your questions about renewable energy for kids

Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Laura asks…

What is a good industry to invest in or start a business in?

My goal is to be a multi-billionaire by the time I die. I want to have that much money so I can provide for my kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, etc, and so they have millions or billions of dollars, can get a good education, and so on.

I am thinking going into the oil business or shipping business and possibly starting new businesses in those sectors is not such a bad idea.

admin answers:

Do clean renewable energy start a research company that only researches and/or funds those kinds of projects. Screw the oil assholes they are the problem anyways they have screwed up our world already see the weather changes

James asks…

How familiar are you with using solar electricity to power a residential house?

I was wondering how much the average person knows about using the suns energy to power the average residential home…

Do you know of any countries that already use the sun to power homes?

please tell me where you are from as well please…

thankyou!

admin answers:

Hey 0077, to answer your primary question, I am quite familiar with solar power. We’ve been powering our home from the wind and sun for 11 years now, and for the last 5 or 6 years, we’ve been going into the local schools and doing seminars on the subject. In some cases, the schools have loaded a bus with kids and brought them out to our home to see it first hand. As for your second question, the average homeowner knows about as much about solar power as they do about the furnace in their basement. Unfortunately, this is where the technology has fallen down. Lots of people want to build a new home, and talk to the builder about solar power. Frequently they are told, “Solar doesn’t work,” or, “Solar is prohibitively expensive.” Generally this is all they need to hear, and the panels are taken off the house plan.

Solar is not for everyone, or everyplace. Just because a home has solar panels does not mean they don’t have an electric bill, and that says nothing to the fact that a stand alone solar home that does not have access to utility power has to live with a finite amount of electricity. What do they do on a cloudy week? Most stand alone homes, like ours was, use both wind and solar. The reason for this is that the two compliment each other quite well. In the summer, we have long sunny days, but little wind. In the fall and winter, we have short cloudy days, and high winds. When you have a shortage of one, there is generally a surplus of the other. Trying to decide between the two technologies is like trying to decide between a 3 passenger pickup truck and an 8 passenger van as your sole family car. Each has its advantages, but it probably makes sense for a two car family to have one of each.

There is also the fact that lots of people like to grow their own tomatoes, even if it is cheaper to buy them at the market. They have to learn all about watering, bugs, soil ph and weeding. People who live in a solar powered home have a similar curse, they can tell you just how much sun shined last November, and how much power the stereo uses down to the last watthour. Any self respecting homeowner wouldn’t bother with the solar power, or the tomatoes, they would simply buy vegetables at the store, and electricity from the power company, and then sit home and complain about the price and quality of each. That used to be me, now I’m the other guy.

So no, the average homeowner does not know much about solar power, or furnaces. Most homes have furnaces, not many have solar panels. I wish they had both. In the 11 years we have had both, I can tell you that once solar power is installed, it is generally care free. We are on our third wind turbine here, and even though the last one is working better than the first two, it has had its moments. It has shut down 3 times, and had to be repaired twice. In all that time, my first solar panel has continued to make electricity, and I’ve never turned a screw on it or added a drop of oil. Yet, everyone I talk to about renewable energy wants to learn more about wind turbines it seems. They are neat, they move, they seem to have their own personality. They just require tall towers and routine maintenance. So does a car, and almost everyone has one of those too.

Many countries use solar power, almost all of them in fact, you just never hear about it, or see the panels in service. In the US alone there are over 100,000 homes and businesses using some level of solar power right now to operate at least some of their loads. That number is getting bigger as you read this by the way. I’ll list some sources you can check out below if you want to learn more. Take care 0077, Rudydoo

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Richard asks…

What percentage of our energy production is Renewable?

UK energy that is. And what are we going to be using to reach government plans of 20% by 2020?

admin answers:

It was 5% in 2007 so yes about 6%. Someone in the gov. Ought to have a word with the planners, they are stuck in the 19th century. Whilre they were at it they could find out why we are still paying 17 1/2 % vat (luxury level!) for solar panels, wind turbines, insulation even. Outrageous.

The big idea is offshore wind, but shell just pulled funding for the big one planned off east coast (dogger bank) and the gov. Dont seem keen to put anything up for it.

Microgeneration would be a big part of reaching the target, but that would makke us less dependant on the big comanies and the national grid….. Oh maybe the vat thing (and lack of grants) makes sense….

They want to kid us nuclear is renewable ha! If you greenwash and add in that 20 odd per cent plus the 4% we import from france, we dont seem to be doing too badly……
And as for carbon capture… Dont get me started

Daniel asks…

How are some ways kids can go Green?

This world is an awesome place and we all need to go greener what are some ways kids can help?

admin answers:

I have a HUUUUGE list available at www agua-luna com it’s like 33 pages long and would just spam this whole answer. But here’s a few cut from the list below. If you’d like the entire list feel free to visit www agua-luna com or email me through the site directly and I’ll send you a copy.

Also Agua-Luna com now offers Carbon Offsetting Credits, since our Team of Volunteers is already accomplishing several carbon eliminating projects, we’re now converting the carbon offsets to you. Visit www agua-luna com for a FREE carbon calculator to calculate your carbon footprint for free and more info on carbon credits.

You could also Volunteer with us, planting a tree or working on a Sustainable Renewable Energy Building Project in Mexico with us. Again see www agua-luna com for more info.

I also do some free consulting, there’s more info on the site about that too. Here’s some more ways to help the environment…

Recycle paper, cardboard, newsprint and magazines.
Recycle aluminum cans.
Recycle all batteries.
Recycle and reuse. Roughly 50% of the average person’s trash can be recycled. Don’t forget that hazardous waste like batteries, your printer’s ink cartridges, and cell phones can be recycled too! Find out how and where to recycle in your area. Always buy recycled paper. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.
Just because your community doesn’t pick up all recyclables on the curb, it doesn’t mean there are not viable alternatives nearby. Check with dry cleaners, supermarkets, manufacturers, your local public works department and civic organizations to find out where recycled goods can be dropped off, at a location near you.
Did you know that just in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Believe it or not, now you can recycle your printer’s toner cartridges! Every year, Americans throw out enough printer cartridges to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City and back again. Toner cartridges can be recycled, having just as good a performance as an unrecycled cartridge. To recycle your toner cartridges, find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling, or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge and ask about a cartridge recycling program.
Not only should you recycle, but buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Hot water is unnecessary for most clothes. When needed, use warm water.
Fill your toilet tank.
Put a plastic bottle or two, filled with water and rocks, in your tank to reduce the amount of water used in each flush.
Clean your filters.
Clean the filters of your air-conditioners once a month to improve energy efficiency. While you’re at it, change your car’s filters as recommended in your manual.
Get a low-flow shower head.
Stop at the hardware store on your way home, and get a low-flow shower head. Takes a few minutes to install, and it’ll save gallons of water a day.
Lower your thermostats.
If you use heating, get by with less heat and wear warmer clothes. If you use air-conditioning, get by with less cooling and wear cooler clothes.
If it’s a nice sunny day, hanging clothes only takes a few minutes, and you’re using solar power instead of electricity to do the job. It also makes your clothes last longer.
Turn down your water heater.
Most people have their water heater’s thermostat turned up too high, wasting energy. Turn it down to 130 degrees, saving energy but still hot enough to kill bacteria.
Use CFC light bulbs.
If your light bulb burns out, replace it with a Compact Flourescent bulb (those spiral-looking ones). They’re more expensive, but if you just replace them one at a time, it doesn’t cost much, and the energy savings is great. And as they last longer, over the long run, you’ll save money.
Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
Follow your community’s water use restrictions or guidelines.
Install a low-flow shower head.
If you are not looking to change your car just yet there are a number of ways you can be more environmentally friendly and help you save money by conserving fuel.
Lighten your car to reduce weight by not carrying unnecessary items.
Cut your speed and stick to the speed limits
Drive smoothly avoiding heavy accelerating and braking.
When stationary for a long time, switch off the engine.
Closing windows will make the car more efficient by being more aerodynamic. Remove roof bars when not is use also helps.
Make sure your tyres are properly inflated as under inflated tyres cause more resistance.
Where possible, walk, cycle or even use public transport.
If possible lift share to reduce the number of cars on the road.
Try mass transit.
Millions of people use it, and it saves tons of fuel. If you don’t already, give it a try.
Unload your car.
Remove excess weight from your car (such as stuff that might be in the trunk) to reduce the amount of fuel you use.
Walk instead of drive.
You don’t have to do this all the time, but walking the short trip to a store, or to lunch from work, or some other short trip like that, can reduce the amount of fuel you use over the long term, and you shed some fat at the same time. Or at least burn off that morning donut.
Buy a smaller car.
You won’t be able to do this today, probably, but the next time you’re in the market for an automobile, get a smaller and energy-efficient car rather than a big, lumbering one. It’s one of the best things you can do to reduce your fuel consumption.
Inflate your tires.
Many people don’t realize that their tires are under-inflated. Check the recommended pressure for your tires, and fill them up to that pressure. It only takes a few minutes, but it will save you on fuel consumption (a little) and more importantly, make your tires last longer and reduce the rubber that’s worn off your tires.
Get creative with gift-giving. The gift of time, services, or environmentally positive gifts may be more appreciated than disposable goods that are not to the taste or needs of the recipient.
Look into those lifestyle changes you’ve been putting off
Work from home more. Many organisations, when prodded a little, will accept flexible work arrangements where there is no impact to the work that needs to get done.
Use your oven less.
The oven not only uses a lot of energy, it heats up your kitchen, requiring more cooling. Instead, use toaster ovens, crockpots, microwaves, and electric grills when you can. And when you do use your oven, open it less – you lose 25% of the heat every time you open the oven door.
Mend your stuff.
Try not to throw stuff away and buy new stuff if the old stuff can be fixed. Torn clothing? Takes a few minutes to sew up.
Install a water filter.
If you buy a lot of bottled water, use your tap instead. Some places need a filter to make tap water taste drinkable, but they don’t cost much and they can save money, water, and plastic bottles over time.
Unplug appliances.
If you don’t use an appliance several times a day, it’s better to unplug it, as they often use energy even when turned off
Use rechargeable batteries.
Instead of throwing your batteries away all the time, reuse rechargeable batteries. Costs a little more, but cheaper in the long run.
When you’re looking to buy appliances, be sure to research the most energy-efficient ones. They may cost a little more, but they’ll more than make up for that in the long run with lower energy bills.
Buy a smaller home.
The next time you’re home-shopping, instead of buying the McMansion, look for a smaller home that’s big enough to meet your needs comfortably. Reducing the amount of stuff you own is a good way to need less house. It’s cheaper, and requires less energy to heat and cool. And easier to clean at the same time.
Look for energy efficiency.
Use acryllic paint.
Compost.
It’s not hard to set one up (look it up online), and you can save a lot of waste from the landfill and help your garden at the same time
Water grass early in the morning.
Reduces the amount of water you need to keep your grass looking fabulous.
Plant shade trees near your house.
It’ll take awhile before they can make a difference, but shade trees greatly reduce the need to cool a home.
Coat your roof.
This’ll take up an afternoon, but you only have to do it once every few years. And it’ll save you a lot of money and energy in heating and cooling over the long-term, more than making up for the cost of paint.
Avoid fast food.
Instead, eat at home or at a sit-down restaurant. Fast food restaurants are one of the worst polluters of the environment, both in the massive amounts of beef they must raise, in the wasted packaging, and in the energy they use in so many ways. And they’re tremendously unhealthy.
Buy a manual reel mower or electric mower.
If you’re looking for a new lawn mower, and you have a small yard, consider getting a manual one. They’re much advanced from the reel mowers of our grandparents’ generation, much quieter, cheaper, and they save on fuel and pollution. Electric mowers are also quieter and use much less energy.
Clean up.

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin
Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World… In

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Helen asks…

Why do people think that renewable energy is not viable or economical?

Think about how much it costs to pull stuff out of the ground, refine it and ship it all over the world? How about wind, solar, geothermal, tidal etc?
I am not saying don’t have oil for back up. I am saying it shouldn’t be used first and only.
Elmer going onto websites and acting tough just makes you look like a sissy.
Dez Pirate that is a great answer. Thanks.

admin answers:

Probably because of years of big oil propaganda. I know I look a conspiracy theory nut saying this, but just look at some of these answers. Its sad. If they worked better, we would be using them. We aren’t using them, therefore they must not be better?? Are you kidding me? Do you know how much money oil companies spend lobbying not to spend grants on renewable energy research, or other forms of energy in general? Car companies and other industries that rely on fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, etc… Do this as well. They make too much money as it is, of course they dont want change.

We could make a lot of progress on renewable energy sources and ways to package it/store it if our government (and corporations) cared at all about anything more than money. General it they constantly say it isn’t an issue, and that global warming is fake, and that there is no alternative. We are the US for Pete’s sake. If it doesnt exist yet, then we should be making it happen. But no. We are controlled by greedy fat bastards

Jenny asks…

I know fluorescent lighting is more energy efficient but how much energy is it saving?

What if all the fluorescent lights in a classroom were turned off, about how much money or energy would that actually save?

admin answers:

Hey Pink, Jerry is pretty close on the power usage. To answer your question as directly as possible, my son is in 5th grade, and his classroom has three strips of lights, each one made up of five fixtures. Each fixture is 4 feet long and has 2 – 48inch tubes inside. This type of fixture generally uses 72watts with both tubes running. The total wattage for the room is 72 X 15 = 1,080 watts when all the lights are on. Flourescent lighting is about 4 times as efficient as incandescent lighting. To light that same room with old fashioned light bulbs would require over 4000 watts, so the power of flourescent lights is pretty easy to see.

Most schools pay a slightly reduced rate for electrical power, but still the amount varies quite a bit from state to state. In our town, a school should pay around 9 cents per kilowatt hour. A kilowatthour, or KWH is 1000 watts running for one hour. Let’s say the school is open for 8 hours, but the kids are only in the room for 6 of them. If the lights were on for 6 hours, it would use 6.5 KWH, at a cost of about 60 cents. So if the lights were off all day, it would save the school 60 cents each day. If they were only on for 3 hours each day instead of 6, it would save 30 cents each day of school, or about $6.00 per month. Again, this will vary school to school, and town to town, but the idea is the same.

If you’re in the education business, here is something you might be interested in. Look online for a device called a, “Kill – A – Watt,” meter. They cost around $35. They look like a lamp timer, but are really a load meter. Plug it into the wall, then plug any device with a cord you have laying around into the meter. It will tell you how many watts your device is using at the moment, and how many KWH’s it has used over time. Some models even let you punch in your utility rate, and it spits out how much your device has used in dollars and cents for as long as you have it plugged in. Now take a lamp and put in a 40 watt light bulb and run it on the meter, it will tell you it is using 40 watts. Next, change the bulb to a 15 watt compact flourescent one, it will register 15 watts, but ask the kids in the room which one is brighter, turns out they are about the same. It’s really interesting to see the lights literally come on in the room when you do experiments like this.

We live in a home that is powered by the wind and sun, and over time we’ve had to learn a great deal about energy savings. From time to time, we get to run a solar power seminar for the kids in the schools in our area, and this is one of the experiments we do. It’s also interesting to plug other items into the meter, like a radio, or a game system, so the kids can see how much they are using at home. There is a great magazine out that covers all this stuff, it’s not very common on news racks, it’s called Home Power. I will include the link below, and some other places you can google to find out lots of interesting info on renewable energy and energy savings. Take care Pink, Rudydoo

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Michael asks…

What are renewable & non- renewable energy resources?

What are renewable energy resources? Give three examples
What are non-renewable energy resources? Give two examples
btw this is out of curiosity i never really listened in science… =]

admin answers:

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight[2], wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies include solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels.

Http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/whatsenergy.html

Non-renewable energy is energy taken from “finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve”, [1] as opposed to renewable energy sources, which “are naturally replenished in a relatively short period of time.” [2]

Fossil fuels:
Coal exists as a mined solid.
Petroleum is a liquid, and forms the basis for heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline.
Natural gas is commonly also referred to just as gas. It is mostly methane, and most of the additional material is removed before use as a fuel.
Nuclear energy fuel for fission is mined as Uranium ore, see Renewable energy#Nuclear power.

Goodluck! Sometimes I agree science is BORING!

Jenny asks…

is the solution to the energy problem under our feet?

I refer to geothermal energy. With modern drilling techniques it ought to be possible to drill in many locations throughoiut the world to obtain clean, polutionless heat in unlimited quantity. Why has this idea not taken off?
Oh dear! These answers are all crap.

admin answers:

I was wondering the same thing. Apparently ample amounts of geothermal energy is not accessible in many areas. It is used in a few places here in N.C. At youtube under “alternative energy” many video’s about people all over the world creating a generator that runs strictly on magnets is shown (either they stole the idea from each other or all got the same idea on the same day – not sure lol) but its about the size of a small outdoor central air conditioning unit, and will run an entire house of electricity, and will probably hold up to punishment for about 30 to 40 years before it needs replacing but all utilities would be free as well as zero pollution. The magnets would probably be recyclable for reuse as well. At TEDtalks.com a huge amount of video’s there on future energy inventions, the best of which is being tested at UCLA now in California, of hydrogen powered refrigerators. They actually got one working but its enormous size is not useable but they are working to reduce it in size. The project came up by African nurses that travel from village to village to give insulin injections to those off grid. The trouble is to keep the insulin cold while traveling since it has to be refrigerated. An Ice chest just won’t stay cold in the extreme heats of the arid country so UCLA set out to invent something portable. They say soon, everybody will be able to create their own power with their own water which of course is non polluting as well. Frankly tho the gov talks big about renewable energy, there are many proven techniques to achieve this and they don’t seem interested in any of it. Therefore, I don’t think renewable energy is a true concern of theirs but a front for something “not green” unless its money. If we could all make our own power image the billions lost each year in kick backs to officials who all get free shares in nuclear power etc. They want our dollars and blame it on the environment. They could care less about pollution, or costs or damage to the earth frankly. Its all about the dollar. But check out Tedtalks.com for tons of inspirational video’s. TED stands for Technology, entertainment, and (i forget what D is for) anyway, its worldwide experts in every field you can imagine. They show a super poor boy that lived in africa, saw a book once about wind energy from a traveling library in a bus. Years later he built the most incredible wind turbine out of scraps from the near by dump. This thing looks like total trash and yet he burns like 4 lights in his mothers hut all equivalent to 4 christmas tree lights. Not much light, but for a kid, in a 3rd world country, who only checked out a book once, all that info stuck in his head. Imagine what he could do with an actual battery or LED lights. Its a web site of the most amazing things i’ve ever witnessed. GL on your search. Elon College in North Carolina has 4 geothermal wells dug so far and is going to expand they are so pleased with their new system so check that out online as well. Good luck on your search and peace

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Ruth asks…

How do we transition from non-renewable resources to sustainable clean energy?

With the reduction in global oil and cost production, and the current shift in the US to natural gas, major energy sources are dynamic in time. In the coming future, how can we as a global society, shift our focus from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable clean energy sources that meet all our growing energy challenges?

admin answers:

Start having fewer children.

The energy demand from 7 billion people is so high that it cannot be met by clean, renewable sources even if these sources became 25% better overnight. Right now we have a choice: have fewer kids and let them live good lives supported by clean renewable energy, or have another seven billion kids and watch them live miserably and fight over whatever declining non-renewable resources exist.

Steven asks…

What happened that gas stations no longer have attendants like they used to? For instance Texaco had at least?

two come out to check your car and one would check your oil when permitted to, or wash the windshield. Another would pump your gas,and sometimes a third one would check your tire pressure. If you had a kid with you they would get a lollipop. Is it a combination of corporate greed, over-regulation of government and excessive taxation? Also the fact that the gasoline is way out of proportion to it’s true value. I would love to see a break-through of cheap energy that no government had a chance to stop or regulate come to the people.I am sure that cheap renewable energy is abundant out there,that is being suppressed!

admin answers:

In oregon and new jersey they have attendants pumping gas because self serve is illegal but they dont do any of the other things

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