Denmark has always been known for its stance on many different energy issues. They are also known as a world leader when it comes to alternative energy so that the Danish consumption of electricity is at least cut in half. Global warming is a big concern for the Danish people as it should be for the rest of the world. All forms of alternative energy are practiced here. For example, the wind energy makes use of the windmills to generate electricity instead of using coal or other non renewable forms for the production of electricity. Solar energy also is a big deal here.

Using and harnessing the sun’s energy is nothing new but the Danes have lifted this to an art form. Many of their homes and businesses are outfitted with many different types of energy reduction appliances and construction that makes use of these ideas to the fullest. Even bio energy is explored to its fullest potential so that all forms of cutting dependence on electricity produces by non renewable sources is cut. This also saves the earth’s resources that are limited and cannot be renewed. With these different energy plans in place Denmark has cut its electrical dependency.

More countries should follow Denmark’s example when it comes to alternative energy fuels to lessen the consumption of non renewable resources. The Danes are known for their legendary inventiveness and the whole world should sit up and take notice. With global warming being the threat that it is, the exploration of alternative energy in all its many forms should be encouraged worldwide. Solar energy and wind energy are just two of the ways that the Danes are pioneering to cut their energy consumption in half. Not only are these techniques energy saving, they also reduce the need for non renewable energy options.

They have developed several resources such as environmental technologies, energy efficiency and climate adaptation in order to reduce the threat of global warming, while at the same time reducing their energy consumption that uses non renewable sources. This does make Denmark a world leader when it comes to issues such as global warming, energy reduction and alternative energy.

By Henning M

The author recommends visiting http://www.energymap.dk for finding information on global warming, climate changes, bio energy, solar energy, wind power energy, clean energy, climate solutions, energy saving and energy reduction as well as get knowledge of energy efficient materials and equipment.

You need not be a rocket scientist to realize that there is a growing concern with environmental issues all around the world. As the primary concern of everyone is to survive on this planet, cleantech or clean technology has emerged as the need of the hour.

Cleantech is a blanket term for a group of emerging environment friendly technologies, which are found in various industries such as energy, water, manufacturing, advanced materials, and transportation. The most common example of cleantech would be the usage of solar energy, water filtration, industrial process controls and hybrid electric vehicles. Cleantech is also a second generation improvement upon the green technologies of the 70s and 80s as it not only protects the environment, but is also cost effective, market driven and attracts venture capital funds. The commercial angle is an intrinsic part of this benign technology, which contributes as a sure factor for its growth.

Cleantech is actually revolutionizing the products and services of various industrial sectors. The aim is to reduce pollution, toxic emissions, energy consumption and input while maintaining the quality and the productivity of the service at the same time. Although it sounds arduous, but believe it or not – people involved are making money out of this! Many clean technologies serve rapidly expanding markets like wind power, solar power, industrial water purification etc and using these technologies have lead to an increase in energy efficiency and reduction of wastage. That is why clean technology has managed to pool huge investment from various mainstream venture capitalists firms in recent times. Since then, even the media has inevitably picked up and circulated the term ‘cleantech’ quite extensively.

Cleantech is indeed an interesting investment prospect because climate change and global warming needs to be tackled, carbon-pricing is on its way up, and fossil fuel is not only getting depleted but its market is also volatile. Additionally, clean technology is now being operated by experienced management teams who have an exclusive expertise over its know-how.

In conclusion, you can say that keeping a tab on cleantech is important as this magnificent technology might very well turn out to be tomorrow’s champion.

By Sonali Bose Sengupta

In our search for new forms of sustainable power many scientists have focused on using the energy of our sun. Photovoltaic cells or solar cells convert one form of energy, sunlight, into another form of energy, electricity. While the creative idea of getting “free” energy from the sun is attractive to most, many consumers have concerns about the initial expense of installing a solar power system. That’s why the key to purchasing the right solar system for you lies in the “Solar Power Payback Time.”

Solar Power Payback Times for Solar for Photovoltaic Technologies

When considering the transition to, or even adding in supplement, solar power, many consumers have concerns over the initial expense. It’s easy to understand that over the long haul solar power will pay for itself, but how do you calculate exactly how long it will take? To calculate your payback time you will need to evaluate several factors that can influence your payback:

Local Climate State or Federal Incentives/Rebates State Tax Credits Local Utility Pricing Net-Metering Availability

Solar Power and Rising Electricity Costs

Solar power is a unique resource because it is protected from inflation – as electricity costs inevitably continues to rise, any electricity you generate using your solar system will counter electricity charges at the current market price. The more electricity rates continue to rise, the more you will save.

If you generate excess electricity, under the right conditions such as net-metering, it is even possible for you to generate a monthly profit from your solar system.

Finding State and Federal Incentives or Rebates

Depending upon the state you live in you may qualify for incentives and rebates that cover as much as 60% of the total cost of installing a new solar system. How do you find what incentives and rebates you qualify for? Using the free web-based tool titled Database of State Incentives for Renewable & Efficiency (DSIRE), run by the North Carolina Solar Center, it’s easy to find the incentives and rebates you qualify for. You can find the DSIRE here:

http://www.dsireusa.org/

What is Net-Metering?

Net-metering is a system that allow excess user generated solar energy to be sold back to your local electric company. Depending upon how much electricity you generate this may provide you either a monthly discount or a net monthly profit.

What is my Solar Power Payback Time?

As a result of the number of variables involved in calculating a particular solar payback time I recommend using a tool such as the OnGrid Solar Financial Analysis Tool. They offer a free demo version of their tool that can help you calculate your personal solar power payback time. The OnGrid Solar Financial Analysis Tool is available here:

http://www.ongrid.net/payback/

While calculating your solar power payback gives you a financial picture of the total cost of ownership for your new solar system it doesn’t take in to consideration the environmental cost. To gauge the environmental cost of a solar system you need to evaluate its Energy Payback Time.

Energy Payback Times for Solar for Photovoltaic Technologies

According to the US DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) group the “Energy payback time (EPBT) is the length of deployment required for a photovoltaic system to generate an amount of energy equal to the total energy that went into its production.”

The energy payback time for solar power is based on three determining factors:

The efficiency of the photovoltaic system The amount of sunlight the photovoltaic system recieves The manufacturing technology used to create the photovoltaic cells

Using some average sunlight values, “about 1700 kWh/m2/ yr average for southern Europe and about 1800 kWh/m2/ yr average for the United States,” the EERE provides pre-calculated energy paypack times for a number of solar cell technologies:

Single-crystal Silicon – 2.7 years Non-ribbon Multicrystalline Silicon – 2.2 years Ribbon Multicrystalline Silicon – 1.7 years Cadmium Telluride – 1.0 years

When one considers rising energy costs and the relatively low energy payback times for a variety of popular solar cells it’s easy to see solar power as a reasonable alternative to rising energy costs. While it’s true solar cells do require large quantities of energy to manufacture, and they also utilize precious limited resources such as silicon, copper and cadmium – in many cases they offer reasonable energy payback times. Even considering the overall environmental cost, solar power may be exactly what the world needs to wean itself off its fossil fuel dependency. Help fight global warming by moving away from fossil fuel generated electricity and moving towards solar power.

By Sam Greyhawk

Sam Greyhawk is an energy efficiency evangelist working with Cool-N-Save(tm), an Energy Star Partner, based in Huntington Beach, California. Cool-N-Save(tm) is an energy efficiency add-on for your central air conditioner. The Cool-N-Save(tm) can lower your utility bill by up to 30% by improving air conditioner efficiency.