Analysis and Links

Up to this point I have shown different technologies that can reduce America’s carbon footprint and provide us with a sufficient amount renewable energy. In doing so I have focused on solar power and hydro power technology because I believe these to be two of the best green technologies currently available. Both sunlight and water is renewable, widely available, and in most applications have zero carbon emissions. Also, it is not too difficult to harness energy from these sources and there are many different economically and environmentally efficient technologies currently available. It is no secret that America is too dependent on foreign oil and carbon emission energy productions that are hazardous to our environment and as we will see in future posts our health. Most people will agree that a change is needed but the main debate is when can we afford this change with the economy in such bad shape? Consequently the argument over green technology generally revolves around the high upfront expenses involved with implementing it. Throughout my posts I have given technologies that have zero to minimal environmental impacts and most importantly no carbon emissions. I have also ventured to explain how these technologies can be implemented in a cost effective way and how over time they will pay for themselves. One such cost effective is utilizing green technologies on the domestic and the national level. With a well planned distribution of this technology we can minimize the costs. For example, those homeowners who can currently afford the upfront costs of green technology could install solar shingles to lessen the demand of energy on the grid. Using the logic of supply and demand, with a lower demand on cities to supply energy, prices of energy will fall. This in turn will add a few dollars to everyone’s budget and thus help the economy. Also, there are many technologies that can be exploited by cities or states such as the sea snake technology, free flow hydro, or solar islands (which I have only hinted upon so far). These technologies will be paid for through public funds and will provide entire cities or states with cheaper cleaner energy and can create new jobs. This being said it is still unfeasible to say the United States could overhaul its energy production system overnight but if those people, cities, or states that can afford these technologies start now it will spread out the costs over time and have little to no negative effects on the economy. Of course there will still be those whom simply say Americans can’t afford this technology now but I respond that the technology is becoming cheaper and many states provide tax incentives to those who implement it. Others may say that global warming and the negative environmental impacts that current energy production methods have is all made up. To them I say that whether or not global warming is real, green technologies have a minimal impact on the environment compared to the current productions. Why wouldn’t we want a cleaner environment and at the same time lower energy costs? While they may believe there are no problems now times are certainly changing and with our current fossil fuel based technologies problems are more likely to arise in the future. In the end the main drawback to green technology is the costs and I have explained above how we can minimize the costs. Also, green technologies can only benefit us in regards to our environment and we must begin to use them now to ensure a clean world for our future generations.

Links
http://www.homepower.com/home/
This website provides a variety of information about multiple green technologies and their applications with a focus on potential technology for homeowners.

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/solar-power/
This page has specific information about many types of solar technology and relevant news articles and new technologies. There are also good Youtube videos to explain the different technologies.

http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/solar/en/index.htm
This website offers specific solar technologies that are produced by GE. While this page will be biased towards their technologies there is a great display of the many technologies that are currently available to residential, commercial, and utility platforms.

http://www.solarelectricpower.org/
“The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is your unbiased non-profit resource for information about solar technologies, policies, and programs. SEPA focuses on working with electric utilities, but provides value to all businesses that have an interest in solar electricity.“

http://poweredbysolarpanels.com/
This website provides information about the many different forms solar power panels come in.

http://www.ases.org/
This website has a lot of solar power information and specifically information on jobs that will be created from renewable energy sources.

http://www.nanosolar.com/technology
Here is some interesting information about how solar panels and other solar technology is made and the future of the technology.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/technologies.html
This page shows the differences between the many different types of solar technology and there uses. It also has a good FAQ section and a glossary on terms.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4287132.html
Here are the top 5 new solar technologies according to the reputable magazine Popular Mechanics as of October 13. It shows how solar technology is consistently becoming cheaper and more efficient.

http://futurist.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/solar-energy-co.html
This page has an interesting look towards the costs of solar technology and there benefits over the long run. There are also links at the bottom to other posts about solar technology.

http://www.nextenergynews.com/index.html
This website has a lot of information about many green technologies and is constantly updated with the latest technology. On the right of the homepage you will see links to solar and hydro technology as well as many other interesting topics.

http://smallhydro.com/
This website has a lot of interesting math behind how flow dynamics work. I would suggest being rather good at math to go to this site.

http://www.canyonhydro.com/guide/
“Canyon Hydro has developed this Guide to Hydropower to help you gain a basic understanding of how "home power" hydroelectric systems work, and what goes into the design. We’ve tried to keep the content objective and hype-free, so you won’t see information about specific Canyon Hydro systems.”

http://www.whyhydropower.com/
A very informative site about hydro power that shows the many benefits of hydro power and explains the pros and cons between dam hydro and free flow hydro.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydro_technologies.html
This is a compilation of information by the government on hydro power technology. Click any of the links to find relevant information.

http://www.esd.ornl.gov/research/ecol_management/hydropower_technology.shtml
Here are some of the benefits of hydro power technology in reforming America’s energy production. There are also the top 3 technologies according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

http://www.lowimpacthydro.org/
This is an organization that specifically certifies hydro power technologies based on their affects on the environment. This organization wants hydro power to essentially be as green as possible with minimal to no environmental impact.

http://www.hydro.org/
This is an association dedicated to advancing America’s hydro power technology. There are interesting articles on how hydro technology will affect the economy and environment.

http://www.ieahydro.org/agreement.htm
This website shows the international side of hydro power. There are links towards hydro power benefits to the entire world and agreements being forged among nations to further hydro power technology.

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/59.html
This website has a good overview of hydro power and information on many different aspects of renewable energy sources such as ecosystems, food, land, etc.