Your Questions About Green Living

The Expert answers:

I your talking about electricity % per country the “Iceland” 70% Geothermal, and the other 30% is hydro-electricity!
Here’s a source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Iceland

If you are asking about a whole production then here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_renewable_electricity_production

The Expert answers:

Been looking at this one for a while myself. Solar is just too expensive for me to get into right now. I’m keeping the potion open for a latter time when my finances are better. A basic package system that can SUPPORT about a third to half of the usage of the typical american home will start at around 7 to 8 grand not counting install cost. Wind is cheaper and readily available by hundreds of suppliers, but, the output can vary widely even in areas that have a constant wind. Wind in my opinion is better for a supplemental system. These are the two most common. Also seen a farming operation that powers its own generators from biomass off its cows waste. Use is kind of limited on this one. Bio diesel generators don’t have enough efficiency to relay consider unless you live way off the grid and only use electricity for short periods. Using small water wheel systems in some parts of the country but with the same problems as wind. Right now with solar its about how much you want to spend up front and what do you want out of it? I’ve so far just gone to all CFL bulbs and improved insulation which has chopped off almost half of my bill with that. Thinking about doing a roof overlay that will add 3 inches or more of insulation and a tin roof over my existing asphalt shingles. Probably cost me around 3500$ for this as it requires no additional support or rework of the roof other than extending the vents. Most available packages either come with vent extensions or they will send the ones you want when you order the kit. The one I’m considering includes installation.

The Expert answers:

Hey Samantha, your question touches on a common theme today, but to see how it will play out, take a quick look at retirement. A couple today might live comfotably on say $75,000 USD annual income, but they are concerned whether their savings will be able to replace their work income when they retire. It doesn’t matter how many calculators you visited online, the day they walk out the door from work for the last time, they simply retire on whatever they have. In short order they will get their house in order to function on the lot that is available to them. Energy is no different. Because we use 5.5 gazillion kilowatthours of electricity today does not mean we need that much tomorrow. As oil gets harder and harder to find and recover, the price goes up, which adds value to renewable sources, which makes them more commonplace, and they slowyly replace the fossil based energy anyway. This does not mean there is no advantage to preparing for the change now, but different people see the situation differently, just like retirement.

Brazil is a good case in point. Several years ago they operated the second largest offshore oil platform in the world, until it caught fire one day, fell over and sank into the ocean. That one well represented 50% of thier countries domestic oil production, nothing short of a catastrophe. Yet today, they have a growing economy and use more energy than they did back then. They run their vehicles on 90% ethanol, based on their rich sugan cane industry, and make so much fuel with it today that they have to ship their excess to the United States. In this change in energy that we are currently experiencing, there are as many opportunities as there are problems, but most people don’t see them because they don’t have to.

Here is what we have done: About 11 years ago we embarked on a project to convert our home to wind and solar power. Now our home makes 90% of its own electricity and our electric bills come in at about $5 per month. We have replaced both of our vehicles over time with more efficient ones and altered out driving habits slightly. Now we use less than 900 gallons of gas each year instead of the 1150 we used to. Our next vehicle will be a plug in hybrid of some kind, and we are already in the process of expanding the solar array to provide at least part of the additional electric power we’ll need to run that car when it arrives. Half of our hot water comes from our solar water heater, and our primary source of heat is now wood and passive solar. I talk to people all the time about energy and they ask, “What can we do about it?” The answer is, “Plenty.” But again, it comes down to perception and an individuals willingness to make changes. We can wait until retirement to see how it looks then, or get ready for it now. Collectively, we’ll probably end up someplace in the middle. As for the carrying capacity of the earth, what has probably gotten us into these situations in the first place is our population. We can always alter our lifestyle to accomodate more people, but that makes overall life here less convenient no matter how it’s done since we all end up with less in the end. As far as nuclear power being the answer, yes, Illinois does have 11 plants, and the second highest utility rates in North America. Nuclear is one of the answers, but the economics of it have never made sense historically regardless of what your postiion is on nuclear waste.

Renewable energy is up to the task, but most of us won’t be until we have to. For those of us getting ahead of the change, we would love to have you join us and help. I’ll list some websites below you might find interesting. Good luck Samantha, and take care, Rudydoo

The Expert answers:

One type of renewable energy for cars is the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen is all around us making it easy to get, plus as an added bonus it doesn’t emit any CO2 emissions. The only thing that comes out of the exhaust is water. Honda has released a hydrogen fuel cell car for lease. It’s called the Honda FCX Clarity. There are four problems that need to be overcome with this source of energy. One is to make hydrogen fuel pumps easily available. Two is to make the car travel more than two hundred miles before refueling. Third is to make the Hydrogen more safe to transport. Hydrogen is more combustional than gasoline. And forth is to make the hydrogen cost a less.

The Expert answers:

Solar and wind, both are easy to tap into and bountiful. Read more on this topic at the Pacific Crest Transformers website. I’m sure it will be very educative.