Let There Be Light, and Let it Not Use Much Energy!

Energy Saving Technology
There has been a good deal of debate about the merits or otherwise of energy saving light bulbs. Whilst they last longer and use less electricity some people complain about the time they take to warm up or about the different quality of light that they provide. The technology is changing though and if you haven’t tried some of the latest bulbs you might be surprised at how good they are.
The Past has Dimmed
Older low energy bulbs tend to be the compact fluorescent (CFL) type. When first introduced these were expensive and bulky. They took a long time to reach full brightness after being switched on, tended to grow dimmer as they grew older and generally weren’t the most stylish of options. The latest versions are smaller and slimmer but still retain the advantages of long life and minimal heat production. They also come in styles similar to older incandescent bulbs so they’ll suit most fittings.
An increasingly popular option now is the halogen bulb. Halogen has been used in car headlights for many years because it provides a bright, white light. However, it’s only just getting a foothold in the domestic environment. You may have encountered halogen spot lamp bulbs but they’re now available in a variety of other styles. They have many of the low energy and long life benefits of CFLs but with the advantage of a brighter light and instant start up without flickering. They also retain consistent brightness throughout their life.
The latest technology is the LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulb. Again this is something that’s been around for a while in other applications – indicator lamps on instrument panels for example and car rear lights. LED bulbs are available in styles that mimic conventional incandescent bulbs. They’re quite expensive but because they use around 90% less energy and last up to 100 times longer they’ll more than pay for themselves over the life of the bulb. They’re available in the traditional bayonet fitting (B22) or the increasingly common E27 screw type. You can also get LED replacements for the familiar fluorescent tube lighting. These have a 50% energy saving over normal tubes with a longer life and flicker free start up. Because LED tubes contain no mercury they’re safer to dispose of at the end of their life too.
A Bright Future
The latest low energy lighting solutions can not only save you electricity, they offer longer life which means you’ll need to replace them less frequently. Developments in technology have overcome the old problems of flickering, dimness and slow start up. They now also come in shapes and styles to suit just about any situation. If you haven’t bought new bulbs for a while now might be a good time to take a closer look at what’s on offer.

Visit the site of a specialist supplier like JB Light Bulbs to see the wide range of low energy options now available.

pH Water Control Systems

Environmental friendly Automated PH water control systems

Microprocessor controlled Ph control systems provide a readily available plug and play solution to the industries that use water treatment process for purifying untreated waste water. Such automated water control systems help the different industries using water treatment plants to have a close watch on the Ph level of water. In addition to measuring and monitoring the Ph level of water, these automated systems also help in monitoring other important parameters such as

·         Chlorine Concentration levels

·         Redox potential (Rx)

·         Hydrogen Peroxide levels

·         Chlorine Di-Oxide levels

·         Peracetic acid levels

Different components of the PH control Systems

Also called as the Ph Dosage unit or Ph Doser, major components of this ready to use system are microprocessor based controllers, sensors and a remote control unit for remote management of the controller. Remote control unit is basically used to remotely monitor the current status of the controllers that are used as part of the system. By using the monitor available in the remote control unit, one can see the history list of events that have occurred in the recent past. New events can be programmed using the controller and triggered using the remote control unit. Remote control unit can also trigger remote printing of different data and the associated charts that are shown up on the monitor. In addition to communicating with the controller, the remote control unit can also be used to send messages to GSM and GPRS enabled cell phones. Remote station uses a sim card to send these messages. At a time, the remote control unit can send messages to two mobile phones simultaneously. By making changes in the configuration settings in the remote unit, it can also send messages to specific Email addresses.

The controllers that are based on micro processors can be configured to measure the different water treatment parameters in addition to the PH levels. Ph control systems as a whole, is capable of providing highly accurate and reliable data. The units have the capability to provide results in different output forms.

Benefits of using a Ph control system

·         Easy to install and start using as the different components are available in plug and play format

·         Capable of measuring different water treatment parameters in addition to Ph levels

·         Remote monitoring of the control system from a desired location

·         Remote printing of data reporting and charts

·         Automatic power supply settings

·         Capability to send real time messages to mobile phones and Email accounts

For more info on pH control systems click here.

Such versatile control systems are used in a wide variety of applications that uses water treatment plants and water recycling systems. The control system is used in the Mining Industry, commercial car wash, Vehicle wash down systems and Industrial Equipments wash down systems. In all these industrial applications, Ph Doser systems are used as an integral part of the water recycling system. By doing water recycling, industries consume less quantity of water from the naturally available resources such as wells and tanks. In a way, Ph Doser systems help the industries to preserve the precious water resources for usage in other critical applications. They play a vital role in sustaining a green environment.

Kerry Blake is content writer for H2O Cleanawater – a company for water recycling and water treatment systems.

Top 10 Eco-friendly Cars Of Year 2012

With increasing gasoline prices, buying a fuel economy car has become a necessity. Companies are also doing their best to produce cars with not only beautiful interior and exteriors, but the car that also give best miles per gallon (mpg). It is now a myth that only small cars have best mileage. Now even a hybrid sedan car gives you the best mpg that makes them fuel efficient and eco-friendly cars. Hybrid cars have electric motors that improve the mileage and combined propulsion system of gas engine and electric motor to increase the power. Hybrid cars release CO2 gas at minimum and get lot of tax rebates from government, making them first choice in market. Here is my list of top 10 eco-friendly cars of 2012:

1. Honda Civic Natural Gas

There is no doubt that Honda rules in hybrid car. This car has been awarded has 2012 Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. Since gas takes more volume than liquid, even though a small tank of 8 gallons takes a lot of trunk space. Best of a comfort and smooth ride. MPG : City 27   Highway 38 Price starting : $26,000

2. Toyota Prius V

This is the only car that has 5 door hatchback with  the most economic pricing and fuel mileage. It has all required electronic control system and seven airbags for safety. It comes in three models Prius V Two, Prius V Three and Prius V Five. While Two is the base model, Five is top-of the line. MPG : City: 44     Highway 40 Price starting : $29,990

3. Toyota Camry Hybrid

Camry has been all time America’s favorite car with over 3 million hybrid car sold till now. It’s a superb car with great interiors. Take a test drive to get surprised with it. In terms of handling, the Camry is more than competent and is devoid of vices and totally predictable. MPG : City  40     Highway 38 Price starting : $27,500

4. Lexus CT 200h

The luxury car is powered by the same method as in the Toyota Prius with luxury features and amenities. With a touch of the button, you can drive the Lexus hybrid in one of four modes: Normal, Sport, ECO, and EV. Thus with a single car you can opt for economic as well as sports version. MPG : City: 43     Highway 40 Price starting : $29,120

5. Lincoln MKZ

A ford car offers comfortable, composed handling and enough power. It is good for daily commuting with high fuel efficiency. MPG : City: 41     Highway 36 Price starting : $34,700

6. Kia Optima Hybrid

As a full hybrid car, it borrows the drivetrain from Sonata Hybrid 2012 and requires no plug-in charging. Engine automatically shuts when the car is stopped. It falls under affordable midsize car segment. MPG : City 35      Highway 40 Price starting : $25,700

7. Chevrolet Volt

It is one of the best cars for daily office commute, which can be charged in less than 4 hours in a standard 12-Volt outlet. MPG : City 35      Highway 40 Price starting : $39,145

8. Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

A roomy hybrid sedan with well-equipped cabin generates 206 hp @ 6,000rpm. Thus you can opt for green car without compromising for speed. MPG : City 36     Highway 40 Price starting : $25,795

9. Buick LaCrosse

It is one of the best affordable large cars in the market with a fuel-saving eAssist engine. It offers luxury and comfort better than any other car. MPG : City 25      Highway 36 Price Starting : $29,960

10. BMW 328i

It is the 4-cylinder engine with great power. You can connect Pandora, Facebook , Twitter and Google search with its integrated applications. MPG : City 20      Highway 24 Price : $34,900



 

DIY 50mph Electric Bike!

If, like me, you enjoy a good project to stretch yourself, and you're fed up of increasing fuel prices, then this one is definitly for you. Greg Davey, a vehicle and green enthusiast, has come up with the best idea to beat rising fuel prices, insurance and congestion. He has put together a complete guide telling you step by step how to build your own electric motorbike which can go up to 50mph and holds its charge extremely well. Even a novice could easily follow this guide with no prior experience as he walks you throughout the entire process. This is a fantastic oppertunity that even comes with a 60 day cashback guarantee, so you have nothing to lose, apart from expensive fuel bills!! You can find the complete guide Here!

Save On Home Energy

We all know the more obvious ways to save on home energy such as insulation, double-glazing, turning down your thermostat etc. However there are many ways which we overlook on a daily basis. Incorporating all of these 'hidden' methods could see your energy bills slashed by a half! I have fished around the web and found a very comprehensive guide to employing these great tactics to start saving today. All that is needed is a small investment of time to read through and put the methods to use. This fantastic book can be found Here!

Is Free Energy Possible?

Is perpetual motion possible? Is free unlimited energy possible? For many years scientists and backyard inventors have persued the idea of 'free energy'. They dream of a machine that spins forever in perpetual motion, creating energy as it turns. While in theory it is possible to achieve perpetual motion (a machine that spins forever) it is EXTREMELY difficult. If you try to take energy out of such a machine the concept then becomes impossible, and here's why.

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Our universe is governed by certain physical laws and forces. Understanding the laws of the universe has given rise to the breakthroughs and possibilities we see before us today. Some you may know better than others, such as the law of gravity. The law I would like to talk about is the law of the conservation of energy. This law states that energy can be transformed into various types, such as kinetic (movement), heat, sound etc. Yet it also states that energy can niether be created nor destroyed. In other words, the energy put into a system, is always greater than or equal to the energy taken out of that system.

Imagine if we had a spinning wheel, which in theory spins forever. All the energy in the wheel is kinetic, which causes the wheel to spin. If we attach an alternator to take energy out of the system then the wheel would lose kinetic energy. This would cause the wheel to slow down and eventually stop. Thus we don't have 'free energy'.

As I mentioned earlier it is theoretically possible to create perpetual motion (a wheel that forever spins) and I also stated it is extremely difficult. This is because the system cannot afford to lose even the smallest amount of energy or the wheel would start to slow down. This means all frictional forces must be eliminated and no energy can be lost as sound or heat. This happens because we are taking energy out of the system.

Some people have claimed to have achieved this type of motion yet no one has proved it thus far. It has taken over the lives of many inventors and drove them insane. Yet if they did their physics homework they could have seen it is impossible from the start. Although it is a difficult practice I find it very interesting and lots of ideas have been raised around the subject. If you are intrigued visit this list of 'unworkable machines'.

How Do We Get Nuclear Power?

First I will talk a little about how we produce nuclear energy, so we can better understand exactly what happens in the nuclear power stations. Then we can draw some conclusions as to whether it is safe or dangerous.

About Nuclear Power:

Our level of technology currently enables us to produce energy from the process of 'nuclear fission'. Even though we have been researching 'nuclear fusion' (which yeilds more potential energy than fission) it is extremely costly and difficult to produce energy by fusion. Which means for now we have to settle for fission.

What is Nuclear Power?

Nuclear fission is triggered when we bombard certain elements with nuetrons (elements such as uranium). The basic principle is that when an atom undergoes fission it splits into smaller atoms which are shot out at high speeds. The energy is harnessed from the heat produced by these high speed fragments. These smaller fragments can go on to cause further fission, often known as a 'chain reaction'. This is how the infamous atom bomb works, on the principle of Einsteins famous equations. Yet in a controlled environment we get nuclear power generation.

What is a Nuclear Power Plant?

With this in mind, playing with nuclear energy is not to be taken lightly. It can kill thousands in an instant. So engineers have developed many safety features to stop such catastrophic events. A nuclear power plant is well built to withstand such dangerous activities.
This includes placing the reactor core in a thick concrete building, which absorbs radiation given off by the reactions. The reactor itself is made of thick steel to withstand the high pressure and temperature in the core as well as absorbing most of the radiation. Every reactor has an emergency shutdown system designed to stop fission completely.

The world has experienced many nuclear disasters so far and I believe more will come. You may have heard of Chernobyl, in the Ukraine. This disaster happened in 1986, releasing harmful radiation into the atmosphere which led to a permanent evacuation of everyone in the surrounding area. Chernobyl today is a ghost town. It was caused when the operators were testing a reactor to find out if the coolant pumps would keep operating in the event of a loss of power until emergency diesel generators took over. To carry out this test the safety systems to shut down the reactor in an emergency were switched off! Such an ill informed decision that led to a massive explosion in the reactor core. The fuel rods melted while the reactor cap was blown off releasing radioactive fission products into the atmosphere. As a result 4000 people were killed immediately, whilst a massive 2 BILLION worldwide have been affected due to radiation/birth defects/cancer etc.

In my opinion nuclear energy can be safe but we must proceed with extreme caution as the potential dangers are enormous. There may even be unknown effects associated with radiation. Not to mention that the waste produced is extremely bad for the environment. If we could find ways around these problems then I would back nuclear power, but for me it is too environmentally toxic with our current levels of technology. What are your thoughts on nuclear energy and do you have any solutions. Maybe we could fire the waste at the sun? However that would require lots of energy. Leave a comment!