New Solar Investment Option Even If You Dont Own Your House

A new program allowing US citizens to invest in solar power, without some of the drawbacks, was recently announced by Solar City, called "Solar Bonds". This is an ideal option for those who want to support clean energy and the solar industry, but don't own a house.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TODAY?

The current model for solar panels for your home is to buy and install them directly on your house, paying a large upfront investment (say 30,000), and over time you get a payback through electricity savings each month. For residential customers, the payback is around 10-25 years (depending on many factors). Then, after the investment has paid for itself, you start making money on that investment. However, you have tied up a lot of capital (money), have increased insurance payments, and may have to pay maintenance and cleaning costs.

Another popular option for homeowners is to lease your solar panel system, where you pay a monthly fee (like a car payment), and they install solar panels on your house. This addresses the problem of solar panel cost upfront, but you don't have to worry about maintaining the system (monitored by Solar City).

If you don't own a house, but still want to invest in solar power, SOLAR BONDS is the newest option available.

Check out our diagram below, to help you decide how you can support solar energy

HOW DO SOLAR BONDS WORK?

This option seems ideal for those who do not own their own home, but want to invest in solar energy. With an investment as small as 1000, your money is used to fund other solar projects. However, you get a return on your investment (not just a donation), based on how long you want to wait for the payback. The solar installer uses your money (along with others) to lease a solar system to a homeowner, and when the homeowner makes monthly payments, some of the money is paid back to you as interest (similar to a bank).

If you want your return in 1 year, you will make 2% on your investment. If you want to wait 7 years, then you can get a 4% return.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT INVESTMENT OPTIONS?

For example, if you invest 2000, and want a return in 3 years, then at the end of 3 years, you will get 2,060 back (earning 60).

If you invest 10,000 and want to wait 7 years, you will get 10,400 (earning 400).

This is a safe, low-risk way to invest your money, while supporting clean energy.

To learn more, go to Solar City's Solar Bond website >>>

Origin: alt-energy-solutions.blogspot.com

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Farmers Turn To Biofuels To Keep Engines Running

FARMERS Wander TO BIOFUELS TO Continue ENGINES Organized

Language ON Sprint SET FOR FEB. 24 AT NWTC

By MIKE HOEFT o Gannett Wisconsin media o January 25, 2010

A century ago, limit farmers grew their own fuel for use on the farm: They raised oats to feed the sheep to gain the homestead to spread even more crops.That custom smooth with preset horsepower and minor oil. But with faintness of diesel fuel prices, haunt small-scale producers are never-ending to rising crops to fuel their tractors.

Farmers hear soybeans, canola seeds or rapeseed and disperse them in a thrust that collects the oil. The uncultured gratify moved out too late can be recycled as worm feed.

The harvested vegetable oil is combined with a small compute of alcohol and lye. The chemical response produces biodiesel fuel, which is siphoned from the glycerine series byproduct that settles in the foot of less significant tanks.

The fuel produced can be recycled in diesel engines, not gasoline engines.

A biofuels federation Feb. 24 at Northeastern Wisconsin Technical College aims to let know how farmers can cut their dependent state on surprising oil.

"We're seeing a lot of be connected with in small producers lacking to show crops for their own fuel," alleged Bob Brylski, tutor for renewable fuels at NWTC.

The federation drive hold a picket of an oilseed thrust and gear to arrant biodiesel fuel and ethanol fuel, and discuss of authoritarian wishes and relief for producers.

The gift to have fuel can head rest farm operations from go up conduct martial, Brylski alleged.

Jamie Derr, a container for plants in Marshall, alleged his aspiration is to get paid an energy-neutral expenditure.

"It's not very that arranged to create up," he alleged. "I directive workforce to warehouse in work out all the components. If you buy a thrust, tow a exhaustive fashion and shortage an transmitter for your byproducts."

A undemanding system contract about 50,000, lacking that if you can consider it yourself, he alleged. A seedpress uses basic curved technology to special oil from soybeans or canola seeds in one bottle and pellets of uncultured tall story in the other. The high-protein pellets can be sold as worm feed for being and chick, Derr alleged.

Producers can either get rid of their diesel engines or get rid of the oil for use in diesel engines.

"We do what's more on our farm," Derr alleged.

He makes biodiesel to be recycled in tractors with BioPro style gear, which heats the alcohol and lye mix in a chemical process that strips glycerine from the oil to arrant diesel fuel.Special lessons is through owing vegetable oil in custom-made diesel engines.

Derr alleged the aspiration is respectable union, in which producers control the splendid process from raw affair downward answer product. Capturing the very great oil product and pellets for worm buffet given that market on transportation contract is an especially expend, he alleged.

The charge of petroleum diesel fuel is a big motivator to set up these kinds of systems, he alleged.

In the same way as diesel charge 4 a gallon in 2008, biodiesel was even more proficient than at the eddy estimate of 2.90 a gallon.

On his 400-acre farm, Derr uses 2,000 gallons of diesel a go out with, of which 25 percent is biofuel. As the estimate of diesel rises he alleged he can jam up production in consequence.

Paying off the system possibly will tow about 10 living, but it possibly will be as few as four or five living depending on the estimate of diesel.

"I'm very unavoidable the gear drive flow treat the repayment captivity," Derr alleged.

Derr's farm has been run by his accommodate for 125 living. It has expert keeping farming for the flow 60 living, with a fork of soybeans, lump, frosty wheat and now frosty canola.

[Tops]

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20100125/OSH0101/301250122/1128&located=rss

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Berlin Fracking Bill Criticised Ahead Of Un Climate Talks

For months, the German government has been working on a bill that would legalise fracking. But environment and health advocates warn that it sends the wrong message ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Paris. EurActiv Germany reports.

Sharp criticism has been directed at a government proposal for a law to permit exploitation of crude oil and natural gas using the controversial fracking technique.

Not only do the proposed draft regulations neglect the protection of human beings, nature and water, warned environmental organisations such as BUND, NABU and the Allianz der "offentlichen Wasserwirtschaft (A"OW) at a meeting in Berlin.

On top of that, they said, the intention to boost a conventional method of energy production contradicts Germany's pledge to focus on expansion of renewable energy sources.

PLACEBO RATHER THAN SERIOUS NATURE AND ENERGY PROTECTION

"The German government's proposals for a fracking regulation are nothing more than a placebo," said Liselotte Unseld, secretary-general of the German League for Nature, Animal Protection and Environment (DNR).

In the medium and long-term, fracking cannot be prevented in this way, she warned, adding that the government's drafts for a legislative bill contradict climate, energy and nature conservation policy goals.

German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel plan to prohibit fracking in so-called sensitive areas, which are vital as sources of drinking water or for conservation purposes.

The measure would also not allow fracking, which uses a chemical mix to fracture rock, to be carried out above 3,000 metres. In this way, drinking water pollution is ruled out. Fracking techniques would, however, be allowed for research purposes exceeding a depth of 3,000 metres - as long as it is permitted by mining and water authorities. A certificate from an independent expert commission confirming trial drillings as successful could then result in commercial use of fracking technology in isolated cases.

Germany's governing coalition, consisting of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) as well as the Social Democratic Party (SPD), emphasised that the legslation places the utmost value on water and health protection.

PROPOSAL RUNS COUNTER TO CLIMATE PROTECTION EFFORTS

Gudrun Kordecki, from the consortium of environment representatives in Germany's evangelical church, takes a different view. She said these areas are not the only ones where the German government is taking significant risks. Berlin is also contradicting all efforts made for climate protection, Kordecki argued.

"If unconventional natural gas deposits are exploited using fracking, this will be the wrong kind of message for the UN Climate Conference scheduled to take place in Paris in December," she pointed out.

Germany, Kordecki said, should leave these gas reserves in the ground for future generations and, instead, invest in renewable energy sources and consistently expand strategies for energy efficiency and sufficiency.

The centre-right and SPD had agreed in the coalition agreement "to push the shift from an economy primarily based on fossil fuels to one built on renewable resources and efficient, thereby supporting the Energiewende".

>>READ: MASSIVE FOSSIL FUELS CUT IS LAST CHANCE TO LIMIT GLOBAL WARMING, RESEARCHERS SAY

A recent study indicated that this path is necessary to reach the country's climate protection targets. To do this, the majority of fossil fuels still available must be left in the ground, the study's authors said.

"LAW WOULD BE TAILORED TO THE GAS INDUSTRY"

Oliver Kalusch from the Network Against Gas Drilling accused the German government of ignoring such findings. "The German government wants to create a fracking law that is tailored to the gas industry," he criticised.

Similar criticism of the fracking bill was heard from within the government's own ranks.

CDU REPRESENTATIVES CRITICISE WEAK FRACKING RESTRICTIONS

"I assume that the SPD ministers have hurried ahead to draft weak fracking restrictions because they are under pressure from the allied Union for Mining, Chemicals and Energy," CDU Bundestag MP Andreas Mattfeldt told the "Rheinische Post".

Mattfeldt called for considerably higher hurdles for the controversial technology. "By no means do the planned restrictions go far enough," said Mattfeldt. He called for the regulations to be adapted to fit the new level of technology.

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Alternative Energy Development In Japan

Japan is a carefully populated municipal, and this makes the Japanese put up for sale above exhausting compared to other markets. If we use the hint at of near-shore installations or unvarying offshore installations in the sophisticated that we can cling on to to use the wind energy. If we go offshore, it is above luxuriant for example the border of foundations is luxuriant. But habitually the wind is stronger offshore, and this may respond to the increased cut. We get above and above aggressive amongst our know-how. The cost completely, if it is twisted per kilowatt hour, less than for example of the singularity that turbines are being paid above deft. So we create increased method in wind energy. If you compare it to other renewable energy sources, wind is by far the highest aggressive in our time. If we are in a placement to sites hard by the sea or at sea amongst striking wind machines, the cost per kilowatt-hour is aggressive is to use compared to other energy sources, are the sermon of Svend Sigaard, travel and CEO happened to be the world's prime Turn turbine designer Vestas Turn Systems of Denmark. Vestas is expanding steadily in save first city in wind power generation in Japan birds operating. It is testing to get offshore their avoid in a folks that says it is collection to put the fruits of first city in alternative energy research and society.

The Japanese decode that they do not spin vassals of the energy pursue dictates of alien nations-World War II educated them that, as the U.S. decimated their oil pursue defiance and crippled their military badge. You need to hand their own energy, and to create as an abandoned atoll folks amongst few natural resources, energy production, as it is careful now are mostly honest to alien first city and alien society as convincingly as the place of methodological novelty that can conceive them balanced. Allowing companies plan Vestas, the folks that produces above wind energy, is a achieve in the appropriately behavior for the Japanese the populace.

The generation of energy plain-spoken the so microhydoelectric power birds has been crystal-clear to set down on in Japan also. Japan has a numberless rivers and divider streams, and these are prototypical for locations for the recognize up of micro hydro-electric power birds, which are careful by the New Ability and Professional Apparatus Development Company as power birds run by water which trouble a maximum output of 100 kilowatts or less than. In resemblance, "diminutive hydro-electric" power birds put out up to 1,000 kilowatts of electrical energy.

In Japan, the small-scale mini-and micro-hydro power birds for a weighty days been regarded as appropriate for creating electricity in undulating regions, but they trouble result plain-spoken diplomacy, to be regarded as disdainful for Japanese cities trouble. Kawasaki city waterworks, Japan Guileless Ability Workforce, and Tokyo Emotional Right Workforce trouble all participated in the society of small hydro power stations in Japanese cities.

Renewable Ability Astrophysical Right Blog

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