Renewable Energy: A Step Closer To Nature

We talk repeatedly about saving the environment, reducing the carbon footprint and Global warming, but the main source of pollution comes when we use the energy from fossil fuel. It is like a double edged sword where you can not progress economically or sociologically with out the use of energy and by doing so we are constantly affecting out environment and our planet our home. The renewable energy concept is an revolution which plans to solve this dilemma.

Renewable energy is a form of alternative energy i.e, the energy which doesn’t come from the fossil fuel. Unlike other alternative energies this type of energies don’t have a finite source. The following are some of the most popular types of renewable energies which are prevalent in today's environment.

1. Solar energy: It is basically the process of converting the energy of the sun light into electricity or thermal energy to use it for the purpose of domestic as well as industrial uses. It does not emit any poisonous gas like fossil fuel so this is pollution free. The best part of the solar energy is that the source of energy is will last for billion of years and there is no chance of running out of energy. The system uses photovoltaic cells to trap the energy from the sun.
2. Wind energy: It is the process of using the power of the wind to generate electricity. By installing windmills and the turbine inside it, the energy of the wind is converted into electricity. As the the amount of energy depends on the speed of the wind, the key is to place the wind mills into such places where the wind blowing is the strongest. There is one definite benefit of using wind power with compared to Solar power is unlike solar power you can get the energy from the wind mill 24/7 and not only in the day time.
3. Geo-thermal energy: It is using the natural source of heat which is inside the earth to produce energy forms like electricity or thermal power. It uses the streams or hot water from underground. It is also a form of energy which doesn’t emit any green house gas. The best part of Geo-thermal energy is that it is one of the most cheapest form of energy source. It is around 70% cheaper than traditional sources of energy.
4. Hydro energy: Water is the most common source of alternative energy to fossil fuel. Using the power of the flow of streams and waterfalls the turbine is moved and produce energy. Though it is a clean source of energy i.e, it don’t emit any green house gas, unnatural blocking of water flow results in disturbing the natural habitat of several fishes and other aquatic animals.

Although the renewable energy industry is at this point of time is in infant stage, the scope of growth is enormous. This use of fossil fuel is not going to sustain for much longer period of time as it is assumed that the stored fossil fuel can last for 50 years or less. Many government are providing much needed encouragement and support for the research of energy sources which can sustain the growth much longer.

Want to know from you what is your view about renewable energy. Have any suggestion? Please feel free to mention it.

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Benefits Of Cycling Adventures | A Greener way to Transportation

Benefits Of Cycling can be overwhelming. Bicycles introduced in 19^th century in Europe and it become very famous as the time passed by. Though it is hard to believe but in many parts of the world it is the principal mode of transportation. Its usage as children toys, fitness equipment is ever increasing day by day. 

The bicycle has been proved to be the most efficient transportation in terms of human-powered mechanism when travelling a certain distance. Mechanically it is measured that 99% of the energy you put into the paddle are transferred to the wheels. 

Let us look at some of the

Benefits of Cycling:

It is always easier to buy a bicycle than an automobile. It is much more economical(I don’t like to use the word Cheap)than any other automobile. You can also save a lot of money in the form of road taxes when you ride a bicycle. The operating cost of a bicycle is almost free (baring a little bit of maintenance from time to time) as it does not use any fossil fuel(or any fuel for that matter). Now a days when petrol and diesel prices have reached sky high riding a bicycle is like reducing your  expanses to half.

We are all aware of the benefits of doing aerobic exercises to gain healthy benefits. Depending upon the road and type of bicycle you can burn up to 600 cal/hour of energy during riding a bicycle. Studies shows bicycle riders are the most healthiest people in this planet. Now a days you will not find a health and fitness gym where bicycle is not installed. It shows the impact it has in shaping up your body.

Parking can be a very frustrating exercise when you are in a crowed city like Mumbai or Delhi. Being a light and very slim equipment it is always fit into a very tiny spot and saves a lot of parking space.

In many cities now government have established a separate lane for bicycle riders. Nothing is of more fun when you can zip through the congested traffic by using those empty lanes.

Riding bicycle doesn’t emit poisonous gasses, toxic substances. Automobiles even make the roads much more prone to accidents by oil spill offs.

Manufacturing of cycles no doubt have negative impacts on the environment. Manufacturing of frames and all other components burn energy and produce both green house gasses as well as toxins. But overall for day to day usage bicycling is a much much more environmental way of transportation. A recent study done on American workplace shows if all of the employees who live within 5 km range of their workplace use bicycle instead of their cars, the total emission of gasses can be reduced by 6 percent. Now that’s a huge impact when we are talking about going green.

A word of caution on bicycling, it is no doubt fun to use bicycle, but it is equally important to use safety measures like head cover, kneecaps and elbow covers while riding your bicycle.

Hope you have enjoyed reading the article. If you already a Bicycle rider share your experience with us.

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Rain Water Harvesting: A Beginner's Approach

As for a country like India where urbanizing is happening very quickly and so as the need for water. Earlier it was perfectly okay for the cities to arrange water for its denizens from many water bodies. But with increasing demand of water they are stretched to their limits to arrange it. As for a city like Mumbai which receives a plenty of water during the monsoon in the form of rain, can definitely provide a solution to its ever increasing population.

Rain water harvesting is not a very new concept. According to Wikipedia this concepts were known to humans before third century BC. Some part of Pakistan, Iran and India were using those techniques. Even we at our childhood days may have enjoyed collecting rain water and using it to many purposes. With scientific advancements and and more complicated gadgets we tend to forget those simple techniques which are much more aligned with the nature. With this blog I want to enlighten some of those concepts with though are very simple to follow, we seemed to have neglected for quite some time.
The technological solution for rain water harvesting is not that complicated as the the name may suggest. There are basically three parts which you need to know.
Rain catching area
The collection device
The Piping system

Rain catching area:
Rooftop catching: Though this area receives the majority of the rain the amount and the quality of the water varies greatly with the material type used for roofing. In case the rooftop is of galvanized corrugated iron, aluminum or asbestos like material the quality of water is reasonably good. However the painted or coated rooftop can add colors and other chemical impurities to the collected water. It is almost mandatory to clean the rooftops to keep it free from bird droppings, dust and leaves. You can collect the water at the edge of the roof by putting vessels there or you can use pipes to bring the collected water to the vessel at you convenient place.
Using a rain saucer can greatly reduce the contamination. It catches the rain direct from the sky. It is a reverse umbrella like shape.

The collection device:
These can be cylindrical jars or tanks. You can prepare your collection device above or below the ground but make sure these tanks are free from human, animal or any other environmental contamination. Put a tight lid to protect the water from mosquito breeding and algal growth. Select the size of container by keeping in mind of your using needs.

The piping system:
This system includes all the pipes you need for smooth operation of the system. First it collects the water from rooftop to storage tanks. You need to put the water from the initial shower to the wastes as it contains some contamination and it should not enter into the storage. There are some flap system available which can control the flow of water manually or automatically. It can divert the rain water of the later stages to the storage. The pipes required for the collection should be of PVC or other inert materials. It is also necessary to arrange for the excess rain water to overflow.

Benefits of Rain water harvesting:
The collected rain water is generally far better in quality than that of surface water. Most of the contamination occurs with bird feces, dust and other particles. You need to through away the initial water flow. The quality of water is greatly increased if multiple tanks is used in a series instead of one. Collect the water from the last tank and from the surface rather than the bottom.
The best part of rain water harvesting is that you can use the water for drinking as well as irrigation and storage. The purification process for drinking purposes can be much less lengthy than those which we are currently following when we take water from external sources like rivers or lakes.
During water shortage it can be used as a independent source of water supply.
It can prevent drought by providing much needed water to quench the thirst.
It will prevent the flood in the low laying areas by holding the excess water into your storage.
The excess water which has been overflown for the storage can also replenish the ground water level.
It reduces the salinity and helps in the availability of clean water.
It is generally chlorine and fluoride free and thus provides and excellent water source for irrigation purposes.




What do you think about rain water harvesting. Please let me know by putting your thoughts into the comment box.

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