Green Your House with LED Light Bulbs

If you've gone green, then you probably have those curly-cue compact florescent light bulbs hanging from your fixtures. That's wonderful. But what if I told you that there was a new bulb in town that may one day tell CFLs, "C U L8R?"
The new bulb on the block is the LED bulb, and the advantages of LED bulbs are truly staggering. First off, a 1.3-watt LED bulb uses less electricity than both the 60-watt incandescent and the 9-watt CFL bulb. Secondly, LED bulbs last for a long time. How long? Let's just say that you could get married, have a child and go to his or her college graduation without ever changing bulbs. Some bulbs can last up to 100,000 hours, and they are clean. LED light bulbs don't contain mercury like CFL bulbs.
While compact fluorescent bulbs are currently the most popular option for more energy efficient lighting, LED lighting is already hitting the market. LEDs are even more efficient than CFLs but come at a higher price point, costing as much as $100 a bulb. And while the LEDs will take 5 to 7 years to pay for themselves, the original bulbs are likely to last well past that.
There are only two major drawbacks to the LED bulbs. They aren't that bright. You can find bulbs that produce light that's equivalent to a 50 or 60-watt incandescent bulb, but that's about it. They are also quite expensive. An LED bulb will cost you at least $80 dollars. Seems expensive, but LEDs will save you money in the long run. Imagine two decades of not buying light bulbs.
LEDs aren't mainstream yet, but if they can perform as well as advertised, they'll certainly be the bulb of choice for the future, and the future looks bright.

World’s First Wind & Solar Powered Antarctic Research Station Officially Opened

In Antarctica on Sunday the world’s first “zero emission research station” was officially opened: The Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. Commissioned in 2004 by the Belgian government, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (sounds like a hotel, doesn’t it?) will allow 20 scientists to carry out research on climate change, and, apart from getting down there, not contribute to it while doing that research:

The whole base is powered through renewable energy sources: Eight small-scale wind turbines, as well as solar panels provide all the electricity; solar thermal technology melts snow to provide water. Currently, this is the only polar research station entirely powered through renewable energy, most bases being powered by diesel generators. So the researchers can say goodbye for solar now while they try to save antartica from galobal warming effect.

To operate Princess Elisabeth on renewable energy required a lot of planning and built-in redundancy of systems. The station itself is aiming for zero emissions, will have on-site wind turbines, many solar panels (though with the large amount of solar rays that hit the station, cooling becomes as important as heating) two bioreactors and two filtration units. There is also an emergency diesel generator back-up and outside the station's buildings researchers are reliant on some diesel for snow mobiles and snow movers (they hope to eventually run these with a fuel cell). Special materials were used to build the station, which actually was first assembled and displayed in Belgium, then deconstructed and reassembled at Utsteinen.

Earth Waiting Your Act

1 billion people worldwide will turn off their lights for one hour, from 20.00-21.00, for Earth Hour 2009.

On 28 March 2009 the movement is hoping that a total of 1 billion people worldwide will turn off their lights for one hour, from 20.00 to 21.00 (SA time), for Earth Hour 2009, a global event using mass action to campaign against global warming and climate change.

Earth Hour is not about saving electricity. According to the official website,
“it’s much broader than that – it is a symbolic action to show governments that the people of the world want an effective global climate deal at the end of 2009.”

Earth Hour is an annual international event created by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund), held on the last Saturday of March, that asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. It was pioneered by WWF Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, and achieved worldwide participation in 2008.

With 35 countries around the world participating as official flagship cities and over 400 cities also supporting, Earth Hour 2008 was a major success, celebrated on all seven continents. Iconic landmarks all around the world turned off their non-essential lighting for Earth Hour which included the Empire State Building (New York City), Sears Tower (Chicago), Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco), Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), Wat Arun Buddhist Temple (Bangkok, Thailand), the Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Royal Castle (Stockholm, Sweden), London's City Hall (England), Space Needle (Seattle), the CN Tower (Toronto, Canada) and SM Mall of Asia & The Giant Globe (Manila, Philippines).

The result of Earth Hour 2008 for energy saved are:

• According to WWF Thailand, Bangkok decreased electricity usage by 73.34 megawatts, which, over one hour, is equivalent to 41.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The Bangkok Post gave different figures of 165 megawatt-hours and 102 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This was noted to be significantly less than a similar campaign initiated by Bangkok's City Hall the previous year in May where 530 megawatt-hours were saved and 143 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission was cut.
• Toronto saved 900 megawatt-hours of electricity. 8.7% was saved if measured against a typical March Saturday night.
• Ireland, as a whole, had a reduction in electricity use of about 1.5% for the evening. In the three-hour period between 18:30 and 21:30, there was a reduction of 50 megawatts, saving 150 megawatt-hours, or approximately 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
  
• In Dubai, where external lighting on several major city landmarks was turned off and street lighting in selected areas was dimmed by 50%, the Electricity and Water Authority reported savings of 100 megawatt-hours of electricity. This represented a 2.4% reduction in demand compared to before the hour began.
• The best result was from Christchurch, New Zealand. The city reported a drop of 13% in electricity demand. However, Transpower reported that New Zealand's power consumption during Earth Hour was 335 megawatts, higher than the 328 megawatt average of the previous two Saturdays. (Salute for Town of Christchurch!)
• Melbourne, Australia saved 10.1% of electricity. Sydney, being the city that participated both 2007 and 2008 Earth Hour, cut 8.4% electricity consumption. This is less than last year's 10.2%, however Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley made the claim that after factoring margin of error, the participation in this city is the same as last year.
• The worst result was from Calgary, Canada. The city's power consumption actually went up 3.6% at the hour's peak electricity demand. In Calgary, however, where weather plays a large role in power consumption, the city experienced weather 12°C colder than the previous Saturday's recorded temperature. (Keep try save your Earth, Calgary's people!)
• Earth Hour has also received free publicity from the Google corporation. From 12:00 a.m. on March 29, 2008 until the end of Earth Hour, the Google homepage in the United States, Colombia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland and the UK was turned to a black background. Their tagline is, "We've turned the lights out. Now it's your turn - Earth Hour."
  

Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya, Solusi Energi Indonesia (For Indonesian Languange)

Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya (PLTS), adalah pembangkit yang memanfaatkan sinar matahari sebagai sumber penghasil listrik. Alat utama untuk menangkap, perubah dan penghasil listrik adalah Photovoltaic atau yang disebut secara umum Modul / Panel Solar Cell. Dengan alat tersebut sinar matahari dirubah menjadi listrik melalui proses aliran-aliran elektron negatif dan positif didalam cell modul tersebut karena perbedaan electron. Hasil dari aliran elektron-elektron akan menjadi listrik DC yang dapat langsung dimanfatkan untuk mengisi battery / aki sesuai tegangan dan ampere yang diperlukan. Rata-rata produk modul solar cell yang ada dipasaran menghasilkan tegangan 12 s/d 18 VDC dan ampere antara 0.5 s/d 7 Ampere. Modul juga memiliki kapasitas beraneka ragam mulai kapsitas 10 Watt Peak s/d 200 Watt Peak juga memiliki type cell monocrystal dan polycrystal.

Komponen inti dari sistem PLTS ini meliputi peralatan : Modul Solar Cell, Regulator / controller, Battery / Aki, Inverter DC to AC, Beban / Load. Dengan paket produk PLR tersebut dapat dimanfaatkan untuk para penduduk di Indonesia untuk solusi akan kebutuhan listrik yang di daerahnya sulit dijangkau listrik PLN atau di daerah pelosok dan produk paket PLR ini dari waktu ke waktu juga dibutuhkan beberapa konsumen perkotaan dan perusahaan dengan maksud mengkombinasikan dengan listrik PLN.

Rata-rata produk paket PLR (Paket Penerangan Listrik Rumah) ini digunakan untuk lampu-lampu penerangan di rumah, kantor, tempat ibadah, tempat umum dengan skala kecil dan menengah dan hasilnya dari penggunaan tersebut kalau dihitung secara besar diseluruh Indonesia, maka defisit akan listrik PLN akan teratasi karena PLR turut membantu dalam program penghematan listrik. Bayangkan bila tiap rumah, kantor, tempat ibadah, tempat umum di seluruh pulau Jawa beberapa peralatan lampu penerangannya diganti / dikombinasi dengan sistem PLTS, maka penghematan dalam listrik PLN akan terwujud secara nyata. Kalo ragu coba dihitung saja, misal 3 lampu 8 Watt (PLS/Cool day light, lumen cahanya sama dengan lampu pijar 40 Watt)untuk tiap rumah menggunakan PLTS maka, (8 Watt x 3 buah) x 20juta/malam(Perkiraan Pemakai PLN) = 480.000.000 Watt/malam. Bayangkan berapa besar penghematan dalam 1 malam saja!.

Paket Penerangan Listrik Rumah (PLR)

PLR (Penerangan Listrik Rumah) adalah paket PLTS untuk memenuhi kebutuhan listrik skala kecil (100-2000 Wh per hari). Berisi peralatan lengkap: modul solar cell, support modul, charge regulator, battery/accu, 3-5 lampu PLS/TL, dan saklar/socket AC/DC untuk Radio/Tape/TV, kabel, dan material instalasi. Tinggal memasang dan langsung dapat dinikmati.

Menggunakan modul surya monocrystal dan polycrystal efisiensi tinggi dari Eurosolare, Fuji, R&S, Holec, Siemens, Solarex, Sunseap, BP Solar, Solar World, Solar Energie Technik, Mitsubishi, dll dengan kapasitas modul 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100 dan 150 WP yang dilengkapi dengan charge regulator controller yang dapat memperpanjang usia battery dan modul solar cell. System PLR juga dilengkapi dengan kabel instalasi, stop kontak,steker dan komponen pendukung sehingga pemasangan dapat dilakukan dengan sangat mudah. Hanya diperlukan waktu pemasangan: 1 jam (teknisi berpengalaman), 2-3 jam (awam).

Dipasang secara individual (Satu rumah satu paket pembangkit tenaga surya). Karenanya cocok untuk program listrik rumah pedesaan (terpencil) dimana rumah satu dengan lainnya berjauhan (akan sangat mahal jika listrik disalurkan melalui jaringan kabel) dan penghematan penerangan lampu rumah untuk kota-kota .

Manfaat :

• Tidak memerlukan bahan bakar minyak (BBM) dan PLN, hanya menggunakan sinar matahari yang gratis sehingga cocok digunakan untuk daerah yang sangat terpencil, tengah laut.
  

• Bisa dipindah-pindah sehingga sangat fleksibel digunakan untuk tempat berpindah-pindah.
  

• Sebagai back-up apabila daerah tersebut sering mati lampu.
  

• Sebagai kombinasi listrik rumah untuk kota-kota dengan PLN.
  

• Perawatan sangat mudah, ramah lingkungan serta solar cell bisa bertahan sampai 10 tahun lebih.