Whether you’re building a new house or have an existing one, “Basics of Energy Efficient Living” shares the principles behind energy efficient living. Have you ever wondered: What is R-value? How much energy could I get from my creek? Can I use alternative energy in the city? How much heat will it take to keep my house warm? How much heat will I lose if I put in a bigger window? Learn what it takes to save energy, then take the next step and collect your own. Find out how much (more…)

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Global Warming: What it Means for Us (image from suneko on Flickr)

Whether or not you “believe” in global warming, if the planet does continue to get warmer than it currently is – only by a degree or two – there could be some serious consequences.  Some people claim that the current weather aberrations are just normal climate fluctuations.  Still, I cannot help but wonder whether less time should be spent arguing about its cause (my bet is that its a combination of man-made and “natural” events), and more time responding to the crisis that faces our planet.

This National Geographic video contains a primer of global warming and what it may mean for us in the future:

It almost seems nonsensical to deny the global climate change that is already underway.  Scientists from reputable organizations like the BBC and National Geographic consistently report on melting glaciers, diminishing ice caps and rising sea levels.  And, its hard to explain away the haunting images of drowning polar bears and other victims of global warming.

Global Climate change is hard to deny (image from monado on Flickr)

Don’t believe me?  Here’s an example of global warming directly impacting U.S. residents:  shrinking beachfront property on the Atlantic Coast is just the beginning:

Oh sure – I get it.  Its just erosion.  Its only natural, right?  But what if its not?

National Geographic notes that if the Earth’s temperature rises a mere 6 degrees, it will wreak havoc on eco-systems around the globe, threatening mass extinction.

Don’t just stand there helpless.  Considering global warming and what it may mean for us, its prime time to make strides towards reducing our CO2 emissions by increasing renewable energy resources.  Alternative energy is clean, abundant and relatively inexpensive, compared to the fossil fuels we have burned so rapidly and destructively for the past 150 years.

You can do your part by installing wind or solar on your property, and/or supporting renewable energy development in your hometown.  Its a lot easier than trying to debate whether global warming is “real.”

Related posts:

1. Impacts of Global Warming on Food Supply

Fenwick Island, Delaware (image from Guy Schmidt on Flickr)

The owner of the Nantuckets Restaurant in Fenwick Island, Delaware is also the operator of a “personal power plant” for the business.  Instead of waiting for his utility companies to go green,” Dave Twining took matters into his own hands, with a distributed generation renewable energy installation of 48 rooftop solar panels and a 45-foot tall wind turbine in the parking lot.

The combined wind-solar project generates one-third of the business’s electricity, minimizing Nantuckets Restaurant’s carbon footprint.  In its first month, the personal power plant can already be said to be a success.  It will produce about 12 kilowatts (kW) of power (consider that an average house requires 4-6 kW of energy).

Thanks to federal stimulus funds set aside for renewable energy projects, Twining was able to secure funding to help defray the costs of the $104,000 installation.  Considering that Delaware businesses spend an average of $830/month on electricity, it makes sense for owners like Twining to consider distributed generation renewable energy projects like the one at the Nantuckets Restaurant.

A personal power plant could include solar panels (image from OiMax on Flickr)

The benefits of installing a distributed generation “personal power plant” vs. drawing from a utility that purchases or generates clean energy are several.  First, you can immediately reduce your carbon footprint with your own solar panels and/or wind turbine.  It can take years for centralized power plants to be sited and permitted.  Second, you have more control over the costs of your system, and ultimately will be able tap into free renewable energy with your own system.  Utilities will still charge you, even for clean energy, and you will be at their mercy when it comes to rate increases in the future.

In short, independent business owners like Twining are making wise decisions by investing in their own renewable energy resources.  Why not pay them a visit, enjoy some New England Chowder, and marvel at Nantucks Restaurant’s personal power plant next time you’re in Fenwick Island?

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Antarcic Glacier Melting Faster Than Predicted (image from Devil.Bunny on Flickr)

A scary new story published by the BBC reveals the results of scientific study concerning our planet’s ice caps.  An Antarctic glacier is melting faster than a decade ago – 4 times more quickly – to be precise.  Measurements of the Pine Island glacier show that ice surface is sinking at an astounding rate of 16 meters per year.  In the past 15 years, the glacier has thinned by up to 90 meters, which has scientists very concerned about the implications of sea level rise.

The research has been published in Geophysical Research letters.  Some very serious predictions were noted in the BBC article:

Calculations based on the rate of melting 15 years ago had suggested the glacier would last for 600 years. But the new data points to a lifespan for the vast ice stream of only another 100 years.

So, how much longer are we going to deny the fact of global climate change?

Global Climate Change is resulting in melting glaciers (image from apasp on Flickr)

Professor Andrew Shepherd of Leeds University, one of the authors of the Antarctic glacier melting study, predicts that the global sea levels will rise about 3 cm as a result of melting from the center of the Pine Island glacier.  He spoke with BBC News:

“But the ice trapped behind it is about 20-30cm of sea level rise and as soon as we destabilise or remove the middle of the glacier we don’t know really know what’s going to happen to the ice behind it.”

“This is unprecedented in this area of Antarctica. We’ve known that it’s been out of balance for some time, but nothing in the natural world is lost at an accelerating exponential rate like this glacier.”

Dramatic changes are also raising scientific concerns on the opposite side of the planet, in the Arctic, as well.  Global climate change has impacted the amount of sea ice near Greenland and Canada.  Scientists have discovered large new cracks on the Petermann glacier, a huge piece of which could break off in the near future.

Professor Box told BBC News:

“The science community has been surprised by how sensitive these large glaciers are to climate warming. First it was the glaciers in south Greenland and now as we move further north in Greenland we find retreat at major glaciers. It’s like removing a cork from a bottle.”

You think renewable energy projects are expensive?  We cannot afford the luxury of continuing our approach to global climate change, as glaciers continue to disintegrate at unprecedented rates.  Every little bit helps.  Distributed generation projects can take 1-100 buildings off of CO2 emitting power, using renewable resources like solar and wind.  They’ll get approved and constructed more quickly than large power plants.

What are we waiting for?

Related posts:

1. How to Save Arctic Ice
2. Are We Past the Tipping Point on Climate Change?
3. Global Warming: What it May Mean for Us

Greenspotting for Prizes and Fun (image from Wayne National Forest on Flickr)

I don’t know about you, but I think summer is the best when it comes to Greenspotting for prizes and fun.   After all, it is so much easier during the longer days to find renewable energy installations, snap a photo, and enter our contest for Black and Decker energy saving devices.  In fact, I keep telling myself that I need to take a few photos of solar panel installations around town (even though I’m not eligible for the contest) just because its so exciting to see people going green and getting away from fossil-fuel based energy.

Our greenspotting contest continues through October 2009, so you still have 3 months to participate!  It is so easy, I’d have to wonder why you wouldn’t put in an entry before the seasons change.  Just be sure to check the Build Baby Build post on tips and tricks for Greenspotting, as well as the following official rules:

Total promotion is limited to 5 Black & Decker Power Monitors and 5 ThermalLeak Detector.  Weekly winners will be based on the total number of Greenspotting submissions. Only comments with appropriate responses that
follow the giveaway directions will be approved. Invalid comments will be
deleted since they do not meet the requirements for an entry. In the event
of a tie, a winner will be selected randomly from the eligible Greenspotters.
Greenspotters are only eligible to win once during the promotion. Winners
will receive one (1) Black and Decker Power Monitor OR one (1) Black and
Decker Thermal Leak Detector. Contest is open to U.S. residents 18 years of
age or older only; void where prohibited. Winners will be notified via email
and must respond within one week. If you do not respond within that period,
another winner will be chosen.

Come on… you can tote along a digital camera with you one of these days!  There are almost 3 more weeks in August that you can use to spot and submit the green, renewable energy installations you find around town, or on vacation.  It is so easy to enter and win!

1. Upload your photo to our Flickr pool – don’t forget to mention where the photo was taken and what type of green project it is!
2. Post your photo along with a comment about where it was taken and what it is in our “Gone Greenspotting?” post.
3. Email us your photo along with a note about its location at contact@buildbabybuild.com and we’ll upload it for you. You can also DM us on our Twitter feed @BuildBabyBuild and send us a link to your photos.

If you have any questions, please “contact us” and we’ll respond as soon as possible.  Now get out there for some prizes and fun!  Our renewable energy contest ends soon.

Related posts:

1. Join our Greenspotting team and Win a FREE Black & Decker Power Monitor
2. Greenspotting Contest is Underway
3. Greenspotting Contest Continues

With shortages of fossil energy, especially oil and natural gas, and heavy biomass energy use occurring in both developed and developing countries, a major focus has developed worldwide on renewable energy systems. Renewable energy systems include wind power, biomass, photovoltaics, hydropower, solar thermal, thermal ponds, and biogas. Currently, a heavy focus is on biofuels made from crops, such as corn, sugarcane, and soybeans, for use as renewable energy sources. Wood and crop r (more…)

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Texas Wind Power Lowering Electricity Costs (image from zudark on Flickr)

Who says renewable energy cannot make a positive difference?  Just this week, a report was issued by a Wall Street research group, Bernstein Research, to evidence that Texas wind power is lowering electricity costs in the Lone Star State.  Texas is considered a national leader with respect to wind power.  And, world-wide it ranks as number 6 with respect to harnessing the energy of the wind.  As if Texas was a sovereign state!

With more Texans using wind power, there has been less reliance on natural gas-fueled generators which has, in turn, had the effect of lowering electricity costs.  As explained in the Bernstein Research report:

[A]t hours of relatively low power demand, it will no longer be necessary to dispatch high cost gas fired generators to meet the prevailing load; rather, the system’s wind, nuclear and coal fired power plants will be sufficient to meet demand. As power prices are set by the variable cost of operation of the last unit dispatched, wind can have a material impact on the price of power.

Because its so costly to run natural gas (and/or coal) generators to meet peak demand, the explosive growth of Texas wind power will significantly impact power prices, further lowering electricity costs.  When demand for natural gas declines, there will be a resulting glut in its production.

The Bernstein Research report predicts that “The growth of wind power in ERCOT over the next three years will markedly lower the consumption of gas and coal by conventional generators.”  In other words, Texas wind power will continue to lower electricity costs, while also depressing the demand for natural gas and coal.

Renewable energy news like this is just the kind of spark we need to continue interest and investment in wind power.  The rest of the world will be watching the number 6 wind energy producer, and perhaps to take a few notes from the Bernstein report, as well.

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Pennsylvania Building Economy on Clean Energy

With the current recession and concerns about global climate change, its clear that we need to change our approach to both energy and the economy.  Pennsylvania is building its economy on clean energy, focusing on renewable energy distributed generation, creation of green jobs and, as a result, coming out on top when it comes to economic expenditures and a clean, bright future.

The Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act includes the following requirements, which will help speed a transition to renewable energy:

• Utilities must reduce demand for electricity by 1% by 2011 and 3% by 2013
• Utilities must reduce peak electricity demand by 4.5% by 2013 through energy conservation programs that help customers install energy-efficient technologies
• Eight percent of all electricity must come from clean renewable resources like solar and wind

Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Investment Act is Building the Economy (image from ellenm1 on Flickr)

Last year, Pennsylvania passed the Alternative Energy Investment Act and Act 129, known as the “energy savings bill.”  The new legislation provides incentives for renewable energy development and also helps fund the Pennsylvania Sunshine program, which allows consumers to recoup up to 35% of the cost of installing solar panels.  The Act authorizes $92.5 million for energy efficiency improvements for homeowners and small businesses, and more than $200 million for solar photovoltaic systems.

Even better, Pennsylvania was one step ahead of the federal government when it comes to providing incentives for renewable energy.  As noted in an article published yesterday:

“When the federal government provided even more incentives for renewable energy and energy conservation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Pennsylvania already had programs in place to take immediate advantage of the extra funding. Now, Pennsylvania families and businesses can use a combination of tax credits, rebates, loans and grants to generate more renewable energy and invest in energy conservation.”

Given that Pennsylvania has been on the leading edge with respect to alternative energy, its no wonder that there is already evidence of the building economy on a clean energy basis.  The state already has 11 wind farms in operation, with two more under construction.  For one wind project alone, 150 people have been employed.  Overall, the wind energy generated in Pennsylvania can power over 200,000 homes.

Solar energy also provides an economic boost to the citizens of Pennsylvania.  Currently, the largest photovoltaic solar array on a sports facility in the world is under construction at the Pocono Raceway.  It will generate 3 MW of clean electricity each year, feeding in excess power into the grid.  Smaller solar panel installations are also on the rise.  Thanks to the generous state and federal tax incentives, homeowners and businesses are switching to solar energy with rooftop panels.

Even with all this new alternative energy development, Pennsylvania remains focused on building its economy on clean energy.  A new bill is currently being considered by the General Assembly that would double the state’s renewable energy requirements and significantly increase the amount of solar energy generated.  Sounds like a win-win-win for the state, with respect to clean renewable power, green jobs and less reliance on foreign oil and other fossil fuels.

We’re interested in hearing from Pennsylvania’s citizens with respect to its clean energy requirements.  Have you personally seen more wind and solar installations?  Is it making a positive difference?

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Small Wind vs. Solar Power

Comparing wind power to solar energy depends in “large” part on…. well, the size of the system.  Large wind farms generally can generate cheaper power than solar farms.  However, when taking it to the smaller, distributed energy level, solar is more affordable and efficient.  Let’s take a close look at small wind vs. solar power.

In Zeeland, Holland, a comparative turbine test was performed over 12 months.  The results showed that small wind turbine systems, generally speaking, do not produce much power considering their cost.  This may be because a smaller rotor simply cannot effectively churn enough energy to make it worth their expense.

In fact, the conclusion is that small wind may cost 10 times the price of solar panels to generate equivalent power.  In a Clean Technica blog post, entitled “Small Wind Sucks, Study Finds” the following statistics were revealed:

Ampair 600 (3 foot rotor blades): for $12,710 it makes only 20 kwh a month
Airdolphin at $24,747 (or the WRE 030 for twice that at $41,620!) to get 33 kWh a month
WRE 060 $52,444 for 41 kWh a month, or the (relatively!) cost-effective Passaat at $13, 029 to make about 48 kWh a month.
Skystream at $15,149 makes 176 kWh a month
Montana (16 foot rotor) costs $26,359 and makes 224 kwh a month

Some have observed that it might make more sense to consider each individual small wind turbine as a single solar panel in a solar array.

What do you think:

Wonder how small wind measures up? (image from Eridony on Flickr)

People who live in the United States use, on average, about 1000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy each month.  When you consider the small percentage of that to be generated by small wind turbines, you’ll soon see that you would need multiple turbines to power your life.  Considering the costs above, to generate a mere 200 kWh per month, you’d need $127,100 invested in an Ampair small wind system.  But for a comparable solar panel system, only $15,000, prior to state and federal rebates.

The Clean Technica article also notes that you could power your home 100% with a solar array the size of your living room and kitchen on your roof.  However, with small wind power, you could not do so.  A much larger wind turbine is required to generate the amount of energy for even a single residential unit.

The bottom line is that it is more cost-effective, efficient and probably even aesthetically superior to install solar panels instead of small wind for residential use.  When it comes to small wind vs. solar power, it looks like solar is the winner!

What are your personal experiences?  Please share in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Bringing Small Wind to the Masses

Studies have shown that the average North American family will spend more than a quarter of a million dollars on energy in a lifetime. What many other countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, China, Brazil, and even Iceland, have realized is that there is a better way to power our homes, businesses, and cars by using renewable energy sources. Recently, the United States has begun to understand the importance of reducing its reliance on coal, natural gas, nuclear pow (more…)

Related posts:

1. Renewable Energy Made Easy: Free Energy from Solar, Wind, Hydropower, and Other Alternative Energy Sources (Kindle Edition)
2. Texas Wind Power Lowering Electricity Costs
3. Fossil fuel growth outpaces renewables; Wind is the one bright spot