Easy Eco Blog » Hard

Picking Solar Panels – Finding the Best Solar Panels

easy eco blog — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:34 +0000

The Earth receives more energy from the Sun in one hour than the whole World uses in a whole year. Time to tap into that. Solar power is used to power everything from calculators to Coast Guard buoys to highway signs to the International Space Station.

You have read Are Solar Panels for me? and Solar Panel Installation – Planning and are ready for more details. Photovoltaic Solar panels were invented at Bell Labs in 1953. They have evolved over the years and several different types of solar panels exist, and choosing between then is confusing. No one vendor will have access to all products, so you will have to do some shopping around to find the best solar panels.

Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline Panels

These solar panels are made either from single crystal cells or stringing ribbon of multiple crystals. They are the classic version of solar panels and are rated for good efficiency, around 12-13% power conversion, and a Long lifespan, possibly 30 years+? Sunpower has a model with a very high 19.3% efficiency. Monocrystalline panels are less efficient in hotter climates and work best in unobstructed sun. A panel’s power will drop by 50% if a even one cell on the panel is half shaded. Temperatures typically above 75 degrees F cause most solar panel power generation to decrease. Solar panel suppliers include: Sharp, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Kyocera, Schott, SolarWorld, SunTech, Sunpower, bp solar, Mitsubishi electric, Evergreen solar.

Thin Film Panels

Less efficient than the Crystal Panels, but they much thinner and easier to make. Less efficient than monocrystalline, at 10-12% efficiency. They work better when you have slight shading and are not affected by hot weather as much as monocrystalline. Major Drawback of performance degradation over time. Possible lifespans of 10 years. Suppliers include: Nanosolar, Unisolar

Hybrid Panels

Hybrids of single crystalline silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. Produces 10% or more electricity (kWh) than conventional crystalline silicon solar panels at the same temperature. Good efficiency levels of 16%. Hybrid Solar Panel Suppliers include: Sanyo

Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency – Fuel Cells Power Generators and Microturbine System

easy eco blog — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:00:41 +0000

Fuel Cell Power Generators are now available for residential, home use. They claim to reduce your utility bills by up to 50%, and to cut CO2 emissions by over 33%. They take natural gas and produce electricity and heat for your home. ClearEdge is one of the providers of MicroCHP (combined heat and power) residential fuel cells.

A Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency – Fuel cells and Microturbine System is also available. This can save homeowners 30% of the cost of the fuel cell unit, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity. This will typically yield a $5000 total tax credit. Businesses have a 30%, up to $3000 per kilowatt tax credit, making $15,000 tax credit available.

This Federal Tax Credit for Fuel Cells especially well when coupled with a state rebate program.

On the tax credit, existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.

This Federal Tax Credit on Fuel Cells and Microturbine System reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your tax return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details about Fuel Cell power. Use it or lose it!

How does it work?

Fuel-Cell Power Generators convert natural gas into clean hydrogen through lack catalytic process. Through a electrochemical reaction, the fuel cell creates electricity and heat. This unit helps reduce pollution and greenhouse gases. The power is converted to AC and connected to your home, while the heat is transferred using a hydronic system or a heat exchanger. Extra electricity is generated can be sold back to your utility company. The unit can work day or night, and in most environments.

The unit can generate electricity at 6 cents per kWh, compare that to San Francisco Pacific Gas and Electric rates from $.13-$.32 per kWh. This is based on $1.20 per therm for natural gas.

Ideal customers

To be cost effective, you need to spend approximately $1000 a month on your utility bill or use at least 44,000 kWh a month. You also need to have substantial heating demand for a pool, radiant flooring, etc. Businesses are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of this type of product.

How much can I save?

Most fuel-cell power generators that achieved a 30% electricity only generation capacity, qualify for a variety of rebates. Many utility companies have Self Generation Incentive Programs or SGIP available. These typically pay $2.50 per watt for fuel cells. A typical model would yield a $12,500 check from this program. Check with your local utility company.

These units are expensive at $50,000 for a 5 kW fuel-cell, costing roughly the same as they solar electric system of the same size. No doubt that they compare themselves the solar as pricing after rebates is pretty close.

Residential Wind Power Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency

easy eco blog — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:00:19 +0000

The new residential Small Wind Turbine Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency is a large credit with many advantages. The old tax credit was capped at $2,000. With the new one one you can claim 30% of cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity, for a new system. It expires 12/31/2016. This Federal tax credit works well when coupled with a state rebate program. Combine this with state rebates like those in California or New York and you have a sweeter deal. Moderate sized 10 kW wind power systems cost over $50,000. The rebate has a nameplate capacity limit of no more than 100 kilowatts.

Existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.

The Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details. Use it or lose it!

All Small Wind Turbines has a good list of most of the world’s small wind turbines. American Wind Energy Association has lots of information on Wind power.

Interested in Solar?
Read our article Are Solar Panels for Me? and No money down Solar Panels.

Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on GeoThermal Heat Pump

easy eco blog — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:00:10 +0000

A reminder that there is a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Qualifying GeoThermal Heat Pumps, with no cap. If you have been thinking about replacing these items, you might as well upgrade now and save some money.

For 2012, the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficiency for GeoThermal heat pumps is 30% of the cost (including installation/labor costs), with no upper limit . (2010 Federal Tax Credit information)

Existing home and principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify.

Units must be placed into service by December 31, 2016.

Geo-thermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earth’s natural constant heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.

Units can cost from $5,000 to $10,000 installed and take about 5-10 years for payback.

All ENERGY STAR geo-thermal heat pumpsqualify for the tax credit.

Criteria for heat pumps:

Water-to-Air

· Closed Loop: >=17.1 EER; >=3.6 COP

· Open Loop: >=21.1 EER; >=4.1 COP

Water-to-Water

· Closed Loop: >=16.1 EER; >=3.1 COP

· Open Loop: >=20.1 EER; >=3.5 COP

· Direct Geoexchange (DGX): >=16 EER; >= 3.6 COP

Energy Star has a store location finder to help you find local dealers.

The 2011 tax credit reverted to 2005-2008 levels. Anyone who previously took advantage of the program can’t apply for incentives that exceed $500. IE If you claimed $500 between 2005 – 2008 on a previous energy efficiency project, or at least $500 tax credit from 2009 – 2010, you are ineligible for the 2011 energy efficiency tax credit.

If you used say $200 of the $500 energy efficiency tax credit from 2005 – 2008, and did not utilize the 2009 – 2010 energy efficiency tax credit, you would still have a $300 credit available.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit on Qualifying biomass fuel stoves or Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts. There is also a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Water Heaters, Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Furnaces and Boilers, Geo-Thermal Heat Pumps, Windows, Doors, and Skylights.

Double dip! Local utilities like PG&E have their own rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances. To find out if rebates or other incentives are available in your area, visit the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder.

See: Weatherize your home – Fix Leaky Ducts – Reducing Air Leaks

2011 – 2012 Solar Tax Credit – Solar Rebate

easy eco blog — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:00:13 +0000

Get a Free Solar Power Estimate from a local vendor by clicking the advertisement above.

2012 continues the very popular residential Solar Federal Tax Credit first enacted in 2009. The previous solar tax credit program was capped at $2,000. With the new one one, you can claim up to 30% of solar power costs for a new solar electric system. Existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify. Expires: December 31, 2016

This Solar Federal Tax Credit especially well when coupled with a state rebate program. (CA, CT, NJ, NY) Also look for city solar incentive programs, that can also save you money on your solar panels.

On the tax credit, existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.

This Solar Federal Tax Credit reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your tax return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details about solar power. Use it or lose it!

Example Solar Electric System cost with Rebates

A 3kW solar electric system costing $24K would get $5K in California state rebates and $7.2k Federal rebate. Final price $11.8k. System payback time could drop to 6-7 years. Rebates vary depending on location of course. Rebates make solar power Very attractive!

This Solar Federal Tax Credit is not affected by the AMT or Alternative Minimum Tax.

Interested in Solar Energy? Read our articles on solar power:

Eco Friendly or Green Kitchen Cabinets

easy eco blog — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:24 +0000

Here are some of the attributes we looked for when selecting eco friend kitchen cabinets earlier this year:

FSC certified Wood or wood from a responsibly farm source. I actually spoke to the wood mill to understand where our wood was coming from. Lyptus and Bamboo are rapidly making in roads.
Water based finish to minimize VOC emissions. There were issues on finish durability in the past, but quality seems to have improved.
Water based glues to minimize VOC emissions.
Marine grade plywood or non MDF Medium Density Fiberboard particle board cabinet box. Also to prevent off-gassing emissions from formaldehyde, etc. Interlam and Topan make MDF without formaldehyde.
As local as possible a supplier to minimize transport costs and fuel use.

We also relocated many of our old cabinets to our kitchen and donated everything else for use in a local church.

Some cabinets including mines are KCMA certified, but frankly their rules are not very aggressive in the area of eco friendliness. (Emissions etc) It is more of a cabinet industry association.

When we began our search in early 2007, we were educating stores on what green cabinetry was. The main sources used to be boutique local small craftsmen shops. Today, we see firms advertising ‘Green’ cabinets. HGTV has a video on this are.

Also considered cabinet refacing. You replace the doors and a veneer is placed over your existing cabinets. This is much cheaper than replacing the cabinets. New drawer pulls and handles will also update your kitchen’s look. You will reuse the ‘guts’ of your cabinets, so they need to be in good shape for this option. Some companies have options to also replace drawers.

Eco Friendly, Green Coconut Palm Wood

Coconut Palm wood is an eco friendly and green flooring alternative to bamboo. It is a by product of coconut production and has even received FSC certification.

Smith and Fong makes palmwood flooring and palmwood plywood. We have flooring from this company and find it top rate.

When installing flooring, try to avoid gluing it down if possible. If you need to use glue, use a low or no VOC glue.

Growing Bamboo

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have bamboo in your backyard? It is environmentally friendly, grows fast, and can make for a nice property line wall. You can also use it for other projects. I did some research that made me realize that it is more than most people can handle.

The problem is that bamboo spreads relentlessly, is almost indestructible, and its roots are like steel. People have to setup physical barriers like metal flashing to prevent its spread. I think I’ll stick to bamboo flooring..

Fireclay Tile – Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing

Fireclay Tile is a tile company that utilizes Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing to produce high-quality ceramic and glass tile. They are based in based in San Jose, CA and make most products in the USA.

They recycle everything from glass bottles to porcelain toilets, vanities, and bathtubs are recycled into beautiful ceramic tile. They use a lead-free glaze and proved that recycled does not mean you have to compromise on aesthetics.

Bee Keeping to Save the Honeybee

easy eco blog — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:00:05 +0000

Many of us have read about the mysterious declining population of honey bees due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Cell phones, GPS, pesticides, who know what the culprit is.

Bee Keeping by concerned individuals is now on the upswing. Bee keeping classes are filled as newbie flood in. Online courses are also available.

Setting up your own Bee Hive

Most bee hives need to be registered. Some major barriers to setting up your own beehive include municipal or county codes that prohibit bee keeping. It is time for interested individuals to turn the tide.

Bee hives can also produce items such as moisturizers, soaps, candles and lip balm. There are also health benefits to the bee glue or propolis that worker bees use to seal up all the gaps in a hive.

Bee honey has been used for many years for healing, skin conditions, allergies, sore throats and ulcers. Pollen grains, which bees collect from flowering plants, are used as an edible antioxidant remedy for allergies, skin blemishes and wrinkles. Egyptian tombs have been found with honey stored in clay pots that was still edible. While there is little scientific proof to these benefits, many people believe in their healing properties.

If you are trying to be more green or eco friendly and ready to help the bee population, consider Bee Keeping.

Pollution and Wood Burning Fireplaces

easy eco blog — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:00:33 +0000

It was another Spare the air night in the San Francisco area, where it is illegal to burn wood, pellets, or manufactured fire logs. The Spare the Air winter season runs from November 1, 2011, through February 28, 2012.

An article showing how bad wood smoke pollutes during bad air days in the San Francisco Bay Area was surprising. Pretty shocking that 1/3 of fine particulate matter is from wood smoke.

How harmful is smoke from burning wood?

According to Sparetheair.org, “In the wintertime, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) becomes the pollutant with the greatest impact on air quality. Fine particulates can bypass the body’s natural defenses, penetrating deeply into the lungs and even passing into the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure to the fine particulates in wood smoke has been linked with aggravated asthma, lung and heart disease, and increased mortality rates.”

According to a UCSF professor of environmental science, wood smoke releases a lot of bad chemicals, chemicals not that far away from tobacco smoke and smoke from fossil fuel combustion engines. It is also harmful to your DNA. A Vancouver, Canada study found that children were 32% more likely to get ear infections in the areas polluted with wood smoke. Keep in mind that this is a neighborhood problem with the smoke you emit possibly hurting others located downwind of your area.

Wood burning fireplaces emit many times more pollutions than EPA-certified woodstoves or Pellet stoves. If you need to use one, try to improve your fireplace efficiency. Make sure that any fireplace you use has a good updrafts that doesn’t expose people sitting nearby. Also consider a HEPA air filter to clean the air inside your house.

Still want to start a fire?

Really into burning the fire? Consider Enviro-Log instead of wood for your fireplace. It is made from 100% recycled waxed cardboard boxes. No additional petroleum added. The ash can be used as fertilizer or potting soil.

If it is time to upgrade for the upcoming winter season, keep these figures in mind. You can be green and buy a more efficient stove or fireplace. Take advantage of the Federal Tax Rebate too.

EPA has information on Cleaner Burning Wood Stoves.

Tattoo Safety and Tattoo Health Risks

easy eco blog — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:00:49 +0000

photo credit: graciehagen

We recently read an article that covered tattoo safety. There’s new research that raises safety concerns over the long-term effects of chemicals found in tattoo inks. New studies have turned up upsetting findings about toxic chemicals in tattoo inks, including carcinogens and hormone disruptors.

One chemical in black tattoo inks is a potent carcinogen that causes skin cancer in animal research. Harmful metals, such as lead, have been found in black inks. These could trigger allergies or other diseases.

The FDA recently launched studies into the long-term safety of tattoo inks. Research has already shown that the inks can migrate into people’s lymph nodes. While the health risks are not known, you may want to wait until the research is completed.

Green Car Quest using Turbochargers, Redesign, and Hybrid Technology

easy eco blog — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:01:14 +0000

Why fuel-efficient cars are important

Replacing a vehicle with a fuel efficient model has the biggest aggregate potential reduction in green house gas emissions at 31.4 millions of metric tons of carbon a year. Even more than Weatherizing a home (21.2), buying energy efficient appliances (11.7), or carpooling (6.5).

Look how much gas costs in China, they’re using more and more every day, increasing worldwide demand, and hence pushing prices up.

GM eAssist hybrid automobile Technology

GM has learned from its lackluster hybrid car efforts and is now coming out with new hybrid technology that promises to boost fuel economy by 25% while maintaining the price of the automobile. The next generation Buick Lacrosse Sedan is the first car to implement this eASSIST mild hybrid system in the vehicles base package. The $30K 2012 Buick Lacrosse full-size sedan will achieve 36 miles per gallon on the highway, 25 miles per gallon in the city. This card includes a 15 kW belt driven, liquid cooled motor generator unit that recharges when you use the brakes. The battery pack is expected to have a life of 10+ years.

Hybrid technology like this needs to become standard in order for carmakers like GM to meet new CAFE fuel economy standards. By 2016, national fleets must achieve an average of 35.5 miles per gallon.

Ford Turbocharged Automobiles with Eco Boost

Ford is starting to sell vehicles with their EcoBoost Engine. EcoBoost consists of smaller displacement engines with direct fuel injection and turbocharging to provide a fuel economy boost without any loss of performance. It uses turbochargers to take exhaust energy — normally wasted — and channel it back into the engine for more power. The first cars use it to make a V-6 have the power of a V-8. In the future it will be used on lower end cars to raise efficiency. EcoBoost is projected to feature in 90% of Ford Motor Company’s lineup by 2013.

“Compared with the current cost of diesel and hybrid technologies, customers can expect to recoup their initial investment in a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine through fuel savings in approximately 30 months. A diesel will take an average of seven and one-half years, while the cost of a hybrid will take nearly 12 years to recoup – given equivalent miles driven per year and fuel costs,”

Redesigning a Car for Better Gas Mileage

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu due in showrooms in early 2012 is an example of a car redesign to gain better mileage. Ase examples, rounded front corners reduce drag and add 0.4 mpg, active shutters below the grill cool the engine and add 0.3 mpg, and the lack of a spare tire adds 0.4 mpg. The car will get five mpg more if you purchase the version with E-Assist electric acceleration technology. Look for other cars to incorporate these optimizations necessary due to higher CAFE mileage standards. By 2016 auto fleets need to average 35.5 mpg.