The United States was once covered by a passenger and freight rail system that was the envy of any other nation. However, with the cheap petroleum (and cheap airfare) that fueled so much growth during the second half of the 20th century, this system fell into a certain amount of disuse.

However, now that efficiency is paramount with the rising price of oil, rail travel is the affordable and carbon-wise alternative. In fact, there has been record-breaking ridership on all Amtrak lines every year since the price of fuel began to rise in 2002. Though partly subsidized by the federal government, some relatively small fare increases have kept the publicly owned company solvent. Despite this, the US rail network, dominated by Amtrak, is one of the least utilized such networks in the world.

As is, rail only accounts for about half a percent of the passenger travel in the US. Passenger vehicles, trucks and buses account for nearly 90% of the miles that people travel, though this is poised to change dramatically in the next few years as people shy away from hugely increased airfares that threaten to make airline travel something that only rich people can afford.

Domestic airline travel, though it only accounts for about 10% of the total miles traveled is responsible for a disproportionate amount of fuel and carbon emissions, not to mention all the ecologically sensitive areas that suffer the noise pollution of most airports. While the demographics of this rather large country have spread out in the era of cheap oil and cheap airfares, these seem to be coming to an end, leaving people looking for other options to visit their loved ones.

Commuter rail is also a hot topic. Recent updates to the North-eastern portion of the US rail network that borrowed heavily from the model of ubiquitous European rail travel, have caused a huge increase in the number of people who commute rather long distances by train through areas that are otherwise too crowded to drive through in a reasonable amount of time.

The US Railroad system was in serious decline when the remaining passenger rail travel lines were consolidated in Amtrak during the gas crisis of the early 1970s. Since then it has been subject to political wrangling and funding squabbles. However, passenger rail travel in the US is funded at a level that pales in comparison to the much less efficient and far more dangerous private auto travel supported with federal highway funding.

It is thought that while several hundreds of dollars support each car on the road, federal funds only account for $40 of each rail passenger. Rail transportation is also a clean and green alternative. Not only are there exceptionally efficient rail-system engines that can save up to 80% of the fuel of conventional engines, but even conventional engines use as much as a third less fuel per passenger-mile as compared with personal vehicles, buses and domestic airlines. While Asian or European rail travel isn’t known for being particularly efficient, the larger number of people that are served by the very complete routes in those countries are that much more likely to take the train, making a huge dent in the national energy consumption profile.

Unlike European rail travel, only the Acella line that runs from Boston to Washington DC are high-speed trains. The rest is the passenger rail system that results form cobbling together the freight rail routes of several companies who were slowly going out of business in the 1970s. Other passenger trains are about as fast as driving, though at what is usually lower or at par costs. Longer routes in the West tend to be quite scenic and there are relaxing observation and lounge cars to relax in.

Amtrak trains cover great distances, with the trip from Los Angeles to New York taking as long as 6 days. This is partly due to the rail network being rather thin, and partly due to the sheer distances involved along the convoluted routes that are sometimes required unless supplementing your travel with buses or other forms of conveyance.

Railroad infrastructure improvement in the United States is a consequence of public pressure to support this important public resource as well as increased ridership. As states such as Oregon and Washington have made up the difference in funding to keep their rail lines active, other states will likely consider this an important investment in public infrastructure if enough people ask for it.

Repairs to railroad infrastructure and track improvements that will allow faster travel are in progress, but will take several years to complete. When funds that are being spent overseas are turned inwards to domestic issues, it is certain that with public support railroad interests must be given funding to continue and improve to better serve the populace.

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There are many reasons now to choose renewable energy. It’s becoming far more widely available, both as a home supplement to the power grid as as the preferred method that the power company uses to create electricity. While it may be quite some time before we figure out how to use solar energy to run automobiles or mass transit, it is now very usable in just about every other application that currently uses polluting forms of energy.

In fact, alternative energy is just now benefiting from the last few decades of money and research that has gone into bringing these new technologies online. Some recent advances include solar harvesting paint and the ability to “print” solar material on flexible surfaces with a giant, high-speed “ink-jet” printer.

Renewable energy is an option for some municipal plan. Those living in the city can choose to purchase their power from wind and solar facilities. While such energy has been as much as two or three times as expensive in the past, renewable energy is now on par with petroleum energy choices. This trend is likely to continue as the price of oil goes up.

Biodiesel, for instance, is on par with the cost of petrol-diesel in many parts of the US and Canada. The same is true of heating oil. Ethanol does not use recycled products and can sometimes emit even more carbon than it’s petrol counterpart, though the price for this is also about on par with oil, now. As a result, older diesel vehicles are now being repaired and brought back onto the road with increasing frequency.

Water power form some of the large dam projects of the North American West are now being taken off line to deliver enough water downstream for migrating fish, and have proven less sound to the surrounding environment that the alternative energy sources that are just now becoming available.

At the same time as renewable energy has become widely available, other new technologies are helping conserve energy and better use that we are able to generate. Conserving heat energy and using energy efficient appliances has become an important part of a sustainable future.

Part of the embedded environmental cost of using foreign oil is the transport costs involved. By way of comparison, used oil that is recycled for use in automobiles can easily be produced in the local environment. New oil crop plantings can be part of a “green manure” program used by local, organic farmers.

This local bio-diesel can be used to power their own equipment and get crops to markets, such as the thousands of farmers’ markets that have sprung up across North America since it was made a priority in American Agriculture by the former Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman. It can also be sold to nearby urban areas as another commodity crop. Bio-diesel can also be rendered into a usable form at home, eliminating the need for exotic chemical processes at far-off refineries.

Renewable energy has the advantage of being scalable and uniquely suited for distributed networking. It’s a surprisingly simple thing to hook up micro turbines or solar panels and begin supplying some of your own energy needs. Most such systems pay for themselves in the span of just a few years.

Another simple way to dramatically save on your heating bills is to use the power of the Earth itself by using passive geothermal heat pumps. These circulating water pipes are able to provide most of the heating and cooling required for homes in most areas. While some places have access to active geothermal energy, in the form of heated springs, a simple series of pipes laid out in just about any suburban backyard will have a significant impact on heating bills.

This type of passive energy is also apparent in the design of passive solar homes. Here, the energy of the sun is accumulated during the day and stored, often in water, to be released back into the environment at night. The high storage capacity of water makes it good at absorbing heat from the local environment. This same water heats up slowly, so is able to provide cooling during the day, too.

Renewable energy is a collection of passive and active ways of generating and conserving energy. This will save money, pollution and valuable resources that can best be used elsewhere. Reliance on local resources keeps more money at home and drastically reduces the true cost of imported items on the environment and pocketbooks.

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Since people are going to need energy, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions will require adopting renewable energy. However, the cost has been prohibitively high for most of the commonly used and available methods.

Home generation has many possibilities, including getting a check from the power company for excess power that you’ve sold back.

The best and only way to make its manufacture is as cheap as possible. Several recent innovations in solar technology have brought humankind to the brink of affordable solar power that can be used anywhere. Flexible film solar can be built into just about anything, from awnings to bikinis. New advances is how to put the flexible sheets together has recently come from an American company that literally prints the solar cells onto a substrate at dizzyingly fast rates. Even solar paint is on the horizon.

The next step to really getting solar everywhere is to have similar revolutionary advances in storage technology.

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Is biomass a green energy source? According to experts, yes it is. In fact, it is one of the three main areas of bioenergy. But what is bioenergy? Well, it is a process by which organic material such as animal waste, plants and wood are used to generate electricity, produce heat and also aid in the production of biofuels.

In the case of biomass, hot air or water is generated to produce electricity. This is done through direct combustion and is considered the simplest and most common method of generating energy from biomass.

Aside from generating electricity, biomass can be used for hot air production so you can keep a place warm. For this to work, biomass has to be combusted in a furnace where it heats either water or air. Speaking of water, this enables you to have warm water so you can take a shower. In short, biomass in itself can also be used in a small scale as a heating system.

Since you can generate electricity and heat, some people have been able to combine the two which is known as combined heat and power or CHP. Something that many consider to be good as you use one energy source for two purposes.

If you are able to compare the amount of electricity generated between biomass and let’s say solar energy, you will notice that biomass produces more because the energy in plants is already captured and stored.

You don’t have to collect it first which is what happens with solar or even wind energy since this is manufactured technology. It is readily available unlike the other two which is totally dependent on the weather.

Another is the fact that you can even use organic waste to product electricity. No other green energy source can do that and by using this extensively, any government can save money because you don’t have to spend money to dispose of the waste and you will no longer depend on foreign oil that much to power your plants.

The downside to biomass is that because you have to burn waste and other organic materials to product power, you add to the pollution which is already in the atmosphere. But this can be offset of course by planting more crops which we know helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

You will also have to shell out a lot of money initially for the costs of labor, the transport of these fuels and how these should be stored.

Biomass uses renewable natural resources which is why it is considered a green energy source. This means that we have an endless supply of it around just like the power of the sun or the wind which flows from the ocean. The challenge is to find suitable land that has a sufficient water supply so these will be able to grow.

This means that in areas where water is not that abundant, you cannot rely on biomass technology to generate power. When that happens, you use other means and one good example given the right geographical location is wave energy which is the process of generating power from the water.

There is a way to generate power without causing harm to the environment. We have the technology and the green energy sources. We just need to muster the willingness to make it happen.

For more information on green energy visit our ‘Green Energy‘ website.

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No one has predicted that the price of fuel will go over $4 per gallon on the pump. And no one has ever expected that the prices will go down to below $2 per gallon in just a few months. With this erratic change in diesel fuel prices, you cannot help but wonder how much it will cost to fill up our gas tanks in the future. Will it go back to its record highs or will it remain on its current level? With answers still hanging on the balance, it is good to explore alternative fuel sources.

Vegetable oil. Why not?

You have to pay for diesel; vegetable oil is free. A diesel engine car can run on either but why are car owners hesitant to make a switch?

Ditching petroleum and running on vegetable oil couldn’t be simpler. For one, many car owners do not know anything about vegetable oil; its reliability and effects to the engine. But the main reason is: there is not enough vegetable oil available for everyone. Americans consume 140 billion gallons of gas every year. Restaurants throw 100 million gallons of waste oil annually. Assuming that all 100 million gallons of waste oil will go to gas tanks, simple math will tell us that there isn’t enough – vegetable oil will only account to 0.07% of the annual gas consumption in the country. Besides, if every American will switch from gas to diesel, the problem of scarcity will rise.

Environmental Impact

We cannot disregard the importance of taking care of the environment when choosing alternative for diesel fuel. As for vegetable oil; it is biodegradable so it does not do harm on the environment.

Reliability

We have mentioned reliability and effects to the engine of using vegetable oil. Should you be concerned? A little history tells us that Rudolph Diesel had designed his engine to run on vegetable oil. He even displayed it on the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. But the vegetable-powered diesel engine didn’t prosper because petroleum diesel was more economical during that time. Thus, it is not surprising to hear that modern diesel engine vehicles can run on vegetable oil without a need for conversion.

However, conflicting testimonies of car owners who switch from petroleum diesel to vegetable oil make it hard to guarantee any given conclusions. Some claims that vegetable oil has no effect on the engine while others say that vegetable oil speeds up coking of the engine.

The question of reliability becomes a major issue. Most owners try vegetable oil on older trucks and do not encounter any problem. Others spent on conversion kits so that their engine can “safely” run on vegetable oil. Others conduct certain filtration process on their vegetable oil before putting it on their gas tank. Some owners even mix fluids on vegetable oil to make it more viscous. We cannot really identify where, if there is any, a problem would begin. We can only speculate the possible factors that cause engine breakdown.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Waste oil is cheaper if not free.
• Environmentally friendly
• Better lubrication
• Use reduces dependency on imported oil

Cons

• May void warranty
• Cold starting
• Can only be used on older vehicles
• Exhaust smells of chips (if you consider it a disadvantage)
• Use may lead to coking engine when used improperly

For more information on alternative energy visit our ‘Alternative Energy‘ Guide

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One of the most effective ways in which wind can be used for energy is by converting it into a source of power. It has become a very effective source of electricity in many places.

The process of converting wind into power requires the use of either wind mills or wind turbines. Both of them feature blades that turn around as the wind blows. The more wind that is created the more electricity can be processed from it. The best place to put these turbines and wind mills is out on the open plains. Since there are no barriers to break up the wind, it is full strength when it comes across.

Some areas have wind power for just a couple of homes. There are farmers that have decided their land is more valuable to place turbines on than animals or crops. They allow the turbines to be put there by other companies that provide all the electricity for entire towns. The owners of the land are paid a very good price for the use of their land to place the turbines on.

While it does initially cost money to get the process of generating power from the wind, it is one that will pay for itself in many ways. This type of power is going to be less expensive and it doesn’t cause any type of harm to the atmosphere. There will always be wind so there will never be a time when we don’t have enough of it to supply power. With the uses of electricity continually rising, this is good news for everyone.

The Federal government has offered substantial benefits for the introduction of wind power as well. These types of incentives make it more affordable to get things in place to start the process. As a result there has been more wind power used for electricity in the past five years than in the past three decades.

For more information visit our ‘Wind Power‘ Guide

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There are many incomparable advantages worth considering in regard to using home solar power and in fact the number of advantages to this form of power is many, compared to the few disadvantages that may crop up. With a proper approach it is certainly possible to convert the negative aspects of solar power into positive advantages. To take the case of advantages first: first and foremost solar power is a source of renewable energy that as such has led mankind to find a source of energy that does not involve polluting the atmosphere when producing energy.

A Virtual Necessity

Solar power is now a virtual necessity for mankind and when it concerns our precious environment it is perhaps the best alternative which will help to save our priceless earth from further ravages. Even manufacturers of cars are on the hunt for alternative fuels as well as different kinds of renewable energy sources to combat not only the ever rising prices of gasoline but also to ward off the effects of global warming which is jeopardizing our very existence.

However, solar power has many advantages that will do a lot ensure that our environment remains free from nasty and dangerous pollutants. The need to turn to using solar power for our energy needs cannot be overemphasized and with each rise in the cost of electricity and skyrocketing oil prices it is high time to find suitable alternatives.

The ready availability of solar panels in the different hardware stores is encouraging as North America and Europe can now look at solar power for salvation even though the price of these panels is still on the high side. Nevertheless, there are thousands and thousands of home owners in all parts of the world who are looking to solar power to heat up their homes as well as get their homes illuminated.

More and more homes are being fitted with solar panels and there is also much information available to help anyone to easily install these panels to not only reduce their power bills but to also ensure that the environment remains clear and pure. The subject of home solar power has begun to elicit a lot more interest in all parts of the world and needs to be given serious consideration.

In fact, more and more people are wondering just how much money will solar power help in reducing our electricity bills. The current energy crisis is putting greater strain on our precious resources. In fact, it would also not be wrong to say that the very future of mankind depends on the proper use of solar power which is a clean, renewable and safe source of energy.

For more information visit our Solar Power Guide

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To some people the idea of home solar energy is very appealing and looks almost simplistic. However if you are going to attempt to create a home made solar energy system there are several things that you need to take into account before you get started.

The concept of home solar energy is a great idea and can save any home owner a lot of money on their energy bills but the mechanism behind home solar energy is extremely complicated and requires years of training to do properly. If you really want to get into putting a home solar energy on your home then you may want to consult with a professional first so that you can avoid some of the pitfalls that come with trying to create your own home solar energy system.

There is a very complicated scientific theory behind home solar energy that has to do with how to capture the energy, how to store the energy, and the how to use the energy. If you are planning to make home solar energy then your system needs to be reliable because many important elements of your home like your home security system and your environmental mechanisms require a constant source of electricity to operate properly. If your home solar energy is not supplying enough energy, or not supplying energy at all, then you run the risk of these systems failing and that can put you and your family at risk.

There Is A Lot Of Construction Involved

Many a disastrous project has begun with the notion that something looks easy. The most complicated systems can look simplistic when professionals install them but can get unnecessarily complicated when you do them.

There is a great deal of remodeling and construction that needs to be done to your home to accommodate a home solar energy system and if you start doing the construction wrong then your home could really suffer. Improperly done construction along with bad finishing work can allow water in places it is not supposed to go and other disasters. In the end you may just be better off with a professional.

Installing and creating a home solar energy system is extremely complicated and is not something an amateur should be attempting. Too many things can go wrong and too many critical systems in your house require constant energy to operate. Leave the solar energy projects to the professionals.

For more information visit our Solar Energy Guide or Solar Power Guide

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With energy prices skyrocketing, home owners are looking to a variety of alternatives to supplement or completely replace their reliance on the electric grid. Once considered nothing more than a fanciful novelty, solar electric power is becoming ever more prevalent each year. In years past, solar panels were not efficient enough for mainstream use, but regular advances in photovoltaic technology has allowed energy companies to mass produce panels that regular folks can afford.

The best part of a solar electric power system is that we can rely on our source of energy, our sun. That is much better than relying on finite reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas for your energy needs. There are several reasons why solar electric power makes a lot of sense compared to using fossil fuels. Firstly, solar electric power is 100% free. Once you purchase the equipment, it is free to operate, providing constant electricity to your home for decades to come. You will never have to purchase any fuel for your home ever again. Also, going green might get you some green in the form of tax credits, depending on where you live.

Businesses can also benefit from solar electric power. Energy costs are one of the primary concerns associated with operating businesses, and companies are always looking to cut their costs. Investing in alternative energies now will pay off in the long run, and every business using alternative energy will benefit from their investment in the years to come.

Solar electric power is also 100% clean. Fossil fuels create air pollution and deposit carbon dioxide into the air. Air pollution is a leading cause of many respiratory illnesses, like asthma, and carbon dioxide is one of the leading causes of global warming. Alternative energies like solar electric power cause neither of these problems. Fossil fuels are limited, and they will run out eventually. Beyond that, they are damaging to the environment, and more expensive over time to use. The upfront costs of solar electric power are higher, but the savings over time are much larger.

Any new home owner should seriously consider purchasing solar electric power equipment. This type of electricity will save money, and more savings are possible through the use of tax credits. Instead of damaging the environment further and having heating and cooling at the mercy of the big energy companies, why not make the smart, safe, and cheaper choice with solar electric power?

For more information visit our Solar Power Guide.

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Why is hydropower a green energy source? It is because we are able to harness electrical power by converting water into electricity.

The use of hydroelectric power or even hydroelectricity dates back to Ancient Greece and China when they installed waterwheels in rapidly flowing rivers to turn millstones and other equipment. Years later, this was used in the New World which is now known as North America to power saws and other equipment.

But the hydroelectric plants of today still use the same basic principles as the historical waterwheel with some variations. The difference is that we use the force of the power to push the turbine which in turn powers a generator thus generating electricity.

To make sure that there is a steady flow of power being produced, a dam has to be built to retain the water. If there is a need for more power, the gates of the dam are opened so water can be released. During non-peak, the gates are closed. To ensure there is water at all times, some dams have a recovery and pumping systems to the water released can be used again.

There are issues with the use of hydroelectricity. Some claim that it poses a problem for fish and aquatic plants on both sides of the dam. Because the flow of water has been altered, the nutrient rich silt which helps crops grow could be affected which is exactly what happened when the Aswan Dam was completed in Egypt.

But there are ways to fix that and the bigger picture is that power produced from hydroelectric plants do not generate any emissions or waste which happens to be much better than operating a coal-fired power plant.

There is another way to generate hydropower and you get this form the sea. This is also known as wave power or wave energy which uses changes in the air levels of sealed chambers to power turbines. When a wave rises into the chamber, the rise water pushes the air out which then turns a generator.

Once the wave goes down, air flows into the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that will close.

These chambers remain afloat on the ocean and how much power it produces varies. A lot of these are used on the western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States. These systems are usually small and can power a warning buoy or a small light house.

There is also tidal energy. The difference with wave energy is that when the tide approaches, the water is trapped in reservoirs behind dams. When the tide drops, the water behind the dam is released thus producing power similar to a hydroelectric power plant.

This can only work if you have tides that are at least 16 feet and since there are only a few places in the planet that can do that.

Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power based on the different temperatures in the water. For this to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water. Still in the trial stage, it is used Japan and Hawaii.

Hydropower is a green energy source. It is safe to use and what is even better is that it is renewable.

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