Energy history facts

From ancient times people use various energy sources. Geothermal energy were used for springs and heating, hydro and wind energy were used for mills, sailing, water pumps and other mechanical devices, solar energy was used for heating, biomass and coal were used for heating, illumination, cooking, and so on.  For example, nearly 2000 years ago the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into

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Italy - One of renewable energy leaders

Current situation with renewable energy in EU is looking exceptionally good, and Italy is no exception, in fact the Apennine peninsula country has in the last couple of years become one of the European clean energy leaders. According to the official government figures Italy is well on the track to meet its EU target of generating 26 percent of energy from renewable energy sources by 2020 since

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Solar and wind – Current status facts

Solar energy is almost limitless source of renewable energy in our planet. The scientists have calculated that the total amount of solar energy absorbed by our planet is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. What this means is that solar energy really has enormous potential, and that covering only 4% of the world's deserts with solar panels would be enough to satisfy all of the

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Solar power plant with mirrors – Florida example

The largest solar power plant in the United States is located in California's Mojave Desert and is owned by Florida Power & Light Co (FPL). Florida Power & Light Co has not stopped on just one project and has also constructed large solar power plant at the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Indiantown, the one that is now the second largest solar power plant in the world, with the

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Solar panels and snow - minimum power losses

Snow and solar cells are not always put together in the same equation but this however does not mean that photovoltaic panels are not worth the investment in the areas characterized by long winters and plenty of snow. They can still be worth of money.

The major negative side in the relation solar panel-snow is that the layer of snow can cause a solar-cell blackout for awhile therefore

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EU leads the way in installing photovoltaics

The newly installed photovoltaics are appearing all over the world with Europe still leading the way. In fact, according to a latest study by the by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Europe accounted for two thirds of the global newly installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2011, with 18.5 GW. With it, the Europe's overall PV capacity increased to 52 GW and solar power now

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General energy facts – Part 01

China is the world's largest manufacturer of not only solar panels but also wind turbines.

Standard commercial solar panels have a lifespan of 20+years.

Coal is still the mostly used fuel to generate electricity on worldwide scale.

Approximately 40% of the world electricity production comes from coal.   

According to the study by the Michigan State University it is 36 percent more efficient

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Facts on buying used solar panels

Solar panels have dropped in prices by more than 40% in the last two years but regardless of this they are still quite an expensive renewable energy option for many homeowners and small businesses. This is the reason why plenty of people consider option that include buying used solar panels. Older solar panels can sometimes prove to be a real bargain and save you plenty of money, so this is

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Geothermal heating and cooling systems can reduce energy bills

Geothermal energy is renewable source of energy with the abundant potential in many parts of the world. Geothermal energy refers to the heat stored within the earth's core. This heat can not only be used to generate electricity but also for heating and cooling purposes via geothermal heating and cooling systems.

In the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, energy costs related

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Researchers testing zero-net energy home

The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has come up with a very interesting concept after unveiling brand  new laboratory designed to prove that a typical-looking suburban home for a family of four can generate as much energy as it uses in a year. After an initial year-long experiment, this prototype of a home should serve to improve test methods for

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How to build wind turbine blades at home?

Large wind farms are being installed in many parts of the world but the popularity of small wind turbines among homeowners and commercial businesses is also rapidly growing as small wind turbines are now being increasingly used to supplement energy consumption and also serve as an alternative mean to help our environment from pollution caused by fossil fuels.

If we look at the current numbers

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U.S. electric car market set for future growth

United States is currently far behind China in clean energy race, especially when it comes to manufacturing renewable energy technologies. Chinese have recently managed to become the world's largest manufacturers of not only wind turbines but also solar panels, and are looking to even further expand their lead in production of different renewable energy technologies. The two main reasons why

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Wind energy industry - current trend facts

Wind energy industry has been rapidly developing in the last few decades. One of the main reasons for this is that wind energy has many advantages such as no pollution, no carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), relatively low upfront costs and long history of use. Wind turbines have been used for more than a century, and the real breakthrough in wind power technologies occurred in the 1940s with the

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Solar cell facts

A solar cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. A solar cell is also called photovoltaic cell or photoelectric cell.

Photoelectric effect was first observed 1839 by Edmond Becquerel, a physicist from France. In year 1876 Adams and Day observed the photovoltaic effect in solid selenium.  Modern solar cell was discovered

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Hydropower – good to know

The worldwide use of hydropower is constantly growing, and has increased by 5,2% in period between 2009 and 2010. At the end of 2010 global hydropower capacity accounted to a record 3,427 terawatt-hours, contributing to more than 16 percent of globally produced electricity.

The hydropower still has relatively low costs, in average around 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour and it is also one of

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Innovative solar program in New Jersey

Purchasing solar panels, even despite the recent drop in prices and helpful rebates from the state still presents a rather expensive venture to many people with typical costs climbing up to tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore it is always more than welcome when some company comes up with the innovative ideas that would save customers lot of money while still providing them with clean,

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EU to promote clean and fuel-efficient vehicles

EU wants to transform European car industry into the top player in the global green vehicle market, and also to ensure that electric vehicles can be recharged right across the Europe with the brand new green car-action plan. The main idea of this green car-action plan is to promote adoption of clean and fuel-efficient vehicles and to accelerate the development of new low-carbon vehicle

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Geothermal energy – Quick facts

Introduction to geothermal energy Geothermal energy is a very rich source of energy, as it lies directly beneath us, just a few kilometers below the surface of the earth. Geothermal energy is not connected with massive carbon emissions like this is the case with fossil fuels. Underground water near geologically active areas gets heated and even boiled at high temperatures and produce steam. The

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Tidal power in UK renewable energy sector

Tidal power to provide most of the UK's renewable energy. United Kingdom is one of the countries that want to play important role in global clean energy race, and currently the renewable energy sector in which United Kingdom has the edge over all other countries is tidal power. The United Kingdom currently leads the way in the innovation and commercialization of tidal power, and this renewable

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Biomass against climate change

Climate change is one of the most difficult challenges in world's history, and world is constantly looking at possible options to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels when burned create harmful carbon emissions that end up in Earth's atmosphere, and contribute to global warming phenomenon.Fossil fuels are still dominant sources of energy but world looks to be ready to go for

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