We are heating up folks and unless we begin to use the natural resources we have at our disposal, it will burn out. Wind and Solar Power are a great starting point and the technology is rapidly improving. Hydro_electric energy is not being used at the rate it could be and as usual oil company influence and power is leading the way in preventing "the next big thing".
This "next big thing" is here and we must embrace it fully. Let's not do what we did in the seventies and turn this green trend into a fad that fades. Let's make it an institution in this country and world wide. Join us in the fight to define green once and for all as a mandatory goal for all energy users.
Harness Nature Trends
In recent years, many U.S. corporations have deployed renewable energy systems at their headquarters, industrial facilities, and retail stores. These include large corporations—such as Google, Johnson & Johnson, Macy's, Staples, and Wal-Mart—and smaller firms, such as dairy farms, hotels, restaurants, wineries, and a ski resort.
Many companies, however, have yet to take advantage of the incentives available for investing in on-site renewable energy and the opportunities such investment brings. The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed introduction for such businesses on deployment and financing options for renewable energy systems, as well as on the risks and benefits involved. In so doing, our aim is to promote the scaling up of renewable energies as part of a transition by the United States to a low-carbon, high-energy-efficiency economy
Deploying Renewable Energy: The Benefits
Certain renewable energy technologies—such as large-scale wind power, solar thermal water heating, and geothermal heat pumps—are already economically competitive with traditional sources of energy, such as fossil fuels. Even when the cost of power produced by renewables is more than average utility rates, many companies can still save money by using renewables to institute "peak shaving." In peak shaving, companies produce renewable energy during periods of peak power use, when utilities often charge higher rates. In addition, government incentives can significantly reduce the actual cost of renewable systems. These incentives include federal, state, and local tax credits; tax deductions; accelerated depreciation; loans; production incentives; rebates; and grants. Specific benefits for companies deploying renewable energy on-site can include:
- Reducing energy costs or creating a hedge against possible future energy price increases.
- Improving energy reliability at a company's location (depending on system configuration).
- Helping companies to be environmentally responsible and enhance their reputation through a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or a visible commitment to renewable energy.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that concerns about tackling climate change are the key drivers behind the development of biofuels. After all, these plant-based fuels have been heralded by some as the great hope for tackling our spiralling greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
And a new Royal Society study into biofuels, of which I was chair, found that while they don't provide a "silver bullet", these fuels could play a significant and immediate role in cutting emissions from transport. These are responsible for a massive 25% of all the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and growing.
But our study also found there are other forces at play, such as the desire to increase energy security and support rural development, which could result in the promotion of the types of biofuels which do not provide the best greenhouse gas savings and which are potentially harmful to people and the environment.
This is because the term "biofuels" covers many different types of fuels. They can deliver a wide range of greenhouse gas savings depending on a number of factors including where the crop is grown, the efficiency of the conversion process and use of byproducts. They also have varying social and environmental effects - both good and bad - depending on how crops are grown and converted and how the fuel is used.
HydroNaturals believes that if you are feeding the world then using food crops for energy is acceptable.
However we are not feeding the world and there are starving people then we should not be taking a food source to create an energy source. This to us, is an outrage. We have lost our priorities and have put the need for energy ahead of our humanitarian needs. This is not acceptable.
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