Neat Stuff on the Internet

For all of you Alternative Energy Aficionados, here is another link to check into: SOLAR AGE Although its main topic seems to be PV, it does cover hydrogen, and wind energy. Also, check their section on global warning. They point that” The five warmest years since the 15th century have all been in the 1990s. 1998 was the warmest year of the millennium.” From now on, watch for big push on alternate energy and the business opportunities just around the corner

http://www.views.to/solarenergy/index.html

The Brace Research Institute of McGill University is making available inexpensive solar plans. These cover solar distillation, water pumping, wind energy, solar drying, solar cookers, and others.

http://www.kohala.net/abundance/power/plans.html

Gaia is the Greek goddess of the earth. This is why this site is dedicate to Gaia technology which is a gentler technology which does less harm to the planet. There are several good things on this web page, including the Pulser Pump which employs a combination airlift pump and tromp, technologies which have been around hundreds of years. Here is simplicity at work—a low tech answer to high tech problems.

http://nxtwave.tripod.com/gaiatech/

The “Nanocrystalline Solar Cell Kit: Re-creating Photosynthesis” is a teaching tool which uses natural dyes extracted from berries, and non-toxic materials to create a solar cell that lasts only a few months, but can teach us about sustainable energy production. Sol Ideas Technology Development is also working on other educational kits such as a wind energy kit and kits in other languages

http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/cellkit.html

This patented burning system has many years of development behind it. Total savings to these users amount to millions of dollars per year due to the fact that spent oil can be had for free for just taking it away from such places as gas stations and other facilities where spent oil is accumulated. If you are looking at substantially reducing your heating costs, this is one viable avenue. This site sells several plans to build different efficient waste oil heaters

http://www.cyberport.net/russ/benjamin/

This Virginia Wesleyan College directory includes links to alternative fuel Web sites. There are EV conversions, the electrochemistry of batteries and fuel cells, U.S. Government research sites, university hybrid projects, regional EV associations and international automobile manufacturers, among others

http://www.vwc.edu/library_tech/wwwpages/gnoe/avd.htm

Premier Magazine on Home Power

Here is the premier magazine dedicated to home power and alternative enegy. One can download the current issue as well as gems for past issues. This is one of my favorite site. If you live in the backwoods, this is a must read type of thing.

http://www.homepower.com/

At The Cutting Edge of Low Technology

http://www.otherpower.com

Neat title, it is not my creation, that is the slogan for http://www.otherpower.com web site. Neat! I was thinking about something like that but they beat me to the punch. Anyhow, they have a “Solar Powered Captive Caboose.” ... yes a real caboose. Otherpower.com has a good section on energy conservation. The Hydro section is also interesting and is about to be expanded. The battery section is well worth a visit. And there is more … check them out.

Fuel Cell Resources

http://www.fuelcellstore.com/

General Alternative Energy Resources

Redrok is my all-time favorite site and the one that contributed the most my alternative energy interests. This is definite must for energy aficionados and a good candidate for a bookmark.— http://www.redrok.com

Alternative Energy Storage

Car & Deep Cycle Battery Information— http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/

Esotheric Energy Stuff

The Free Energy Archive—http://members.tripod.com/JohnLockard/FreeEnergy/

Hardware Resources

Wow! check out their 900 pages online catalog.—http://www.73.com

Government Incentives for Renewable Energy

The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. US States and Federal Government.—http://www.dsireusa.org/?65,34

Solar Economics

Solar panel lowest price survey . Also has good coverage of on other alternative topics. Be prepare to visit this site a number of times—http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/links/solar_panel_price_surveys.htm

FAQ on Alternate Energy

http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/energy/pv_faq.html

Resources on Insulation

(forthcoming)

Do-It-Yourself

Solarcell.net claims that you can buy “broken” solar cell at $1.60 per watt.
They also sell solar cells which were designed to be used in satellites. These are 16 to 19% efficient VS 11% to 13% with standard cells because they utilize U.V. light. You may download their 96 PAGES SUNWIZE CATALOG at http://www.solarcell.net

German Engineering—Solar Stirling

Solo has stirling engines for diverse applications:

Power-Heat Co-Generation, Biomas for biogas, and other applications such as
solar. This German firm has developing engines based on the Stirling
Technology since 1990 and is currently working on new models of 10 KW motors
for solar dishes.

http://www.solo-germany.com/english/frames/frame_stirlingengine2.html

Also check their special web page on the subject of stirling engines where
the applications range from Power-Heat Co-Generation, Biomas for biogas, and
other neat applications.

http://www.stirling-engine.de/engl/index.html

Here is another link worth exploring: http://www.stirlingengine.com/

Biofuel

The Jouneyforever site is one of the best site I have visited regarding the subject of biofuel. As you may know, interest on this subject exploded and waned with the cost-barrel of traditional oil sources (crude oil). With the Iraq war, interests peaked again but not with fervor anticipated. Why? because the cost-per-barrel is suppose to plummet down to more “descent” levels. A blip-to-be-forgotten.

I distinctly remember the 1974 oil crisis. That one was a real shocker. If Americans have any doubt what sanctions do, think again. Things got so bad that the tar sands of Alberta and in the US were starting to look economically viable. Remember this, we did not have an ENERGY crisis, we had a crude oil supply crisis. The sad and GOOD thing is that solutions are “at-hand.” One of them is the use of diesel engine. Unfortunately, here in the US, the passenger car driven by diesel was dis-favored—what a shame! Frankly we are really asking for problems. The causes of this preference had nothing to do with the concept of dieseling, you can thank the lousy US engineering of the several last decade and the ugly unconscionable capitalist manipulation of the US consumer mind. This is a very sensitive subject indeed—almost of an “unspoken” nature.

Now let me get OFF my soapbox and let you judge for yourself. All I can tell you is that the future is not as dark as it seems. With little “tweaks” here and there, there are many elegant solution. Take a look at: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html

Please note that this a BIG site. Make sure you examine all the nooks and crannies. Have fun!

It is not a question economics, it is a question of survival. The key word for the future of this planet is SUSTAINABILITY. With over 6 billion souls of the planet, how far can the population bubble go before it bursts into total chaos. Well …. maybe not.

I remember in the mid-sixties when our wonderful academicians were “crying wolf”—we, as they said, were heading for mass starvation by the year 2000. I wondering if they even bother looking over their shoulders. Surely not! After all, why prognosticate if you are going to have your feet held to the fire!

The fact is that many countries have managed to control their own population growth—some are even on the decline—other will follow in due time. What is more worrisome is that the explosion in population is occurring in the places which can least afford it. The population will probably double until we find a balance to the what appears a ticking time bomb.

The advanced economies MUST take into account the ramification of ecological pressures, and, most of all, the growing dissatisfaction of those who are less fortunate—a tsunami of discontent which is bound to grow at an increasing rate as we propagate information with our new technologies.

Another positive side is that when we thing “out-of-the-box,” one can determine that the light we see at the end of a tunnel is not a freight train coming our way, but truly the other side of the tunnel.

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/