant of the natural power sources. And because the majority of most populations worldwide live in a non coastal area, ie inland, harnessing this abundance of solar power is the most accessible form of converting to a clean energy source. And again, of these inland populations, the majority live in towns and cities, making the option of underground solar powered ducting all the more difficult.
The trump card is home solar panels. Although they're not "easy" to install, and there is an upfront cost, in the long term they will pay for themselves and give you peace of mind when you reflect on how you helped the environment.
One of the best things about it is, solar energy shines into your panels, this energy is stored in batteries ready for you to use, if at somepoint your batteries become fully charged, any surplus energy gets directed back to your mains grid, back to the power station....for which you get paid! 99 times out of 100, a consumer will have a 'hybrid system' set up in their home, part solar power, and part traditional grid power for when solar power is low, so when your batteries are charged and you've got excess power, that power will be automatically routed to your service provider.

Check this article out:

Government incentives hea...

Illinois gives individuals who install home solar panels a rebate of 30 percent of their system’s cost, up to $10,000. On top of that, homeowners get a one-time federal tax credit of 30 percent of the panels’ cost, capped at $2,000—and the deal may get sweeter. If the energy bill passed by the U.S. House on Saturday becomes law, that $2,000 cap is history.

Solar energy fans have two choices: photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar thermal panels. PV panels convert the sun’s energy directly into electricity for the home. Solar thermal panels collect that energy that heats water for direct use or to provide home heating.

And this one:

There are many subsidies and rebates available to you if you decide to use a home solar power system. California will give you a 40% rebate on your total installation purchase and many other states offer a similar incentive program. You also receive credit to your utility account if you generate more power than you use throughout the day. This is called net metering and most utility providers offer this program for home solar power system users. If they don't, they will send you a rebate check once a month for your extra generated power.

When choosing your home solar power system, you will want to check around with various dealers to see what types of panels are available to you. Some panels generate more power than others so you want to make sure you are getting the best deal available. Many solar dealers will offer you great package deals with panels, inverters, and batteries with a very comprehensive maintenance plan. You will usually be able to trade in your old batteries for a discount on new ones when the need arises.

(Click here for the original article)

Pretty inspiring stuff huh?!

Getting Eco Friendly sure is something worth doing, but going the right way about it takes a bit of thinking. I've come across some great ebooks that really take out a lot of the uncertainty and doubt. I'll list them below for you.

Solar Power Design Manual
Renewable Energy Solutions

Thanks for reading!

See you soon.

Si