Archive for December, 2009
National Clean Energy Project, Part 1
Leaders from the public and private sectors met in Washington, DC on February 23rd to discuss ideas to reform U.S. energy policy, and pave the wave for our economic future. Individuals included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, energy executive T. Boone Pickens, Center for American Progress Action Fund President John Podesta, and former Vice President Al Gore.
This is 1 of 4 videos from the event. Get more information at TheAutoChannel.com.
Duration : 0:58:54
Posted in clean energy | 
Tags: alternative fuel, clean energy, cng, ecology, Environment, gasoline, gore, natural gas, oil, pickens, propane, rei, solar, Wind-power | 
2 Comments »
Some Homemade Power Supply Ideas and Green Energy Use
Homemade Power Supply
This is also good for voltage regulation/stabilization of some “green energy” voltage sources that may fluctuate/vary a bit and you need a stable/steady voltage souce for a project.
I will put more text here soon, and check often.
The LM317 chip allows for a low number of parts (maby 7 parts, plus cords and.or boxs) to be required to make a fixed or variable voltage/power supply. There are similar chips and I will try to put some numbers up. For the power supplies in the video, the chip is rated at about 1.25V to about 25V and 1.5 Amps of Current. There are some LM317 versions that will allow more or less current also.
You can get just about all the parts at Radio Shack, but their prices are high it seems. Radio Shack is good if you need something right away. You can order the LM317 IC chip from major suppliers, and on Ebay for a deal – some already heat-sinked on a board and ready to go. If you can pick up several at a time to save on shipping, etc. They are only about $1 US now. You can even use machine screws or speaker-jack screws for the input and output terminals.
Radio-Shack also does have some nice electronic “kits” with easy hook up springs for the wires. These are the popular “100 in 1″ or “200 in 1″ , or “300 in 1″ type kits, they are very affordable and have all sorts of endless learning and projects that somene can learn and do, and even use for prototyping your electronic designs and circuits.
If you cant find a transformer or get one cheap enough, a computer power supply is a good option – then can provide many amps of current at fixed 5V and 12Vdc.
I crammed the parts into the box, so it is a good idea to get a box with some extra space, and for additional ideas you may come up with – for instance, having 2 supplies in the same box, or adding meters, or other circuits. A wooden box is also highly possible.
Here are some schematics for using the LM317 chip, or do your own search – most of these circuits are similar, but some have some advantages:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=lm317%20basic%20circuit&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
You need a power supply if you plan on designing circuits and making projects. You can get by with a “wall-wart” transformer if it supplies enough current, but those are usually at a fixed/non-adjustable voltage. You can also purchase premade supplies from many electronic parts distributers, check online.
Here is a nice site that explains the LM317 and has some circuits for you, like for solar battery rechargers, etc: http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM317T-Voltage-Regulator-Chip.htm
Here is a similar IC chip with a lower voltage loss “dropout”: LM2941 : http://www.reuk.co.uk/LM2941-1A-Low-Dropout-Adjustable-Regulator.htm
I know the vid. isnt the greatest it can be, I actually didnt want to do it because I’t been a while since I made it (around 1994) and I’m loose on all that is in it, etc, so I just decided to do a quick vid. that should have been made a while ago so that others can have the opportuniity to make/work with voltage regulators, fixed and/or variable voltages. Anyway there is some vids on similar power supplies made previously here on YouTube.
Duration : 0:4:37
Solar Energy Basics for Your Home
http://www.RethinkSolarPower.info A basic explanation of how your solar panels for your home will work… This video answers the question, “How is solar energy used?”
Copyright © 2007 BSW
Duration : 0:1:4
Posted in solar energy |
Tags: solar, solar energy, solar-energy-basics, solar-energy-for-home, solar-energy-home |
23 Comments »
Time has run out! Help save the planet!
Be informed on the current state of technology and how you can help to save our planet. Don’t let greed and the pursuit of profit be our downfall. See what Obama and other politicians have to say about the current state of the environment. Vote NOW at http://oil.allourvoices.org
Studies today are showing that there are many other renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, tidal/wave, and geothermal. Researchers claim that these clean sources of energy are held back only because of the market domination and profit greed of the current energy companies.
On the other side of the spectrum, people are claiming that the climate changes we are facing have little to do with our consumption of fossil fuels, and is merely a cyclical event that our planet is going through.
What do YOU think? What’s your opinion?
Duration : 0:6:33
CVPS Cow Power – Renewable energy one cow at a time.
CVPS Cow Power™ offers significant benefits to CVPS electric customers, participating Vermont farmers and the environment, and furthers state policy. Some customers want to reduce their reliance on non-renewable energy, so providing customers with a renewable energy choice is important. Cow Power will provide a new income stream to participating farmers, help reduce some of the water quality impacts of farming through the introduction of innovative manure management technologies, and significantly reduce manure odors, particularly during spreading. Participating farms may also reduce bedding costs by using dry byproducts of the process in place of sawdust or other bedding. Funds not supporting farm methane power will support other renewable generation resources.
Duration : 0:7:28
Posted in renewable energy |
Tags: Central Vermont Public Service, Cow Power, cows, CVPS, CVPS Cow Power, methane, methane energy, renewable energy |
No Comments »