Looking to invest in
renewable energy products? Chances are it’s a lot cheaper than you think.
On October 3, 2008, the President of the United States
signed legislation into law that extends
tax
credits
for installation of solar panels and solar units, and removes the
monetary cap for residential solar electric installations. This means that
upgrading to renewable energy through
solar
panels
and equipment
just got significantly cheaper.
The incentives don’t end there, either. There are a host of
federal
incentives
available to everyone from corporations to individuals.
Additionally, every state and territory in the U.S. has a tax rebate or
incentive program for individuals and businesses wishing to make the switch to
renewable energy.
The future of renewable energy is looking brighter than
ever. President-elect, Barack Obama, has promised to
spend
$150 billion
over the next 10 years developing alternative energy. This
plan promotes hybrid cars, clean coal,
more wind
and solar power
, more efficient appliances and new fuels from sustainable
organic matter.
Obama's plan says
the country should get
10 percent
of its electricity
from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
With this plan, Obama predicts that the economy will be stimulated and
5
million jobs
will be created. To read more about Barack Obama’s energy
plans,
go here.
What is renewable energy?
The earth’s climate is changing; you may have noticed it in
the longer, warmer fall seasons. As more people populate the planet, more
energy is consumed. As we consume more energy, the earth has to adjust to
accommodate the rising output of waste from
increased
use of fuel for energy purposes.
For the most part, we rely on coal,
natural gas and refined oil (fossil fuels) to provide us with electricity, heat
and transportation. Within the last few decades, however, scientists and
environmental experts have begun to discover that the use of coal, natural gas
and refined oil have had unintended, long-lasting negative effects on the
environment, and that those negative effects are getting worse. Since their
discoveries, science has done a lot of work to develop other ways to provide us
with the electricity, heat and transportation that a growing population needs,
without compromising the environment. Moreover, environmental experts have
worked to increase our awareness about the issues facing our environment and
the ways in which we can help lessen the negative impact our energy use has on
the earth by being environmentally responsible. One of the biggest ways that
both scientists and environmental experts suggest helping the earth is the use
of renewable energy resources.
Renewable energy is fairly straightforward. It is energy
generated from renewable, natural sources like sunlight, wind, water, wood or
geothermal heat. Renewable energy is considered an alternative energy source,
because renewable energy refers to those sources which have minimal
environmental impact, though some sources are more responsible and sustainable
than others. Those sources that have the least environmental impact are sources
of sustainable energy.
Sustainable
energy
is the provision of energy such that it meets the needs of the
present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs. Using the most responsible, sustainable renewable resources
is seen as the most environmentally accountable way to counteract the negative
effects of our use of fossil fuels; this has recently become known as “being
green.”
Why all the fuss
about renewable energy?
As scientists
and politicians begin to understand the impact that human energy practices have
had on the environment, and with the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil
becoming more expensive and less efficient (with the energy it takes to obtain,
transport and refine oil, the
efficiency of oil is 8%),
people are turning to renewable sources to supplement or completely fulfill
their energy needs.
Fossil fuels, which we heavily rely on for a majority of our
energy needs, emit carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. These
gases naturally warm the planet by trapping sunlight in the atmosphere.
Normally, this is useful for keeping our planet habitable. However, as we burn
more fossil fuels, even more gases are released into the atmosphere, trapping
more and more sunlight. This causes
global temperatures to rise,
hence the term “global warming.” This may not seem like a big deal but as the
climate changes due to higher temperatures, a chain reaction of negative
natural events begins.
The negative effects of global warming start with the
warming of the ocean. As the temperature of the earth increases, so does the
temperature of the ocean. As the ocean warms it affects global weather
patterns, land mass and animal life. For instance,
hurricanes and
tropical storms
develop as low-pressure systems over bodies of warm water.
The warmer the water and the more warm water there is, the more hurricanes and
tropical storms there are. If you look at
the charts, there have
been significantly more hurricanes and tropical storms in the last 10 years,
correspondent to the dramatic rise in global temperature.
Further, as
ocean temperatures increase, the ice caps in the Antarctic begin to melt. NASA
released their finding that the rate of
ice
melt has rapidly accelerated
. They are concerned that the drastic warming
could impact the global climate; this is due to the fact that liquid water
absorbs sunlight whereas ice reflects it, therefore the more melt that occurs,
the
warmer
the oceans get
.As the oceans
warm and ice melts, sea levels rise, causing erosion, flooding and
contamination of freshwater supplies.
In the United States, the EPA
studied rising sea levels and determined that
Louisiana, Texas, Florida
and North Carolina stand to have 22,400 square miles of
land turned to swamp.
Erosion, flooding and freshwater contamination also
adversely affect food supplies. When considered with our understanding that
as
the oceans warm and global temperatures rise, the
global weather patterns
change
, we begin to see the threat to the global food supply in a more serious
light. Even our health is at risk due to global warming.
Beyond the
effects on global temperature, fossil fuel emissions have caused
asthma and allergies
to rise due to increased pollution.
In order to reduce carbon and other harmful gases released
by fossil fuel emissions, we would need to reduce our use of fossil fuels like
coal, oil and natural gas. Renewable energy sources such as solar power,
hydroelectricity, wind power and ethanol could be used in place of fossil fuels
as sustainable, alternative energy sources.
The greater percentage of renewable sources used, the
greater the percentage of carbon emission is reduced. The RAND Corporation ran
a study on how renewable energy use would effect carbon dioxide emissions and
found that “under the 25 percent renewables goal, carbon dioxide emissions from
the electricity and fuel sectors would fall by one billion tons. That
reduction is equivalent to
eliminating
one-seventh of the total U.S. CO2 emissions
projected.”
Switching to
renewable energy is easier than you think.
Being environmentally responsible, living a green lifestyle
and supporting sustainable energy practices doesn’t mean that you have to give
up driving or start using only candles at night. Even by changing small things,
you can help support the move to renewable energy. For instance, of all the
electricity used in the U.S., over 9 percent of it is used in incandescent
bulbs. If all incandescent bulbs in the United States would be replaced by
energy saving bulbs, the same amount of power would be saved as
80 coal centrals can
produce
.
And, as it turns out, helping the environment doesn’t have
to hurt financially. In fact, using renewable energy products reduces the
amount of energy you need, which reduce costs. There are two ways that using
renewable alternative energy products can save you money.
First, there is your electric bill. By
utilizing energy efficient products, you save on your monthly electric bill and
in the cost of replacing the products. For instance,
efficient
lighting
saves on air conditioning and electricity. Using compact
fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
, which are cooler-burning, uses only
one-fourth the energy of standard bulbs and last 10 times as long as standard
bulbs.
And you aren’t just limited
to lighting. There are a significant amount of energy efficient
air
conditioners
and appliances on the market, which typically use half the
energy of most wasteful appliances. The U.S. Department of energy even provides
a
website where you can evaluate your home’s energy
efficiency
.
The second way that you can save money by using renewable
energy products is by employing renewable energy systems for all or part of
your energy needs. Depending on the size of the renewable alternative energy
system used, you can cancel out part, or all, of your utility bill. Renewable
energy systems are
“cost
to own” rather than “cost to buy,”
which means that once you purchase
something like a
solar
water heater
, you never have to pay for the energy to heat your water
again. When you take the time to insulate your home or business properly, use
energy efficient appliances, and ensure that windows and doors are properly
installed and sealed, you lower the amount of energy needed to keep your home
or business up and running. If you install
solar
panels
, you can produce that energy yourself.
And did you know that saving energy can also make money? When
you make your home energy efficient, the base
value of the
home goes up
. The same is true for businesses.And using renewable energy creates more jobs. Energy
efficient sectors such as insulation, recycling, windows/doors, solar
installers, and wind turbine constructors are
constantly
growing
as more and more people turn to renewable energy. Further, jobs
are created
indirectly as the demand for renewable energy products
increases and people are needed to build solar panels, wind turbine parts, et
cetera. Renewable energy allows you to help the economy AND the environment.
Get started going
green today!
Enkomax, Inc. is dedicated to helping you on your journey to
going green. We have everything from LED
light bulbs
(which use only one-fourth the energy of standard bulbs and last 10 times as long
) to solar
panel kits
, at the best prices. Don’t see what you are looking for? Contact us.
