2006RUS

Fossil fuels and their use is a major point of concern throughout the world at present and will continue to be so for a long time to come. So why all the concern and what can we do about it?

These fuels have provided the developed world with a cheap source of energy, and this energy has allowed technological and financial success. This is almost entirely due to the ready availability of coal, oil and natural gas. Those fuels are responsible for running the power stations, our cars, factories, and even the production of food through large scale farming and fertilizers.

Given that coal and oil have been used as fuel throughout human history, why has this now become a problem?

The answers to these questions are population and lifestyle. The human population is over three times what it was less than 80 years ago. At the same time our technology is advancing, so that virtually all aspects of our lives use electricity in some way. Also take into account the amount of fuel that is burned each day in cars alone and the picture becomes clearer.

Pollution is not always a visible problem. We can see it when the truck or bus in front of us is belching black smoke, but emissions from power stations are far from obvious. Yet each time we use an electrical device that power is coming from a power station. While the number of alternative energy power stations such as concentrated solar thermal and wind power is growing, the main base load of electricity is still being produced by coal or oil fired power plants.

These power plants generate electricity by boiling water to make steam, and the steam is used to turn huge turbines. The turning of the turbines rotates enormous coils of copper wire inside equally huge magnets, and it is this that generates the electricity. That electricity is then transported to our homes through power lines and substations. Burning the fuel produces among other things carbon dioxide. This is a greenhouse gas, meaning that it acts to trap heat in the atmosphere.

There are many electrical devices we use on a daily basis such as televisions, computers, MP3 players, mobile phones, heaters, air conditioners and so on. If we multiply the amount of energy we use on any given day by the number of people living a similar lifestyle, we can start to understand the scale of our energy use.

Even though the problem is large there are steps we can take individually to reduce it. Using less energy is the first step. Turning off devices rather than leaving them on standby immediately reduces our energy use without having any effect on our lifestyle. This will also result in lower electricity bills.

The next thing we can do is get our electricity from renewable energy sources. Most electricity retailers will have a green energy option, though sadly in a lot of cases this is more expensive than power from a coal or oil fired plant.

We can also invest our money in producing our own renewable energy. Installing solar panels on our roofs for electricity and water heating is a good long term investment, though up front costs can be high. The same can be said about investing in an electric vehicle, though both electric and hybrid cars are becoming more commonplace.

The problem of dependence on fossil fuels is something we can have a personal impact on. If we reduce our personal energy use and learn more about the subject of fossil fuel use we can leave a smaller footprint on the earth.

Looking to find the best information on fossil fuels, then visit www.green-planet-solar-energy.com to find the best advice on solar power for you.

It is clear that we cannot rely on an endless oil supply and as world reserves of oil dwindle we need to consider what impact replacement energy sources will have on the planet. Biofuel has been promoted as one such alternative. The implication is that we will be able to maintain our current lifestyle by using oil substitutes in the same manner as we have done for the past one hundred years.

This is certainly a worthy goal, but how realistic is this and at what cost will this fuel be produced? The basis of biofuel production is the conversion of plant sugars into ethanol, which can then be used as a fuel. There are two broad types of sugars available in plants, and the choice of which to use as the fuel source directly affects the profitability of the fuel generated from the plant.

The first type is simple sugars, with one or two sugar molecules joined together. These are the sugars that we digest from plants, which are we get our energy from. These sugars are mainly present in the fruits of plants. An example of this is the corn cob. This part of the corn plant is high in energy. Making ethanol from this part of the plant is profitable since the sugar molecules are easily converted into ethanol with the help of organisms such as yeast.

The second source of sugars in the plant is in the plant body itself, the tough fibrous material called cellulose. This is comprised of the same sugar molecules present in the fruit, but are bonded together in long strands. These strands are very difficult to break down into simple sugars and involve complex enzymes such as cellulase. These can be produced commercially but this is an expensive process. The result of converting cellulose into ethanol is both a lower yield and a higher cost per unit of fuel, but its great advantage is that any plant matter, even cardboard and paper, can be converted into fuel. There is no need to reduce the availability of food with cellulose conversion.

At present virtually all biofuel production crops rely on simple sugars such as the cob of the corn plant and the sap of sugar cane. Such crops solve nothing – they are supplementing fuel supplies while reducing food availability. Given the rising global demand and price of food, use of agricultural land to make ethanol from simple plant sugars is at best irresponsible.

Biofuels may represent a partial solution to our energy needs, but they cannot be produced at the expense of food. Research into improving methods of breaking down cellulose needs to be done. If this can be done efficiently, bioethanol could mean a genuine step toward a clean energy world.

Find more information about this topic in the What Is Biofuel section of www.green-planet-solar-energy.com. You may also be interested to read about the production and properties of fossil fuels and issues associated with that industry.

categories: biofuel,alternative energy,energy savings,renewable energy,energy,technology,environment,environment and nature,nature,science,reference,education,current events,tips

One of the Carbon Dioxide properties, and the major concern for us, is its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere that would otherwise be radiated from the surface of the planet back into space.

Why does this happen?

Along with methane and water, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) absorbs energy at longer wavelengths than the other major atmospheric gases Nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen (O2).

CO2 molecules that are exposed to heat absorb this long wavelength energy. This makes the molecules speed up and makes the chemical bonds inside the molecule vibrate more than normal. The Carbon Dioxide molecules eventually lose this added energy and so return to the state they were in before they were heated.

The energy it releases is the same as the energy it absorbed, and so it not only absorbs but also emits long wavelength energy. This energy is radiated in all directions; upwards into space, and downwards back towards the Earth.

So why is that a problem?

The heat initially absorbed by the CO2 molecules comes largely from heat that is reflected from the surface and so is making its way out of the atmosphere into space. Carbon Dioxide molecules effectively take some of this energy and return it towards the surface, trapping it in the atmosphere. In essence, the CO2 acts as a heat blanket which is why it is given the term “greenhouse” gas, since greenhouses also trap heat. If we add enough CO2 to the atmosphere there can only be a significant warming effect, causing a rise in atmospheric and surface temperatures.

This change in surface temperature can have dramatic effects. Even a slight rise in temperature will result in increased evaporation from the ocean surfaces. Water is also a Greenhouse gas, and the Greenhouse effect of added CO2 in the atmosphere is compounded by the additional water vapor it causes.

It is important to keep this most significant of carbon dioxide properties in mind, as doing so will motivate us to reduce our carbon emissions. The most effective way to do this is to develop clean energy sources.

Want to learn more about the solar greenhouse effect? Visit Roger Vanderlely’s website, www.green-planet-solar-energy.com. There you will also find out about solar energy solutions for you and your home such as cheap solar panels, solar energy gadgets and much more.

categories: global warming,current affairs,current events,energy,technology,environment,environment and nature,nature,science,reference,education,politics,government,world

Nuclear Energy has been touted as an alternative to mainstream electricity production from fossil fuel sources. But how does Nuclear compare to fossil fuels in the long run?

There’s no doubt that fossil fuels have lots of problems associated with their long term large scale use. One problem is that of Peak Oil production, where we may have already passed maximum capacity production, yet demand is still rising. More serious than this is the very real possibility of significant and virtually irreversible climate change brought about at least in part by our continuous addition of Carbon Dioxide and other pollutants to the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels.

So how does Nuclear energy stand up as an alternative to fossil fuels in terms of a sustainable source of electricity production? There are several concerns about Nuclear energy that have given it a bad name. Reactor problems such as those that caused the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl incidents, along with several others, are far fewer in number relative to the scale of electricity production than compared to casualties in the mining sector associated with oil and coal.

When nuclear power stations were first developed there was the issue of waster storage. The liquid waste had, and still does have the potential to leak into water tables and cause severe contamination. This problem has largely been overcome as Nuclear waste can now be stored in solid form.

Use of fuel enrichment to produce weapons grade nuclear materials such as Plutonium-239 is an unfortunate but essential part of the economical use of nuclear fuel. It is worth remembering that no aggressive nuclear strike has been carried out since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War Two, and that many millions of casualties have occurred in conventional warfare since that same time.

The key long term factor though is that Nuclear energy production relies on a non-renewable resource. It is true that deposits of Uranium may have only started being used, but given that the world is continuing to use more and more energy we can see clearly that the day will come when the Uranium will run out.

It does not make sense to replace fossil fuels with an energy source that is doomed to face exactly the same problem. Those who champion Nuclear power say it is the solution to our current energy and pollution crisis, but those people are not looking far enough into the future.

To make correct, responsible decisions that take into account not only our own welfare but also that of our children and their children, we need to adopt wide scale renewable energy in the form of Solar and Wind power. These proven technologies have the capacity to meet our energy demands TODAY with no adverse future effects, assuming they are implemented in an intelligent way.

Governments around the world need to start making intelligent decisions that benefit both us and the generations to come. A secure, clean energy source is obviously the way forward so large scale renewable energy production must be implemented immediately.

Get more information about Nuclear energy, coal and oil by visiting the Fossil Fuels section of Roger Vanderlely’s website. You will also find information on possible energy developments such as the Bakken Oil Field.

categories: global warming,current affairs,current events,energy,technology,environment,environment and nature,nature,science,reference,education,politics,government,world

It was recently revealed in a study that laws that ban cell phone use while driving fail to reduce crashes. According to the new Highway Loss Data Institute, there have been no reductions in crashes since cell phone bans have taken effect.

This information was obtained by comparing insurance claims for crash damage in four United States jurisdictions both before and after these bans.

Month to month fluctuations in the rates of collision claims in the place with restrictions were taken into account and it was shown that there was no difference between either jurisdiction. Despite the fact that the cell phone bans have reduced hand held phone use, several studies have established that talking on the phone increases crash risk. It has been determined by two independent studies that people who use cell phones are four times as likely to crash.The information that the HLDI uses doesn’t identify drivers using cell phones when their crashes occur. But the reductions of observed phone use have been so large, one would suspect that crashes should be reduced as well.

“So the new data that we have collected doesn’t match what we currently know about the risk of phoning and texting while driving,” An expert points out. “Obviously, if crash risk increases with phone use and there are less people using cell phones, we would expect to see a decrease in crashes. But we aren’t seeing it. Nor do we see collision claim increases before the phone bans came into play. This is surprising, too, given what we know about the growing use of cell phones and the risk of talking on the cell while driving. We’re currently gathering data to figure out this mismatch.”

There some of factors that could be dwindling the effects of hand-held phone bans on crashes. One fact is that drivers in areas with cell phone bans might be switching to hands-free phones because no state forbids any type of these phones. If this was happening, crashes wouldn’t go down because the risk is about the same whether the phones are hand-held or hands-free. D.C. and twenty one states do ban beginning drivers from using hands-free phones, but these laws are hard to enforce.

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With flu season coming up, the number of flu incidents is already well ahead of its usual pace. I saw a report on TV a few nights ago that said there have been more illnesses from flu this year than there usually are in a whole season.

The most baffling thing about this strain of flu is the fact that perfectly healthy young people are more vulnerable to the effects of it than older or sickly people.

Many are wondering what to do and how they can possibly protect themselves from this epidemic in the making.

Everyone is wondering what to do for the lack of preventive options available. Schools will frequently close when there’s an outbreak, and offices have taken similar measures. There are some lobbying for a swine flu vaccine, as they say that one is absolutely necessary at this point.

On the other hand, the swine flu is said to only end up killing less than one percent of those afflicted with it. Being that just a fraction of one percent of those will face a death rate, is it worth getting vaccinated from this epidemic?

You might have heard the recent story of a Washington Redskins cheerleader, who was left unable to speak after having a bad reaction to the flu vaccine this season. This is certainly a scary thought, though this reaction obviously isn’t the norm.

No one knows exactly why this happened, but the advice of your personal doctor should be the advice to follow. Get as many opinions as you can if need be, but make a decision that you’re comfortable with.

The most important thing the public can do right now is to spread awareness about the symptoms and dangers of this illness. In doing so, people will be more prepared to act quickly.

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