With Clean Energy We Have The Opportunity To Move Beyond Our Dependence On Polluting Power Plants

We have the opportunity and the know-how to move into a future of clean energy as well as safe and affordable energy. We need to move beyond our dependence on polluting power plants and foreign oil.

Renewable clean energy sources like solar and wind currently constitute about 2 percent of our electricity mix. In contrast, nearly 90 percent of our electricity still comes from polluting sources: fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas and dangerous nuclear power plants.

Coal-burning power plants alone release over a third of the nation's carbon dioxide pollution, which forms a heat-trapping blanket that surrounds the earth and causes it to heat up.

In addition, coal-fired power plants are largely responsible for the pollutants that cause acid rain, haze and smog, asthma, and other air and water pollution.We can face these challenges by taking steps today, toward a brighter energy future with clean energy.

We also have a responsibility to leave the planet in good shape for our children, and we need to take steps-as individuals and together,to live up to that responsibility. By using existing technologies, we can start producing cleaner, safer electricity today.

Renewable energy is poised to take us into a clean energy future. By using technologies and resources that are already available, we can provide at least 20 percent of our electricity from clean energy sources by 2020.

But renewable energy can't deliver a safe and clean-energy future by itself. We must cut down on the amount of electricity we use in the first place. Simply put, we must increase our energy efficiency.

We can do this by using available technologies that do the same amount of work but use less energy, like a computer that goes to sleep when it's not in use.

We can contact our local power companies and get an energy audit or analysis and make upgrades that are recommended. We can upgrade appliances,air conditioning and furnaces to more efficient units.

Wind

.A single modern wind turbine can produce enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of 500 average homes. In recent years the price of wind has fallen dramatically, making it increasingly competitive with fossil fuels.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory projects that the price of wind energy will fall even further over the next decade, making it the most economically competitive renewable energy technology.

As a growing power source, wind energy can become a major force for economic development. Wind development can save consumers money and will bring construction jobs, leasing royalties, and increased tax revenues to local communities.

Supplying 5 percent of the country's electricity with wind power by 2020 would add $60 billion in capital investment in rural America, provide $1.2 billion in new income for farmers and rural landowners, and create 80,000 new jobs.

Farmers and ranchers can also use wind power as a new "crop," helping insulate them from falling commodity prices. A single turbine takes up less than a quarter of an acre, including access roads, and farmers can grow crops or graze livestock right up to the base of the turbines.

How Does it Work? Standing as tall as 300 feet to capture the full force of the wind, modern wind turbines use state-of-the-art technology to turn wind into electricity.

When the wind blows, the blades begin to spin, turning an electric generator to create electricity. In newer turbines, this electricity is carried by wire through the turbine tower underground, where it is fed into the electric grid. To get a personal overview of our wind solutions click the link above to the right. It's Toll Free.To get all of our clean energy solutions with wind just follow this link.

Solar

The sun is the ultimate source of clean energy. All the energy stored in the earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is equal to the energy from only 20 days of sunshine.

With today's technologies, we can harness this clean-energy to produce electricity. While some parts of the country are sunnier than others, most areas receive enough sunshine to make solar energy a powerful source of clean and affordable electricity.

The cost of solar technologies has plummeted in recent decades and is approaching the cost of fossil fuels. Thanks in part to successful research and development, the cost of photovoltaics has fallen dramatically and is likely to fall even further.

How Does it Work?

Solar technologies allow us to capture the sun's energy in two principal ways. Solar photovoltaic panels, which frequently sit high atop buildings, convert sunlight directly into electricity.

These solar panels are made of cutting-edge silicon materials, similar to those used in computer chips. As light passes through the panels, it creates a current, generating electricity.

This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) gives us the photovoltaic effect. Also currently in use are solar thermal systems, which use the sun's heat to warm water for our businesses and homes.Just click the button above to the right to call for a personal overview of our solar solutions. It's Toll Free Or, just follow this link to see all of our energy solutions with solar.

We can move to other sources of green electricity and there are a multitude
of less costly measures.