Stirling Energy Systems’ 25 kW solar dish harnesses the power of the sun to make zero emissions energy. Stirling Energy Systems (SES) is a U.S. Phoenix, Arizona based company and recently (April 17, 2008) they announced that the company NTR plc of the United Kingdom had invested $100 million in them to take a controlling stake. On February 12, 2008 Stirling Energy Systems achieved a record 31.25% net efficiency in the conversion of solar energy to electricity, beating the earlier 29.4% efficiency of a Stirling Solar Dish set by Sandia National Laboratories in 1984.

Stirling Energy Systems’ Solar Dish Engine has the commercial brand name of ‘SunCatcher’ and was developed in 1984 by McDonnell Douglas Corporation and Kockums of Malmo, Sweden. With the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas by Boeing, Boeing assumed the rights to the technology. In 1996 Stirling Energy Systems acquired the patent rights and a license to build the Kockums 4-95 Stirling Engine from Boeing. Boeing and SES continued to work jointly on the development of the Stirling Engine in conjunction with the U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) as Phase I and II development trials between 1999 and 2001.

Each Stirling-engine solar parabolic dish is 37 feet in diameter and generates 25kW. The solar dish works by reflecting the sun’s rays onto a receiver which transmits heat energy to a Stirling engine. The engine is a sealed system filled with hydrogen. As the gas heats and cools, its pressure rises and falls. The change in pressure drives pistons inside the engine which, in turn, drives a generator to make electricity.

The continued increase in electricity and gas prices is making people look for alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. If you have taken a car journey to any remote parts of the country, you will porbably have seen banks of wind turbines scattered acros the countryside or even in parts of the sea. You certainly wouldn’t miss one as the are generally group togther and are large pylons with a turning rotor on the top. The rotors are rotated by the wind and this kinetic energy is converted to electricity by a generator. This is sold to homeowners by the utility companies.

Many people are looking at building a wind generator that makes electricity to offset their normal energy use. It can help you to save money of monthly utility bills and also reduce your reliance on traditional coal and gas resources. This short article will detail the initial planning, viability and how to make a home built wind generator.

Why a Home Built Wind Generator ?

Traditionally, you might expect to see a wind generator or a windmill in areas where the homes are fairly isolated and off the grid system. A wind generator needs a fair amount of clear land to be built on so your home needs to have this space available. Other ways to generate energy and often used alongside wind power. Thus it can be used in combination with another energy generating system, like a gas powered generator or, more commonly these days, a solar power system.

The major plus of a solar power/wind generator system is that the wind power system can work at producing energy when the solar system is down (or rather the Sun is down). Thus you have an energy generating system that provides power round the clock.

Two considerations when it comes to building a wind generator is that you have enough wind and enough space. If your home is in a residential area then you may want to consider the feelings of your neighbors as they will be unhappy about a large (and even loud) structure blocking their view or other factors. It is good practice to inform your neighbors that you are embarking on such a project as it will keep them on side and more tolerant during the construction.

Kit Versus Do It Yourself

The next question is whether to buy a kit or do it yourself. The basic argument for each option comes down to the cost. A pre-built kit will be more expensive but you will find it easier to erect and probably save some time. The vendor may even offer a service to erect the wind turbine if you are not inclined to do DIY projects.

A home grown or built system will cost less but will be harder to make and could take more time to put up. You expertise in DIY will be a factor in this. You can make your job easier by getting one of the many DIY guides that are available now.

A home built wind power system that is based on one of these guides can be completed for around $200 which represents a considerable cost saving over a pre made kit or even a professionally erected system.

One of the really good wind power kits out there is the Earth 4 Energy kits. Just click on the image below to take you to an explanation about what Earth 4 Energy can deliver to you.

The quantity of power your wind generator will create depends on the amount of wind that you get and the size of the generator. Depending on where you live it could knock a few dollars off your monthly utility bill or it could be a source of much of the energy you need.

Get more information on a step by step guide to building your own wind generator and a solar power system at Earth 4 Energy and many other facts and figures about alternative energy at http://www.solarpowerappliances.com

The debate about the use of solar power as a means producing electricity is a hot one with definite battle lines drawn on the subject. Proponents of solar power believe it is the way to power the future. Others prefer to find reasons why solar power won’t work. The reality is that there’s some validity to both sides.

The arguments for and against solar energy are real and have merit. In many areas around the world the sun shines reliably almost every day making it a dependable energy source. Since the daylight is widely available each day at least to some degree, it is straightforward to make use of its energy such as with solar water heating.

Use of solar energy in the creation of electricity contributes to the reduction in pollution. Solar power is a clean energy source and gives off no damaging emissions into the atmosphere. The water supply is not polluted and no the soil is not affected adversely. No other energy source generates electricity as environmentally friendly as solar energy. Solar power systems can be must be long-term investments with tax incentives and power purchase agreements in place to ensure their viability.

Negative factors to solar energy includes the amount of land required to generate commercial scale electricity. The majority of solar energy systems also require some kind of water source, which is a resource that is becoming increasingly scarce. Cost is another factor making acceptance increasingly difficult to find. There is a high lead-in financing required before the first watt of electricity is ever produced. The issue of the sun not shining can be a factor, although this is not such an issue for CSP (concentrating solar panel) technology which can continue to produce electricity after the sun has set.

Solar energy passes the test of dependability with flying colors. The expenses for maintaining a solar power system are extraordinarily low. Some parts of the system may last decades without any upkeep at all. Solar panels are sometimes assured to maintain eighty percent of their potency for as much as twenty-five years. A solar power system is neither too perilous nor too difficult for most folk to run. It needs no supervision from the govt. Or any other agency as it poses no hazards. The price of running the systems is also awfully low. In the final analysis, the benefits of solar power far outweigh the downsides. It appears the main sticking point is cost. Yet, as green technology comes down in price, this sort of energy becomes even more fascinating.

One of the poblems with an intermittent energy source such as solar energy has been the problem of storing electricity for use when the sun isn’t shining. Because an effective method of storing renewable energy hasn’t really emerged, there has always been reservations about the possiblities of using solar energy to replace traditional energy sources.

A new breakthrough study has found that an ultra-thin material known as graphene could give a possible solution to the question of renewable energy storage.

Graphene has been around since the 1970s. It is a super thin version of graphite and it’s properties give it enormous surface area for its size. In terms of energy stoage, th more surface area equals the more storage capacity. As an example of the size of surface area capable with graphene, 1 gram of graphene yields 2,630 square meters of available surface area.

Graphene has been used in tests conducted by researchers at the University of Texas. The material has been tested in ultracapacitors which work similarly to batteries. Unlike batteries, ultracapacitors only store 5 per cent as much energy as a lithium battery but deliver energy faster and can be charged and discharged 600,000 times compared to only a few thousand for a battery.

Solar energy could possibly be stored in ultracapcitors made with graphene as the significant material and,if it is developed, will make slar energy an even more viable renewable energy option.

One of the suggested ways in which California is going to reach the mandated renewable energy goal of 20 per cent by 2010 was through the installation of rooftop solar power panels. An announcement has recently been made by Toyota and SunPower Corporation, a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, that they have completed the largest single-roof solar power installation in North America. The 2.3-megawatt SunPower system will begin operation in early October at Toyota’s North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) in Ontario, California.

This solar installation is large enough to provide around 60 percent of the total electricity needs for the 760,000-square foot NAPCC. Covering more than 242,000 square feet of the NAPCC’s roof, it includes 10,417 solar modules. Something like 6.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions will be avoided annually, which is the equivalent to the emissions from the energy use of approximately 255 homes in a year.

“Toyota’s Earth Charter challenges the company to pursue all possible environmental technologies in the pursuit of sustainable mobility,” said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “That extends the company’s environmental responsibilities beyond products to include our manufacturing plants and other facilities where sustainable and renewable energy sources such as solar power are increasingly important.”

“Toyota is a global business leader in environmental sustainability,” said Tom Werner, chief executive officer of SunPower. “The solar power generated by this system will reduce Toyota’s operational costs at the Ontario facility immediately and over the long term, as electric utility rates continue to increase. Toyota understands that solar is affordable today as a means to improve the quality of our environment and promote local, clean, reliable power.”

The solar modules used in the installation are SunPower T10 Solar Roof Tiles, equipped with SunPower solar panels, the most efficient solar panels available on the market today. T10 Solar Roof Tiles are non-roof penetrating and tilt at a 10-degree angle to increase energy capture, somewhat similar to the effectiveness of solar roof shingles.

A third participant in this project is GE Energy Financial who will finance, own and operate solar power systems and Toyota will purchase the electricity generated from the system from them under a power purchase agreement (PPA) program. The benefits to Toyota come as an immediate power cost saving as well as a long-term hedge against rising peak power prices. Toyota owns the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

The New York Times reports that there is mounting opposition to the large commercial solar energy installations is places such as the California Desert. The surprise is that the opposition to solar energy projects is coming from environmentalists.

Their concern is that the large solar power fields are being placed on land that is home to such animals as the Mojave ground squirrel, the desert tortoise and the burrowing owl. The idea that the desert is an empty wasteland is incorrect. Placing large energy facilities on the land is affecting local populations.
According to the United States Bureau of Land Management there have been a growing number of solar energy applications over the last 2 years. In fact, the number has grown from zero less than 2 years ago to 125 projects with a combined potential maximum capacity of 70,000 megawatts.

Part of the rush in California to build renewable energy facilities has been the California law that calls for 20 per cent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources by 2010. According to the California Public Utilities Commission the sate is falling behind that goal. It is estimated that a further 3,000 MW of renewable resources will have to be built or bought from somewhere.

So if solar energy can’t be harnessed through large CSP and photovoltaic facilities sitting in the desert, where will it come from? The answer could well be sitting above the heads of many of the states residents heads. Germany runs a solar power program that relies on rooftops and California could work just as effectively.

A feed-in tariff offered by the government, that is a payment for electricity generated by solar panels, would give enough incentives to make this kind of scheme possible.

While the rooftop solution would not give a stand-alone solution to meeting the 20 per cent by 2010 goal, it would certainly provide a valuable addition to other renewable energy projects. If nothing else, solar energy produced on the rooftops of California residents would ease the pressure on creating more potentially environmentally destructive projects.

Solar Energy is a renewable energy source that is one of the fastest growing inustries in the energy realm. With an emphasis these days on reducing the carbon emissions globally, governments are turning increasingly to renewable energy sources such as solar energy.

There are two main types of solar energy sources used commercially. Photovaltaic energy and concentrating solar power (CSP). Both forms of solar energy are being phased in to replace the finite fossil fuel based electricity sources.