| Mar 22, 2008 @ 9:29 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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RareQuestor
Posts: 3,069
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How about helium-3 rarequestor,what do you know about it?
I had heard about it last year and its quite abundant on the surface of the moon...
I read the link that you provided and my tentative conclusion is that it is as much of a pipe dream as space based solar power (SBSP):
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4230315.html
It is a good idea in theory, but whether or not it is economically feasible is another question entirely. Even if we were able to fund a project to mine the moon (which would surely be as expensive as (or more so) the Manhattan Project, there is still one significant obstacle.:
But there were two things blocking the development of this technology, Kulcinski said. First, the researchers needed to build a reactor that would produce more energy than it took in - something they are still working on.
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| Mar 22, 2008 @ 9:49 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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RareQuestor
Posts: 3,069
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Sunbabe,
Have you considered using halogen light bulbs? They are extremely energy efficient and last three times longer than incandescent light bulbs.
http://www.mmlighting.com/light_bulbs.html
http://www.buylightfixtures.com/
http://bulbsusa.com/
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| Mar 22, 2008 @ 10:05 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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SunBabe
Posts: 12,278
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Halogen bulbs are just as bad -- too bright, too "white" 
But I will have them for my under-cabinet "task" lighting, a low voltage kind, when my kitchen gets to a civilized stage...but they can be turned off most of the time.
Once upon a time I did the math for lumens/watts/etc and MY needs (or desire, which is low) and even without factoring in bulb/fixture costs, I'm still using a whole lot less lighting energy than most of the country with my incandescent bulbs.
lol, I've never really lived in a regular "city" before -- high-rise in Chicago doesn't count -- and I found out the benefit of living across the street from a (soduim vapor) streetlight: my yard and even my rooms are illuminated all night, for free...or free to me 
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 8:31 AM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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SensualGemini
Posts: 7,460
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Heaven: Sounds very similar - the side of the house that's shaded is actually solid wall, the part that isn't has those same trapezoid windows but I'm thinking about trying to find some sort of coating or covering...they're in my kitchen and I love the light they bring in there.
...Very similar, except mine start at the floor with projected windows, then the large panes and then the trapezoids above that rise to the second story of the adjacent upper level. One huge wall of glass.
Sun: You can have those made to fit any size and shape by any good glass company...we did that in our CT house, but framed them with redwood and cedar (to keep in style with the rest of the house)
...I was a glazing contractor for about 10 years, before I sold the business and concentrated on embryo transplanting with cattle. I still have some panels left over from a job (used at floor lines on multi story buildings) down at the warehouse and think I will replace the upper trapezoids this summer.
...These light bulbs I bought and am using are, I presume, called CFL's... Compact Fluorescent Bulbs? ... 13 watts to produce the same as a 60 watt incandescent, last 10,000 hours compared to 750 and it says they will work outside in the cold. We are almost 12 cents/KW here and they are wanting to raise it 40%.
...So much for their push for all electric heat, heat pumps, etc., as those folks are paying double what the gas users are; which is also very high.
Jankia: Solar power is great unless your a yankee,we can go an entire month with no sun here in Wisconsin.
...Exactly! ... the winters can be very dreary.
...We had a power outage for about a week last year (ice storm) and running a generator at about a gallon/hour of gas was quite expensive... but, we had lights, TV, furnace, especially the freezers, etc., when for 30 miles around us, most was all blacked out.
...I have two old alternators with converters and one old generator that the gas engines are shot on. I am going to check further on magnetic motors, as the concept intrigues me.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 1:50 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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sciurusniger
Posts: 2,959
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Gods, I love light. One of the best things about this house is the huge front window. Cost a fortune to replace, but new triple-pane windows everywhere has made a big difference. Between the new windows and the roof replacement, my budget-plan heat bill immediately dropped by $1,200/year.
Replacing all possible light bulbs with CFs and becoming diligent about turning off lights has also seen a reduction in electrical use. I find CFs sit between incandescent and fluorescent in terms of color (and headache factor of fluorescent) but for my tastes they are definitely not as bright. So the solution is using higher wattage for spot lighting when and where needed, and so far, so good.
If I'm ever in a position to remodel the way I'd like here, adding solar panels is definitely in the plan what with the main southern exposure. Could easily generate enough power to heat the front portion of the house on sunny winter days. I'm also considering recycling more grey water for the lawn and flower beds (already take a big bucketful after laundry loads and pour outside) during the summer. Pumps and such aren't really very difficult to engineer and install, especially for laundry water.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 2:07 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 19,336
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I'm afraid that would literally be a drop in the bucket here...watering my lawn is what I should have put down as my biggest bad offense. I did refrain from putting in winter grass this year, so I reduced my watering considerably over the winter. Now that it's heating up again and the bermuda grass is back, I'll have to up the watering again. The front is all desert landscape escept for some drips for the bouganvillea and the olive tree. The back only has the grass, the wisteria and the citrus trees watered, with a raised bed garden for veggies that I think I'm going to forego this year. I'd really have a problem giving up my grass - there's about a ten degree difference between the front and the back of the house during the summer.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 2:10 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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whatagal
Posts: 1,155
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I have shut down my central heating due to my sinus problems and saw my electric bill drop by over a hundred dollars! I used space heaters in the areas I occupy the most. It was shocking to see the savings!
I really need to replace my ancient central AC unit but I'm seriously thinking about buying window units and only cool where I'm at.
I have replaced most of my old incandescent bulb with CF but I really haven't seen that effect my electric bill like it did when I shut down the central heat/AC unit.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 5:09 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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sciurusniger
Posts: 2,959
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Oh, yeah. I also had to replace the furnace and central a/c until the same year I did the roof and windows. (Can you say, "ouch!"?) So the new, more efficient furnace contributes to my heat cost savings, but dang, that central a/c is still an energy hog. So as a rule I don't turn it on. I run ceiling fans in several rooms year 'round and with all the windows on all sides of the house and a second floor to give the heat somewhere else to go (up and out), the cross-ventilation is usually sufficient unless it gets around 90 degrees with high humidity and stays warm at night with no breeze.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 6:32 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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CPUfan
Posts: 7,987
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Generator windmills - widely used in Europe - put unused power into the grid for the same price reduction, like solar panels.
Like in the US, many European states have too little sunlight to effectively use solar panels etc. Any windy region gets a real power boost from these windmills. I'm sure you have them over there, Denmark France and Germany produce their own because of the politically controversial nature of nuclear power.
Might be a good suggestion for Third World countries who can't afford fossil fuel power, too. The UN could arrange installation as part of aid projects, for instance.
These windmills pay for themselves very quickly in energy savings and (along with the batteries) can power a block or a small neighbourhood or contribute to production facilities. France and Germany have large banks, they don't look good but neither does coal and oil smoke...? A part solution maybe along with hydroelectric power and other things mentioned by the other contributors..? 
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 6:41 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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CPUfan
Posts: 7,987
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Sensual Gemini I overlooked your post on Wind turbines, sorry bout that...
Anyway I seem to have added different info to that of your link, cheers ;o) 
NOT a new source as you point out but anyway only a part solution for those who want it.
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| Mar 23, 2008 @ 11:58 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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grumblebear
Posts: 10,590
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so many cool ideas, but... refrigeration, heat, lighting, and entertainment...
any change in energy use will require a change in people's habits, Sadly, too many of the people who consider themselves "elite", because of economics, or social status will feel that the "masses" need to change, so they don't have to change....
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| Mar 24, 2008 @ 8:05 AM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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RareQuestor
Posts: 3,069
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any change in energy use will require a change in people's habits,
It is certainly true that change must begin on an individual basis, but it is also critical that a society as whole must also embrace the concept of conservation and efficiency. Articles and reports on those two issues are increasingly popular, but too few of the authors fail to make the connection between the individual and society. In simpler terms, everything that you use, from your computer to the shoes that you wear to the food that you eat, requires energy to produce. It is possible to be "green" and yet inadvertently support waste and greed simply by eating, say, a burger made from beef imported from Brazil. You can buy a refrigerator with the Energy Star label on it, but what does it matter if the electricity that powers it is generated by a coal-burning power plant that produces more pollution in a day than you could in five years?
That is why it is important to expect--to demand--that manufacturers and merchants strive to be as energy-efficient as possible. It's important for bankers to evaluate the impact that a project will have before they fund it. It's important for investors to look at the ethics and performance of a corporation before they invest in it. It's important for people to elect leaders who will vote for legislation to establish wise policies that ultimately benefit all of us. In other words, all of our actions, however, trivial, have the potential to enormously impact the world in which we live.
That is the beauty and marvel of existence: We are all simultaneously far more powerful than we realize and yet far more insignificant than we acknowledge. Think of the first organisms to exist on this planet: Each one only converted an infinitely small amount of carbon dioxide or other gases into oxygen, yet over the eons countless such creatures were able to transform the atmosphere and ultimately the very face of the Earth itself. You can drive to and from work and not have much of an impact on the environment, but multiply that same impact by millions and billions of people and the consequences can be both severe and dangerous. The old truism that there is power in numbers is as valid today as it was when it was first coined.
The good news is that people are slowly beginning to understand this. I am encouraged by the fact that so many cities in our nation are not waiting for the federal government to intervene. I am encouraged by the fact that states are establishing standards that are more stringent than anything proposed by the Bush administration. It has been frustratingly slow at times, but I like to think that we are finally beginning to realize that we are all one world.
By the way, I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this discussion!
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| Jun 9, 2008 @ 9:34 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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RareQuestor
Posts: 3,069
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I would like to resurrect this thread by asking whether you have been able to do anything to help make America energy independent in this two months since this discussion occurred. In other words, have you been able to reduce the amount of energy that you use or increase your energy efficiency?
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| Jun 9, 2008 @ 11:02 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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signme
Posts: 13,020
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I've tried but about all I've been able to do is set my a/c on 80 and use my ceiling fans more than in the past. We have had unusually high temps for June, have already hit 100*. I did plant trees on my lot so have some shade now that they are maturing. I'm sure that helps also.
I'm off school so stay put unless I need to get groceries or go to see a friend. I'm not galivanting all over like I do some summers. Just can't afford the gas to do that this summer.
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| Jun 9, 2008 @ 11:18 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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Nightowl001
Posts: 8,152
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I didn't read through this thread carefully, but I am a big advocate of LED lighting. Light-emitting-diodes. They use much less energy as they stay cool. The majority of the energy supplied to incandescent light bulbs is wasted as heat. The are more expensive initially, and the light quality is different. It is much narrower in spectrum, thus does not diffuse and reflect to the extent that incandescent light does, making it seem much more like "spot" lighting. But, they use a miniscule fraction of the energy that incandescent or fluorescent bulbs use and last longer than either. As of yet they are not really suitable for large scale use (lighting the inside of a department store or mall or something), but I think home use should be advocated by giving tax incentives on their purchase and the retrofitting of fixtures more appropriate for their use.
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| Jun 10, 2008 @ 3:52 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 19,336
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My triple glazed, embedded blind, windows start going in tomorrow. It should make a measurable difference in electric consumption. If it does, I'll go for the penny per kwh increase to switch from non-renewable to renewable energy sources.
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| Jun 10, 2008 @ 10:45 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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lazareth
Posts: 1,545
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I use LED lights under the cabinets, 3 watts, Use ceiling fans, have yet to cut on the AC, my house stays dark at night (why so many typos on here lol)
I will not car pool due to liability insurance issues ( I used to be an insurance agent, too easy to get sued even if you do have riders sign a release)
Hang my clothes outside weather permitting.
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| Jun 10, 2008 @ 10:49 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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Loreli
Posts: 25,773
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Hang my clothes outside weather permitting. Me too, Laz.
My Mom swears that the sun is better than bleach on whites! She hangs hers out year round
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| Jun 10, 2008 @ 10:51 PM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence
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signme
Posts: 13,020
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I love how clothes that have been dried outside smell! I can't do that here because I have too many trees that would "leak" stuff on my clean clothes. But when I do laundry, I try to have full loads each time.
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| Jun 17, 2008 @ 2:13 AM |
A Challenge: Energy Independence |
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RareQuestor
Posts: 3,069
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Energy efficiency has been a bit of an obsession with me for years, so I had already implemented all of the obvious strategies that the experts recommend: I replaced all of my incandescent bulbs with CFL; replaced my electric alarm clock with a model that uses rechargeable batteries; installed power strips so that I can shut off the power to my television, microwave oven and other "energy vampires" that I do not use often; and installed a programmable thermostat, I definitely need to replace the refrigerator, however. It is an energy hog that was manufactured in the 1970's and it is actually a bit of a miracle that it still functions. I also need to replace the windows.
I also signed up for paperless statements from my credit card, telephone and utility companies. I prefer paper statements, but realized that I could not justify the expense of printing and mailing my statement each month. (Another benefit is that it reduces the amount of paper that I must recycle.)
I also hope that I can install a solar panel and use it to power my computer during the day. In other words, I have been able to reduce the amount of energy that I use, but I have not been able to contribute anything toward producing new energy.
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