With the rising cost of electricity people are starting to look to alternative ways to power their homes. Think about the increased rent you could charge on your investment properties! The need to provide electricity using more environmentally friendly methods is also becoming more important. Having solar panels for your home (or investment property) is one method of producing alternative power and many people have already taken this on board. If you go to sell your home there are certain real estate agencies that deal specifically with environmentally friendly homes, but it is also worthwhile speaking to conveyancing services who can offer you professional advice.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is created by collecting the sun’s energy in the cells of solar panels and transferring it to power. Solar panels can be installed on the roof of your home and power your lights and your appliances. It can be used to heat your hot water system and your swimming pool and solar energy can even power cars. Small appliances like calculators can run on solar power. Solar power is a green alternative and does not create any carbon emissions in its production. Solar power is an extremely effective way of creating electricity.

Hydro Electricity

Harnessing energy created by moving water has been done for thousands of years. People would use flowing water to push a wheel that would then go on to grind grain. Today hydro electricity is created in much the same way. Water is directed to flow through a turbine which causes it to spin which then powers a generator. Much of the United States’ energy is created this way. Hydro electricity is a greener option and it is a recyclable energy source as the water can be directed back up through the turbine.

Wind Power

Australia has the resources to provide a substantial amount of energy created by the wind. The southern states are subject to the Roaring Forties and wind speed is enough to create a large portion of energy. Currently about two percent of Australia’s energy demand is being met by power created by wind turbines. There are fifty-two wind farms in Australia.

Geothermal

While it might only seem appropriate for those living near volcanic activity, geothermal power is actually viable anywhere you have some space to dig deep. Six feet down, the earth holds a constant of around 50° and 60° all year. By laying some pipes underground, running fluid through a “heat exhanger” – or heat transfer from one medium to another – and adding a compressor to the mix, it is possible to produce a consistent air flow that keeps you cool in the summer months and warm during the winter. To boot, a geothermal heating and cooling system provides better air quality than you get by circulating an A/C or heater.

Wave Power to be Harnessed for First Time off Asia’s Coast-

Asia’s first utility scale tidal power plant is in the works off the coast of India. As of now the plant will only have a 50MW generating capacity but, in time, may ultimately reach over 200MW. Atlantis Resources, the London-based group that developed the world’s largest tidal turbine in Scotland, is constructing the project in the Gulf of Kutch. A survey recently performed by the company shows that the gulf has roughly 300MW of potential generating capacity for tidal power. The agreement between Atlantis Resources and India-based Gujarat Power Corporation allows for up to 250MWs to be developed in that area. According to the company, construction will begin sometime this year and is expected to be completed by 2013.

New Goal Places the Country Head and Shoulders Above Current Global Targets-

First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, recently announced that, with new goals set into motion, the country may be running off “at least” 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2025. “Scotland has unrivalled green energy resources and our new national target to generate 80 percent of electricity needs from renewables by 2020 will be exceeded by delivering current plans for wind, wave and tidal generation,” Salmond said last month at the Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh. “I’m confident that by 2025 we will produce at least 100 percent of our electricity needs from renewables alone, and together with other sources it will enable us to become a net exporter of clean, green energy.” He said that the plan will focus on strategies such as investment in infrastructure; appropriate supply chain; continuing advancements in renewable technologies and procedures; finance; careful monitoring and regulation of the electricity grid; as well as management of the marine environment. Scotland is planning to generate most of its power from offshore as well as onshore wind farms. With a recent launch of what continues to be the world’s largest tidal power plant, the country is also a leader in wave hydropower – generating enough power for roughly 1,000 homes.

Sustainable Data Facility in NY Will Conserve Energy & Create Jobs-

California-based Yahoo Inc. has opened its first green data center yesterday in Niagara County, New York. The facility, which houses 50,000 servers, will utilize power generated from a local hydroelectric plant. The data center is also efficiently designed to increase ambient air flow and will use only around 1 percent of its energy to cool the building on a daily basis. Yahoo was awarded $9.9 million through the Department of Energy’s Green IT grant program to build the facility — the largest grant the program has ever supplied. According to Yahoo, the NY data center will conserve enough electricity to power 9,000 New York homes annually. It will also create 125 new jobs for local residents.

Uninhabited Islands Around the Globe May be Used to Generate & Store Energy for Later Use-

Gottlieb Paludan, a Danish architectural firm, has come up with a revolutionary plan to store green energy which may help to solve the world energy crisis. The firm has proposed to take the world’s uninhabited islands and turn them into Green Power Islands, in which energy would be generated on land through wind or solar — depending upon the climate — and the surrounding water would be used to store the power using pumped hydro. Pumped hydro is an efficient and feasible way to store energy and, not to mention, has been successfully used around the world for years. Renewable energy can be particularly unreliable, since the blowing wind and shining sun is only available throughout a portion of the day. Thus, pumped hydro allows the energy captured throughout the day to be stored effectively and can be used at a later time when the need arises. The firm has specified many areas around the globe which would be an optimal site for the Green Power Islands: their native Denmark, the Florida Keys, Jiangsu in China, Manama in Baharain and Tamil Nadu in India. Each of these areas are saturated with unsettled islands and boast an ample supply of either wind or sun. Their plan intends to drive at least 75 percent of the energy captured into the grid. For more information, please visit the Green Power Island website.

Energy Production Companies Receive Direct Cash in Place of Tax Credits-

The United States government is doing its part to incite venture capital investments in clean and renewable energy by offering cash awards to energy production companies in place of earned tax credits. In a recent announcement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu awarded $502 million in the first round of funding in an effort to help produce upfront capital – allowing companies to create jobs and begin construction that may have been put on hold. Twelve projects were awarded grants. Penascal wind farm in Sarita, Texas received the largest grant, over $114 million. The 12 winning projects would be able to produce 840 megawatts of electricity, representing a 3 percent increase in total U.S. renewable energy generation capacity. “These grants will help America’s business launch clean energy projects, putting Americans back to work in good construction and manufacturing jobs. The initiative will help double our renewable energy capacity over the next few years and make sure America leads the world in creating the clean energy economy of the future,” said Secretary of Energy Chu. Treasury Secretary Geithner said, “This renewable energy program will spur the manufacture and development of clean energy in urban and rural America, allowing us to protect our environment, create good jobs and revitalize our nation’s economy.” The agenda, introduced under Section 1602 of the Recovery Act, is anticipated to generate more than $3 billion in fiscal support for clean energy projects by supplying direct payments in place of tax credits. Over the life of the program, these direct payments will sustain around 5,000 renewable energy production facilities of all forms throughout the nation. More than 2,000 Americans will have access to jobs in the renewable energy industry as a result of this first round of funding – both in construction and manufacturing – and will bring the nation one step closer toward the goal of a clean energy economy.

Proposed Law Designates Hydropower as Renewable Source of Energy for Alaska-

Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, recently proposed the Alaska Clean Energy Development Act – or H.R. 5352. The legislation would identify statewide hydropower as renewable for the purposes of the renewable tax credits, federal programs, and standards, if it is less than 50 megawatts or is generated through the use of a lake tap or siphon, pumped storage, or a run of the river system. “The passage of this bill will allow Alaskan communities the potential to generate cheap power and energy with small hydro projects,” Young said. “Hydropower is a renewable, nonpolluting, and reliable energy source, but for some reason was not considered renewable by Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi in her ‘energy suicide act’ of 2007. “America needs not only more oil, gas, coal, nuclear but also hydro and other forms of renewable energy. Alaska has great possibilities when it comes to generating electricity through hydropower, but have not been eligible for many grants, tax credits, and other federal funds because it has not been designated renewable. Hydro is an essential renewable for Alaska, and it needs to be recognized.”

New Technology Offers Advanced Tidal Energy Generation-

“Deep Green”, an innovative advancement in hydropower developed by Swedish start-up Minesto, has recently acquired €2 million ($2.5 million) from investors for research and development beginning early next year. Described as an “underwater kite”, the technology consists of a turbine attached to a wing and rudder that is secured to the ocean floor by 100 meters of cable. According to Minesto, anchoring “Deep Green” and steering the fastened “kite” allows the turbine to capture energy from the tidal currents at ten times the speed of the actual stream velocity. One of the greatest benefits to the technology, Minesto officials claim, is its small size – 12 meters for the wingspan and 1 meter for the turbine – compared to other tidal energy concepts. Minesto’s chief technical officer, Ted Rosendahl, says that the small size of “Deep Green” offers efficiency at greater depths and when the current velocity is low; allowing tidal energy to be tested in new stretches of ocean. The technology, capable of generating 500 kilowatts per hour, may be commercially available within the next four years but Minesto says that much more testing is still required. “We are in the development stage at the moment so there are many things to look into. Of course there are things in the environment that we don’t know about fully yet,” Rosendahl told CNN. Minesto was founded in 2007 and the project began back in 2003 as a result from research at the auto and aircraft manufacturer, Saab.

Social Networking Site Turns to Coal for Energy Resource-

Facebook, the social networking giant, has turned to a coal-firing power plant to maintain their data center in Prineville, Oregon despite claims that the center would utilize renewable energy resources. Hydro power, a clean and renewable source of energy, is made available through the local Bonneville Power Administration (BPA); however, as costs continue on the up-and-up due to demand, it has evidently made more business sense to move forward using cut-rate coal. In fact, according to Treehugger, the BPA will be initiating two-tier pricing for new customers to offset costs of non-hydro power generation, with increases from 2 cents per kWh to 6-7 cents. Facebook isn’t shunning environmentally-responsible options entirely though, as its Prineville center will employ an outside air intake system to cool data servers – helping to lower their carbon footprint. Many believe these diminutive attempts to be futile, still, seeing that dirty coal contributes over 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, 12 million tons of sulfur dioxide, as well as 7 million tons of nitrogen dioxides on an annual basis – and, to boot, coal extraction methods are barbaric, crude and detrimental to surrounding ecosystems. Green Energy News tried to contact Facebook for a comment, however the company does not offer telephone support at this time. CALL TO ACTION: E-mail Facebook at info@facebook.com and urge them to stop using dirty coal so America can look toward a more sustainable future.

Despite Negative Climate Change Discussions, Cleantech Investments on the Rise-

In spite of the dubious Copenhagen climate change talks, cleantech investing is set to have a successful year in 2010 – according to a recent survey performed by Jefferies investment banking group. The analysis report confirms that investments will remain strong, particularly overseas in Europe. To add, market analyst firm New Energy Finance expects global cleantech investments to reach $160 billion in 2010 – up from $125 billion in 2009. Business Green states in a release, “The survey of 200 clean tech investors representing over $400 billion of assets found that respondents believe that continued government subsidies and a general recovery in the credit markets will more than offset any harm done to the sector by politicians’ failure to secure a stronger international climate change agreement.” As cleantech investments are expected to gain momentum, the system will continue to rely heavily on support from policy measures; such as subsidies, tax incentives, low interest loans and other forms of financial aid. Bruce Huber, head of European cleantech investment activities at Jefferies, lends his comments, “What is clear is that both local government incentives and transnational policies aimed at putting the brakes on climate change are fundamental to the continued growth of the clean tech industry.” Business Green also mentions that many panel participants foresee a number of noteworthy clean technologies to be set for mainstream operation in the near future; with nearly half of the respondents anticipating a widespread adoption of electric vehicles in less than five years.