The Kids May Save Us – The planet Earth that is

This such a fun and upbeat story. I know you are saying – Doug doesn’t do upbeat or fun. I do not do exclamation marks, ever. So you will just have to take my word on this. This younger generation and these kids in particular could make the difference between human extinction or not.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/9952945/gen-z-climate-change-anxiety?utm_source=digg

Gen Z’s Radical, Virtual Quest To Save The Planet

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It’s time to wake up. On Global Day of Climate Action, VICE Media Group is solely telling stories about our current climate crisis. Click here to meet young climate leaders from around the globe and learn how you can take action. 
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Many people first started paying attention to the youth climate movement in 2018, when now-17-year-old Greta Thunberg began protesting outside Swedish Parliament in her home country. Her small act of civil disobedience had a ripple effect. Students across the globe began striking by refusing to attend classes, which eventually turned into the “Fridays For Future” movement.
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It may sound like a ploy to get out of chemistry, but it’s not. Gen Z ranks climate change as the most important issue of our time, according to last year’s Amnesty International survey of more than 10,000 members of 18- to 25-year-olds. “Older generations were not out there protesting in the streets on this issue the way Gen Z is,” asserts Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, PhD, who teaches political science and environmental policy at Christopher Newport University. These under-25 activists have formed organizations like Fridays For Future and Zero Hour, a movement that focuses on helping young people take action. Others have sued their state or even the United Nations. They’ve staged hunger strikes. They’ve performed spoken word poetry.
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These kids care. A lot.
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“Younger people see the total mess that Boomers and, to a lesser extent, millennials have left, and they have to figure out how to fix it,” says Jessica Green, PhD, an associate professor focused on climate governance at the University of Toronto.

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Go there and rejoice. Hallelujah Hallelujah  Hallelujah More hopefully next week.

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Americans Would Not Know Good Design If It Bit Them ON The Ass

These people have been conserving massive amounts of energy for years. Americans, Russians and Chinese, NOt So MucH. You know – energy exuberance and all that poppycock.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/12/a-design-concept-is-transforming-the-energy-efficiency-of-buildings.html?utm_source=digg

How a decades-old design concept is transforming the energy efficiency of buildings

 

Key Points
  • The buildings we live and work in have to meet a wide range of needs.
  • Could a shift in the way they are designed make them more energy efficient?
H/O - Goldsmith Street Norwich
Goldsmith Street, in the English city of Norwich, won the RIBA Stirling Prize for 2019.
Tim Crocker

The buildings we live and work in have to meet a wide range of needs, whether it’s an office block in the middle of the city or a small house in the suburbs.

Think of a building’s temperature: It can be regulated by radiators, fans and air conditioning systems, while basic actions such as opening and closing a window or door can also be effective. Today, smart technology allows many of these appliances to be controlled remotely using smartphones.

You only need to look at your monthly utility bill to know that living in a building — be it large or small — costs money.

The impact of buildings on the environment is also a concern. According to the IEA, final energy use in buildings hit approximately 3,060 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2018, up from 2,820 Mtoe in 2010.

Fossil fuels’ share in buildings’ energy use was at 36% in 2018, the IEA says, a small drop compared to 38% in 2010.

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Go there and read. Its all you’ve got to do, right? More next week.

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Links Here!! Links Here!! – I get asked all the time to post links

Over the years I have gotten 100s of requests to post links with other Blogs and Internet Sites that are related to the things that I post about; Sometimes tangentially. Sometimes very tangentially. Below I am going to try to post some of those with the text of the request where applicable or sometimes just the link.

 

I am only one guy by the way. That is it, Community Energy Systems and Energy Tough Love is just one guy with 900 bucks in the bank….so there is no way I can track down each post of mine and put the link on the page. Did I mention I was 63 years old. I would be dead by the time i did 10 or 20 post. Is some of this sarcastic? Well yah. But I never mean it spitefully. Please laugh with me not at me. Consider this:

Hello ,

My name is James Giraldo and I’m the Communications Manager on SaveOnEnergy.com®.

I wanted to point out this page: censys.org which links to a broken kids energy page on miamisci.org

Our team has created a Kids Learning Center which is filled with free resources similar to the ones previously found on that page. Please take a look, and if you find any of the content useful consider linking to it on your page, or perhaps use it to replace the broken link so your visitors don’t end up on that broken page.

Here is a hyperlink to our kids learning center:
https://www.saveonenergy.com/kids-learning-center/

Thank you in advance for your help and attention. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns that I can assist with.

James G.
Communications Director
6860 North Dallas Parkway, Suite 228 | Plano, TX 75024
James@admin.saveonenergy.com
www.saveonenergy.com

Or this:

Hi censys.org,

I was reading a page on your site and I noticed you had link pointing to a page that is broken (no longer valid) which I thought you might want to fix.

The broken link can be found at the middle of the page.  The page that has the broken link is:

https://censys.org/index.php?s=energy&paged=27

Attached is a screenshot with a circle around the broken link to make it easier to find.

Having broken links on your site isn’t good for your readers and also Google lowers your ranking score if you have them.  It would be awesome if you could replace the broken link with one of our related posts instead, if not, that is okay.

http:www.businesselectric.com


If you would replace it with our link we would share the post with 14,000+ followers in our niche.  We are up for collaborating more with you or negotiating more about it.

Thanks for reading my email and have a nice day ?

Regards,
Oliver

Or this:

We recently put together an in-depth resource (~10K words) about work boots, which received over 1000 social shares. It’s quite different to the other articles you see on the web about this topic.
Zoey Miller
“Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” – Dalai Lama
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Or this:
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I just finished writing a guide that is even more detailed, updated and comprehensive on how to choose an air conditioner, according to science. It is more than 7,000 words and is packed with practical tips. You can find it here: https://www.jenreviews.com/air-conditioner/
Either way, keep up the great work!
Warmly,
Jean

 

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More when I get the chance.

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UIS Has A New Student Union – It is Green as all get out

I am a graduate of Sangamon State University. What is now University of Illinois Springfield. They just build a Student Union and I am so proud of it. It could be LEED certified and it is student centered. Our Student Union was in a temporary building 0n the temporary campus “down the hill”. This is just so cool.

Strategic Design of the UIS Student Union

This is the part I like:

Environmentally Excellent

UIS is seeking a LEED Gold certificate (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council), both for the sake of the environment and in order to take advantage of energy saving measures. For this reason, the building will have a green, or “living,” roof with vegetation and a growing medium over a sloped membrane. This roof will provide insulation, help to lower air temperatures, and last much longer than other roofs—50 to 60 years rather than the 20 to 30 years most roofs last. The vegetation will most likely include wildflowers that will change throughout the growing season, adding to the building’s beauty.

To reduce storm runoff and eliminate water irrigation, the Student Union will have a rainwater reclamation system that takes advantage of the roof’s slope. Also in consideration of LEED approvals, lighting will be designed to meet the USGBC’s very stringent requirements.

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Go there and read. More next week.

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Pana IL Students Need Money For Solar Car – Please help them out

Disclaimer: I know no student involved in this endeavor nor do I know anybody at their High School. These have got to be brave and hard working students. They deserve all the support we can give. According to the article they need at least $9,000 to complete the project so please give all you can.

http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171211/pana-students-take-on-solar-car-challenge

Pana students take on solar car challenge

PANA – Apparently building a moonbuggy wasn’t hard enough.

Pana High School students this year are setting out to build a solar-powered car from scratch and race it across Texas to California as part of the 2018 Solar Car Challenge.

Building the battery-powered four-wheeled rovers that Apollo astronauts used on the moon in the early 1970s is a tradition at Pana.

But industrial arts teacher Steve Bonser said students learned about the solar car challenge this summer and decided to give it a shot — despite being warned it wouldn’t be easy.

“The kids voted unanimously to up the game and take on a lot more work and build this solar car,” he said.

Starting to take shape

The framework of what will hopefully become a solar-powered car is beginning to take shape in the shop at the junior high school.

Bonser said the students have finished most of the design work and constructed the frame for the 8-foot long car. The goal is to have the entire vehicle, which will be street legal, finished in March.

Still early on in the process, Bonser said, the school was fortunate Battery Specialists in Taylorville donated a golf cart, which will provide some parts.

 The school also acquired solar panels that will power the battery. But much of how it will all come together is still an unknown.

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Go there and read. Please donate to this project. More next week.

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Frugality Amounts To Paring Your Life Back – To improve the quality

I say frugality is not giving up, it is getting back to what you want. Here the poster asks what is most important too you not what do you want now.

http://almostfrugal.com/

What Do You Want Most?

by Kelly

I found this quote on a fitness website (MyFitnessPal): “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want the MOST for what they want at the MOMENT.”*

I’ve often fallen into that trap. I’m hungry, so even though I want to stay on my diet, I go through the drive through. I’m feeling down, so I go shopping for a new shirt, even though I want to stay on a budget. I’m tired, so instead of doing my consulting work, I read a book on my Kindle (or maybe even buy a new book instead of reading one of the many I already have).

In fact, figuring out what I want most, I think is one of the hardest things about goal setting. I know, intellectually, that I want to do/act/be a certain way, but I often feel like I have a hard time owning that feeling in a way that will help me commit to following through on the commitment over a long period of time.

My life is in transition here, both at Almost Frugal-land and abroad. I’ve been going through some growing and moving and changing for the past few months, and it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride. Things are good- no need to worry- but finding this quote today has helped me to sum things up.

I’m working on discovering what I want to happen most, not just what I want to happen in the moment.

What do you want to happen most?

*I don’t know to whom I should credit the quote- if you know, please leave the information in the comments.

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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I Wish Illinois Cared For Us As Much As California Does – Sniff

It’s Jam Band Friday..Yippe…Yahoo – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EapcVSB7U4U

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http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/index.html

California Energy Commission Consumer Energy Center

tips page graphic 1 tips page graphic 2 page title
navigation spacer image
two color top bar
www.consumerenergycenter.org / tips

CONSUMER TIPS to $AVE ENERGY AND MONEY

Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency are two sides of the same coin. Most people think they mean the same thing, but they don’t.

Energy conservation means reducing the level of energy use by turning down a thermostat, or turning off a light, or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator.

Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one.

In this section, you’ll find both energy conservation and efficiency tips for your home, office, school, car or truck, and other areas.

You’ll learn how to get your home ready for summer or winter. You’ll learn how to be prepared in case the power goes out. And you’ll learn some interesting facts about energy.

TIPS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Energy Tips for Schools

TIPS FOR YOUR VEHICLE

Energy Tips for Your Vehicle

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More next week.

He is so good- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZzvTQiy4w

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Earth Day – The day after

Its jam band friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37E2SjHc134

Earth Day lasts a long time in Springfield. That is because one of our big events is on the Weekend. Earth Awareness Fest is Saturday so today is kind of a let down. Nonetheless, I soldier on. This is from Gather by way of PeakOil.

http://peakoil.com/?p=53796

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978190692

What is With “Happy” Earth Day?

April 22, 2010 02:14 PM EDT

views: 279 | 2 people recommend this | comments: 5

Today is Earth Day, an observance begun in 1970 by then-Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in an attempt to spread awareness of environmental issues. It’s grown since that start to being on the calendar in 192 countries. And on its 40th anniversary, it’s beginning to take on the trappings of a greeting card holiday. The mere existence of Earth Day greeting cards available from companies that don’t focus on the environment is only part of that.

Twitter’s trending topics as I type this lists “Happy Earth Day” as the most popular worldwide. I find that strange. No, actually, I find it silly. You put the word happy in front of words and phrases like birthday, holidays, and new year. Days on which you celebrate and have a good time. Party holidays, in short. Earth Day is not a party holiday. You can throw one, sure, but I’m not sure I see the point of doing something which in and of itself is wasteful extravagance on a day meant to remind people that resources are finite. Yes, there are safer forms of paper plates and cups and potato plastic cutlery. That’s beside the point.

I’m not saying that people need to be all solemn and dark and such. It’s a day to pay respect. Respect the planet we live on. The one that keeps us alive. Acting like nothing we do has a long-term impact is the worst you can do on a day like this, or any day for that matter. Behaving as if a reminder that we are part of a system that needs to be treated with more respect than we’ve paid it as a species over the centuries is a reason to be perky and nothing more is nearly as bad. The last thing we need is to act like we only have to nod and wink at the day’s existence to be doing anything about it.

So I bid you a good Earth Day. Try to recycle that can you throw away most days. I know I should. And if you do host a gathering to discuss environmental issues, I beg you, check the labels on the throwaway products you buy for it, if any. The irony levels you keep from overloading may be your own.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH1eUI25Yqg )

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Have a great weekend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2b1SWmH-BM&feature=related

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So What To Do Next – Subscribe to a magazine

Boogie down brothers it’s Jam Band Friday -( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-cF40OWeak )

Now that you have spent the last couple of years getting to know your energy systems in your home and doing something about it. What is next? Solar Panels, Solar water heaters, a Wind turbine? Slow down little guppy. You could even start with a solar cooker. However I suggest you read and think a little first. I mean a meditation on food and a solar cooker could take you to places you have never been.

Jobs for Energy Auditors Gain Momentum Nationwide

Cover photo: Erik Pierson of Recurve, a San Francisco Bay Area home performance contractor, discusses an upcoming home energy audit with Regina Loureiro of San Jose. Photo by Lou Dematteis

Jobs for Energy Auditors Gain Momentum Nationwide

January/February 2010 Feature

by Patricia Leiser

It is anticipated that most, if not all, large U.S. cities will adopt programs to improve the energy efficiency of homes and commercial buildings.

Continue reading “Jobs for Energy Auditors Gain Momentum Nationwide”

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBjTEy5PKhs )

The more you read and research the more you will know what your next move is. My question is when does the audit end, and more importantly did the audit prompted you into other behaviors. Are you riding your bike more?

http://homepower.com/home/

Making Sense
Making Sense: of Solar-Electric System Costs
What would it cost to power your home with solar energy? Use these simple guidelines to get your solar start today.
Tools of the Wind-Electric Trade
Tools of the Wind-Electric Trade
The tools you need for a successful wind-electric installation.
Intro to Hydropower
Intro to Hydropower: Part 2: Measuring Head & Flow
Part 2. How to measure the two most important variables used in determining your site’s hydroelectric potential.
Solar Water Heating Systems Buyer's Guide
Solar Water Heating Systems Buyer’s Guide
Pick the perfect solar hot water system for your climate and site.
Be Cool
Be Cool: Natural Systems to Beat the Heat
Beat the summer heat with these basic passive cooling strategies.
EV Snapshot
EV Snapshot: Chevy S10 Conversion
A step-by-step tour of Mark’s clean, electric conversion of a Chevy S10 pickup — guaranteed to make you rethink your next vehicle. With some effort and a little money, you can convert your gasoline engine car to run on electricity—for cleaner, greener local driving.
Efficiency Details
Efficiency Details: For a Clean Energy Change
Put these top ten tips to use and make your household more energy efficient and renewables-ready.
How to Install...
How to Install… A Pole-Mounted Solar-Electric Array: Part 1
How to install a pole-mounted solar-electric array— part one, sizing and setting the pole.

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22v6wkTeSM )

And for the policy wonks

http://www.iaee.org/en/publications/journal.aspx

The Quarterly Journal of the IAEE’s Energy Economics Education Foundation
Volume 31, Special Issue
Download Entire Issue Now
Papers

ADAM’s Modeling Comparison Project – Intentions and Prospects
Ottmar Edenhofer , Brigitte Knopf, Marian Leimbach and Nico Bauer
View AbstractDownload Now

The Economics of Low Stabilization: Model Comparison of Mitigation Strategies and Costs
Ottmar Edenhofer , Brigitte Knopf, Terry Barker, Lavinia Baumstark, Elie Bellevrat, Bertrand Chateau, Patrick Criqui, Morna Isaac, Alban Kitous, Socrates Kypreos, Marian Leimbach, Kai Lessmann, Bertrand Magne, Serban Scrieciu, Hal Turton, Detlef P. van Vuuren
View AbstractDownload Now
Transformation Patterns of the Worldwide Energy System – Scenarios for the Century with the POLES Model
Alban Kitous, Patrick Criqui, Elie Bellevrat and Bertrand Chateau
View AbstractDownload Now


Technology Options for Low Stabilization Pathways with MERGE
Bertrand Magne, Socrates Kypreos, and Hal Turton
View AbstractDownload Now

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb0AHX6z0qQ )

And then for the strong at heart.

http://advancedhomeenergy.com/home

AHE Featured on the Cover of the Sept/Oct 2009 edition of Home Energy Magazine!AHE Featured on the Cover of the Sept/Oct 2009 Edition of Home Energy Magazine!

Energy Efficient Home Solutions

Advanced Home Energy (AHE) is the leading Home Performance contractor in the San Francisco East Bay. AHE provides expert guidance and services to home owners who want an energy efficient home and want to reduce their personal environmental impact.

Home Performance

Home performance is an energy efficiency strategy in which contractors address homes as whole systems, rather than in discrete components. Home performance contractors integrate expertise in all areas affecting home energy use; insulation, windows, heating and cooling, water heating, etc.. By integrating treatment of all factors in a home’s energy use, AHE services are solution-oriented, cost-effective, and easier for consumers to use than traditional efficiency methods.

Home Energy Audit

We provide a home energy audit to diagnose all the components of of a building. We then identify the areas for greatest potential and create a work package that is tailored to the unique issues of the home. By using our services home owners reduce their monthly utility bills, reduce their carbon footprint, and make their home more comfortable throughout the year

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLq-2eo9Z6c )

Once you read this you will be ready to go gogogogo

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/

Current Issue
January/February 2010 Issue 1 • Volume14
Cover Story
  • Community Wind – the development of locally owned, utility-scale wind farms – is one of the fastest-growing segments in the U.S. wind industry. Community Wind projects are developed and owned, in part, by members of the communities in which they’re developed. A typical project ranges between 5MW and 80MW, although they can range both higher and lower. Most importantly, this approach to development leads to a genuine sense of community involvement and acceptance. [More]

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Nothing wrong with reading and being smart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twgL6KGQCOw

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Back To The Residential Market – The Environment is important and so is the Community

Community Energy Systems’ is about where they meet. That is in the home. So it is Jam Band Friday and we need to get back to it.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUKufZGdeXY )

This may be one of the best residential sites I have ever found and it is in Britain. Go figure. I mean if you scroll down and look at all the stuff it is pretty amazing.

http://energysavingnow.com/

I am going to focus on what is called Distributed Generation today that really emphasizes getting solar and wind out into the community.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXE8u_HRpls )

The idea is simple lease everyone’s roofs and put generation on them.

http://www.energysavingnow.com/paper/dgindia/

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION AND ITS SOCIAL IMPACT
By Manu Avinash .G , S4, EEE, CET and
Krishna kumar .G , S4, EEE, CET

ABSTRACT- distributed generation, defined as generation located at or near the load centres, is being recognised as an environment friendly, reliable, and secure source of power which not only has minimal negative social impacts but also serves to promote social welfare. This paper aims to bring out the salient features of distributed generation from an economic and social perspective. The paper to identify the distributed resources available in India and proposes methods to tap them. It also studies the social consequences of wide spread deployment of distributed systems and their accommodation into the new liberalised energy market of India.

I. INTRODUCTION
Most of the electricity produced today is generated in large generating stations, which is then transmitted at high voltage to the load centres and transmitted to consumers at reduced voltage through local distribution systems. In contrast with large generating stations, distributed generation (DG) produce power on a customer’s site or at a local distribution network. DG technologies include

  • Engines,
  • Small hydro and gas turbines
  • Fuel cells
  • Photo voltaic systems etc


Although they represent a small share of the electricity market they play a key role for applications in which reliability is crucial, as a source of emergency capacity, and as an alternative to expansion of a local network, in developed economies where uninterrupted power supply is essential. In developing countries like India, where the generation is inadequate to meet the demand, reliability and energy security are of lesser importance. Developing country can tap the potential of DG to extend their present generation capacity in an environment friendly and cost friendly manner.

The paper is divided into two parts first part examines the various DG technologies and their merits and demerits and the second part studies the social impact of large scale deployment of small, mini and micro projects in India.

II. WHAT IS DISTRIBUTED GENERATION?
Distributed generation, is defined as generation located at or near the load centres [1]. They generate electricity through various small-scale power generation technologies. Distributed energy resources (DE) refers to a variety of small, modular power-generating technologies that can be combined with energy management and storage systems and used to improve the operation of the electricity delivery system, whether or not those technologies are connected to an electricity grid. . Projects are generally developed by either the user to avoid the purchase of power from the grid or an energy service provider who then retails the power to the site.

III. DISTRIBUTED GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES
Commercial energy technologies include:

  • IC engines
  • Gas turbines
  • Micro turbines
  • Energy storage technologies


Renewable energy technologies include:

  • Fuel cells
  • Solar photovoltaic
  • Wind & Wave Energy
  • Hydro electric energy


Some of them are discussed below:

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaKCLve_XDs )

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Don’t take their word for it. Pretty much everybody now agrees that it has its place in the world.

http://www.dg.history.vt.edu/ch1/benefits.html

What are the Potential Benefits of DG Systems?

Consumer advocates who favor DG point out that distributed resources can improve the efficiency of providing electric power.  They often highlight that transmission of electricity from a power plant to a typical user wastes roughly 4.2 to 8.9 percent of the electricity as a consequence of aging transmission equipment, inconsistent enforcement of reliability guidelines, and growing congestion. At the same time, customers often suffer from poor power quality—variations in voltage or electrical flow—that results from a variety of factors, including poor switching operations in the network, voltage dips, interruptions, transients, and network disturbances from loads.  Overall, DG proponents highlight the inefficiency of the existing large-scale electrical transmission and distribution network.  Moreover, because customers’ electricity bills include the cost of this vast transmission grid, the use of on-site power equipment can conceivably provide consumers with affordable power at a higher level of quality.  In addition, residents and businesses that generate power locally have the potential to sell surplus power to the grid, which can yield significant income during times of peak demand.

Industrial managers and contractors have also begun to emphasize the advantages of generating power on site.  Cogeneration technologies permit businesses to reuse thermal energy that would normally be wasted.  They have therefore become prized in industries that use large quantities of heat, such as the iron and steel, chemical processing, refining, pulp and paper manufacturing, and food processing industries.  Similar generation hardware can also deploy recycled heat to provide hot water for use in aquaculture, greenhouse heating, desalination of seawater, increased crop growth and frost protection, and air preheating.

Beyond efficiency, DG technologies may provide benefits in the form of more reliable power for industries that require uninterrupted service.  The Electric Power Research Institute reported that power outages and quality disturbances cost American businesses $119 billion per year.  In 2001, the International Energy Agency (2002) estimated that the average cost of a one-hour power outage was $6,480,000 for brokerage operations and $2,580,000 for credit card operations.  The figures grow more impressively for the semiconductor industry, where a two hour power outage can cost close to $48,000,000.  Given these numbers, it remains no mystery why several firms have already installed DG facilities to ensure consistent power supplies

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As EF Schumacher said – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful – Small IS Beautiful.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmzN3KayWU8 )

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