Alternative Fuels, Solar Power and Wind Power Information

Fuel Alternatives With oil futures soaring above $55 a barrel and natural gas doubling in price in the last two years, renewable energy is looking a lot better to many -- not just on environmental merits but on price.

Solar Power Since the early 70's I have been a follower of the development of 'alternatives' to petroleum based energy. Wind, solar, stream these days with hydrogen based energy making exceptional advances these last several years. While many of us have been acutely aware of the need to develop 'new' energy technologies, people in the mainstream are becoming more accepting of the fact that we must find other energy sources to replace petroleum.

Alternative Fuels Data Center Wind, solar, geothermal and other green power sources have long been championed by people worried about smog and global warming, but until recently they were too costly to compete.

Solar panels are expensive and, particularly in the UK, inefficient. It usually takes more than a decade for an investment in solar power to pay off and a large amount of space in direct sunlight is required. In the UK climate, effective and productive source of green energy than solar power. In addition, the world's limited supply of silicon can be put to more efficient uses, in computing, for example.

Alternative Fuels For Cars But the surging cost of fossil fuels is changing the economics of the energy market.

The gentle curves of the Spiral Solar Wind Chime will come alive with the power of the sun, chiming softly to help your day along.

Alternative Fuel Conversion ``Rising fossil fuel prices are making renewable energy more competitive in the power market,'' said Steve Taub, an alternative energy analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Solar powered watches are one of the latest technological advances in watch development. Solar powered watches contain a light sensitive receptor underneath the dial, which absorbs light (natural or artificial), and converts it into energy to keep the watch ticking. This captured energy is stored in a small permanent battery in the watch so that the watch still functions in the dark. One of the most popular and well known solar powered watches is the Drive watch.

Alternative Fuel Tax Credit Renewable energy can't offer much relief to drivers and companies seeing their profits evaporate because of skyrocketing oil prices, because viable green alternatives to gasoline are hard to find. Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel aren't widely available, and hydrogen-powered cars aren't expected to hit the market for years.

Not only does the Power Reserve run longer but it displays how much energy is still stored. The Power Reserve indicator on the dial acts like a fuel gauge so that the watch wearer knows if the watch needs an extra little shake to maintain optimal power levels. Watch collectors know that keeping a watch optimally wound is the key to long term accuracy and that it is so much easier with the Magnificat Power Reserve. Finally the designers and the engineers agree on one thing.

Alternative Fuel Systems But in the electricity market, green power, especially wind, is already competing with traditional sources. At today's average wholesale prices, wind costs 4.2 cents per kilowatt hour, compared with 4 cents for coal, 6.8 cents for natural gas, 9.1 cents for oil and 10 cents for nuclear power, according to Kyle Datta, managing director at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a research group focused on eco-friendly business.

Alternative Fuel Credit Experts estimate that at today's consumption rates, known global supplies of oil and natural gas would be depleted within decades. But prices are expected to rise significantly long before supplies run out, making those fuels too expensive to use at current levels.

Alternative Fuel Stations ``They're never going to run out, but the ability to match supply to demand may already have run out, especially for oil,'' said Stephen Leeb, president of Leeb Capital Management and co-author of ``The Oil Factor,'' which predicts that oil could hit $100 a barrel by 2010.

Ethanol Alternative Fuel In the short term, fossil fuel prices are being driven up by war, political instability, natural disasters and other variables. The long-term outlook is clearer -- global supplies are dwindling as demand soars, particularly in China and India, where automobiles are multiplying and economies are growing at breakneck speed.

Hydrogen Alternative Fuel ``We should treat the prices as a warning that we need to act to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy,'' said Ralph Cavanagh, an energy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. ``They represent a terrible threat to the vitality of the United States.''

Alternative Fuel For Cars Meanwhile, improving technology, tax credits, low interest rates and government mandates are making renewables more widely available, establishing an inexhaustible energy supply that will keep driving prices down.

Alternative Fuel Stocks Sixteen states, including California, New York and Texas, have adopted ``renewable portfolio standards'' that require utilities to buy a certain share of their electricity from renewable sources.

Best Alternative Fuel Some major oil companies, particularly BP PLC, are investing to develop alternative fuels such as hydrogen, wind and solar. BP Solar, a BP subsidiary, has grown about 30 percent annually, boosted by government incentives that make solar competitive in sunny states such as California, said spokeswoman Sarah Howell.

Alternative Fuel Tax ``BP invests in it because we see it as a long-term business that will grow ever stronger,'' she said.

Types Of Alternative Fuels Less than 3 percent of U.S. electricity now comes from renewables such as wind, solar, geothermal, wood and waste, but that share is expected to increase as the price of fossil fuel rises.

Alternative Fuel Technology Increasingly, solar power is gaining popularity with individual homeowners and businesses that want to generate their own power, but it isn't used much by utilities. Geothermal energy is limited by geography, and biomass is still being developed as a reliable fuel source.

Alternatives To Fossil Fuels Wind, which makes up less than 1 percent of the nation's energy supply, is the fastest growing source of renewable power. Over the past five years, large scale wind farms have been built in Texas, California, Kansas, Wyoming and other states.

Ethanol As An Alternative Fuel Advocates point to wind's numerous advantages: Wind is free and inexhaustible, it doesn't generate smog or greenhouse gas, and its price is more stable than its chief competitor, natural gas. The downside is that the wind doesn't always blow, and not all regions have strong wind resources.

Alternative Fuels Data The Energy Information Administration has calculated the average price -- factoring in fuel, construction and operating costs -- of various electricity sources over 20 years starting in 2010. It estimates that wind would cost $50.54 per megawatt hour, compared with $61.32 for nuclear power, $53.42 for coal and $49.66 for natural gas.

Alternative Car Fuels Despite renewed attention on renewable energy, some analysts say the current spike in fossil fuel prices won't significantly boost the alternative energy market. They say governments must promote renewable energy, raise fuel efficiency standards and encourage investment in research.

Alternative Fuel Resources For now, advocates are pleased that pocketbook concerns are generating renewed interest in green power.

Alternative Fuel Station ``It brings attention to the need to diversify America's energy portfolio,'' said George Douglas, spokesman for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. ``It raises people's awareness of the cost of energy and where energy comes from.''

Alternative Fossil Fuels Associated Press - 10/27/2004

Topic: Energy

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