Archive for November, 2009
Biotech crops cause increased pesticide use
Is your food supply safe?
When biotech crops were introduced to the farmers, they were promoted as a way to increase crop yield and reduce pesticide use. Now that most of the cotton, soy beans, and corn grown in this country are of the genetic modified (GM) variety, farmers are finding out that they not only are not able to reduce pesticide use, but their pesticide usage has actually increased. Thirteen years after the adoption of GM crops, farmers are seeing a net increase of 318 miilion pounds of pesticide (insecticides and herbicides) usage, and not much of an increase in net crop yield. Meanwhile we are all paying more for food because to the added cost of GM seeds and increased pesticide use, and the hidden cost of damage to the environment and our health has yet to be factored in.
Thus biotech crop seeds may be beneficial for biotech/pesticide companies, they are bad news for farmers and the environment. The increase in pesticide residues in our food supply also pose serious threat to human health. The food we choose to eat have direct health and environmental consequences. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are derived mainly from fossil fuel. Currently 10 to 15 calories of fossil fuel energy are used to produce 1 calorie of food, a highly inefficient process. Nationally, about 17% of the fossil fuel consumption is directly related to the chemical farming industry (http://www.energybulletin.net/node/17036). As we are trying to rid ourselves of dependence on fossil fuel and transition to renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind and geothermal energy, increased emphasis on returning to organic farming can go a long way in ensuring our energy and food security.
Federal Tax Credit on Consumer Energy Efficiency
If you are purchasing an energy-efficiency product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit. Below is an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency (double click for an enlarged view).
Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency
Why Install a Radiant Barrier?
In most parts of the country, homeowners have little choice but to control the temperature of their homes through heating and air conditioning. Imagine trying to survive a summer in the stifling Las Vegas heat without AC or a Northeastern winter without plentiful heating. The challenge becomes controlling interior temperature in a cost-effective manner. Radiant barrier insulation provides one potential solution by harnessing the natural laws of thermodynamics.
Radiant barriers are often installed in attics, cavity walls and around door openings. Admittedly, the barriers work better in hot climates than cold. The general idea is to reduce the radiant heat that is normally transferred from the underside of a roof to the inside of an attic. Under normal circumstances, that heat would spread to other cool areas in the home in the same way that hot air is circulated in a convection oven. Radiant barriers reflect and block some of the heat and thus can help reduce AC costs in summer.
Power factor and dwindling salmon population on the Columbia River
I just read about this fascinating story as I was reading an article on power factor (Power factor:Dissipating the Myth, by David Gibson) on the web, I thought I’d share it with you. Colin Mattoon* recounted that as a child living in Lewiston, Idaho some 465 miles inland from the ocean, 4 to 8 million salmon passed Lewiston on an annual spawning run. Today, with the extensive hydro-power development, most of the 6 species of salmon that was returned every year by the millions are on the verge of extinction.
Columbia River Dam
There are today over 250 large hydropower projects, over 1000 total dams and impoundments along the Columbia River drainage basin (not including the Canadian portion of the river). There are 8 dams between Lewiston, Idaho and the Pacific coast. Salmon are evolved for free flowing cold water streams. Despite the presence of fish passage facilities, the dams create enormous, sun warmed slack water pools, where once pristine cold water flowed. Over 95% of the migrating juvenile salmon are killed by a combination of high water temperature and physical injury while passing through turbines.
It turned out that the Pacific Northwest have such a huge surplus of electrical power that the federally owned Bonnville Power Administration has had no incentive to deal with the reactive power loss within the transmission grid. Most politicians and ordinanary citizens have never heard of power factor, and reactive power factor loss, that talking to politicians about power factor correction was akin to talking about “space alien visiting earth”. According to Mattoon, of the 8 dams on the Columbia, 4 of them can be breached and there will still be enough power if effort are made to eliminate the reactive power factor loss. And the flow of the river can be partly restored to avert an extinction of the salon population and the consequential economic loss to the whole region).
(* http://www.splatco.com/tips/pwrfact/salmon.txt/pfarticl.htm )
How much electricity does your appliance use?
According to the Department of Energy, the average cost of operating various appliances are shown in the above diagram (please click twice on the diagram to see an enlarged view). DOE uses 9.4 cents per kilowatt-hour to arrive at these estimates. Most of us actually pay a lot more than that, more like double that amount. A new Energy Star appliance will save about 20% over the the current required Federal standard and about 40% over one purchase in 2001. So one can see how improving energy efficiency can result in substantial energy saving and lower energy cost.
One of the most effective way to achieve energy saving for the whole house without replacing your major household appliances is to install a Power Save 1200 power factor correction device. By correcting the power factor one can achieve 15-30% energy savings at a fraction of the cost of replacing your appliances. The cost saving in lower electric bills can help pay for the cost of the power factor correction device within months.
Say no to transmission lines and yes to home solar power
While the Obama administration is proposing upgrading the country’s electrical grid, John Farrell, a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (a nonprofit think thank and consultancy that promotes strong and independent local communities) argues against more transmission line. According to Mr. Farrell, the increasing focus of green energy advocates on a new nationwide transmission superhighway may undermine the pursuit of near-term renewable energy goals.
People are excited by renewable energy. It’s clean. It’s limitless. It’s local. It’s the one kind of energy source that anyone can harness. Public polls show substantial majorities of Americans in every state favoring more renewable energy. Mr. Farrell also pointed out that most states have an abundance of renewable energy assets. A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance—Energy Self-Reliant States—shows that every state has the potential to meet its renewable energy goal or mandate and that 3 in 5 states could get all of their electricity from in-state renewable resources. Almost every state could get at least 20 percent of its electricity from rooftop photovoltaics (PV) solar panels alone. He further argues that locally harnessed renewable energy create a feedback loop, building even greater public support for clean energy, thus helping to create local jobs. That sort of provides even more of a reason to install a photovoltaic home solar power system now and not wait for utility companies to built huge solar power farms in Arizona or Texas, and send them over to your home for a fee for what you could have harnessed free of charge from your rooftop solar power kit.
Radiant Barrier can help Save Energy in Winter
Radiant Barrier (click to see text)
Installation of a radiant barrier not only can enhance the insulation of a home in the summer to keep out the heat, but the same radiant barrier can also help to retain heat inside a home in the winter months. As the weather turns cold in the northern art of the country, many home owners find their heating bills go up. The heat generated from your furnace or fireplace rises. Your attic is where most of the heating is lost. As the temperature outside is lower than inside, the radiant barrier works in reverse, reflecting the radiant heat inward, so less heat escapes through the roof. The presence of a radiant barrier can result in energy saving of 10 -15% above that of your existing insulation. For maximum performance the radiant barrier should be kept clean. Hence, installation on the inside roof of the attic is preferable than installation on the attic floor.
Making the Right Decision as a Homeowner
Living a green lifestyle often means being more frugal and, in some cases, sacrificing convenience. Homeowners are often presented with a crucial decision: should they live in a wasteful, excessive manner despite the economic and environmental consequences, or is it time to join the 21st century? Monthly heating and electric costs finally caught up to me, and I can now proudly say that I’m doing all I can to lower energy bills and be a better steward of the environment.
USA Today published an article back in March that provides a number of helpful tips for budget-conscious, eco-friendly homeowners. I’d like to pass along the ones I found most effective. Until reading the article, I didn’t realize how much energy an outdated refrigerator can waste. Those vintage ’70s are sturdy and long-lasting, but they hog electricity. The story also convinced me to begin washing my clothes in cold water.
Elements of Green Homes (4)
One of the most important element of a green home is energy efficiency. This is in part achieved through the use of windows and doors with Energy Star® ratings, energy-efficient appliances with Energy Star® ratings.
Home Solar Power
A green home should also generate some or all of its energy from renewable sources like photovoltaic home solar power systems. The cost of home solar power systems has come down substantially over the past few years, and with the current Federal and State tax subsidies, residential solar power is a good long-term solution toward saving energy, lowering energy cost and cutting down green-house gas emission. Whether one chooses a 1kW solar power kit, a 2 or more kW solar power system, one is likely to see significant energy saving and at the same time add value to the home.
Elements of Green Homes (3)
The use of green building materials is an important element of a green home. Whether for renovation or new construction, one should choose healthy, non-toxic building materials with low- or zero-VOC (volatile organic compound), like low VOC paint, sealant, floor-board, cabinetry, subflooring. For wood-based materials and furnishings one should choose rapidly renewable sources like bamboo, or recycled or salvaged materials, or Forest Stewardship Council certified tropical hardwood.
The use of non-toxic insulation materials with high R (heat resistance) factor is recommended for the walls and roof to prevent cool air leakage in the summer, and to retain heat in the winter. Here one can also introduce additional energy saving measures like addition of a solar attic fan, radiant barrier and duct sealing. These energy saving products can further enhance any existing insulation to minimize heat transfer.
Radiant Barrier