GLOBALENERGYDECISIONS

If you’ve seen the reusable grocery bags for sale at the supermarket, you may think they’re just another gimmick to get you to spend money. While stores do make a profit from these impulse buys, they’re more than just a fad. Here are some valid reasons why we all should use reusable grocery bags.

They’re Sturdy
Have you ever had a plastic bag full of groceries spill because the bag was overstuffed? Reusable grocery bags are sturdy – they hold more and are far less likely to let you down whether it’s rainy, snowy or sunny. Because they’re designed for repeated use, they’re also more comfortable to carry.

They Keep Plastic Out of Trees
Ever seen a plastic bag in a tree? Renegade bags get swept away into places they don’t belong and it doesn’t look pretty. Reusable grocery bags don’t cause this problem.

They Care For Nature
Is it possible to know how many plastic bags would stay out of a landfill if everyone committed to replacing just one plastic bag with a reusable bag? Plastic bags do not degrade and do not contribute positively to nature in any way.

There are a lot more things to consider when looking for an energy provider than price. Sure TXU Energy Rates are important but what about conservation? Here are a few questions to ask of your energy provider before you sign that contract
What are your policies? - It's important to know how your energy company feels about say, drilling and contributing to alternative energy research. Read online before you sign about what they've got a hand in to see if your views line up with theirs.
What do you contribute? - Find out if your energy provider gives to the cause both monetarily and in time. The more they invest in alternative energy causes and conservation efforts the more likely they are to keep it up and pour those lessons into their home service.
How can you get involved? - Find out if your energy provider offers any community incentives for conservation - do they have any way set up for you to give back? If not, find out if there's a local office you can talk to about setting something up to get everyone around you involved.

Wind Energy as a world perception is quite varied. While there are certain benefits to the usage of wind power to increase the availability of electricity, the space needed for the turbines as well as the noise created by them causes other various problems. Each individual is aware of the problems of the depleted natural resources such as oil and coal. There is likely to be a necessary compromise to find a solution that works for everyone. Wind energy is one of the numerous proposals on the table.

Using wind turbines to produce electricity requires wind. Therefore in areas where trees grow in abundance, the use of wind power is reduced by the number of trees which create a natural wind block for the towns and communities in the area. In addition people are unwilling, obviously, to cut down trees in order to allow for the use of wind turbines. As the concept is evolving, taller stands are being made for the turbines in order to reach over the tree tops and allow the use of wind. The problem with the noise generated by the turbines continues to be a problem with no good solution currently being considered in any of the countries.

The current events in the world made Germany realize how dangerous it is to have power plants and using nuclear power is not as safe as most people believe. German citiziens went on the streets to protest against nuclear power plants, which made the politicians realize, that they will have to find a different way. As of right now they are shutting down some of the plants to see how it works for them. First, it is only temporary but there is a big chance if it works out to become permanent.

Germany might be the nation we should watch as a good example in these days. What the world should realize is that nobody got the power to prevent natural disasters and in case of a disaster a nuclear power plant can be a even bigger disaster. If it is possible to live without nuclear power at all ? We will see but Germany does have some pretty nice ideas how to replace the nuclear energy with more healthier and safer energy.

Maybe if one day it will be possible for the whole world to get rid of the nuclear power plants and prevent more disasters like Japan, which is still fighting to not have a even worse catastrophe than it already is.

With the increasing awareness of the global peaking of fossil fuels and related energy resources, many European nations have begun adopting a wide range of alternative energy practices and policies. Without worldwide reductions in energy, however, there appears to be no single viable alternative production method. The best policy may be a combination of widespread reduced energy consumption and the introduction of decentralized alternative energy.

The United Kingdom's department of energy and climate change, led by Chris Huhne, has promoted their government's international and domestic energy approach with the following goals: reduction of 60 of carbon emissions in the UK by 2050, maintain reliable, constant flow of affordable energy, to ensure all homes in the UK are efficiently heated, and to promote real world market solutions and sustainable economic growth.

The UK acknowledges that it will require an additional 30-35GW of new electricity generation over the course of the next two decades, as aging coal energy plants built in the 1960's and 1970's become obsolete. Since the ongoing radiation disaster in Japan, nuclear power has become increasingly unfavorable as an option. Climate change threats and the increasing recognition of the negative environmental effects of coal also reduce the likelihood of new coal fired plants. While the UK struggles to introduce novel alternative energies, the most cost-efficient method may be reduction of energy consumption.

Japan is very dedicated to the conservation of energy. It is estimated that 75 percent of their population feels that it's their personal responsibility to save on energy. Another incentive to conserve, is the high cost that the Japanese are required to pay for their energy because of the lack of the country's natural resources.
The Japanese government put high restrictions on new electronics for businesses and home use that are produced. Although it has been successful, the price of these items are currently extremely high. The prices are expected to decline as the demand increases.
The Prime Minister initiated a campaign known as Warm Biz, and numerous major companies turned their thermostats to 68 degrees, and their air conditioners were set to almost 84.5 degrees. Companies encouraged their employees to give up suits and their ties in the winter months, and wear sweaters and jackets instead.
In Japan, over 20 percent of the vehicles are hybrid, an idea that is just catching on within the United States. Japanese people are willing to pay the higher prices on the automobiles, electronics, and appliances to save energy. An average American household uses over twice as much electricity as a Japanese household.

If you're interested in better aligning yourself with an organization that supports global energy decisions you may want to consider tapping into some of the resources offered by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) who state their mission as:

• Providing a platform for the communication of wind energy actors worldwide
• Advising and influencing national governments and international organizations
• Enhancing international technology transfer

Additionally, the organization follows five Working Principles to guide their mission:

1. Wind energy shall serve as one cornerstone and a driving force for the immediate application of a world energy system driven by renewable energies to completely substitute fossil and nuclear sources.
2. Global dissemination of grid-connected and stand-alone wind energy solutions should rely on experience gained from the most successful implementation strategies, based on favorable legal, political and social framework conditions as initiated by national associations. Local and rural communities and people should be involved and should benefit directly.
3. WWEA shall stimulate and support the foundation of national and regional wind energy associations and encourage national governments to set ambitious targets and political frameworks for priority strategies in favor of a fast and sustainable development of all renewable energies.
4. WWEA organizes together with continental, national and regional wind energy associations World Wind Energy Conferences and further international events for mobilizing a wide range of the different wind energy applications.
5. WWEA plays an active role in the World Council for Renewable Energies and cooperates with further international renewable energy organizations in order to work for a full substitution of all polluting and hazardous waste causing energies.

The organization provides a wealth of information such as an introduction to wind energy technology all the way through to overviews on towers and foundations, and a bookshop that provides pertinent and timely titles for anyone interested in learning more about this emerging and powerful resourc

Since propane (also called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) is now considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, you might want to learn some more about propane vehicles, especially since there are an estimated 270,000 of them on the road in the United States (and an estimated 10 million worldwide). So what is a propane vehicle? In short, they are typically conversions from gasoline vehicles and fall into two types: dedicated propane vehicles which are designed to run only on propane, and bi-fuel propane vehicles which have two separate fuel systems to allow the vehicle to run on either propane or gasoline. The power, acceleration and cruising speed of the propane vehicle is similar to that of its gasoline-powered counterpart. Compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, propane vehicles can produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions.Unfortunately, no light-duty propane vehicles are currently available for sale as OEM from manufacturers and most vehicles on the road (with the exception of some medium and heavy duty vehicles) are a result of conversions handled by technicians who must receive licensing and approval for the EPA. The average cost of conversion for a car can range from 4,000 to 12,000, but these upfront costs are offset by decreased operating and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the vehicle not to mention the enormous upside to the environment regarding emissions.

Alternating Current (AC): Electric current that reverses direction 50 or 60 times per second depending on the country.Amp: A measure of the quantity of electricity flowing in a circuit.Amp-hour: Measure of the amount of electrical current flowing for a period of time.Biodiesel: An alternative fuel produced from renewable resources such as plant oils, animal fats, used cooking oil, and new sources such as algae. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but can be combined in any quantity with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend.Biomass: Refers to biological materials that were alive or created during our lifetimes and specifically excludes coal and petroleum. Biomass energy uses natural materials like trees and plants.Direct Current Electricity (DC): Electricity that flows only in one direction. Direct Current is the type of electricity supplied by batteries.EV: An abbreviation for an electric vehicle.Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) Money paid to a customer by a power company for excess electricity generated by a renewable energy source. The renewable energy source is most often either solar or wind generated electricity. This excess is connected to the power lines at the customer's residence, and most commonly on the customer's side of the electric meter.Geothermal: Heat from the earth, often thought of as energy from geysers and hot springs. More recently, this term is applied to any heat stored in earth and available as a renewable energy resource.Gigawatt: One billion watts of electrical energy.Global Warming: The Earth's gradual warming due to the greenhouse effect.Greenhouse Effect: The rise in temperature the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap energy from the sun.Greenhouse Gases: Gases in the Earth's atmosphere that produce the greenhouse effect. Changes in the concentration of certain greenhouse gases, due to human activity such as fossil fuel burning, increase the risk of global climate change. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and various forms of fluorocarbon gas (used in air conditioners and refrigerators).Grid: The network of wires and cables that transport electricity from a power plant to your home.HERS: an abbreviation for Home Energy Rating System which provides a standardized evaluation of a home's energy efficiency and expected energy costs.Inverter: An electrical device that changes direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC).Kilowatt (kW): One thousand watts of electricityKilowatt-hour (kW-h): One thousand watt-hours. Calculated by multiplying the number of watts being used times the length of time in hours that amount of electricity is used.LEED: Abbreviation for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.Light Emitting Diode (LED): An extremely efficient source of light, LED lamps convert from 65 to 95 of the electric energy to light energy (depending on the color of the light) and typically last 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Light emitting diodes are made from the same material as transistors and give off light when electricity is passed through them.Megawatt: One million watts of electrical energy.Net Metering: A contractual arrangement that permits an electrical utility customer to turn their electric meter backwards and sell any excess power generated (over and above their usage requirement) back to the electrical grid to offset their consumption.Off-the-grid (Off-grid): Not connected to the commercial power lines.Photovoltaic (PV): Light-generated voltagePhotovoltaic (PV) Cell: An electronic device consisting of layers of special materials capable of converting light directly into electricity.Photovoltaic (PV) Module: An assembly of interconnected photovoltaic cells enclosed in a protective assembly (usually glass and plastic).Renewable Electricity: Renewable electricity is electricity generated without use of fossil fuels.Renewable Energy (RE): An energy source that renews itself without effort. Fossil fuels, once consumed, are gone forever, while solar energy is renewable in that the sun energy we harvest today has no effect on the sun energy we can harvest tomorrow.Solar Cell: A device made of silicon and other materials. Solar cells generate electricity when exposed to sunlight.Solar Energy: The radiant energy of the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy such as heat or electricity.Sustainable: Frequently used as meaning to not take more from a resource than is replenished naturally.Thermal Solar: The process of deriving or concentrating heat from sunlight.Tracker: Mechanical device used in solar electric and solar thermal systems. Follows the movement of the sun (daily and sometimes seasonally) and keeps the energy collection device pointed directly at the sun, thereby allowing the maximum available solar energy.Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): A device (usually containing batteries) that stores power for use when conventional power is unavailable, such as during a power failure.Volt: Unit of electrical pressure.Watt: Unit of electrical power that is calculated by multiplying the electrical pressure in a circuit by the amount of electricity moving in the circuit.Wind Turbine: Devices consisting of blades that turn a shaft that turns a generator to harvest wind energy and produce electrical power.

Simply stated, the use and cost of energy affects each of us every single day in any number of ways. Issues arise from the use of energy ranging from greenhouse gas emissions and acid rain to climate change and the dependency on depleting supplies of fossil fuels from politically unstable global neighbors.Currently 80 of the world's electrical production comes from fossil and nuclear fuels, and virtually all transportation is fueled by liquid petroleum (gasoline), and The World Energy Council projects primary energy demand will triple in the next 40 years as populations grow and developing nations achieve higher living standards.By definition fossil fuels are nonrenewable and therefore destined to become depleted. With that, global economies will be forced to change. It's projected that wealthy nations will be insulated a bit longer, but scarcity will ultimately create geopolitical tensions.Emissions from the burning of fossil and nuclear fuels create multiple layers of pollution -- atmospheric, water, and land. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says this combustion is causing a discernible change of the global weather and climate patterns that will affect all humanity in decades to come.It is predicted that if the world remains status quo that the destructive environmental and societal trends will continue to worsen the quality of life for everyone. Some of the current negative trends include deforestation, desertification, climate change, pollution (as mentioned above), and overpopulation (which brings its own set of problems such as high infant mortality and illiteracy rates).