New Batteries are on the horizon!
Technology has so changed and is advancing at a rapid pace, but we're still attached to aged battery technology. The now common-place lithium-ion batteries have obvious limitations and big technology companies are investing into battery development. Check out some new ideas in energy for our devices:

Lithium-air breathing batteries
Lithium-air means using oxygen as the oxidiser, rather than a material. The result is batteries that can be a fifth of the price and a fifth as light as lithium-ion, plus they could make phones and cars last five times longer.

The new discovering was made at Dallas University and should help push developments in lithium-air forward. Of course, like a all research, this could still be five to ten years away from becoming a reality.

More at: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130380-future-batteries-coming-soon-charge-in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air

“How much will it cost to power my XX,XXX square foot house?”

“How many solar panels do I need to eliminate my electric bill?”

These are the type of questions people will ask when they are contemplating installing a Solar system. Of course there are many things to consider when designing a system for your own home. Once you have looked over your wattage use from information provided in a previous post you can begin to think about your solar panels. First of all, where do you live? Your ability to use the sun for power will depend on high much sun you get annually. You can look at a chart which describes the amount of sunlight that you will get depending on the area of the country or world that you live. Here is a chart for the United States.

Another thing you will need to consider is the angle of the sun where you live and how your roof is configured. Most solar panels are mounted on the roof although you don't have to put them there. It's more expensive to mount the panels on a separate frame but this facilitates the ability to adjust the panels according to the sun's path, providing power for a longer period of time.

So as the planning continues for a home solar array you will start with these ideas first.

1. Calculate your home wattage use

2. Learn about the sunlight hours in your local area and how the sun tracks through the sky

3. See how your home or yard area can be used to capture sunlight for maximum power input

Once you have considered these questions it will be time to start figuring the type and amount of panels you will need to provide additional power for your home.

Get started with home Solar!

When you decide you want to put a solar system on your home there are some things to consider before you get started. You'll want to find the right place to install the solar panels so you get maximum exposure to the sun, you'll need to assess your power needs to understand the amount of panels to use and the battery storage requirements. The first thing you should do is to use a checklist and find out what your power usage is on a monthly basis. Each of your appliances will use a certain amount of power and depending on what your lifestyle is, you'll learn what unit is using the most power and how to assess your overall power needs. The following chart will give you an idea of some standard wattage usages. These are some wattage ratings for typical household appliances and home electrical devices. Check the rating on your personal items for an accurate wattage count.

Light Bulbs - 60 / 70 Watt	60/70
Dishwasher	1500
Refrigerator / Freezer	700*
Microwave	1000
Coffee Maker	1000
Electric Range	1200
Radio / Television	50 - 500
Security System	500
Computer w/17" Monitor	800
¼ HP Garage Door	875

Clothes Dryer	5000
Washing Machine	1500
Toaster Oven	1500
Hot Water Heater	5,000
Blender	300
Stereo	300-450
Ceiling Fan	100
Floor Lamp	100
Hair Dryer	600-1200
Window Unit	750-1200

Hedge Trimmer	450
Lawn Mower	1200
Weed Trimmer	500
Edge Trimmer	500

Furnace Fan Blower - ⅓ HP	700*
Window AC - 12,000 BTU	3250*
Central AC - 10,000 BTU	1500*
Central AC - 24,000 BTU	3800*
Heat Pump	4700

Next you would calculate the Watt Hour which would be the Wattage rating times the hours used. Load Calculation Example:Lets say you want to run a 11W compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) for 5 hours from a solar panel, then the watt hour is equal to:

Watt Hour = 11Watts x 5 hr = 55 Watts

Once you have calculated your total monthly wattage use you can get an idea of what size of solar array to install in your home. This is the first step you need to take in order to properly plan your home solar installation. Stay tuned for the next step

No One Saw Tesla's Solar Roof Coming

Elon Musk is a true visionary with his dreams of Electric Cars, space exploration and now Solar Roofs that are indistinguishable from ordinary roofs. In this article from Bloomberg news we see roof shingles made of textured glass that allow light to pass through onto a flat solar cell. Brilliant!

Bloomberg Technology

It’s official: After Tesla shareholders approved the acquisition of SolarCity, the new company is now an unequivocal sun-to-vehicle energy firm. And Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk didn’t take long to make his first big announcement as head of this new enterprise. 

Minutes after shareholders approved the deal—about 85 percent of them voted yes—Musk told the crowd that he had just returned from a meeting with his new solar engineering team. Tesla’s new solar roof product, he proclaimed, will actually cost less to manufacture and install than a traditional roof—even before savings from the power bill. “Electricity,” Musk said, “is just a bonus.”

If Musk’s claims prove true, this could be a real turning point in the evolution of solar power. The rooftop shingles he unveiled just a few weeks ago are something to behold: They’re made of textured glass and are virtually indistinguishable from high-end roofing products. They also transform light into power for your home and your electric car. 

Read more at:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-17/musk-says-tesla-s-solar-shingles-will-cost-less-than-a-dumb-roof

Water is Life!

Get water!

Mexico Goes Greener

Mexico to Replace Oil Power Plant With Latin America’s Largest Solar Farm

By Ari Phillips

Last week President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Mexico for what’s traditionally called the “Three Amigos” meeting. In the daylong rendezvous, energy issues were slated to play a major role, with Obama and Harper jockeying for room when it comes to the impending decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that would bring dirty crude oil down from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

However, Mexico also has some major energy changes in the pipeline, and after decades of state-run oil company PEMEX having sole purview over fossil fuel extraction, international investment and companies will now be let into the mix after recent constitutional reforms. This will increase oil flows from America’s southern neighbor into those same Gulf refineries as Keystone XL might. At the same time renewable energy has started to take off in Mexico, with construction of the biggest solar power plant in Latin America, Aura Solar I—a 30-megawatt solar farm in La Paz, Mexico—the latest signal.

Latin America’s biggest solar power plant in La Paz, Mexico, could help reduce carbon emissions and pollution, as its output replaces that of dirty fossil fuel plants. Photo credit: Talli Nauman/Thomson Reuters Foundation

More at: http://ecowatch.com/2014/02/26/latin-americas-largest-solar-farm/

6 Reasons to Celebrate the Growth of the Ban Fracking Movement

This is a post from EcoWatch.com and needs to be shared. Check out this news about the Fracking controversy that is heating up.

These developments show that the movement to ban fracking grows stronger by the day. Fracking, and all the public health, environmental, economic and safety concerns that come with it, are not what our nation needs.

1. California Rising: The movement to ban fracking in California is growing at an incredible pace, and elected officials are starting to respond. Last Friday, following a packed hearing that reflected the diversity of Los Angeles, the City Council passed a motion to write a moratorium on fracking. This makes L.A. the largest city in the country to pass such a measure, and also follows the launch of California Farmers Against Fracking. Several other cities and counties are considering bans or moratoriums, and all of this helps build momentum to the big rally in Sacramento on March 15, where activists across the state will call on Governor Jerry Brown to ban fracking.

2. Colorado Fight Goes Statewide: In the last two years, Food & Water Watch has worked to support allies on the ground in Colorado to pass ballot measures to ban or place moratoriums on fracking, which is threatening major population centers across the state. Following recent victories in Fort Collins, Broomfield, Lafayette and Boulder, last Monday we joined local allies to launch Local Control Colorado, a statewide measure that would affirm the power of communities to ban or otherwise restrict fracking. We’ve also learned that a measure to protect communities from fracking in Broomfield, which had been challenged in the courts, was upheld.

3. Connecticut Moves on Fracking Waste: While it has not received the attention of fights in California, New York or Colorado, there is a move in Connecticut to ban the disposal of fracking waste in the state. We’ve been working closely with Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Grassroots Environmental Education, and others, and last Friday, the legislature held its first hearing on the measure, taking testimony in front of a packed house of residents opposed to fracking waste. This was the first step in the legislative process, and the first committee vote should be later in March.

Fracking is a technique for drilling oil that is bringing jobs and the promise of energy independence to our power hungry nation. The industry is said to be a major factor in the polluting of our water and food supplies. Check out this post and weigh in on the information. Go here for the full story: 

http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/03/growth-of-ban-fracking-movement/