Dale Beach asked:


With the growing uncertainty in the electricity and natural gas prices, and increased awareness of energy conservation, many facilities managers of UK companies are exploring every option to reduce their costs and decrease their impact on the environment.

Until very recently, when it came to energy usage, the primary concern of facilities managers was to solely concentrate on securing the lowest rates for their electricity and gas. But now they are finding growing pressure from upper management to lower costs via conservation and to be more “green” with their decisions.

“In the past everyone just wanted to know who had the cheapest tariffs,” explained Rebecca Smith, Director at Direct Power Associates Ltd. in the United Kingdom. “But now we are getting more and more questions about green energy. Green energy prices are comparable to that of normal “brown” energy, while giving a company a piece of mind that they are having less of a negative impact on the environment. In addition, it reflects positively in the publics’ eye, and this is just the sort of image companies feel they need to portray.”

Energy conservation in another buzz word often heard throughout the market. In response to the growing threat of climate change, the UK government set up a program to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions. “This is real simple one, I’m not sure why more people don’t take advantage of this,” commented Smith. “If your company qualifies, you can receive government funding for energy conservation projects.” Many recommendations do not require capital to implement, and there is a typical 20%-30% site savings potential identified in energy costs and usage.

UK businesses will always be most concerned with the bottom line and keeping costs at a minimum. But with increased chatter regarding climate change and energy conservation, facilities managers are faced with changing their thinking when securing their energy contracts and planning for the future.

Direct Power is an independent consultancy specialising in negotiating electricity and natural gas contracts, and organising government sponsored energy conservation audits for industrial and commercial sites in the UK.



Todd

marketm51 asked:


My patent is free green electricity energy produced by hydropower in this serious oil crisis and the economic crashed in USA and energy shortages of the world, how to intruduce my machinery to the people and benifit for the world to save our country USA and the world too

Omar

James Copper asked:


Green energy refers to the use of power that is not only more efficient than fossil fuel but that is friendly to the environment as well. Green energy is generally defined as energy sources that dont pollute and are renewable.

There are several categories of green energy (GE). They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar power and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy.

Nuclear power plants claim that they produce green energy as well, though this source is fraught with controversy, as we all know. While nuclear energy may be sustainable, may be considered renewable and does not pollute the atmosphere while it is producing energy, its waste does pollute the biosphere as it is released.

The transport, mining and phases before and after production of nuclear energy does produce and release carbon dioxide and similar destructive greenhouse gases. When we read of green energy, therefore, we rarely see nuclear power included.

Those who support nuclear energy say that nuclear waste is not, in fact, released into our earths biosphere during its normal production cycle. They stress as well that the carbon dioxide that nuclear energy production releases is comparable, in terms of each kilowatt hour of electricity, to such sources of GE as wind power.

As an example of the GE production the average wind turbine, such as the one in Reading England, can produce enough energy daily to be the only energy source for 1000 households.

Many countries now offer household and commercial consumers to opt for total use of green energy. They do this one of two ways. Consumers can buy their electricity from a company that only uses renewable green energy technology, or they can buy from their general supplies such as the local utility company who then buys from GE resources only as much of a supply as consumers pay for.

The latter is generally a more cost – efficient way of supplying a home or office with GE, as the supplier can reap the economic benefits of a mass purchase. Green energy generally costs more per kilowatt hour than standard fossil fuel energy.

Consumers can also purchase green energy certificates, which are alternately referred to as green tags or green certificates. These are available in both Europe and the United States, and are the most convenient method for the average consumer to support green energy. More than 35 million European households and one million American households now buy these GE certificates.

While GE is a great step in the direction of keeping our environment healthy and our air as pollutant free as possible, it must be noted that no matter what the energy, it will negatively impact the environment to some extent.

Every energy source, green or otherwise, requires energy. The production of this energy will create pollution during its manufacture. Green energys impact is minimal, however.



Karen

Sawyer asked:


My energy supplier is offering options of staying the same (regular), going 50% green, or going 100% green.
Going green is more expensive.
Any advice?

Van

Jonatan asked:


If you use oil to grow oil it creates tens of times more pollution. Wvhow Who could guess that
Food prices are going up because of territories occupied by fuel crops.

Chris

septogenarian asked:


Topaz, try a solar + wind combination.

Estelle

Andrew Oke asked:


With today’s rising energy costs, and no relief in sight, many consumers are looking to live “off the grid.” Even with an initial investment that can be steep, the benefits make it much more economical in the long run.

There are small and some not so small ways why off the grid living is a good alternative today. Even though the economical outlay can be steep at first, in the long run it definitely makes more sense for the environment.

Raising your own food is a good way to begin living off the grid. This way, you eat organically while being secure in the knowledge that no dangerous hormones or chemicals are being introduced into your animals.

A cow can provide milk, butter and ultimately beef and leather. Chickens can provide eggs and meat, and flavoring for soup stock. Sheep can provide wool for warmth, and lambs for food; while goats are very good milk producers. Once you have a garden set up, you should never be short of vegetables. Canning and freezing is simple and cost effective for greens all winter long.

People that choose to live off the grid usually do require transportation, but with the availability of hybrid cars; and the research towards possible ethanol fueled cars; wanting to avoid oil products is not as much of a hindrance now. The Amish have the best means of transportation with their horse and buggies. Of course, maintenance on the buggies and upkeep for the horses can be time consuming, but the benefit of no oil product consumption is a great motivator. Horses can also be used for plowing fields, entertainment and also as income if breeding is something one was interested in.

Buying clothes is becoming much more expensive these days. Children as young as five can’t go to school in hand me downs or thrift store clothing because they will be teased. When living off the grid, you don’t need to be stylish, and you probably have no desire to be stylish either. Spinning wool from your sheep, and knitting or weaving clothes and blankets is a great way to save money. Of course, these days, handspun wool can be a great income generator, as well as wool products, such as handknit sweaters and socks. Buying fabric from a local merchant is less expensive than buying clothes in a store, and can be just as nice as long as you know the basics of sewing. For some, sewing may be difficult, but that is an easy hurdle to overcome. There is always someone who would be willing to barter, especially if you are located near anyone else who chooses off the grid living. Sharing your talents with others make self sustainable living much more enjoyable.

Generating heat and energy is always a concern for those who choose to live off the grid. There are several choices available, but the initial investment can be steep. Once the infrastructure is setup, there is no reason to pay your power bill monthly, or to worry that you are going to freeze in the middle of the night during a storm. Having your own power supply means freedom from being at the mercy of repair crews in the middle of the night when the power line has been knocked down, and also is much safer. Power is not vital to survival, and life can be enjoyable without it.

There are two power supply options with readily available instructions online. Solar and wind energy can be very efficient, and have the benefit of being much cleaner than coal, oil or gas, and definitely much safer than nuclear power plants. There are several sources of this information available… just search “off grid living”

The Amish community is a good example of living off the grid. They have even been able to integrate into the community without sacrificing their values or their way of life. If more people were willing and able to follow their lead, our carbon footprint would be lessened, and our dependence on foreign oil would be nonexistent.

If we each made some small progress in living green, there would be more people willing to make that next step to move off the grid, and our world would be a much cleaner home for all.



Winifred

Andy Adams asked:


In these days of increased energy costs whether it’s Gas, Oil or Petrol many governments around the world are looking for an alternative that is both cost-effective and kind to our environment.  The green issue seems to be the latest concern of the government in the UK and with oil prices skyrocketing they are keen to levy their dependence on these fuels.

Alternative energy sources have already been introduced sporadically in the UK with wind turbines being placed in windy areas of the country such as just outside Barnsley in South Yorkshire.  The idea has caught on with many wind farms being situated all over the country, much to the ramblers and country folk’s disapproval.

One new proposal involves yet another alternative energy source derived from nature, tidal power.  In January of this year the Welsh Assembly and UK Government launched a study into whether using the Severn estuary to capture href=”http://www.moneysupermarket.com/utilities/cheaper-gas-electricity.aspx”>electricity through tidal power was possible.  After all the River Severn has the second largest tidal range in the world.

There are two different methods being tested for feasibility, being Tidal streams and Tidal ranges.  Tidal streams generate electricity by having large free standing turbines turned by the force of the water, this works in a similar fashion to wind turbines and is considered to have a lower environmental impact.

Environmental impact is a big concern for the initiative as the area is a vital feeding ground for many wading birds and any major installations would disrupt the local wildlife.

The other tidal method, ranges involves a large chain of devices which take advantage of the large difference between low and high tide, and stores water to be released when the tide is low passing it through a turbine which generates the energy that will be used to create href=”http://www.moneysupermarket.com/utilities/cheaper-gas-electricity.aspx”>electricity.  Engineers believe this to be the best method for the Severn estuary but it is much more invasive to local wildlife.

Whilst it is admirable that we are looking to renewable energy and natural means of getting href=”http://www.moneysupermarket.com/utilities/cheaper-gas-electricity.aspx”>electricity it is important that we consider all the implications such as wildlife when we start putting up wind farms and water turbines.



Paine

James Copper asked:


Green energy is gaining proponents throughout the globe. Many utility companies, notably in the United States, are now offering the opportunity for residents and commercial customers to choose to go green. One of the latest of these programs took place in Cincinnati Ohio just recently, when a major utility, Duke Energy Ohio, announced that its green energy pilot program application had been approved by the states public utilities commission.

What this means is that Duke Energy Ohio customers, whether residential or commercial does not matter, can now choose renewable green energy as their source of power for their homes, stores, warehouses, or offices. They can choose biomass power, solar power, wind power, low head hydropower or anything else renewable and available within their part of the state. They still pay their energy bill as they always have, although they may see a slight increase in the cost.

The way this Ohio green energy program works is that Duke Energy has designated one initial 200 kilowatt hour block of green energy for each month, and has another option to purchase additional 100 kilowatt blocks as needed in response to customer demand. Green energy customers would pay an addition 2.5 cents for each of these kilowatt hours kWh above the standard Duke Energy rate. This cost is to defray the added expanse of renewable energy.

Duke Energy took the stand that green energy is becoming more and more important to the environment and its residents. It is the utilitys hope that this program will encourage additional participation in and development of green energy programs throughout the entire state of Ohio and beyond. It was the decision of Duke Energy executives that customers were ever more environmentally and green energy conscious and needed this additional electric service option.

The Duke Energy Ohio green energy program is in its pilot program phase until January 1, 2009. Based on the continued and growing supply of renewable energy and customers willingness to participate the program will continue beyond the pilot. In the very near future Duke Energy Ohio customers will be able to go direct to the companys Web site and sign up for green energy. Users can already go to the Duke Energy site and learn about green energy and how it saves their money and their environment as well. Videos that educate customers on the various money and energy saving options are found there, as well as information on loan sources for energy conservation that include installation of green energy equipment and measures. There are also some grants available for companies and consumers who want to go green.

Duke Energy Corporation, the parent of Duke Energy Ohio is one of the largest of the U.S. electric power providers, with nearly four million customers. In the Midwest and North and South Carolina, Duke Energy supplies 37,000 megawatts of electricity. In Kentucky and Ohio it is the major supplier of natural gas. Outside of the United States, Duke Energy supplies 4000 electric megawatts to various parts of Latin America.

Duke Energy Ohio has 680,000 electric power customers and 42,000 natural gas customers.



Gaemi

brittanynv asked:


I really like finding out information on go green and renewable energy. But i don’t know what major, or what college would be best for it.

Cimaron