Posts Tagged ‘fuel’

The Best Way Get Off The Grid?

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

I do not know whether it has ever occurred to you, but you can get off the grid. The electricity grid that is. Is it anything that you are interested in? For some people, getting off the grid is the Holy Grail of modern life. We all believe that we are being milked dry by the energy firms and our soldiers are being killed on a daily basis to safeguard the West\’s supply of fossil fuels.

If the same amount of money was invested in developing alternative technology, we would not have to import so much oil, but that would mean less profits for the energy bosses as well. So the average guy on the street loses out to the rich oil tycoons and people are squeezed for money and people die on both sides.

You cannot rely on these people to help you use less energy, it is not in their interest. The only thing you can do is take the bull by the horns and sort yourself out. Get yourself off the grid, save yourself money in the long term and help save the planet and our soldiers too.

It is often assumed that self-sufficiency in energy is only for nerds, but this is not true, it is now within the reach of every family or household. If you have plenty of money, a solar or wind powered system will cost you about $45,000 and it will take about ten years to recover your investment by getting off the grid. However, you can have the same apparatus for much less than half that sum.

The fact is that technology has advanced rapidly in the realm of solar power, as it has in every other technological sphere. Scorching sunshine is no longer necessary to create a steady flow of electricity and prices have fallen. However, labour prices have risen and over-compensated for this fall. Herein lies our opportunity.

It is not difficult to construct your own solar panels and the components are readily available in even small towns. The same holds true for systems that will create electricity from wind or water. The trick is to get a detailed plan from which to build your solar panels or other equipment.

These plans are readily available online from specialist web sites and the pieces of equipment are available from DIY or hobbyist stores. Once you have made your sustainable energy resources, they are practically maintenance free, although you may have to top up the batteries with sulphuric acid or distilled water.

Living off the grid is a wonderful feeling. Knowing that you are out of the clutches of the oil barons brings more freedom and the next time there is a power cut or a price rise, you can just give a smile and forget about it, because you will be living off the grid.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic – alternative power sources. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Hybrid Vehicles In The Early Twenty-First Century.

Friday, July 8th, 2011

You would almost certainly be surprised to hear that hybrid cars have been with us since the very earliest days of automotive history, but you will not be astonished to be told that the technology has come on in leaps and bounds for the last ten years. In fact, the technology in hybrid cars has reached the level where fuel consumption in a hybrid can be half that of in a conventional internal combustion engine only car.

Half or even less than half under sure circumstances like driving in town, especially in busy traffic. In fact, when a hybrid is either cruising on electric or stopping and starting in heavy traffic, there will be no use of petrol or diesel whatsoever, which means that you are driving ‘without cost’.

I put without cost in parentheses because a hybrid vehicle is still substantially dearer than a car with a traditional engine. However, even given the added cost of a hybrid vehicle, you can save that excess cost over the average life time of the vehicle because of the saving on fuel. Obviously, the higher the cost of fuel, the sooner you will recover your extra initial outlay on the price of the hybrid.

Maybe you are thinking that hybrid vehicle manufacturers are profiteering on the backs of car drivers who want to do their bit for the environment. Well, you would not be alone in thinking that, yet the cost of developing hybrid technology was and still is expensive and someone has to account it.

That means you and me, the end-users. Well, that is standard, but in some countries, the government has stepped in to help sponsor individuals who buy a hybrid vehicle, because governments all over the world are under an oath to reduce their country’s carbon footprint.

That means that now is as decent a time as any to purchase a hybrid vehicle.

There are other reasons why a hybrid is expensive though. The hybrid really has two engines. A hybrid has a traditional engine run on traditional fuels, and it also has an electric engine which runs off costly batteries. It is not that you have to replace the batteries as with a radio. The batteries are expensive because they are very heavy duty rechargeable devices.

The technology for recharging these batteries is also ground-breaking. The car makes use of traditional alternators to recharge them but it also uses braking power to recharge them as well. Not just that but the car’s on board computer switches between the two motors automatically, depending on the amount of power that is required by the driver.

Keep an eye on the hybrid car market because prices are declining and together with subsidies, the time to purchase a hybrid car may come sooner than you imagine.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with how to compare tyre prices. If you want to know more, please go to our web site at Car Tyres For Sale.

Is Solar Power Right For You?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Until approximately a hundred years ago in the West, people only had recourse to renewable energy for heat and light for their homes. They burnt wood and sometimes coal or peat (OK, fossil fuels) and got up when the sun came up and went to bed with the sun too. In, fact a large part of the world’s population still lives like that.

Things changed with mechanized industry and night shifts. Electricity producers sold the population on being able to do more instead of just sleeping when it became dark, and the Western population got hooked on buying huge amounts of energy, mostly electricity and engine fuel, which was usually produced from oil and coal.

This concept soon travelled around the world and with rising affluence came emulation and other countries wanted the same. Now we are in the sad predicament where we have to confess that we rode the fossil fuel gravy train to its terminus without thinking about what we would utilize when fossil fuels ran out.

This is where the typical civilian comes in. You have to think about how you want to draw energy in the future. Do you want to be powered by keeping sucking unrenewable resources out of the Earth, or do you want to have as little to do with it as you can? Would you prefer to have everything you have now, but know that the resources that are powering your lifestyle are renewable?

If, like millions of others around the globe, you would rather say ‘No!’ to traditional power production techniques, then you have to take a stand. But not only in words, you really have to do some something about it physically.

This will mean paying a lot of money up front, which may not be a problem for you or you may even think that taking a stand is worth looking for a bank loan. These are commendable feelings, but I would like to suggest that there is another way to self-sufficiency.

You could build your own!

Why not? The technology has been around for decades and is pretty straightforward. Most reasonably competent teenagers can assemble a bank of photovoltaic cells into a solar panel and then plug that into your home’s electrical system. And if a teenager can do it, so can you. All you (and the teenager) will need is a solar panel kit and a schematical diagram. A plan in other words.

A solar panel kit can be bought locally from a DIY shop or from the Internet. A typical solar panel will take a few hours to assemble and will produce 100 watts of electrical energy. The electricity produced from these panels is then passed through an inverter that changes the current from DC to AC, making it usable by household appliances and the utility grid.

Do yourself and the planet a favour, get off the grid and start saving money and the planet’s resources, you will be surprised how straightforward it is once you get going. And do not forget, you can do it in stages of, say, one 100 watt panel a month until you hit self-sufficiency. It is not a question of ‘All or Nothing’.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic, types of renewable energy. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Hydrogen Fuel Cars – Do They Exist?

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

There are hydrogen fuel cars on the roads of some cities. However there are two ways in which hydrogen can be used to power cars. The first method is to use hydrogen to actually drive the internal combustion engine, in much the same manner as numerous cars use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The second way is to use the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen in fuel cells as a battery, which makes the car a form of electric car.

The dream of producing hydrogen in the car while driving along by electrolyzing water is still a long way off, so we are still at the phase of batteries and filling the tank with hydrogen gas. This is the nub of the problem for potential users and manufacturers. There are merely sixteen hydrogen filling stations in Los Angeles and none in 99% of other cities worldwide.

In deed, some of the big name motor manufacturers have pulled out of the race to put the first commercially viable hydrogen powered car on the streets. Ford and GM have announced that they are pulling out in America and so has Renault in France.

However, the Japanese companies are pressing on. In fact, Honda introduced its first hydrogen fuel cell car in 1999. It was called the FCX and they are now ready with introductory models of the second generation hydrogen cars called the FCX Clarity. Guess where they are available for sale? The one city in the world? Yes, Los Angeles, because of its hydrogen stations.

Honda says that, they could go into full-scale production of the FCX Clarity by 2020, if the world is ready for them by then. Hyundai have on-going plans to produce fuel cell (FC) cars and say that they will be in place to launch full-scale production by 2012. Daimler also announced that they would be manufacturing 100,000 FC vehicles in 2012-2013.

Then there are hydrogen powered buses in several European cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid. Porto Stockholm and many more. Lotus, the makers of London taxis, have stated that they intend to set up a fleet of new, hydrogen powered taxis in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

Consequently, the hydrogen vehicle and the hydrogen passenger car is out there and the numbers will be swelling pretty soon. The buses, mentioned above, go back to their depot, where an electrolyzing machine turns water into fuel for them to fill up on and the same will be the case for lots of of London’s taxis. Regrettably, procuring fuel is not the only problem for the average motorist, a number of of these vehicles, like the FCX Clarity cost about $300,000 each.

However, here are a couple of interesting facts for those who like trivia. Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first hydrogen powered car in 1807 and Paul Dieges filed a US patent for a conversion to the internal combustion engine in 1970 which allowed a petrol engine to run on hydrogen and 200 years later we are still trying to get it right.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with how to get Stapletons tyres. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Car Tyres For Sale.

There Is Life Off The Grid

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

There is life off the grid. You only have to have the grid to purchase electricity if you cannot generate your own. Living on the grid has made too many of us lose our self-sufficiency. We slavishly buy energy off the big suppliers and pay through the nose for it at the end of the month.

How many days a month do you have to work just to pay your electricity bill? What could you do with that time or money if you did not need to use it to pay for your electricity?

The fact is that you can come off the grid and you can even sell your surplus, home-made electricity back to the grid. This is not likely to make you a lot of money, but it is a nice feeling after only paying out for decades. However, the savings of life off the grid do not end there. There are ecological savings and the saving of human life too.

Soldiers would not be sent to combat for oil if we were not so reliant on it. The fact is, that if more people came off the grid, the price of oil would fall, because demand would go down and the oil-producing countries that believe they have a strong hold on the West would lose their power. And that can not be a bad thing either, can it?

It is easiest for people who live in their own houses to come off the grid. They have more jurisdiction over their own premises and can make their own choices about what to do with it. Drill a hole here, cut a hole there – that sort of thing. Alterations or home improvements. Life off the grid is also most beneficial for families as they use the most electricity.

The most common techniques of attaining a life off the grid is by the use of solar panels, hydropower and wind turbines or even good, old-fashioned wind mills. These devices are still expensive to buy and very expensive to have installed. A recent study in the UK estimated that it would take 10 years to recover the investment of a professional installation of energy-making devices.

However, you could remove the expensive labour element by making and fitting the units yourself! This option is available to anyone in the world as the diagrams and plans for making these devices are to be had on the Internet from specialist alternative energy web sites and the components are practically every day objects.

You will be able to get them in a hobbyist or DIY store. They are also very easy to put together – most teenagers could do it and so could you. If you do not fancy that way, you could purchase a self-assembly kit.

Once you have started to become free of the grid, you can make life off the grid even more rewarding by renewing your appliances, as and when necessary, with low energy models. If you approach life off the grid wisely, you could add new energy producing units every month until you do not get any electricity bills any more and then whatever further savings you can make will be sold back into the grid.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite subject, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

Some Celebrities That Have Driven Hybrid Cars

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

No, it is not true that you might rise to fame and fortune if you went and bought a hybrid car. But a hybrid car is not only a vehicle for the rich and famous but it might be OK for you. Many people are driving hybrid cars these days including some of the most famous people in the world like your favourite movie stars. But the big question is, should you be driving a hybrid car at all?

So, are you driving anything close to a hybrid car? Well, if you are not, you won’t become pally with some of these hybrid car-drivers. These people were very early owners of hybrids cars. You may not see them in a hybrid vehicle when they pull up next to you on Rodeo Drive, but trust me, they’ve owned a hybrid car before. Whatever, believe me or not they have been reported as owning hybrid cars in the past even if they were given them for publicity purposes.

Alicia Silverstone This star definitely isn’t clueless about the environment. She knows that driving hybrid cars has many benefits. And if the general public doesn’t have the understanding that she has, then that’s just hard luck. Alicia knows that hybrid cars are good for the environment and therefore for everyone. So Alicia Silverstone got herself a hybrid car. So she has helped promote this new technology as far as this article goes.

Ellen DeGeneres Now then, this funny lady not only has a great haircut, but she was driving a great hybrid car even before you probably even knew about hybrid cars and she was probably smiling at you and your gas-guzzler last time she wizzed past you.

Robin Williams Funny and sweet, Robin knew when he played the role of Mrs. Doubtfire that he should probably start thinking more like the sensible driver that you would allow to transport your kids to and from school, so Robin got himself a hybrid car, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Ted Danson Cheers! Ted knows a (fantastic|great car when he sees one. He was certainly sober the day he decided to go check out the new cars on the forecourt. He got up and bought a car that made a whole lot of sense. He was making a good decision when he decided on a hybrid car.

Brad Pitt What’s up? Certainly, not Brad’s petrol bills ‘cos he’s got a hybrid engine! He’s had a hybrid car, so he knows his car isn’t using too much petrol.

Prince Charles Why, surely, if it’s good enough for royalty, then it’s good enough for the rest of us? That’s how you should think when you own a hybrid car. You should feel royal, adorned, and admired because believe it or not, that’s just what you are when you choose to drive a hybrid car. So make the most of it.

So, how do you feel? Like a million bucks? Well, you ought to if you are thinking of buying a hybrid car and don’t worry, you won’t get your 15 minutes of fame, but you will be making a very bold statement that people will understand and many people will appreciate what you are doing and that will go on for years and years because hybrid cars last for a very long time.

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How Hybrid Cars can Reduce the Energy Crisis

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

It has been said that not enough people are doing all they can do to struggle against the energy crisis. Hybrid cars can help, but definitely not enough people are driving them. Here are a few issues related to the energy crisis and how hybrid cars can help.

The U.S. isn’t doing enough really. The USA uses more fossil fuels than any other country in the world. However, most people believe that all of our energy problems can be solved if we would only investigate further into the oil deposits in Alaska or if we made full use of the recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hybrid cars can have the result of us not having to use other sources of energy to maintain economic growth. Hybrid cars won’t cause Americans to consume an excessive amount of fossil fuel. Rather, hybrid cars make Americans use less fossil fuel.

Energy consumers just accept increasing fuel prices. People used to care that petrol prices are much higher now than they were years ago. Now, however, people just accept the higher prices. In the meantime, cars are getting bigger and bigger. Car manufacturers are making trucks and SUVs, which consume more gas at the higher prices.

These cars use more fuel, but you wouldn’t believe how many people just won’t give up their fuel-guzzling SUV. Hybrid cars do end up costing people less to own than conventional cars do. So there’s no need to worry about just settling for being swindled by the oil economy.

Soon there could be an end to the “cheap oil period”. Soon, we could all be in too deep, because not only will we have an energy crisis, but a peak oil crisis as well. During the peak oil crisis, there will be fuel shortages and natural gas shortages too. The major countries will need to compete against each another for whatever fuel remains.

Therefore, everyone may have some problems, and countries may have to compete for who gets oil and who does not. The peak gas crisis can be put off, if more people just drove hybrid cars. Hybrid vehicles ensure that people are not always having to be searching for fuel. Furthermore, there are advances being made in hybrid technology all the time.

The plug-in hybrid vehicles, for example, might not even need oil whatsoever one day. So, just in case we do have an energy crisis one day, Americans ought really to be spending the intervening time to finding a answer to the impending oil crisis in the U.S. Hybrid vehicles are the method to avoid the energy crisis, and if countries still want to compete with each other over fuel, at least America will know they attempted to stop the impending crisis by investing in hybrid cars.

So, there you have it. The United States’ mass use of hybrid vehicles would ensure that Americans need less petrol. But Americans also still have yet to gain from the large amount of money being made from hybrid vehicles. The majority of popular hybrid vehicles come from Japan. Therefore, Americans need to bring that money back into the country by making hybrids at home and do something about the current energy crisis at the same time.

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Celebrities That Have Driven Hybrid Cars

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

No, it is not true that you might rise to fame and fortune if you went and bought a hybrid car. But a hybrid car is not only a car for the rich and famous but it might be OK for you. Many people are driving hybrid cars these days including some of the most famous people in the world like your favourite film stars. But the big question is, should you be driving a hybrid car at all?

So, are you driving anything like a hybrid car? Well, if you are not, you can’t rub noses with some of these hybrid car-drivers. These people were very early drivers of hybrids cars. You may not see them in a hybrid vehicle when they pull up next to you on Rodeo Drive, but believe me, they’ve owned a hybrid car before. Whatever, believe me or not they have been reported as driving hybrid cars before even if they were given them for publicity purposes.

Alicia Silverstone This star certainly thinks about the environment. She knows that driving a hybrid car has many benefits for the environment. And if the general public doesn’t have the knowledge that she has, then that’s just hard luck. Alicia knows that hybrid cars are good for the environment and therefore for everyone. So Alicia Silverstone got herself a hybrid car. So she has helped promote this new technology as far as this article goes, which has to be a good thing.

Ellen DeGeneres Well, this funny lady not only has a great haircut, but she was driving a great hybrid car before you probably even knew about hybrid cars. She was probably smiling at you and your gas-guzzler last time she wizzed past you.

Robin Williams funny and loveable, Robin knew when he played the role of Mrs. Doubtfire that he should probably start thinking more like the forward-thinking driver that you would let transport your children to and from school, so Robin got himself a hybrid car, and he hasn’t ever looked back since.

Ted Danson Cheers! Ted knows a great car when he sees one. He was certainly sober the morning when he decided to go check out the new cars on the forecourt. He got up and bought a car that made a whole lot of sense. He was making good sense when he chose a hybrid car.

Brad Pitt What’s up? Certainly, not Brad’s petrol bills ‘cos he’s got a hybrid engine! He’s had a hybrid car, so he knows his car isn’t using that much petrol.

Prince Charles Why, surely, if it’s good enough for royalty, then it’s good enough for the rest of us? That’s just how you should think when you own a hybrid car. You should feel royal, adorned, and envied because believe it or not, that’s exactly what you are when you choose to drive a hybrid vehicle. So make the most of it.

So, how do you feel? Like a million bucks? Well, you should if you are thinking of buying a hybrid car and don’t worry, you won’t get your 15 minutes of fame, but you will be making a very bold statement that people will understand and many people will appreciate what you have done and that will go on for years and years because hybrid cars last for a very long time.

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About Honda Hybrid Cars

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Most of us have heard of the different Honda cars on the forecourt today. You can add to this range of cars the Honda hybrid cars. These hybrid cars include the Honda Accord Hybrid, the Honda Civic hybrid 4 door car and Honda Insight, which is a two seater. These are not the only hybrid cars in Honda’s stable, there are others but these are the more well-known models.

You will find that Honda hybrid cars come in different versions of their popular regular Honda vehicles. The Honda Civic hybrid is one such hybrid car that is much in demand. This four door compact vehicle is one that you can choose either as new or as a second-hand car.

The hybrid Honda Civic has a 5 speed manual transmission drive. This particular Honda hybrid car is known as an assist hybrid car. The Honda Civic hybrid is the only hybrid vehicle to have won a top award for the best international engine.

While you can obtain details about the various models of Honda hybrid cars from the Honda dealers’ websites on the Internet, you might want to go along to the showrooms in person. This will provide you with a better understanding of whether a hybrid car will suit you. Having looked into these details, you can then see which Honda hybrid type is best for you.

So, you can make sure that you are getting a good deal Furthermore, talking about money, you may want to check out the price of other vehicles that catch your eye in the hybrid Honda car line. For those who like the look of the hybrid car from Honda, you have a choice of a previous year’s cars or the new batch of Honda hybrid cars. Because of there are lots of details you need to scrutinize, when it comes to purchasing cars, it is probably best if you have the questions you need answered dealt with by a qualified Honda dealer.

By doing this, you can be (sure|assured that you have chosen a Honda hybrid which is not only affordable but is also capable of meeting your requirements. The hybrid cars that you are able to buy will provide you with lots of benefits both in the long and the short term including keeping your fuel costs down.

Since there are many different cars, you can always be assured that you will find one that you like. The trusted Honda hybrid is the absolute choice for the discerning hybrid car owner.

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A Hybrid Will Save You Money!

Monday, July 13th, 2009

The price of gas continues to rise even now, but that does not mean that you have to be left broke. You don’t have to let the unstable economy control your life! Take whatever measures you need to, to change the circumstances you are in: there are all kinds of options open to you.

For example, did you know that a hybrid car can help you gain more control of the money in your wallet? Well, it can. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as the cost of fuel goes up, and the cost of hybrid cars is going down.

Gas prices rise and gas prices go down and the cycle just seems to go on and on without giving us much relief at all. However, if you really take the time to think about it, that is not the situation, it is how you think about the situation that counts. So don’t be sad, be glad, and pay close attention to the television commercials on hybrid cars.

A hybrid vehicle really will help you combat sky-high fuel prices. If you purchase a hybrid car after having had a conventional car, you will immediately see that you have rather more money in your wallet with the hybrid car.

Nobody likes to waste their money. I sure don’t, but that is exactly what you are doing if you stay with conventional cars. Hybrid cars or trucks can save you 50% on your fuel bills and that soon covers the premium that hybrids cars demand. Over the life of your hybrid, which is over ten years, you will make money on your purchase.

But work it out for yourself! Write down the cost each time you visit the petrol station. What does the cost of a full tank of fuel tell you about your car? Whatever it is telling you, a hybrid car won’t tell you the same as a conventional car. And that is guaranteed.

So, make your money speak to you in the manner you would like it to: instead of having it tell you all the time that your money is flowing out of your pocket, have it tell you, that some of it is going to stay in your pocket, so buy a hybrid car.

Who worked for those forty hours? You did. So make sure you have something to show for it for a change. A hybrid car is a super car to have and it will be of real help to your bank balance.

It is a means of transport that is certainly not cheap to buy, but be reassured that it will pay for itself over its lifetime and over that lifetime you will have done a lot of good for the environment or at least a lot less harm) and people will have admired you from afar, even if they don’t actually come up to you and express their feelings in person.

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