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By now, you may have noticed that the gasoline price have reached an all time low. You may even try and fill up your car full of gas which is a very rare occurrence nowadays. However, before you celebrate, you may want to remember that the country is also affected by the world financial crisis that makes everything expensive.

So, just why is gasoline getting cheaper while everything else is getting more and more expensive? Well, there are basically a few factors that contribute to the price of gasoline. The first is the price of oil. As most people know, the price of oil is determined by supply and demand. Today, there is a surplus of oil supplies while there are limited demands for it. Even in the United States, the demand for gasoline is getting lower and lower each day.

Because of this, oil producers will need to lower the price of their oil in order for it to sell. With this, the gasoline (which is basically refined oil) will also be priced lower in order to entice people to buy gasoline. However, because we previously experienced a very high priced gasoline just a few months before, we tend to adapt to the system and prefer the money-saving system. So, people still continue on to practice saving money on gasoline, which means that the demand for gasoline is continuing to decline.

And, combine this with the world financial crisis, people tend to be shrewder when it comes to spending their money and filling their car with gasoline is not one that you may consider as a priority to spend money on.

Another reason why gasoline price is continuing to go down is because of credit problems of oil intermediaries. Oil companies use contractors in order to function properly. Contrary to what most people think, the company that ships oil to consuming countries is not owned by the oil company. The same goes for the refinery that converts oil to gasoline and other petroleum products. In short, credit woes that hit the supply chain of oil push the price of oil down.

The world financial crisis puts pressure on hedge funds. With investors unhappy about the performance hedge funds and who are liquidating their positions are starting to sell oil futures first. Why? Well, oil futures are considered to be the easiest to sell and they sell them early on before the price becomes any lower.

One reason why the oil reserves are very high is because oil companies anticipated that Asia, particularly China will keep on growing and demand more oil. This was halted because of the world financial crisis. Because oil companies anticipated a high demand for oil in the future, they stockpiled oil reserves by the millions in barrels.

As you can see, there are so many factors that affect the price of gasoline. So, is there a reason to celebrate the low price of gasoline? Well, you can be happy about it but it’s really not something that you should make a holiday out of. You need to remember that the world is in a financial crisis. It affects the basic commodities and you may just need to breathe easily that the price of gasoline is not rising along with the price of the basic commodities.

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You were probably shocked when we had the record breaking fuel prices both on gasoline and diesel in July 2008. What was more shocking was that at one point, diesel prices become more expensive than gasoline. What happened next was completely unexpected. After a couple of months, fuel prices began to drop steeply. Speculator say that prices will reach as high as $200 per barrel but now, it is at $40 to $60 per barrel.

Still, the government took action by releasing funding on exploration of alternative forms of energy and gave incentives on those who produce crops that will be converted into fuel. While the government had been active in its campaign to become energy independent since time immemorial, it was just recently when crude prices were up, that the government had seriously taken it as a priority.

But is biodiesel the answer to unstable diesel fuel prices?

Originally, the diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable oil. But since petroleum diesel was cheaper then, vegetable oil was simply not an economical choice. But now, pump prices have driven farmers to convert their lands into biodiesel plantations. On one hand, the production of alternative fuel like biodiesel is good since its use will reduce our demand for petroleum oil. And if the demand is low, the prices will follow as well.

Since biodiesel comes from vegetable oil, it is 100% biodegradable. It does not hurt the environment. Furthermore, a wide spread use of biodiesel in the future will help solve air pollution in big cities because biodiesel help reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emissions. The decrease on petroleum consumption has a good environmental effect.

On the other hand, experts say that while converting farmlands into biodiesel will ease the demand on petroleum products, it will drive the food prices up and may create food shortage. This is because lands that are supposed to be used in producing food are now producing fuel. Many farmers are now focused on fuel production and not on food production. Early signs of food shortage were felt right after farmers began planting more corn. It should be remembered that just recently, corn prices began to rise because of the increasing demand for biodiesel. Prices of other farm-produced fruits and vegetables rose as well.

It is important, therefore, to understand the effects of solving one problem. Does it create another problem in the process? Or will it just be a temporary solution? It is also important not to focus too much on solving a particular problem.

There are other ways to get biodiesel. Recycled restaurant grease, vegetable oil and animal fats can be used to drive your diesel engine vehicle. Other alternative forms of energy that are both efficient and do not harm the environment include solar energy, electric and even water.

No one really knows what the future of diesel fuel prices is, but one thing is for sure: if high prices happened before, it is not impossible that it will happen again. But that doesn’t mean that we focus our attention solely on producing biodiesels. We have to find and develop other forms of energy that will not compromise other important commodities. There is nothing wrong with using biodiesel but make sure that biodiesels will not become the problem that is much harder to solve.

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In business, one of the great factors to work by is when there is price stability or at least predictability. Today, even a semblance of stability may be the first thing that is thrown out of the window as crisis upon crisis hits. In most business planning, a good part of the yearly budget allocation goes to the powering up of machineries and to vehicles for the distribution of goods and materials. As diesel fuel prices fluctuate heavily, business predictability suffers, margins are lost and for medium to small businesses the existence could sometimes be a struggle to stay afloat.

Diesel fuel like any commodity is market driven; it is subjected to the mechanics of supply and demand.

Factors influencing supply and costs
Several factors are attributable to this but the common factor is that as intense pressure is demanded on its supply, the result is a spike in prices. This had been going on for the past several years due to the emergence of developing countries and the continued dependency on oil of the developed ones.

Another factor is the practice of the Oil Producing Countries (OPEC) in setting upper production limits on its members. OPEC members produce 40% of the worlds’ crude and its reserves are estimated to hold 66% of total world reserves. Prices are also heavily affected by trade disruptions and wars. This is more so when it affects productivity like the present war on Iraq. Major price fluctuations also happened during the 1980 Iran-Iraq War and the Oil Embargo in 1973.

One of the greater causes is that few alternative sources of energy are available. If an alternative source of energy is available, the demand for oil will decline rapidly and the product supply and demand will become more balanced. This could result in the rapid decline of crude prices. Sadly though that even until this time, when other resources are actually available and should have been tapped and supported, nothing much had been happening. Solar energy for example has been there and is a great source, its technology has been around since 1950 but it has not gained as much patronage and political will to develop and implement as it should have received.

Due to the continued dependency on oil and its derivatives, refining capacity has been getting tight. While the oil dependence of the vehicle fleet and industry of the United States has been a known value since oil was discovered in the 1930’s and has always had a healthy supply of this commodity, the accelerating growth of industries in China that has been growing industrially only for the last 20 years (thereby accelerating the demand), and the growing requirements of other countries like India and Russia have placed a strain on its production.

Taxes. After the combined cost of the raw crude, refining and distribution, taxes are levied. The tax then gets a boost (even if only in increments) every time there is an increase in crude oil refining.

The recent price fluctuations in oil and its byproducts have once again placed a focus on the tapping of additional and alternate sources of energy. This time may it play out well as even when other oil wells could be tapped, even these could eventually tap out.

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When diesel was much cheaper than gasoline, everybody went to buy diesel engine vehicles. But the soaring prices of crude oil in the world market and the increased demand for diesel have significantly increased diesel fuel prices, especially in July 2008. While it is becoming cheaper now, no one really knows if diesel prices will stay at its current low price level. And so technologists, scientists and environmentalists have developed alternative fuel to fight the soaring cost of fuel prices including diesel and gasoline.

Biodiesel

Originally, the diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable seed oil or peanut oil. But since petroleum fuel was cheaper then, people have forgotten that diesel engine can run on these natural oils. Now, it is making a comeback. Biodiesel, as we know it today, can be soybean oil, animal fats, vegetable oil or recycled restaurant grease. The good thing is, any diesel engine can run effectively on B20 (a mixture of 20 parts biodiesel and 80 parts petroleum diesel). These natural oils are clean and biodegradable. Biodiesel has lower carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulates emissions.

LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)

LPG is a byproduct of petroleum refining, which are widely used for home heating and cooking, can be a substitute to diesel fuel. LPG is cheaper than all petroleum products. It contains hydrocarbons and vapor at its normal pressure and temperature. Its main component is propane. LPG is widely available and can be used as an alternative fuel with a conversion kit.

Ethanol (E85)

Ethanol is made from fermented biomass, usually corn. Completely biodegradable and renewable, ethanol is clean and doesn’t contribute to greenhouse gas emission. It got the name, E85 because it is composed of 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline. Although it is becoming widely available today and can be used on any diesel engine vehicle, E85 is pricier than other types of alternative fuel.

Methanol

Methanol is naturally abundant on earth or can be made by fermenting biomass. It is somewhat similar to ethanol. However, the availability of methanol is still a problem.

Electricity

The two main issues of electric cars are: it cannot cope with the current traffic and battery life. But with the release of the first sports car that runs on pure electricity – Tesla – these 2 issues are put to rest. However, the technology has yet to completely take off. There may be developments here and there but aside from Tesla, there are very few (plug-in) electric cars on the market today. Aside from this, electric cars are very expensive. The next best option, then, is to go hybrid. Hybrid cars have electric motor and diesel or gasoline engine (there are other types of hybrid cars). Although they are more expensive than regular cars with diesel or gasoline engine, they have the best fuel mileage the market can readily offer.

Hydrogen

The most abundant element on earth is hydrogen so it is only fitting to use it as a form of energy. But you cannot get hydrogen for free; it can be made by electrically splitting (electrolyze) water to its basic components – hydrogen and oxygen. In a sense, a hydrogen-powered car runs on water. Unfortunately, the market has yet to see mass-produced hydrogen cars.

You may have noticed that almost all alternative fuels have a problem of their own. But with the undergoing development and constant research, it won’t be long before we see our vehicles running effectively from any of these alternative fuels.

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A lot of people are wondering why gasoline prices today have reached at an all time low when just a few months before, the price for gasoline was really the most expensive since the Iran-Iraq war. Well, it’s not that people are complaining about it but people are really curious as to why this happened. Why the sudden rise in price and the sudden decrease in price?

As most people know, the price of gasoline and other petroleum products depends on the price of oil. If oil is expensive, then gasoline will also be expensive. Now, the price of oil depends largely on the law of supply and demand. If there is a surplus of oil in the reserves and limited demand for it, then the price of oil will be cheap which also means cheap gasoline and other oil products.

Today, there are quite a lot of supply of oil in the reserves and limited demand. This basically explains why gasoline has reached an all time low when it comes to the price. Now, why is it that gasoline is at a very low demand when winter is already coming? This is the time of the year where oil demand is usually very high as people use it in order to heat their homes.

There are quite a lot of reasons why there is a low demand for oil and high supply for it. The first reason is the high priced gasoline only a few months before. People became more conservative when it comes to buying gasoline for their car. Some have started selling their old conventional car and buy new hybrid vehicles that are more fuel efficient. Others are now using mass transportation system such as the bus and subways as a primary way to go to work and school. And, there are also others who organized carpools with neighbors and coworkers in order to save gasoline. People have adjusted to the past gasoline price hike and is continuing to practice it because of the huge savings they made and only realized.

So, just what is the reason for the vast reserves of oil? Well, oil companies thought that Asia is continuing to grow and demand more oil especially China. However, after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the growth in Asia started to cool down. Also, the growth was affected by the world financial crisis which is also affecting the US today.

Because of this, Asian countries have limited the amount of oil they buy and the anticipated demand didn’t come true. The reserves were unusually high and with limited demand for oil, the price for oil took a plunged along with the price of oil products, such as gasoline.

The world financial crisis is another reason why demand for gasoline and oil is continuing to go down. The fact that people are becoming shrewder when it comes to spending their money, they now save money for emergencies instead of filling their cars with gasoline.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of reasons why gasoline price today is continuing to plunge. In fact, just last July, the price for gasoline was already at its highest at 4 dollars. Just this November, the price went down to almost 2 dollars. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of decrease. These are the reasons why gasoline prices are getting lower and you can continue to expect it to go even lower by the end of the year.

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By and large, the soaring high diesel fuel prices nowadays are generating a shocking effect on all and sundry. With the impact of recession, nearly all country leaders are calling on the citizens to tighten their belts and be ready for the further distractions that may come along. This is not fun at all, so to speak.

A Quick Background

Diesel fuel is named after its creator, Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer. The design was originally patented in the year 1892. Basically introduced to be cheaper than the price of gasoline, diesel has nowadays been subject to the increase in cost. In any part of the globe, diesel is an integral part of the economy. Just like in America, diesel is vital in the people’s way of life, the country’s economy, as well as its overall security. With its value being openly escalating, USA and the rest of the diesel fuel dependents are somehow downtrodden.

Diesel Fuel and How it is Made

The petroleum diesel is said to be refined and distillated from crude oil. In fact, the No. 2 distillate is the most popularly used among the myriad of types or grades. It is also the principal source of motor diesel fuel as used up in the entire United States. It proves useful in heating the buildings and is utilized by most major industries. After all, it contains low sulfur.

On the other hand, you should have heard about the term “biodiesel”. This is another type of fuel which had been unraveled by Rudolf Diesel. It was originally thought of to be rooted from vegetable seed oil. As of the latest technology, biodiesel can be made from animal fats, vegetable oils, and even out of second-hand restaurant grease. Since it is characterized as more nature-friendly, it lessens the emission of carbon monoxide, particulates, and the hydrocarbons. Mixing up 80% of petroleum diesel with 20% biodiesel generally enhances the elimination of sulfur from the diesel fuel engine.

An Explanation on the High Price of Diesel Fuel

You might be wondering why the price of diesel fuel is now more than the price of gasoline. Before, diesel fuel had a lower cost but things have changed. There are factors that affect its price change. They are the following:

The changing season. During the winter season, the demand for the distillate heating oil is up and about so the value of which is also made higher. Talk about the law of supply and demand!

Excise taxes. When the taxes are expensive, then its price also increases.

The value and the worldwide supply of crude oil. The capacity to produce the supply of crude oil along with the assigned value also creates an impact on its price.

The height of refining capacity and international demand. Since the world largely depends on the diesel fuel refineries in the United States, there are times when its capacity ends up too tight thus increasing its cost.

Economic status. Typically the price of diesel fuel is affected by the stability of the economy.

Other factors that affect the diesel fuel prices include the cost of transportation from the refineries and the terminals, the local and regional competition, the costs of equipment, rent, salaries, insurance, local and state fees. So, have you gauged why the value of this much-needed fuel unpredictable?

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The Future of Solar PV (Photovoltaic) Energy
1. The Problem
2. The Solution
3. The Results
4. The Benefits
5. An Investment in the Future

1. The Problem:

Traditional sources of electrical power generation are running out as production will peak in the next decade but demand will continue to rise. Energy prices will continue to rise at a higher rate as well as the number of outages during peak hours. There is the obvious problem of the pollution we are causing to our environment.

From my perspective, the world’s energy needs vary greatly; there is no clear single solution to the problem of supplying the world’s energy.

All forms of energy production have issues associated with them, i. e. -

1. Coal – Pollution/Strip Mining
2. Natural Gas – Cost and Lack of Infrastructure
3. Hydro – Limited Availability/Environmental Concerns
4. Wind – Limited Site and Resource Availability
5. Solar PV – Higher Cost
6. Nuclear – Waste disposal

2. The Solution:

Solar PV (Photovoltaic) systems effectively deliver three to five hours of peak power per day at roughly 10 Watts per square foot. Not one square inch of new land would be required to site PV. Theoretically, there are adequate residential, commercial, Government rooftops, and parking structures in California to power a substantial percentage of our State’s electrical needs from solar.

In Southern California, solar produces a net energy gain in approximately three years. This means that within three years, PV systems begin producing more energy than the energy spent in producing the system and its raw materials. Best of all, the energy produced cost zero emissions.
At today’s prices, a typical solar system costs approximately $8.00/watt, installed and has an operating life in excess of 25 years. For all intents and purposes, maintenance and operating costs are minimal. Now there are systems available for rent. Companies such as Citizenre at www.jointhesolution.com/rethink-solar allow you to create solar power of a unit that is installed, maintained and monitored by them. You merely pay the monthly rental fee for you clean electricity which is the same price as you pay the electric company for you electricity. Also they allow you to lock in a rate now for up to 25 years so you are paying the same price throughout the entire contract.
3. The Results:

Solar energy increases the diversity of power and adds stability to a fossil fuel favored energy structure, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
4. The Benefits:
– Solar can be quickly deployed at the point of use, reducing the need for additional transmission and distribution infrastructure, and cost thereof.

– Solar operates most efficiently at mid day, when grid demand is at its peak. By decreasing the strain during peak hours, the longevity of existing power plants and infrastructure is extended, lowering further the cost of energy production.

– By deploying solar over time the cumulative effect of the installed base is impressive. Given its 25-year life, within 10 to 20 years, a respectable portion of California’s energy could be supplied by solar.

– Once installed, the cost is fixed. In comparison to traditional sources of energy, the fuel cost is nonexistent, and operational costs are limited. A solar system’s cost is amortized over its life, there are no rate hikes due to fuel or operating cost increases.
5. An Investment in the Future:

There are some negatives. Presently, solar costs more than traditional energy generation. Its efficient use is limited to daylight hours unless storage is employed. Admittedly, the solar industry today is not large enough to address all of our needs. The solar industry does not have the financial influence to compete with existing utilities, which typically oppose PV, within political circles. (Industry revenues globally represent only 3.0B/year). Globally, the industry has experienced an annual growth rate in excess of 18% in over a decade. This rate of growth is equivalent to that of semiconductor, telecommunications and computer industries.

Clearly, there is no easy solution to California’s energy problem. No doubt, a variety of technologies and tools are needed to ensure California’s energy independence and security.
The Solar Industry Needs Your Support
For those interested in promoting a clean, safe and environmentally friendly source of energy, I urge you to write your representatives in the State and Federal Government. Make it clear you vote for representatives who support current legislation aimed at advancing the deployment of solar energy, such as the net metering law which allows the solar producer to feed surplus power onto the grid, causing the meter to spin backward, lowering the electric bill. Tax credits and deployment subsidies provide the revenues necessary to support research and development of more efficient solar systems.

Remember, in the 1970′s the State of California enacted emission standards that surpassed the rest of the nation. The argument against these standards was the cost of such improvements. Almost 30 years later, the impact is in the air and reflected in the increased fuel economy of the vehicles we drive.

Solar energy is part of the solution and is a key to America’s long-term energy supply. After all, fossil fuels have a long history of issues with respect to stability of supply and cost.
The Outlook of Solar Power is Bright!
1. Solar will sustain its torrid growth, as costs continue to fall. The solar market has grown at ~40% per annum in recent years, and there are many reasons to think that it will sustain, if not exceed, that clip in 2008. Solar panel prices have followed a predictable experience curve since the 1970’s, with prices dropping by 20% with each doubling of manufacturing capacity. As the silicon-dominated industry moves to thinner and higher-efficiency wafers, increases manufacturing scale, improves wafer and cell processing technologies, sees polysilicon prices return to rational levels, and migrates production to lower-cost countries –- costs will continue to drive towards parity with grid rates, and solar will become increasingly more attractive. Companies have developed creative PPA (power-purchase agreement) financing models to reduce or eliminate upfront installation costs, which will make solar more accessible for a wider range of corporate and residential customers. The election year should also see more state subsidy support for solar and a renewal of the federal tax credit, which will further bolster growth.
2. Emerging startups that benefit from the polysilicon supply shortage will face increased pressure, as the poly-Si crunch begins to ease. Solar veterans can debate the timing endlessly, but many expect additional poly-Si supply to come online by late 2008. Startups that tout silicon-independent solar solutions, like concentrators and thin film (CIGS, a-Si, CdTe, etc.), will face pressure to come to market more quickly, as their cost/supply advantages erode with greater availability of poly-Si and a retreat from spot-pricing. E.g., none of the CIGS thin-film startups, which have collectively received hundreds of millions in investment in recent years, managed to reach mass commercialization this past year as many had projected. They will continue to be under pressure to reach market before the window of opportunity closes.
3. Entrepreneurs will increasingly look beyond cell and module production. As the technology-heavy areas of cell and module production get crowded, more and more entrepreneurs look to startup opportunities in the downstream balance-of-systems part of the value chain. This area has seen less attention to date, yet makes up ~50% of the total installed cost. Novel packaging techniques, distributed inverter / MPP tracking / power management technologies, systems monitoring solutions, streamlining of the installation process, and creative solar financing models — entrepreneurs increasingly recognize the ripe opportunity in this part of the solar business, and 2008 should see heightened startup activity in this area.
4. China and India will begin to emerge as strong domestic markets for solar. With a 500 MW coal-fired plant going up in China every week, the growth of greenhouse gas emissions has reached dizzying levels. China already “boasts” 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, with hundreds of thousands a year dying prematurely from such pollution. Many experts expect that the government will spend tens of billions of dollars in the next 5-10 years –- a significant portion going to solar -– to reach the mandate of 15% from renewables by 2020. In India, where the energy shortfall has reached 15% and domestic coal reserves will run out in ~50 years, the government is actively pursuing incentive policies and feed-in tariffs to help drive the use of solar and other renewables. 2008 should see further policy refinement in both countries, which will spur increased domestic adoption of solar.

Few people doubt solar energy’s potential, but many wonder when it will be reached. “In the long term, solar may well play an important role,” Karg says. “I personally expect a contribution of 10 to 20% of the global electricity production, mainly in the form of grid-connected systems.” However, he does not foresee that happening within the next 20 years.
Nevada Solar One
The sun sits high over the Nevada desert in the Eldorado Valley, gleaming off the upside down rows of mirrored parabolic trough collectors at the Nevada Solar One power plant.
At 64 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity, Nevada Solar One is the largest CSP plant to be built in 15 years. While the plant won’t come online until April, its construction marks the revival of an industry that has seen almost no market growth in over a decade.

The plant was developed by Acciona Energy and Solargenix Energy — two companies that have worked hard behind the scenes to get the CSP industry up and running again.

The plant uses parabolic trough collectors to generate electricity. The mirrored troughs face the sky and direct sunlight to a large metal and glass receiver in the middle of the trough that holds circulating oil. The oil travels to heat exchangers, which heat water and create steam to run a turbine. Parabolic troughs are one of three commercialized CSP technologies.

Further down the row of parabolic troughs, Plant Manager Bob Cable admires the impressive devices before him.

“I’ve been working with this technology for the last decade,” Cable says. “I’ve seen some impressive gains in technological advancement, and now we’re seeing more broad acceptance of the technology as the market becomes more attractive.”

Indeed, after roughly a decade of little growth for the industry, CSP is coming back strong. And it’s not just parabolic trough collectors that are experiencing a boom. Power towers, which use heliostats to focus solar energy on a central receiver to produce steam, and dish systems, which use reflectors to power a generator at the dish’s focus point, are making great strides in technological capabilities, lower costs and market acceptance.

But according to Thomas Rueckert, Program Manager for CSP Management at the U.S. Department of Energy, parabolic troughs are the most advanced.

“Because of the track record [the parabolic trough industry] had in southern California with the 354 megawatts (MW) operating — and actually improving in performance — I think you’re seeing the financial institutions more willing to embrace trough technology because it’s proven and the risks are less,” said Rueckert.

Rueckert was referring to the 354 MW of parabolic trough collectors installed in California’s Mojave Desert between 1984 and 1990. Those plants are still operating today, currently producing energy at around $0.12-$0.14/ per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and proving the technology can provide clean, reliable energy to the grid.

The Nevada Solar One plant will produce electricity at around $0.15-$0.17/kWh. While those costs are double what area residents pay for electricity, Nevada Solar One will sell energy to two utilities through a power purchase agreement (PPA). The PPA will ensure a fixed cost for the electricity over a long period, making the solar power economical down the line.

Now that global investment in CSP is increasing, technology costs are decreasing and renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the U.S. are requiring more solar generation, project costs for all CSP technologies should come down significantly in the coming years, said DOE’s Rueckert.

“All of those things have really opened the door,” he said. “And it’s interesting that all three technologies are pushing forward, which was kind of unexpected.”

Back at Nevada Solar One, Acciona Solar’s Cohen stands before the group of reporters and members of the solar industry who have come to witness the rebirth of CSP.

“The potential is huge. It was difficult to get the attention of the financial institutions in the U.S., but right now we have their attention. We get a lot of people asking us, ‘how can we develop this technology?’”

Dr. Alex Marker, Research Fellow for Schott North America, Inc., stands to the side of Cohen, nodding his head. Schott is certainly feeling the positive impact of increased CSP development. To meet the demand for its glass receivers, the company brought a new receiver manufacturing facility online in Germany last summer and is developing another facility in Spain that will come online in early 2008.

“I think [the market] is going to grow drastically,” says Marker, looking over at the receivers in the troughs. “We’re happy to be a part of this new development.”

Now that financial institutions are noticing CSP, companies like Acciona and Solargenix will be able to tap into the vast resource potential in the Southwestern U.S.

According to figures from DOE’s Solar Lab, 20,000 MW of CSP capacity could come online in the U.S. by 2020 with the proper investment and technological capabilities. Rueckert seemed optimistic that a large amount of those resources will be tapped.

“When this plant comes online next month, it’s going to be a great success,” he said. “The market is exploding and things are really taking off.”

Indeed, a solar panel for your home, whether brand new, second hand or rented, is definitely a wise choice as it helps you in minimizing your electric bills, helps the worlds growing energy needs and is especially an environmentally healthy and helpful choice.

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Many a person, myself included, has gone on and on about the benefits of solar energy. While theoretical arguments are always interesting, what about daily applications?

Uses for Solar In Every Day Life

Solar energy is an important advance in the effort to save the environment. Perhaps the most easily usable and most convenient of the renewable energy sources (which also include wind and water), solar energy has been used since the beginning of time as a heating source. In the 1830′s one of the other solar energy platforms was developed, as a solar energy cooker was used on a safari. Since then, many other solar energy applications have been formulated, and almost everyone can take advantage of one of these.

One of the most common of the solar energy application is to use it as a power source. Since the 1970′s, many people have been putting solar collectors on their roofs and using the resulting collected power to run their households. While having enough solar collectors to obtain power that will run an entire house may not be common, it is becoming more so. Most of these types of solar powered homes run their appliances and other needs directly off the solar collectors’ power during the day, and use power that was stored from the solar cells in batteries at night. In this way, the homeowner can avoid ever having to use power that was generated by a non-renewable resource.

Another of the common solar energy applications is to use solar power to heat your hot water. These systems can either use passive solar energy (in the case of heating a tank of water by leaving it out in the sun) or by using solar collectors with a heat transfer fluid. These systems require the homeowner to install solar panels, behind which run tubes filled with fluid. These tubes collect the heat from the sun and transfer it into the fluid – these tubes, filled with the heated fluid, then run around a water storage system, and the heat from the fluid is transferred into the water. Another way is to have water running through the tubing and have it obtain the sun’s heat directly – this heated water is then pumped into swimming pools, so that pool owners don’t need to run a pool heater to keep their water warm.

In the last 10 to 15 years, solar manufacturers have started to develop new, creative applications for solar power. One development is the portable solar panel, a popular product used on RVs by vacationers. On a smaller scale, there are solar panel packs that fold out like a small ledger and are used to power up anything from laptops to cell phones. As time passes, new products along this line are expected to continue to come on the market.

It doesn’t matter which of the solar energy applications you choose to implement in your own home or life – even a small change to solar power over traditional power sources can help the environment. The more we can use solar energy, the less dependent we become on non-renewable resources, and the more we help the Earth.

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Wind turbines are used for several reasons but the main reason is to generate energy from the wind. This may sound difficult but it is possible. You experience energy from the wind whenever someone runs past you quickly. A second after they pass you can feel the wind from them going by. This wind that you feel if produced in a great amount can be converted into energy. You may have seen the tall turbines standing in the fields when you drive by. There is the older classic model windmill that helped to crush grain when the windmill blades would turn, it would turn a mechanism inside which was attached to a device that would crush grain for flour. There are several different locations that are perfect for the wind power and depending on where they are as to how much energy they produce.

OffShore Turbines can be placed offshore in order to produce energy from wind in the air and from the water. They don’t bother the view as much when they are out on the water and the noise that they make cannot be heard on land. The average wind speed is higher on the water because the water has less surface roughness and can use every part of energy from the wind. There are several different locations today that you might see wind turbines offshore and there are more building in the future. The one main complaint with people and turbines is the noise they make. It is constant and annoying to some. The other complaint is that they are tall and not pleasant to look at.

While all of these are true the main reason for wind turbines is to find an alternative to using fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources to produce our power. When a tower is built offshore it may cost more money in the long run because the towers need to be higher so there will be no restrictions. Turbines access power through undersea cable which may use high voltage direct current. The sea salt may also cut down on the length of time these turbines stay in shape.

Near Shore These turbines can be seen but not heard. They are on water so they can produce enough energy compared to being totally on the land. Because the sea shore lines are considered to be very windy due to the tides coming in and the wind on the water, it becomes the perfect location for a turbine. There are issues and concerns with how wildlife is using these towers and zones for their nesting and habitats. There is another concern that the shoreline wind farms are not in the best interests of those who wish to come to the shore line to visit. It becomes a sight to see and hear the generation of power through these wind mills. The size of the towers can be minimal but this causes controversy as well because the smaller the tower the lesser amount of energy to produce.

Off shore and near shore are the choices we have. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one. We have to weigh the results with the problems to see which way may be best for everyone.

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We have become accustomed to turning a dial or pushing a button in order to have heat. These ways are nice but they may be inconvenient as well. Heating homes, schools or businesses with solar energy is not only easy but cost effective as well. There are several ways that we can capture the sun’s heat even in winter times. In order to capture the sun’s heat you need a solar source. This source can be something that will attract the sun rays but trap the heat from it when it enters the source. A good example is a sunroom.

These rooms are attached to a home or a building and are constructed of glass panels from the floor to the ceiling. It is usually facing the morning sun in order to get the full affect of the heat. When the sun shines into the room the glass allows the sunrays heat the furniture and everything in the room. These areas become the source that holds the heat in so that it will not escape back out of the glass. This type of heating is natural and can be very efficient if it is constructed correctly.

Other forms of solar power heat are:

Thermal mass that absorbs and holds in the heat. It traps and holds heat while the sun is shining and disperses the heat when the sun goes down.

Trombe Wall is a natural solar heating and ventilation system that uses air channels to hold the heat between a glass object and a thermal mass that is facing the sun. The sunlight gets trapped and stored inside this wall and is then circulated though vents and the top and the bottom of the wall. The wall radiates the heat.

Transpired collector is also a wall that is used facing the sun. The wall absorbs the sunlight and heats the air when it enters into the ventilation system.

Solar Cooling is a great way to ventilate a building. It absorbs the solar heat and cools it making ice with a solar powered steam engine that is attached to a cooling device.

Solar Chimney is also a solar ventilation system. It is made of a thermal mass that is hollow inside. The chimney will warm the air inside the chimney and causing the heat to rise. The rise allows the air to circulate and vent properly.

There are several ways that we can provide heating and cooling to our homes, businesses, buildings or other structures that need to be heated. The ways listed above are by using all natural material that will pay off in the long run when you have heat using the sun and not an artificial heating source that may be produced by non-renewable resources. We all need heat no matter what. We need to find out what ways we can save the heat from the day to keep our house warm at night. Not only does it work for heating but also cooling as well.

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