Generous subsidies have allowed solar power plants to flourish in Spain, such as the “power tower” outside Seville pictured here. But those subsidies are dwindling and new solar power may fade with them. Image: Courtesy of Abengoa
Power of the Solar Energy
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An Early Focus on Solar
The sun-drenched swaths of land in southwestern Spain seem custom-made for large solar projects. Add generous government subsidies to this hospitable climate, and the solar opportunity in regions like Andalusia and Extremadura would seem almost too good to be true.
In fact, it was too good to last.
In the wake of an overheated solar market and the global financial crisis, Spain has slashed its renewable energy subsidies. And the solar boom under the Mediterranean sun has gone bust—a stunning reversal of fortune: In 2008, 40 percent of the world’s solar installations were in Spain.
But it’s hardly the end of the road for the technologies nurtured on the Iberian peninsula. Spanish companies are working to export their know-how to the United States, Latin America and even to other European Union nations.
Although the United States developed experimental solar power towers in the Mojave Desert in the wake of the 1970s energy crisis, it was nearly three decades later that Spain put the world’s first commercial solar tower online in March 2007, 15 miles west of Seville in southern Spain’s Sanlúcar la Mayor. The Planta Solar 10 solar tower plant, seen above with sunlight glinting at the top of its 377-foot (115-meter) tower, can provide electricity for as many as 5,500 homes and store energy for up to 30 minutes.
Like all concentrating solar plants, power towers use steam turbines to drive a generator to produce electricity. But developers long believed using circular rows of mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on a central “power tower” would be more efficient than other types of reflector arrays, and would make it easier to integrate technology to store energy.
From a distance, the result is an otherworldly scene akin to a high-tech crop circle or an alien amphitheater. Up close, the projects resemble fields of giant mechanical sunflowers craning their shiny faces toward a glowing tower.
A Pioneering Plant in Andalucia – Photo by Markel Redondo for Greenpeace
Arranged across 185 acres (75 hectares) in Andalucia, heliostats reflect sunlight to a central solar tower at the Gemasolar plant-the world’s first 24/7 commercial solar plant combining molten salt heat storage and a central tower receiver. Torresol Energy owns the plant; it is a joint venture between Spanish construction and engineering firm Sener and the Abu Dhabi government’s renewable energy company, Masdar.
Photo by Markel Redondo for Greenpeace
The Future of Electricity
When the future of electricity is discussed, quite a number of thoughts come into mind. Let’s look at a few of such ideas.
Electricity will be wireless!
Wouldn’t it be delightful to see no wires in the house even with an uninterrupted supply of electricity? Will the future see wireless supply of electricity? Apparently, it will, according to industry experts. Last year, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a wireless electricity experiment successfully. This dream has never been far-fetched, and with the success of wireless electricity experiments, this dream will soon come true. So, it is not very far that we will see electrical appliances charging themselves off air!
Consumers will have complete control!
Industry experts believe that in future, your power supply will not be dependent on the electricity department but on you. You will have complete control on how you want the power supply to reach your place. You may not be required to pay the mandatory amount when you are vacationing around the world, shutting off the house. Experts see a variety of control options for consumers in the future. Now, whether this future is in the next ten years, or twenty, or a fifty years is not known, but what is known is that the future will see the consumers in control of what they use.
Electrical energy will be clean!
Do you know that the remains of electricity production emit enormous amounts of carbon dioxide in the air? The future of electricity is perceived as green and clean. Given the concern for the environment, the electricity in future will make use of renewable sources of energy, leading to a clean environment. Currently, electricity is produced mostly by consuming fuels that are on the verge of being extinct.
All things will be electric!
OK, we have already seen electric cars and electric shavers, what else will the future see? May be, electric shoes! Combs, toothbrushes, watches, glasses, even clothes may become electrical gadgets. If these sound far-fetched ideas, visit the futuristic shops at Akihabara in Japan for a glimpse of the future.
There will be no outages!
More than anything, consumers look forward to seeing a future with absolutely no power outages. Alternate power solutions promise to take us into a future that has no power interruptions. With increased dependency on power for everything, consumers need to have an uninterrupted supply of power.
Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.
Get our complete guide at Earth4energy.com
Renewable Energy Solutions
With the world slowly moving to the much-dreaded energy crisis, it is important that we reduce our dependency on non-renewable sources of energy. Non-renewable sources being renewable are about to get extinct. Renewable energy solutions refer to those energy solutions that can keep churning energy without exhausting the resources. Three types of energy solutions fall into the category of renewable energy solutions: solar energy solutions, hydro energy solutions, and wind energy solutions.
Solar energy solutions: The sun’s energy is the most abundant energy available on earth. Make use of this free energy. You can employ solar power solutions at home. This will not only cut down power bills but also help you contribute to a greener world. Solar power solutions comprise of solar cookers, solar heating systems, solar lighting systems, solar dryers etc.
The sun has always been a source of heat energy and light energy. With the advancement of technology, the sun’s energy can be used to create other forms of energy.
The solar energy systems have many advantages apart from being cost-effective and environment-friendly. They are low on maintenance thus saving your time and effort. Also, solar systems give you a return on investment very soon, thus making the systems free after some time. Cooking with solar energy is also considered extremely healthy. Families have started employing solar energy as a power solution at their homes.
Hydro energy solutions: The hydro energy or water energy is an effective renewable energy. One can convert the hydro energy into electrical energy to run vehicles and various electrical appliances. Hydro energy is typically generated on a large scale. It has been estimated that 90 percent of the electrical energy produced by renewable resources is produced solely by hydro power. Dams are built to help generate electricity by tapping the water power.
There have been some concerns about using this energy because it is supposed to adversely affect the water-borne flora and fauna.
Wind energy solutions: Windmills were in existence even in the years before the birth of Christ. They helped tow boats and pump water. Eventually, post-industrialization, they became a source for generating electricity.
Windmills and wind turbines have never been passé. Wind energy can help generate tonnes of megawatts of electricity. When employed at individual estates, it can help do away with conventional power sources. An excellent renewable source of energy, the wind energy will go a long way in promising a good future to generations to come.
Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.
Get our complete guide at Earth4energy.com
Save up to 80% of home electricity on utilizing free energy
This free energy can be easily generated from naturally resources that available in abundant. Few devices are needed to convert these resources into free power. You do not require investing for any other commercially made home power generator, when you have the option to actually build one yourself. We will mention how to save up to 80% of home electricity with those home-made power generators.
Earth 4 Energy is one such program that has shown people how to create a home made solar panel and wind turbine from junks or parts that are easily available at any local shop. The program contains simple step-by-step instructional guide that anyone can be followed easily by anyone. The kit involves the procedure of finding all necessarily parts and putting them together. All this can be done for less than $200 unlike those commercially made one that costs at least $1000.
A home-made power generator can be built not less than 3 days. For those living under a strong sunlight can take the option of using a solar panel to collect the direct sunlight and convert the same into solar power. Those who live in areas that can feel the strong wind blowing all the time can make use of the wind turbine to generate wind power for their home. These power generators can help you to save up to 80% of home electricity.
At the times of financial crisis, a wind turbine and solar panel can help us to save money on the electricity usage and also keep the environment pollutant free. When we have the option to produce free energy from natural resource then why pay the utility company for power usage.
Learn how to build a home-made power generator like the solar panel and wind turbine at a shoestring budget by following the guide that shows you how to do that with step-by-step detail. Do not entirely depend on the free information downloaded from the internet because if you make a single mistake the entire project can be ruined, or sometimes may put your life in danger. I advise you to follow the guides carefully as they are written by professional environmentalists, who guide you with safety.
A wind turbine or solar panel can generate 24 kilowatt of power that is enough to operate a laptop, television and a mobile phone charger. Free energy will run for at least for a few years.
Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.
Get our complete guide at Earth4energy.com
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