If we want to save the Earth, we must use more renewable energy.
From Wikipedia:


Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight[, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies include solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels.

In 2006, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning. Hydropower was the next largest renewable source, providing 3%, followed by hot water/heating, which contributed 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption.The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.

Renewable energy technologies are sometimes criticised for being intermittent or unsightly, yet the market is growing for many forms of renewable energy. Wind power is growing at the rate of 30 percent annually, with a worldwide installed capacity of over 100 GW, and is widely used in several European countries and the United States.The manufacturing output of the photovoltaics industry reached more than 2,000 MW in 2006,and photovoltaic (PV) power stations are particularly popular in Germany.[8] Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert.. The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW. Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country's automotive fuel.Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA.

While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects and production, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.

Climate change concerns coupled with high oil prices, peak oil and increasing government support are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization. European Union leaders reached an agreement in principle in March 2007 that 20 percent of their nations' energy should be produced from renewable fuels by 2020, as part of its drive to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed in part for global warming. Investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006. This level of investment combined with continuing double digit percentage increases each year has moved what once was considered alternative energy to mainstream. Wind was the first to provide 1% of electricity, but solar is not far behind. Some very large corporations such as BP, General Electric, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell are investing in the renewable energy sector.

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Okay, we have large scale wind farms going up, large scale projects of many kinds in the works, in very many countries, but I would like to point a bit of attention to the rural applications...
Its more, its about economics?
Rather than centralized power, with the masses devoting a % of their incomes to one source...
The more each of us is independent, the less that $ is going into the hands of a few, and into the hands of the many.

Many people I hear talking about total conversions, as if that's what they are waiting for is to raise enough $ to do every thing all at one time, paying a contractor, the whole nine yards for a turn key unit.

That may work fine for some, like those who already have tons of $ to burn.....
But there are many many people who cant afford the "all or nothing" scenario,
I dont think that should stop them!

With me I did not "go green" all at one time.
I started out with a solar panel that sits on the dashboard of a car (all I could afford!)
And I had "a radio"! (a small transistor radio, not as big as one in a car, not enough to power that one I found one it "would" for $1 at a garage sale)

Then I bought some rechargeable flashlight batteries.
I already had a cheap volt meter ( like $15.00 USD at radio shack)
So I could see how much power I had in the flashlight batteries, and be certain of my wire polarity before connecting "anything".
Every month I bought another panel, and soon I had enough, to power a small 4 inch black and white 12 volt TV set.
Then got more panels and soon I had one electric light.

I did not DIVE into this, I worked on it over time, but KEPT working on it constantly improving and adjusting things.

Last year I started homeless and $20.11 income, one (NON-WORKING) wind generator and small set of solar panels.
Used the power from those to run the laptop and make $ online, enough to get 2 more wind generators.
They did not work very well, so I needed more, needed to learn all about them, so I could make one of my own because I could not afford another one but needed more power. In the process I modified the ones I already had so they produce more power.
So last year after I bought a small gas generator (for no wind or sun nor good enough batteries to last in between) I used $57.00 in gasoline.
This year so far $0.00
I have enough for my minimum basic needs and lights on all night long (Alaska winter nights are LONG).
So I make more $ and put up more wind generators and solar panels, even though I already have all I 'need' now I get to start working for what I "want" and thats enough to also run power tools I've converted or gotten that run on 12 volt power.
So I can use these power tools to make more wind generators.

That was not turn key.
I made up my mind to "do it" and started SMALL.
But the reason for all this, is because I'm independent. Not waiting for the utility company to change its power source, I changed my own.
Otherwise I could be waiting another 35 years?

The money not going to them?
I have to spend on my neighbors.
I avoid buying from the wealthy (products of ANY kind)
so I can invest it instead into the working person with a family.
And pay them directly without any MIDDLE man.

The wealthier the average person is, the better off WE ALL are!
So I buy from the average person, not multinational corporations who already have enough of my $

I'm okay with centralized power to power cities and other locations individuals cant supply 100% of their own power.
I'm not okay, with people WANTING to plug into those places without doing any of their OWN power supply.
Because if you really examine things, that is NOT good for the economy.
The more power "the people" have, the better the economy will become.

If the old way worked, how did we get to this mess we are in NOW?
So why try or want, to do things the old way?

And a note: ANYONE thinking of getting an AirX ?
People keep thinking that because they look real advanced they are better....
Well they put out NOISE, and people in rural areas put those up, and next thing you know, there goes ANOTHER TOWN, with bans on home turbines!

They are FINE for REMOTE locations, put out low power and fully automatic to the extent that they would be great for a cabin someplace you plan to go to once a month to keep the batteries topped off.
That does not make them ideal for rural settings nor 12 hour a day demands.
Learn what your doing, no less than you dont just jump into a car and start driving without the first clue what your doing.
You take lessons, and you take it slow.
Study alternative energy, its WORTH IT, because what you learn will help you the rest of your life.

Will save you money,
for the rest of your life.
An update on the Air403 wind generator,
if you own one, please consider the following of which I have done to one of mine, and although I have made other changes also this one may help, especially with noise reduction.
I bypassed the computer in it, I took 3 of the wires coming from the coil (insulated the black one) and ran those to the yaw brushes, then used 3 wire "extension cord" to run those to the battery, were I first connected them to a bridge rectifier to change it from 3 phase alternating current to direct current.
Doing it this way, I no longer need to run heavy copper wire from the wind generator to the battery, I can use extension cords instead, saving hundreds of dollars (depending on the distance) as well as minimizing power loss from the distance from the wind generator to the battery.
BONJOUNO DE LAUSTRALIA Auntie Mareva has a web site that you may be interested in looking at www.The Orion Project talking about Stan Meyer devices, which are going to help eliminate fossel fuel and help the planet.
Do any of you know anyone working in the business of renewable energy? I am also interested to learn more about the large scale generators etc. And the economics etc.

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