Introducing its new Ford Focus Electric at the Consumer Electronics Show, Ford trumpeted its plan to offer homecharging stations through Best Buy stores for $1,499, including installation. Now we’re learning more about theseLeviton charging stations and how they differ from some of the others on or coming to the market.

One of the advantages Ford is touting is the “non-permanent-style” installation. Note that the automaker didn’t use the term “portable.” The charging station can’t be casually hauled from home to office day to day; however, because the device plugs into a 240-volt outlet instead of being hard-wired into the electrical breaker box, you will be able to remove and replace it if, say, you move out of your house.

Ford is also noting that the charging station is manufactured in the United States and the unit’s exterior housing is made out of up 60 percent post consumer recycled material.

Of course, what might be most appealing to users is that $1,499 price tag – around 30 percent less than what Nissan is asking for Leaf charging stations – and the speed that it delivers a charge: 3.5 hours for a full charge vs. about twice that for the Leaf. The charging station itself can’t really take the credit for that, however. It delivers electricity to the vehicle twice as fast, but is only able to do so because Ford built the Focus Electric with a 6.6 kilowatt (kW) onboard charger (that’s where the “charging” of the vehicle actually takes place).

The Leaf has an onboard charger rated at 3.3 kW, as indicated on the company’s website. There’s been desire by some for Nissan to go to a 6.6 kW charger with its 2012 models, but the company has yet to say what it will do.

Many people in the U.S. can produce more than half their domestic hot water needs with a solar hot water system. In Arizona and other southern regions of the US this can be more than 80% savings.  A solar hot water system costs more than a conventional water heater, typically between $7,000 and $8,000.  However, after rebates and tax incentives the cost to the client for a new solar hot water heater including a new tank is $2 – 3,000.  Homeowners may want to budget for routine maintenance on some units to include periodic checks on the pH of the system’s with glycol solution.

A gas water heater should never be used as the only tank in a solar hot water system. In a solar storage tank, water stratifies by temperature; cool water from the bottom of the tank is pulled up to the collectors on the roof to be heated then returned to the top of the tank. The colder the incoming water, the higher the solar collector’s efficiency. In a single tank system, the electric element or gas flame keeps the stored water hot, leaving no cold water available to send to the solar collectors. Solar hot water systems can be either active or passive. Most solar hot water systems use a pump to move fluid through one or two collectors. Thermosiphon systems, suitable for simple domestic hot water systems in frost-free climates, rely on natural convection to move water.

As mentioned above, in most cases, credits or rebates can defray some of the cost of installing a solar water heater and are available from local utilities or state and federal governments. 

systems offer stability and predictability when it comes to energy costs and supply. That’s not something that any system running on fossil fuels can match.

Please contact us for additional information anything building or construction related to include Solar or a free quote on Solar Hot Water Heater Systems and Solar Electric Photovoltaic Systems.

Where would we be without inventions? Well, the answer is fairly easy to surmise; sitting around in our mud huts hoping the cow will produce some milk, and that our vegetables will grow. Inventions have given humans the edge over the other species on the planet, as our collaborative minds create a new world bigger and better than the one before.

The problem is, humans are fallible – and what’s more, arrogant. Humans have, throughout the centuries, had an uncanny ability to invent things that will improve our lives forever – but we’re just as likely to boast about our discoveries, too. This desire to show the world what we have uncovered and just how very clever we are has lead to many good inventions being tried before they were ready; they subsequently failed, and the idea was pushed to the back of a drawer, banished from history forever.

The inventions that have survived have done so for one of two reasons: firstly, the inventor was wise enough to perfect his invention before unveiling it to the general public in a blaze of glory. Or, as is more likely, a good idea may have experienced a bad start, but has been good enough for people to persist and perfect the technology as it works along.

Solar panels very nearly suffered the fate of numerous other inventions that were revealed to the public too soon and proven to be disastrous, thus shoved to the back of the drawer and forgotten about. Excited scientists proudly told the world how the dependence on fossil fuels would be able to end, and all thanks to something called solar panels and their ability to generate electricity.

Yet they went public too soon, with an imperfect technology, and solar panels quickly got a reputation as unreliable. However, the idea stuck, and now we exist in a world where solar panels are almost becoming the norm. Solar panels have thus proven that even after a bad start, the good ideas tend to stick.

We all constantly hear how good solar power is, but one cannot present a convincing argument without looking at both sides of the story. While solar power has many benefits, it also has its drawbacks.

The first is also the most obvious. Namely, that the sun does not always shine. While cool weather and overcast days do not cause solar panels to stop functioning entirely, such conditions will reduce their output. For this reason alone, the likelihood of solar power being the only solution to the energy crisis of the future is slim. It is simply not possible, even in the hottest regions, to depend on solar energy entirely for a country’s electricity supply.

This is an important consideration, but not one that is particularly dominant if you are merely thinking of having solar panels installed on your roof. In the average home owners case, the demands on your solar panels will be far less than an entire country could generate. You will not be expecting it to power your home entirely forevermore, so providing you acknowledge the possible limitations of solar panels during the coldest and wettest months, you should be able to get by.

The other important disadvantage of solar power is the cost. Again using the idea of an average home owner; the installation of panels and conversion of your energy sources is a time consuming and costly process. While you will eventually recoup any investment by saving on your usual utility bills, for many the up front costs are prohibitive.

However, while these considerations are not small, they do not mean that solar power is not one of the most viable ways of generating renewable energy. The sun is our greatest resource, and it is somewhat surprising it has taken until now for us to utilise it fully.

A wind farm is an area which is host to several wind turbines, sometimes up to 100 individual turbines at a time. Rather than working as individual turbines, all of the energy collected by these wind farms is grouped into one larger generator of electricity; making such developments the power plant of the modern era.

The most common type of wind farm is the onshore wind farm. This essentially means where each wind turbine is anchored into land, usually on a grassy field or high on a hillside. Other forms of wind farms are possible; offshore wind farms are built in the sea, and airborne and near water wind farms are also increasingly common.

The reason for the onshore wind farm’s popularity is that they are easy to construct when compared with other options. Materials can be brought to the site, and while the transportation is expensive. When the component parts have arrived at the wind farm location, from there the erection of each turbine is relatively simple by modern engineering standards. Cranes are most typically used to winch the blades into place.

Onshore wind farms are most typically built in rural areas, though some cities are now building them close to urban areas. For example, a new wind farm in Glasgow, Scotland is only 20 miles from the centre of the city. While there are some aesthetic issues – particularly with local residents – this close proximity to where electricity is needed most means onshore wind farms can be extremely productive.

You may have noticed that over recent years, more and more companies are springing up and advertising solar panels. This, in turn, has lead to more people installing solar panels on their homes – so you may be wondering if this is the move for you.

Having solar panels fitted to your roof is expensive, no doubt about it. The installation varies from $4000 to $60,000. The difference depends on the size of your house, your requirements from the panels themselves and how much electricity you are hoping to generate. In basic terms, the larger the panels and the more you want – the bigger your bill, though even a basic system can be tough on the wallet.

Firstly, most solar panel installation companies will offer some form of credit – perhaps even ‘buy now pay later’ type deals, which allow you to suspend repayments for a year or more. Almost all will offer a traditional credit scheme, where you have the panels installed and then pay them off. This is one of the most expensive ways to get solar panels installed, as you will be charged for the credit, but nevertheless it is an option.

The best way option for most is to save a dedicated fund for their solar panels. Using the old school system of putting a little money by each week, many households can afford solar panels within a couple of years without having to pay credit purchase rates.

Whichever way you choose to do it, solar panels are expensive. There isn’t any way of getting around that, though as the technology improves prices should fall. It is always worth remember, however, that solar power is beneficial both to your wallet in the long run, and to the environment.

While we may all have seen wind farms on grassy fields, the most likely place for wind farms to really come into their full efficacy is out to sea. Off shore wind farms are becoming more common, and many experts predict they are the future of wind power.

The reason for this is simple: offshore, the wind is more powerful as it is not obstructed by surface objects. Particularly in deep water, the resistance on the surface of the water is minimal, and the wind can be extremely powerful. This was, of course, once utilised by sailing ships before the days of the engine, and this wind power is now finding a new purpose.

Offshore wind farms are built, as the name would suggest, in the sea. Turbines that look exactly the same as their onshore counterparts are erected into the sea bed, and protrude above the water line, with their blades in the open air catching the powerful winds. The energy generated is then transported back to shore using under sea pipes. It is a simple case of: more wind, more power generated.

These wind farms are more expensive to construct than typical onshore wind farms, as they involve placing the base of the turbine in the sea bed. This initial cost and workload is, however, rewarded by increased efficiency. The job is also made easier by offshore wind farms being built on areas of ocean that have naturally raised sections of the sea bed.

Offshore wind farms also solve the associated humanist issues with turbines – such as noise levels, shadow flight and aesthetic issues – and increase electricity production. Once more, man turns to the sea for its answers.

Wind turbines – white structures with three or more blades which are used to generate electricity from the wind – are one of the most efficient methods of generating renewable energy. This is simple fact, and the continued development and licencing of turbines is further testament to this.

The reason for this general opinion is that, when one views the statistics, wind turbines are powerfully useful. For example, with older energy generation techniques such as using fossil fuels, to generate electricity one must use some of the earth’s natural resources. In the case of fossil fuels, these one day will run out.

Wind turbines have no effect on the earth’s composition and do not need to dig into anything to be able to generate. They take nothing from the earth as an organism, and this makes them a mighty weapon in the battle against climate change.

Wind turbines do not produce any emissions, be it carbon dioxide – the cause of climate change – or other such chemicals which may be harmful. Though the construction of a wind farm or turbine requires electricity and source material, it is estimated it takes a mere nine months for a single wind turbine to ‘pay back’ what is has taken out. What is more, after that initial nine months pay back time, wind turbines do not require anything but the wind to operate.

The biggest benefit of wind turbines, however, is that they take a natural source and make it useful. The wind blows everywhere in the world, and all wind turbines do is take the previously unused kinetic energy of natural weather phenomenon and create usable electricity.

Put simply, the benefits of wind turbines and wind power are overwhelmingly convincing.

If you do not live near a wind turbine, it is unlikely you will have ever heard the term ’shadow flicker’ in everyday usage. The problem however is being discussed fervently by those who reside near onshore wind farms, and the matter is having to be settled by the courts in some cases.

Like all large structures, wind turbines cast a shadow. If one lives near enough to an active wind farm, this shadow may fall on your home at various points of the day. To many homeowners, this in itself is annoying, particularly if they live in rural areas and did not expect to have to deal with shadows falling on their property.

However, this is not the sole concern of those living near an active wind turbine. Unlike almost every other type of structure, wind turbines have three rotating blades. In the case of shadows cast on to a house, these blades themselves cast a shadow. However, the blades are in motion, so the shadow is a constantly moving menace that is extremely disturbing to witness. The constant passing of this shadow can occur for hours per day, and if residents are at home during that time, there is no escape.

Many energy companies refuse to exist shadow flicker is a problem, which has lead to many residents forming action groups. The solution is actually very simple, as shadow flicker will not occur if a turbine is placed 3,000 feet away from the nearest home. However, some energy companies have placed certain turbines as close to residences as 1,100 feet. Many anticipate changes in the law will prevent this from happening again, based on the evidence presented by annoyed existing residents who have to live with shadow flicker.

To most, upon glimpsing a true solar powered car they will be strongly reminded of the children’s TV series ‘The Jetsons’. After all, most solar powered cars are oddly shaped – sometimes even flying saucer-esque – and are covered in little mirrors and panels to suck energy from the sun. These cars look odd, but they do exist. In fact, in the Australian Outback (which benefits from glaring sun rays) a car powered purely by the sun was about to reach speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour.

Not particularly impressive given the world’s fastest combustion engine car, the Bugatti Veyron, can reach 250mph – but not bad. The effect that solar powered cars have on the environment is virtually nil, and while the shape and design are still somewhat bizarre, that is something that can be tampered with over time. So, does the future see us starting the solar panels on our cars rather than the engine?

Well, not quite. While 80mph may seem pretty good, the cost of getting to that speed was extortionate – well out of the reach of most household budgets. The other flaw is the design; solar panels on solar powered cars need to cover a large area atop the car to function, which leads to designs including wide wings and flat roofs. Not aesthetically pleasing, and not practical either.

The problem is momentum; rather than just generating steam like traditional panels, the solar panels on cars are trying to create enough force to move a stationary object. While there is a chance in the future someone will see a way around this problem, for now, solar powered cars remain the playthings of scientists – not the new family vehicle.