Wise men say that coal is a 19th century solution for 21st century problems. But burning coal to produce energy is even worse than a lag in time and technology, or that its being unsustainable. Coal is outright dangerous, for various reasons, such as:

• Burning coal emits harmful waste such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphuric acids, arsenic and ash (twice as much carbon dioxide when compared to natural gas) and increases GHG emission.
• It causes heavy pollution.
• The burning of coal in large quantities, such as in factories can lead to acid rains.
• Coal can be cleaned and/or turned into a liquid of gas but this technology has yet to be fully developed and adds to the expense of creating fuel via coal.
• Coal mining is harmful to the landscape and the large and noisy equipment used for mining  may affect local wildlife.
• Transporting coal requires an extensive transportation system and can also cause additional pollution in the form of emissions from transportation vehicles.
• There are limited stocks of coal remaining, it is non-renewable and projected to be depleated this millenium.
• Lastly, it is not very well known but releases from coal combustion contain naturally occuring radioactive materials – mainly, uranium and thorium. To give a comparison, coal fired power plants produce 100 to 400 times as much radioactive material as nuclear power plants are permitted to.

It is not hard to visualize how harmful the uranium ore is. Observer investigation, recently uncovered a link between dramatic rise in birth defects in Punjab, India and pollution from coal-fired power stations.

“The children had massive levels of uranium in their bodies, in one case more than 60 times the maximum safe limit. …

An Observer investigation has now uncovered disturbing evidence to suggest a link between the contamination and the region’s coal-fired power stations. …

The findings have implications not only for the rest of India – Punjab produces two-thirds of the wheat in the country’s central reserves and 40% of its rice – but for many other countries planning to build new power plants, including China, Russia, India, Germany and the US. In Britain….” Gethin Chamberlain reports for the London Observer, August 30, 2009.

Some accuse the renewable energy pro’s for sacrificing goods (the so called “clean” coal for instance) for non-viable perfects. I concur that large scale wind and solar energy are not still totally cost-effective and developed, yet there is nothing wrong in urging its development or using and promoting the use of clean energy in areas where we can replace fossil fuels.

Watching my two kids in the playground, I thought about the opportunity cost of the energy their crazy games could produce. It was a funny idea, but when I googled it, I saw that several programs in Africa are actually using  some playground equipments like merry-go-rounds to pump up fresh water.

“Generally speaking, the children’s play can generate the clean water for the community,” said Marissa Valdez, a spokesperson for PlayPumps International.

Playful idea, isn’t it!

Let’s see what else we can do to produce energy from our muscles:

• Some exercise machines in Green Microgym in Portland, Ore.,  generate electricity as people use them for their regualar work out.
• Natuurcafe La Port in the Netherlands has the world’s first energy-generating revolving door which is to provide energy savings of about 4600 kWh each year as people push the door.
• Likewise, The East Japan Railway Company, as part of research aimed at developing more environmentally friendly train stations, is testing an experimental system that produces electricity as people pass through ticket gates.
• As part of the Club4Climate project London’s first eco-friendly disco Surya was openned in King’s Cross., where 60% of the energy needed to run the club is generated from the piezoelectric dancefloor, which uses crystalline harvesters under its disco floor to create tiny pulses of energy each time a dancer pushes down.

Human stemmed renewable energy is not yet the most efficient way to produce energy, though. So, it would be in vain trying to meet the energy wasted on your food by exercising in the eco-gym to burn that very food. But, if it is something you normally do, just like my kids, it is a brilliant idea, I must admit.

I knew before that electricity generation is the biggest source of air pollution in US and that I didn’t know that it was so drastic.

You can chech American Wind Energy Association’s web site for more detailed information on wind power facts.

As it is much more effective to generate clean energy with the new generation wind turbines, I’d suggest that together with solar power solutions, it should be made used for houses of whereever the geographic and climatic conditions are appropriate.

The working principle of a residential wind turbine is simple:

A wind turbine, installed on top of a tall tower, collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity which is compatible with a home’s electrical system.

In a normal residential application, a residential wind power is supplemented with local utility since the wind speed can lag behind 7-10 mph and disable the output of the turbin. Unlike solar cells, wind turbines don’t have batteries, so the extra amount of energy – if the turbine produces more than the house needs- is sold to the utility.

Wind power solutions work best when certain conditions are met:

• If the house is spread over a big area (over one acre, for instance)
• The average wind speed in your area is around 11 miles per hour.
• If you need to draw water from outside on a regular basis
• If you need uninterrupted energy supply.

If your house meets the above conditions, the wind turbine can lower your electricity bill up to 90 percent. In the north where there is less need for air conditioning the utility bills can be really low. At the end of the day, depending on its cost, the amount of electricity you use, the average wind speed at your site, and other factors a small wind turbine can save you a considerable amount in the long run.

It can also be a perfect match for solar systems as a backup for long cloudy periods.

If you have a very narrow budget, I found today in that you can even build your own windmill with a few cheap items from your hardware store. It can be interesting, don’t you think? Clicking on the banner below, you can get a Earth4Energy Kit to follow the step by step guide to build your own wind turbine and pv panel.

Wind turbins developed a lot since 80s. (According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), modern turbines are 100 times the size of those in 1980. Over the same period, rotor diameters have increased eight-fold, with turbine blades surpassing 60 m in length. ) The countries that shifted to Wind Energy relatively earlier, started to lack behind the efficiency standard. Their -now old technology- wind farms are situated in the places optimum for it. This means that they have lower energy outputs per turbin, than they could have with the new generation turbins. Walter Hulshorst lists the factors that encourage repowering in his report on the subject:

1. Multiplied power generation from the same area of land
2. Fewer and higher turbinsHigher efficiency and lower costs
3. Better visual appearence
4. Better grid integration and higher utilisation degree

“Some of these machines were built like tanks and like many aircraft and other pieces of equipment, they can be stripped down to the frame and rebuilt, using many newer technologies that were not even available when they were first made.” says David Wright, VP of Manufacturing at Aeronautica Windpower, a Massachusetts-based company  recycling turbins.

I’d recommend you Kari Larsen’s article  on what to do with recycled turbins on the following link – http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/319/recycling-wind/