As Technical Insights Research Association Chin Wai Loon explains, “It is projected that commercialization of wave and tidal energy will take place in the next 5-10 years as the technology evolves and production costs decline. Wave and tidal energy are expected to be deployed on a commercial scale due to its large promising resource and high market potential; it is crucial for technology developers to push through into the commercialization phase.”

He concludes by saying, “The reality is that a sustainable energy future is rooted in investment in people and local communities who can install and maintain renewable sources, rather than further subsidising capital-intensive, dirty and finite fossil fuels like deep offshore oil with all its robots.”

He then goes on to explain why he believes this to be true.  It offers interesting insights and food for thought for home owners.

Many renewable energy sources are free to use, making them a great advantages. These include the sun, wind, tides and geothermal activity.  After the initial cost of many of these items, including solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal energy equipment, the only costs you’ll have are maintenance related.

Similarly, you won’t have to worry about price rises from gas, energy or electricity companies.  You’ll be energy efficient and self sufficient from fossil fuel. You can also find government grants for some of the natural energy projects depending on your location.

There are a few disadvantages to using clean energy as opposed to fossil fuels.  The initial costs of setting up for renewable energy may cost a good deal.  Also, you probably won’t be able to completely replace your current energy or power supply, so you’ll still have some reliance on the methods you are trying to move away from using.

There are a variety of ways solar power can be transformed into electricity. The way with the most potential today concentrates the sun’s rays using an array of mirrors. The concentration of rays creates a great deal of heat, which then in turn can power a generator, producing the needed electricity.

Another way to make electricity using the sun is with photovoltaic panels. These can be seen on the rooftops of houses and office buildings. These panels are composed of several separate photovoltaic cells, which actively and directly convert the sun’s energy into electricity. The larger the number of solar cells in a panel and the higher the quality of the solar cells, the larger the total electrical output the solar panel can produce.

At the moment it is quite expensive to produce electricity using the sun’s rays. Electricity from the sun can cost four times as much as power from coal, and twice as much as from wind energy. Currently, obtaining electricity from the sun must be subsidized, but with the development of new technologies, and the costs dropping, there is optimism that eventually the solar power industry will be able to support itself.

1. Set the thermostat as low as you can handle it in the winter and as high as possible in the summer.  Purchase a programmable thermostat as well so that you’ll only be using energy at key times throughout the day.

2. Clean filters on furnaces once a month and clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as necessary.

3. Turn off exhaust fans in the kitchen, bath and other areas within 20 minutes after you’ve finished cooking or bathing.  If you need to replace exhaust fans, use high-efficiency, low-noise models.

4. Pay attention to your drapes and shades (or install some if you don’t already have them).  In the winter, keep drapes and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day for more sunlight and closed at night to reduce a chill from cold windows.  During the summer months, keep the windows closed during the day to prevent extra heat from the sun.

It’s important to understand what Green Electricity is, and how it can help you to save the environment.  Green Electricity is really two different items.  It can be electricity that comes from an environmentally friendly and renewable location such as wind, hydro, geothermal or solar electric.  It can also be an arrangement between you, the electricity user, and the supplier, such as IDT Energy, who delivers the clean electricity to you.

Some people question if using Green Electricity really makes a difference.  The answer is that it certainly does.  When you sign up with a green supplier, you are telling that supplier that you want more green electricity in your package of electrical consumption.  The more people sign up for Green Electricity, the more the supplier will need to source.  As the customer pool grows and the demand increases, the supplier finds more partnerships with wind farms and other sources.  This means that less non-green power needs to be generated to meet the overall demand.

Each person really can make a difference when they choose to use Green Electricity.

Because of this fact there is a large potential for the development of these industries to require a large work force with many new jobs being created.
According to a report published as a joint project of the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club, wind power component manufacturers have the potential of creating about 18,500 new jobs in New York State, and solar power component manufacturers could create 14,600 new jobs.

If geothermal and biomass manufacturing components are added to the equation, the total number of jobs created to supply the renewable energy industry in New York could be as much as almost 50,000 new jobs.

This re-industrialization of New York State could be enough of a reason to invest in green energy, but in addition clean energy development provides increased national security and improved climate and environmental health.

For these reasons IDT Energy offers its customers the option of choosing “Buying Green” and supporting the development of renewable sources of energy in New York State.

Buying Green means:

•    There will be increased use of renewable energy resources.
•    Cleaner and healthier air for everybody.
•    Less of a need to build and use nuclear power plants.
•    Reduced dependence on foreign oil supplies
•    Increased opportunities for employment as “green technologies” develop.