Saturday, October 27, 2012

Waste Management and Recycling by Robs - ArticleCity.com - Free ...


Waste Management is the undisputed world leader in nearly all facets of waste treatment, including low-level nuclear, chemical, and asbestos cleanup; and daily garbage removal, waste reduction, and recycling. Waste Management has expanded its operations both technically and geographically, acquiring a host of sophisticated suppliers of trash-to-energy plants, pollution control equipment, and recycling services, while signing contracts with municipalities from Buenos Aires to Hong Kong. The company has frequently been attacked by governmental agencies and environmental groups for a variety of alleged failings, but its phenomenal growth and strenuous efforts in the recycling and pollution-control areas make it likely that in the future Waste Management will be perceived as a hero rather than villain by the world's increasingly polluted cities. Waste Management, it seems, is well on the way to becoming the planet's garbage collector. It was an exceedingly good time to join the waste-treatment industry. Not only was the national economy at the peak of its postwar prosperity, the U. S. consumer was just then beginning to be inundated with a wave of new packaging and convenience items designed to be used once and thrown away. The nation's production of garbage was growing much faster even than its population, and companies such as Ace Scavenger found themselves in great demand.

The company responded with characteristic energy. At each of its nine chemical dumps, WMI installed environmental-compliance officers with power to override the decisions of local plant managers. These watchdog foremen reported to WMI's new environmental-management head, Walter C. Barber, a former acting chief of the EPA. In addition , the Chemical Waste subsidiary in charge of most of the troubled sites was provided with a new president, Jerry E. Dempsey, former president of Borg-Warner Corporation. To smooth relations with Congress, WMI hired Frank B. Moore as its chief lobbyist. Moore had previously served as President Jimmy Carter's liaison officer with Congress. Finally, WMI adopted new advertising campaigns stressing the company's services on behalf of the environment and customers alike.

While such moves had not satisfied critics such as Greenpeace International, it appeared that WMI learned a lesson from its legal battles and took some pains to adopt more safety measures. As proof of its progress in these areas, WMI can point to the long-term contracts it won in the late 1980s to handle much of the waste from Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington; two cities known for their strong environmental commitment. In both cases, the municipalities found that WMI's experience and resources made it the best choice for waste problems of great magnitude. Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy.

Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. Although similar in effect, the composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste – such as food or garden waste – is not typically considered recycling. Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.

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The Latest Technology in Solar Power

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Solar PV (Photovoltic) by Igen Energy - ArticleCity.com - Free ...



This is the age of making a strong decision in favour of human being and environment, Now we have to be serious about a new and powerful energy source. With climate change global warming at the forefront of the agenda, there has been much discussion and research into finding an alternative to traditional sources of energy. Finally we find out one of the best option Sun Energy (Solar PV). Solar electricity systems capture the sun' s energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting.

Solar PV offers a number of advantages over other sources of renewable energy. Its impacts include: the effect of emissions on human health and welfare, agricultural productivity, and infrastructure; the security costs of ensuring a reliable oil supply and a safe nuclear resource; and the potential costs of adjusting to global climate change. Following are the basic reasons why investing in solar PV for your home and Industries benefits both you for financial and the environment.

1 . No harmful emissions or greenhouse gases. Solar power is a clean, renewable and sustainable source of energy.

2 . solar PVtechnology is low maintenance, durable and completely noiseless. Unlike wind turbines there are no moving parts to break and no noise pollution. Once installed, PV panels require very little maintenance, and are incredibly durable.

3. The sun is an unlimited, free source of energy that is available worldwide. PV panels only require daylight, not direct sunlight to produce electricity. This means that they are not just effective in the summer months, but all year round, even on the cloudy days.

4. Free electricity during the day. When your PV system is generating electricity during the day, you will not have to buy electricity from your supplier. Therefore running appliances during the day will help you save hundreds of pounds off your electricity bill.

5. solar PV technology is versatile. Depending on your preference, you can choose between having PV panels installed onto your existing roof, or integrating the technology into the building materials themselves with solar tiles or slates.

6. Solar PV is a good investment. With the introduction of the Feed-In Tariff, homeowners are now paid for every unit of electricity they generate from their PV panels, even if they use it themselves. solar PV not only offers the highest payments, but also the longest payment period.

7. Protect yourself from rising energy prices. The cost of traditional energy sources is rising and is likely to continue to do so. By installing a solar PV system on your home you will have your own source of free electricity and therefore depend less on electricity suppliers to power your home.

8. A solar PV system could increase the value of your home. As it is a source of free electricity and income thanks to the Feed-In Tariffs, a solar PV system is likely to make your home more attractive to potential buyers.

9. Easy, hassle-free installation. Once a site survey has been completed for your home to ensure it is suitable, the installation process is very simple.

10. No maintenance, with a long functional lifetime of 30 years. PV solar installed in the 1960' s is still working.

11. Silent in operation.

12. No planning permission needed.

13. Works all year round.



The Latest Technology in Solar Power

Monday, October 8, 2012

Photovoltaic Panels - Harvest the Sun - free article courtesy of ...

There is a lot of energy in sunlight and that energy can be converted to electricity with photovoltaic panels. These panels are made up of several photovoltaic cells which are constructed of treated silicon which creates an electrical charge when exposed to sunshine.

Each photovoltaic cell produces just a small amount of electricity, so they are wired together into panels to provide enough current for common household appliances.

Photovoltaic cells come in three basic varieties. Monocrystalline are the most efficient but also the most expensive. They consist of a single crystal cut from an ingot of silicon.

Polycrystalline are the most common and slightly less efficient than monocrystalline. The silicon they are made from have several small crystals.

Amorphous cells are made by spreading the silicon on another material like stainless steel. These cells are cheap to produce but produce significantly less power than the other two types. This means that photovoltaic panels must be larger to produce the same amount of electricity.

Monocrystalline panels are slightly more efficient in low light conditions, but the difference is not significant. When choosing photovoltaic panels the most significant factor is the amount of available space. If you have lots of room you can install amorphous panels for less money.

As mentioned above, individual photovoltaic cells are wired together into panels which can produce more electricity. The panels themselves can be wired together in parallel or in series to produce a variety of currents suitable for almost any use.

The panels and arrays produce Direct Current (DC) power so it must be converted to Alternating Current (AC) for most purposes. This is accomplished with an inverter.

The AC current from the inverter can be used to power most household appliances. It can also be connected to the breaker box from the utility company so that solar electricity can act as a backup system to regular power supplies. The advantage of using both systems is that if there is any excess electricity produced by the sun it is fed back into the grid for a credit against the homeowner’s electricity bill.


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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The Environmental Impact of Harmful Lamps vs. LED Energy Efficient Lighting


How Do LED Lights Work?

LED lighting products work much like standard lights, except for the fact that LED lights are much smaller and contain no filament and harmful gases. Instead of a filament and gas, an LED creates light using nothing but the movement of electricity along the path of its semiconductor. As the electrons stream across the semiconductor, they create electromagnetic radiation. Some forms of this electromagnetic radiation can take the form of visible light. There are no harmful gases such as mercury used in the production of LED lights, as opposed to the toxic levels that are used in all the other different light sources.

How Do Fluorescent, Sodium, Halogen and Metal Halide Lamps Work?

A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas discharge lamp that uses electricity to stimulate mercury vapor. The stimulated mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp changes electrical power into light more efficiently than an incandescent lamp.

There is also a Sodium vapor lamp that is a gas discharge lamp which uses sodium in an agitated state to produce light. There are two varieties of these lamps: low pressure and high pressure.

Low-pressure sodium (LPS) lamps have borosilicate glass gas discharge tubes (arc tube) containing solid sodium and a small amount of neon and argon gas to start the gas discharge. When the lamp is turned on it emits a dim red/pink light to warm the sodium metal and within a few minutes it turns into the common bright yellow as the sodium metal vaporizes.

High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps are smaller and contain extra elements such as mercury. They produce a dark pink glow when first struck.

Metal halide lamps are a member of the high intensity discharge (HID) family of lamps and they produce high light output for their size. This makes them a dense, potent, light source. By adding rare earth metal salts to the mercury vapor lamp, improved luminous efficacy and light colour is obtained.

A halogen lamp is an incandescent lamp with a tungsten filament contained within an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine. The combination of the halogen gas and the tungsten filament produces a chemical reaction known as a halogen cycle.

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence. An electric current passes through a thin electrical filament, heating it to a temperature that produces light. The enclosing glass bulb contains either a vacuum or an inert gas to prevent oxidation of the hot filament.

Harmful Effects

All mercury vapor lamps (including metal halide lamps) must contain a feature (or be installed in a fixture that contains a feature) that prevents ultraviolet radiation from escaping. Usually, the borosilicate glass or outer bulb of the lamp performs this function, but special care must be taken if the lamp is installed in a situation where this outer case can become damaged. There have been documented cases of lamps being damaged in gymnasiums by a ball hitting them and sun burn and eye inflammation have followed as a result. When used in locations like gyms, the fixture should contain a strong outer guard or an outer lens to protect the lamp's outer bulb. Also, special "safety" lamps are available that will deliberately burn out if the outer glass is broken.

Even with these methods, some UV radiation can still pass through the outer bulb of the lamp. This causes the aging process of some plastics used in the construction of luminaries to be accelerated, leaving them significantly discolored after only a few years of service. Polycarbonate suffers particularly from this problem, and it is not uncommon to see fairly new polycarbonate surfaces positioned near the lamp to have turned a dull, 'ear-wax'-like color after only a short time. It is important to note that if the polycarbonate is being damaged what is the UV radiation doing to people that are under these lights all day and night? It has been suggested that the effects have caused tumors in lab animals.

Exposure to mercury vapor can occur through inhalation, eye or skin contact. The effects on humans are as follows. Mercury vapor can cause effects in the central and peripheral nervous systems, lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. It is also a mutagenic and affects the immune system [Hathaway et al. 1991; Clayton and Clayton 1981; Rom 1992]. Acute exposure to high concentrations of mercury vapor causes severe respiratory damage, while chronic exposure to lower levels is associated with central nervous system damage [Hathaway et al. 1991]. Chronic exposure to mercury is also associated with behavioral changes and alterations in the nervous system.

With all fluorescent, sodium, halogen and metal halide lamps containing mercury and other harmful metals and gases it is important to note the effects of exposure to the mercury vapor. We know that LED lighting products are a safe alternative to mercury lights and UV radiation from lights.

The life cycle of an LED light is 10 times longer than mercury lighting, and for this reason the LED’s light will last a house hold a life time, as opposed to the alternative mercury lighting, that will fade then need to be installed by a qualified electrician and discarded of by added to our ever increasing waste deposits.

End of Life and Waste of Fluorescent, Sodium and Halogen Lamps

Mercury vapor lamps rarely burn out completely and suffer drastically from lumen depreciation (light output). The lamp produces 50% less light every five years, to the point of becoming ineffective while still drawing the same amount of power it drew when it was new. This happens because the emitter is deposited as a film, darkening the arc tube wall and reducing light output.

When discarding a fluorescent tube, the main concern is the mercury, which is a dangerous pollutant.

A broken fluorescent tube will release its mercury content into the atmosphere, and be inhaled by others. Safe cleanup of broken fluorescent bulbs differs from cleanup of conventional broken glass or incandescent bulbs, 99% of the mercury is typically contained in the phosphor, especially on lamps that are near their end of life.

The disposal of phosphor and particularly the toxic mercury in the tubes is an environmental issue. Governmental regulations in many areas require special disposal of fluorescent lamps separate from general and household wastes.

Only a few tenths of a milligram of mercury are required to maintain the vapor, but lamps must include more mercury to compensate for the part of mercury absorbed by internal parts of the lamp and no longer available to maintain the arc.

By changing to energy efficient lighting with LED lighting products, you save financially in the short and long term, plus, you are assisting the environment by not adding harmful gases into the atmosphere and not adding to our waste deposits. You also save on the maintenance that is required for conventional mercury light sources from a qualified electrician.

Make the change to a bright start.

For more information visit http://www.ledecolighting.com.au

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Free Wind Turbine Instructions

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wind Energy Advantages


As far as we think about future we need to consider energy crisis that we are going to face when we’ll run out of fossil fuels. Knowing it’s about to come we need to think it over which energy sources is best to use as our main one in years to come. Currently we use few alternatives like solar panels, water turbines, biomass and windmills farms. In the next few hundred years one of these is probably going to become our main energy source. It’s good idea to have a look at advantages and drawbacks of all of them. In this article I’ll just describe advantages of windmills that we may currently experience.

First thing is that with this technology we use renewable energy source. We will never run out of wind as long as there is atmosphere in the Earth. This is huge advantage in comparison with coal or gas. This brings a sort of safety that if we’ll move into wind energy next energy crisis may never come again. Wind is just not going to stop blowing. We will be able to use it for next millions of years.

This is also one of the cheapest power sources we know. The price of kilowatt-hour oscillates around four-six pennies. This may bring huge savings both on a large scale (where huge wind farms supply whole cities) and on a mini-scale, as wind energy generator home systems help to cut energy bills.

Thirdly this energy is eco-friendly. As windmills doesn’t emit any toxic smoke (there is no burning) and doesn’t influence environment in any other harmful way this is a energy source of choice for many people who value Nature and want to live in harmony with it. And number of such people is growing every year. This solution makes impossible any sort of ecological disaster (like that one in Mexican Gulf) to happen. So that energy is not only clean but also safe.

Fourthly space that is used for windmills still can be used for something else, like farming animals or growing plants. Windmill doesn’t take too much room itself, and we still can make a use of all space around it.

These are main advantages of wind energy farms and home systems that we can experience nowadays. As we understand them, we can work to move into using them into larger scale then we do today, so that we’ll not get into trouble when we’ll run out of fossil fuels. Considering growing number of people with access to electricity we can predict energy prices constantly moving up next years. So it’s a good thing to prepare ourselves and invest into alternative power sources now, to avoid paying huge prices for oil in the future.



GREEN ENERGY - FUTURE OF AMERICA. Make DIY Solar Panels and Wind Turbines.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Homemade Wind Power Generator: Homebuilt Wind Power Turbine (DIY Wind Power Guide)


Homemade Wind Power Generator: 5 Superb Reasons Why a homemade wind power generator is Ideal for You

A homemade wind power generator is becoming further and further popular today. A lot of people are starting to see the advantages of such a system. This renewable supply of energy is showing millions of people that the sphere is altering and in order for them to survive; they have to also alter with the times. Fossil fuel is no longer possible and cheap. Below are the 5 obvious reasons behind erecting this kind of power system and with any luck, these will persuade people who aren't yet into the concept of renewable energy sources.

Homemade Wind Power Generator: The Cost

Not like a few decades ago when renewable energy first came out, the technology was regarded way too progressive and costly. Now, it's become effortlessly accessible and cheap. It's considerably possible to build your own system just by spending $200. This could be completed by employing resources that has the ability to be effortlessly discovered in regional hardware stores.

Homemade Wind Power Generator: Can I Make Money?

A homemade wind power generator has become quite a need for a great number of people due to the escalating cost of electricity. Most of the electricity we are receiving comes from fossil fuel, such as oil and coal. Sadly, the costs of those materials are escalating. This is due to the fact that they are becoming more rare everyday. The entire planet is consuming billions of tons of fossil fuel everyday. Finally, resources will run out. With this kind of system, you bring your electricity bills to zero, and maybe, even make money out of the an excessive amount of energy you are able to make.

Homemade Wind Power Generator: Customer Support

1 does not have to be a rocket scientist in order to generate a homemade wind power generator. The guides being sold on the Internet make the instructions straightforward to follow. In case you do encounter a difficulty when constructing this system, you can always ask aid from their toll-free client service. The companies selling these guides have a client service representatives who are more than enthusiastic to offer a hand.

Homemade Wind Power Generator: Extra Cash For The Family

Another excellent reason to build this power system is that you can unlock a great deal of money. The cash you use to pay your electrical bills for a totally year can now be diverted to different crucial things that you or your family requires. On top of that, you can also produce money by selling the an excessive amount of electricity you have to the ability companies.

Homemade Wind Power Generator: Conclusion

Everybody in the world is now more concerned with the Earth as opposed a few decades ago. It's become the duties of every individual. to do his part in assisting the natural world and what greater way to help than by owning a homemade wind power generator.

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DIY Wind Turbine Blade DC 180 Volt Electric Generator HAWT Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine