Sustainability and economics with renewable energy

The more I get involved in the renewable sector, the more I realize that there are some key issues that need to be looked at, and they are not necessarily on the subject of renewable energy. After engaging in projects in this arena, I have come to realize that attitude plays a major part in whether people are interested in adopting or investing in renewable energy. It is often not the product in particular that effects the decision but more about the adoption of a change in thinking from short term to long term. The main objective in writing this article is to encourage as many people to adopt and incorporate more sustainable solutions, not just for the planet but for our own abundance and preservation. But soon I realized that this will naturally happen. Consider this world to be run like a business.

The same principles that run a successful business are the same principles that we should be adopting to sustain our own planet, for instance if we had to keep taking money out the till and spend it carelessly we would not have money left to buy new stock and eventually the business would run at a loss and fail.

If you stick to a 5 to 10 year or even 20 year plan you will make sure you stay on track to expand your vision and execute the plan at key stages along the way. So the same applies to the way in which we should be sustaining our own planet. Now this is a clear example of how long term planning and action is needed to sustain any system. When it comes to nature we think that we are under the perception that everything is for free, but this attitude allows for us to be misguided and take things for granted, and has led to contributing to the degradation of natural systems that support us. These systems include polluting air, land, rivers, and sea. These are very systems we rely on to survive. With the rapid growing population and everyone needing resources that are now being depleted, it seems very likely that it will be a rocky road for the next generation, unless some key visionary decisions are made. And as we can see from the result of COP17, we cannot rely on government and institutions to adopt any major changes in a hurry. So every time we drink a cup of coffee, a glass of water, shower, eat, take a breath of fresh air, climb in the car to go to work or any other basic thing that we take for granted, we are creating a footprint, and using natural resources that are running out. So we need to start asking ourselves how and what we can do to lessen our impact or put back resources. Every small effort we make, in a unified effort will make a big difference, and contribute to sustaining our current and next generation of activities on the planet. A couple of cents added up over a year can add up to a couple of thousand rands, does this make cents?

Some major shifts are already happening world wide and as the natural resources decline, the cost of natural resources like food, water, coal, oil, gas, metals, paper, wood, increase in price. And as the prices increase, the cost of renewable and saving energy becomes more affordable which then leads to more investment bringing the prices down further , creating more opportunities and leading to more product efficiencies and in turn creates more jobs. So as you can see all of these stages will happen naturally. At this present stage there are a vast number of business opportunities that are currently profiting from this industry, and needless to say are the fastest growing industries in the world today such as solar voltaic, solar heating, wind, hydro power, biogas, batteries, and numerous ways of saving, storing and recycling energy. Let’s take a look at some of the advancements that have already been made with technology.

Solar Voltaic –This technology has been around since the 1950s but has showed little progress on a large scale due to its high cost and low efficiency put it into the bracket of the elite only. Now there are all kinds of breakthroughs in the production and efficiency of the actual cells including the announcement of a 3d solar cell with estimated efficiency of 25% and more using the current technology of silicone to keep the prices down every time there is a break through in technology, it brings the prices of old technology down changing the cost to payback ratio. This will lead to more affordable systems that people are eagerly awaiting. There are many new and exciting technologies that are making break-through's in this field which will keep this technology moving forward into the future.

Solar Heating- This is the most popularly adopted and widespread technology involving the heating of water from the sun, this is one of the more simple technologies of heating water directly from the sun instead of the artificial method of heating water with an element, that is very inefficient. The biggest adoption of this technology is incorporated with concentrated solar technologies like parabolic dishes and storing the energy in various methods to create 24/7 renewable energy for the first time without batteries. This technology already has efficiencies of 25% and above which make it more attractive than photo voltaic cells. Since both efficiency and storage problems are resolved. This is a hot investor’s choice and I am sure we will continue to see growth and lower prices entering the market. Solar trackers are making both solar technologies more efficient but the extra cost has to be justifiable

Wind – There are many different ways to harness wind and just about any type of wind harnessing device has been thought of and made, some more successful than others. The advantages of wind, is that they can harness large amounts of energy when conditions are favorable and can run day and night. Unfortunately these conditions are not predictable and to supply energy to the grid you need vast areas to harness the wind and energy. Those areas need to be in the right location and feasibility studies with 2-3 years of wind data records and many other factors need to be taken into consideration, before it can be set up. Maintenance can also be expensive during the lifespan of the turbines. Even domestic installations need approval and noise pollution can also be a problem. You need the right height to harness the more constant and stable wind systems, making wind an expensive option. Some of the latest products in this field are high flying inflatable kite like turbines that do not take up as much land space and can capture wind in the right places, making this also more avian friendly. Even though there are challenges facing wind farms there are many successful installations through the world and the industry is growing rapidly, making a positive contribution to the renewable energy mix.

Hydro Power- Hydro power has been successfully adopted in many countries and is a relatively cheap and easy way of harnessing energy once it has been set up. It also has the added benefit of giving large amounts of constant electricity production. This has made it a feasible and reliable contributor to renewable energy. The downside of hydro power is the limited amount of dams and lakes that can support this method. During the establishment of a dam for this particular method, can result in whole ecosystems being damaged.

Energy Saving- this is a very broad market, and can be adopted in many different ways , from simply switching of unused appliances and devices, or controlling the switching on and off with modern senses and electronic devices, to a wide range of energy saving products, including geyser blankets, timers, more efficient motors, shower heads and lighting.

Batteries play an important role in energy storage especially for solar voltaic and wind in home and business systems so they are an integral part of storing energy for use when needed. They also play an important role in the development and refinement of the electric car, motorbike and bicycle and are therefore also in the forefront of technology with many breakthroughs being made every month with refining the current technologies to new methods altogether, this is an exciting and revolutionary market with all kinds of possibilities coming to the surface.

More and more companies are starting to invest in locally manufactured products and there are now local manufacturers producing solar panels, solar hot water systems, wind turbines and L.E.D Lighting helping to keep the technology local.

Due to fluctuations in exchange rates, the cost of transport, damages and import duties, with long waiting periods make importing an expensive and risky business, but as long as there are a wide selection of quality products at a good price available, there will always be an importing market. Even large corporations will choose to use countries that have inexpensive and highly productive methods of manufacturing products, to ensure low prices and volumes to meet demand. Until local manufacturers can offer the same quality experience and price ratios, we will continue to see imported products.

We are still far from going off the grid completely, but if the grid itself can be continually supported and upgraded with renewables, by bringing in many different sustainable energy methods, and adopting more efficient products, appliances and methods of saving energy. We can move towards phasing out our reliance on none sustainable fossil fuel and gas to generate electricity for the masses. This in turn will help move us towards a cleaner way of sustaining the grid for us and future generations. Localized production of green electricity in each area should be a priority in order to maximize efficiency, localize responsibility and maintenance, making each area more self reliant. With the help of more and more individuals and businesses creating their own green electricity, and feeding back to the grid with excess, we can create an evolved self supporting system with many different areas contributing and helping each other to make a balanced grid of green energy. In this way we will eradicate black-outs that affect many areas, due to inefficiencies and shortages. Knowing that our future generations do not have to suffer the consequences of our continued reliance on none sustainable methods and harmful effects, we can empower ourselves for a cleaner greener future.

Shining the light on the dark side of Lighting

This article is written in order for people to learn and understand more about the science, technology and environmental effects of the different lighting products available to consumers at present.

Let us begin with incandescent bulbs (including halogen):

Incandescent bulbs produce light by heating a metal filament. When electricity passes through the *filament, its temperature rises through resistance, creating a hot glow of approximately 2300 deg C that emits the light. This is also the primary reason why the light is a warm white because most of the energy comes from the heat. This is an outdated technology and is extremely inefficient because it produces 90% heat and 10% light, this has the consequence of releasing more harmful gasses into the atmosphere than required.

C.F.L s (compact fluorescent lights):

Compact fluorescent bulbs and tubes are made with glass coated with phosphor and filled with gas and mercury. They produce light when the mercury molecules are excited by electricity running between two electrodes in the base of the bulb. The mercury emits ultra violet light, which in turn excites the tubes phosphor coating, leading it to emit visible light. Each bulb contains between 5-10 milligrams of mercury depending on the size, and 20 milligrams of mercury from one 1200mm fluorescent tube will pollute 7200m cubed of drinking water.

Compact fluorescent tubes and bulbs may be energy saving but they come with a long term environmental disaster that effects every living creature, including ourselves. Mercury in C.F.L s are present as elemental (or metallic) mercury. Once spilled you can be exposed to elemental mercury by touching it, after which it can be eaten and or absorbed through your skin. More importantly for your health you can be exposed to mercury through the air, as elemental mercury vaporizes readily (essentially becomes a gas) and can thus be inhaled into your lungs. Breathing elemental mercury into your lungs is generally more dangerous than if you ate the mercury or absorbed it through your skin. Once inhaled, the mercury vapor can damage the central nervous system, kidneys and liver. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and is especially dangerous for children and fetuses, and is already an environmental hazard in the oceans with regular contaminations occurring in people who have eaten contaminated fish. These toxic effects are why any mercury spill should be handled carefully. If a breakage or spill does occur, this is what the EPA(environmental protection agency) in the USA advises:

1) Immediately open windows to reduce mercury concentrations inside your home.

2) Do not touch the spilled mercury.

3) Clean up the broken CFL glass carefully and immediately using disposable gloves and not a vacuum cleaner.

4) Wipe the affected area with a paper towel or use an adhesive tape to remove all glass fragments and mercury and place in a sealed plastic bag.

5) Dispose of the bag at your local household hazardous waste or collection site, which is also how and where all used CFLs should be disposed of.

The lighting industry and energy producers will definitely not want the public to know about this because of their invested interests. For example Eskom have been handing out millions of CFLs for free, but have not made anyone aware of these critical dangers during handling and discarding in the dustbin and not the designated recycling depots. This means that 99% of all those bulbs will end up in landfill through ignorance and short term solutions. Toxic mercury from broken fluorescent tubes and bulbs cannot be decomposed in the environment and will enter river systems during rains destroying fragile ecosystems and ultimately entering the human body through this same ecosystem. To make matters worse, mercury plus carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are all released into the atmosphere for every 1 kilowatt of electricity that is generated by a coal fired power station. Destroying precious oxygen that has taken millions of years to create. So basically in a nutshell it is not an exaggeration by any means to say, that we are poisoning not only ourselves but the rest of the planets life forms while we are at it. Any alarm bells going off yet? Insane is probably the best way anyone from an outside perspective could describe this behaviour

After reading this you might be thinking “Oh! Another doom and gloom environmental splaab”, but fortunately modern lighting technology has advanced enough for each one of us to make a difference and adopt a solution that is not only environmentally friendly but reduces your lighting bill by up to 90%.

L.E.D (light emitting diodes) is modern third generation solid state lighting solutions and are able to replace 90% of common outdated lighting technology. But the sophisticated electrical and physical components including: drivers, aluminum heat sinks and chips make these lights more expensive. So why would you want to pay more for this light?

INVESTMENT BENEFITS ON L.E.D LIGHTING

Investment in L.E.D lighting what are the benefits

Due to the lifespan of the L.E.D currently from 30 000 and up to 100 000 depending on the components within the light itself L.E.D s are a very good investment.

Although upfront they are more expensive the money is well spent due to the following reasons.

1. They last for 10 times longer so by the time you have bought 10 traditional lights you would have spent more money than just buying one L.E.D
2. They consume up to 10 times less energy so during their lifetime they would have saved you up to 80-90% on your lighting bill every month.
3. They save you maintenance costs on replacements
4. Because of their specialized heat sinks and drivers they run at very low temperatures and are therefore safer and will save you extra expenses on your air conditioning during summer and warm seasons (we all know how much heat a halogen light gives off)
5. They can be used in special environments that traditional lights are not suitable for. E.g. Explosion proof, shatter proof, fire proof, waterproof, and toxic environments as well as for any subjects that are sensitive to light and should not be exposed to ultra violate rays.
6. They do not give off any harmful rays or gasses and are therefore much better for your eyes, food, artwork, jewelry, or any other objects and substances that are sensitive to light and decay. This coupled with their minimal energy consumption also makes them far more environmentally friendly.
7. They come with a 3 year to 5 year warranty that no other lighting can offer
8. Best of all they are 110% tax deduct able so you can claim all your money back
9. All these factors add up to a far superior product on all levels and a sound investment

Of course you could also ignore all these tiny details and just carry on but now you cant say OH! I didn’t know.

Look out for the next messy details and solution on the common battery

By Julian Phillips

Energix Solutions cc

www.energix.co.za

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

0727279634

Rediscovering the brilliance and wisdom of nature

The pursuits of modern technology have nurtured a society that now finds itself addicted to a very abstract way of living, abstracted from nature. Living in square houses, driving in metal objects with high speed engines powered by unsustainable fossil fuel, communicating and entertaining ourselves on screens and consuming vast amounts of information now freely available on any subject. Consuming artificial power to maintain our production of constant activity, geared mostly towards income that supports our desire for more of these needs. And even eating artificial substances that are no longer grown or produced in normal conditions. With the rapidly growing world population, we now have to ask ourselves- how sustainable are our present lifestyles and what kind of impact are we leaving for our future generations.
Fortunately there is now a growing consciousness that is embracing a move towards more sustainable practices. Engineers, technicians and scientists, once involved with the computer industry are now moving away from that industry and working in the renewable energy sector. Billions of dollars are now invested in the industry; this has made it one of the fastest growing industries in the world right now. Technology, science and industry, have come together and are now recognizing the power of nature and are trying their best to copy it. With the latest field of biomimicry coming to the forefront of technology, we are still learning and studying nature’s brilliance, to find our own answers, which we once overlooked as being trivial and beneath our superior intellect. Through our advancement in this field, there are already technologies being applied and adopted in our search to bring us to a more harmonious way of integrating our presence on this planet. This may be the turning point for humankind to move towards embracing a closer and more sustainable future for both ourselves and the rest of the planet.
On my quest to make a difference and facilitate our society in adopting greener technologies, I have sourced the latest and most advanced technologies to offer both business and private individuals. These products are not only better for the environment but also offer sound investment opportunities. Nurturing a positive and proactive approach, in thinking and making decisions for the future is an integral part of adopting this green technology, and will help us to not only conquer our short term thinking habits, but also to embrace a brighter and more responsible future.