Alternative Energy Sources

besides the few killings of migratory birds

Pros : to satisfy the global energy demand, some people like the rotary movement (VERY DEBATABLE), cheap energy if it is located in the right place.

Cons: Electricity output may not be stable (due to wind conditions) but could be solved by newer more efficient electronics, some people don't like the rotary movement, might cause disruption in the national grid but with new electronics this is not a big issue

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We are building a home in the midwest and considering geothermal as a way to heat and cool the building. Geothermal requires some electricity. Solar panels could be the source of that electricity, but I haven't been able to find information of where that has been used or how it's done.

You'd set it up in much the same way that you'd set up a grid connected home, just that you'd have an inverter powering the set-up.

If you want to run on solar power you'll need some kind of backup for night, batteries work OK for small scales although you'll need to replace them every so often (especially if you act like you're still on a grid) although having a grid connection might not be such a bad idea to just run off the grid at night (probably cheaper too).

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I'm looking for sites that contain statistics, charts, diagrams of how much fossil fuels countries use, and how much progress they've made in using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power.

Here's a site, but it only shows statistics for US, the site has many pie charts:

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/energy-overview/

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that would be great!

If you work out the solar irradiation per square meter, you’ll find that there is more than sufficient energy reaching the Earth… the problem is finding an efficient, cheap way to harvest and store it. The other issue is polar regions that might undergo months at a time of darkness.

On a not totally unrelated topic: There’s enough harvestable wind energy to power the world six times over. At the moment though, wind turbines convert about 14% of the total energy in the wind flowing through them. Compare this to coal-fired power stations, which operate at about 30% efficiency: Until coal becomes too expensive to use for fuel, governments will refuse to implement wind and solar on a wide scale. (Though taking into account the environmental cost and long-term payback of renewable sources, they’re worth it now!)

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Or, instead of using solar heat, why not use the heat from volcanos, or underground lava streams to create electricity? Would it be possible? I've often wondered this.

Those energy sources are already being used to some degree. Geothermal energy is being used more and more to heat houses in cold climates. If you have ever been on a sailboat in the Gulf Stream you know the power of that ocean current. The Labrador current is another very strong one. We are in the early stages of uses these forms of energy,but they will be used more and more in the future. At present, the technology is still in the developmental stage and quite expensive.

I hope this helps.

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I'm looking for something besides the usual fuel cells, solar collectors, photovoltaic cells, waste-to-energy, hydro-electric, etc. I think I read somewhere about harnessing body heat for energy. Anyone know anything about that or can give me some links on that or on other developing technologies for alternative sources of energy away from gasoline and natural gas?
Wind mills is included in the "etc.".

The ground temperature several feet beneath your home is fairly constant at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take a few degrees. Circulating water or some other liquid through this region and returning it to your house, delivers to you a source to heat or cool your home to 60 degrees, even if the outside temperature is -10 degrees, or +120 degrees. Now you have solved most of your heating/cooling problems, and all you need is to let the outside air raise the inside temperature from 60 to 74 degrees in the summer, and install a simple secondary heating system (enough to only raise the temperature about 14 degrees) in the winter. Added insulation will even reduce further the need for the winter heat supplement.

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The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) of Texas has a useful calculator that can help you determine the costs and benefits of a solar energy system (link below). They've determined that: "Today, a reasonably priced PV system can supply a families' electricity if they use it efficiently, and if the electric grid isn't near, PV generated electricity may be the cheapest power source."

The Texas Solar Energy Society site has some good information. They're determination is that cost of energy generated from solar is still more expensive than buying "on the grid". (However, in 2006 the cost has risen to 14-16 cents/kWh in many cities.)

> "Compared to the current average price of electricity from a power plant (about 8 cents per kilowatt hour), PV electricity will cost you roughly twice as much, based on a 25 year lifetime.
The system will also appear expensive because you have to bear a large capital expense up front.
Generating enough electricity to power a home inherently takes a large collection area.
The most efficient way of utilizing PV, "grid attach", in which the electric utility buys back energy from you, and basically acts like a giant battery, is frequently discouraged by electric utilities (Austin is an exception). The fate of this "net metering" after deregulation is uncertain.
Batteries, used for energy storage, can be idiosyncratic and short lived, compared to the rest of the system.
As a way of displacing fossil fuel use (and pollution), it is less cost effective than basic conservation, passive solar techniques, and solar water heating. These should be considered first."

There are some Tax Credits:
The tax credits are for 30% of the cost of the system. For individuals the maximum credit is $2000 for photovoltaic systems and $2000 for solar water heating systems in any tax year.

Good luck! Sounds like an exciting project!

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What are some ways energy is waasted?
Whatypes of energy are popular in oyur native countr? (state your country)
What is the main problem with renewable energy sources?

You can't make development of renewable energy an "economic" priority.
You can make it a "political" priority or a "scientific" priority. The economy has his own rule and it doesn't take orders: that is, the renewable nergy will become a priority by itself when the other energy sources will go away or become too expensive.
The science is working on it, we don't have a problem with that. Lots of research money are spent all over the world on this subject.
But the main problem with renewable technology is that is too expensive. Oil is just too cheap. the nature gives it for free, you just have to pump it out. But oil will increase in price as the supplies shrink, and it will finally come to the breaking point when it will become slightly more expensive than, say, biodiesel (wich will become cheaper doe to technological advances). That will be the defining moment that will turn the economy around. But it will happen naturally and gradually, driven by price, like the transition from wood to electricity in home heating and cooking.

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??

Most houses have solar panels (not photo-voltaic panels) to heat water.
Very few (maybe a few hundreds) have their own photo-voltaic panels to generate electricity.
There's an experimental solar power-plant in Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, and there's a new and larger experimental solar power-plant in Rotem industrial zone in the Negev.

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what happens if you make too much electricity, does the power co. say thank you, or does it depend on the power co

Technically, you’ll need the appropriate equipment to convert the power generated by your windmill to 240 VAC in the same phase as your line power. Practically, you need to know if your local electric utility allows “net metering” or not.

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