SolarGizmo

Have a look at this video from brazil it shows a man who has lit his workshop using nothing but bottles of water. The method has now proven to be so popular it is spreading all over the world thanks to the Internet and word of mouth. The method is very simple – Take an empty 2 litre bottle, fill it with water then add some chlorine to stop alge which makes it turn green. Then glue a old plastic film canister over the lid. Only the down side is drilling holes in your roof which here in the UK would just not be practical unless you found a way of making the holes watertight for when it rains.

This is an interesting stand alone piece of software for you computer at work and at home, it enables the user to control the power usage of the PC by using a simple sliding bar to enable you to control when your PC’s use the energy for example if you have a network at work you can turn down the power usage when your offices are closed and the program will even tell you how much money you have saved. It’s completely free and available from here http://www.verdiem.com/edison.aspx

According to the website a typical computer uses 535kwh of electricity per year (when left on 24/7) and two thirds of that energy is wasted when it’s not in use. By using this free program users are able to save up to 30% of the energy use therefore gaining significant financial savings. The more computers who use this free software the more money and energy we can save.

This interesting company has innovative and interesting piezoelectric generation systems from roads, railways and pedestrian paths. It provides solutions to harvesting wasted energy and transforming it into useable green energy that can either be used on site or exported into a national grid. The company is based in Israel and has attracted a lot of attention to the possible ways in which this technology can be used and incorporated into our modern living. As you can see from the below videos the simple ways in which this technology has been adapted has the capability of producing massive amounts of energy and could easily replace many of our aging power station fleet with clean reliable green energy helping achieve the targets of the new low carbon economy.

The detailed videos below show exactly how the systems are incorporated into the environment and how the energy is generated.  For further information on this company and the technology they offer please visit the official website http://www.innowattech.co.il/index.aspx

A power station has been up and running in Norway for a few months now and has successfully generated totally renewable electricity 24/7 achieving great results, the video below gives a simple and educational demonstration as to how this technology works.

The company behind this project is Statkraft and it has the belief that osmosis generation of electricity could potentially power 50% of Europe’s entire power needs within the next 50 years. This would be a remarkable achievement and vastly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and therefore have major impact on pollution and CO2 levels. As the project releases more information we will keep you informed. Hopefully this project will be the first of many and it will live up to the ambition and dreams of its creators.

For more information and detail on this amazing project please visit the company’s official site

http://www.statkraft.com/

Many people have at some point in science class created some sort of electricity. Below are some videos selected from Utube showing exactly how these experiments are done. As these experiments are simple, educational and cheap why not give them a try and find out how much electricity you can generate in your kitchen or classroom.

LEMON BATTERY

POTATO BATTERY

VINEGAR BATTERY – not a fruit buy hey why not try it anyway

So now you have seen exactly how these experiments are done try them out and see how much electricity you can generate and then have some fun to see what you can power with it, clocks, MP3 players or even charge a battery. There are numerous fruit and acidic substances out there in the world which can be used to achieve the same or better results than the above videos.

Enjoy science, the more pople trying to find new and interesting methods of electricity generation the quicker we can proceed into our new low carbon economy, also same some money.

Most of the readers of this blog would have at some time in their lives downloaded something from the internet illegally. Well this time the YES MEN are back and they have created a movie free to download to try and promote what they are doing. The YES MEN have been infiltrating large corporations and trying to cause as much damage to reputation and performance as possible to get the customers to think about how that particular company does business. Its well worth a watch as its free just follow the link, download and watch.

You will think again about how large corporations operate and how you the customer have the decision to use them or seek a more friendly independent business to fulfill your needs.

FREE MOVIE DOWNLOAD – YES MEN FIX THE WORLD

Have a look at this video it shows oil on the floor after a rain shower in Luisiana USA, the person shooting the footage claims that it is now raining oil as a direct result of the oil leak currently going on in the Gulf of Mexico. The video clearly shows oil all over the road, path and running down the drain, as if things couldn’t get any worse for BP at the moment. The Oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has caused Billions of pounds worth of damage to both BP and the environment, if it really is beginning to rain oil then this will have a huge impact for the American environment and it population, the Oil will literally contaminate everything from food to drinking water. Please watch the video and make you own decision as to if this video is real or just a hoax uploaded to further damage BP and try to claim some of the compensation money set aside to help people through the disaster.

If you have been considering a wind turbine for your home but have been put of by the high prices involved in buying one why not consider building your own. This blog brings you the best instructional videos from the internet giving information and instructions on how they are built enabling you to have a go at building your own. As they are built from scratch and provide the lists of parts required you could scavenge most of the parts from skips and dumpsters from around your local area. The costs involved are far lower than buying one from a retailer and it gives you the ability to sit back and say “I did that” a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge you have taken one step closer to self sufficiency. REMEMBER THAT ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS AND THIS SHOULD ONLY BE ATTEMPTED BY PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT THEM SAFELY.

PART 1

PART 2

This is a great example of how to build a small wind turbine in you kitchen using recycled parts for a science class experiment. If you arnt technically minded its very simple to do and will give you good results and satisfaction to impress your friends with what you’ve made.

There are many more videos out there and I will be adding them over the next few weeks so keep your eyes open for more guids and hints.

It’s been 20 years since the privatization of electricity companies in the UK and E.ON are celebrating with the release of a new video to get more people involved in the big energy debate currently going on. The debate focuses on how we are going to reduce CO2 levels and promotes renewable energy. It’s a short animated film giving peoples individual views and opinions on the current energy crisis facing the UK and what these individuals think the solutions are. While you watch the film you will realize that each person has their own ideas on what needs to happen and a focus on shifting towards domestic electricity generation seems to be a strong ideal with most people believing that their individual homes can be made more efficient and would benefit from installing their own solar panels.

Having looked into E.ON and its work towards our future supplies of energy the company seems to be getting as many people involved as possible and the Solargizmo team would highly recommend a visit to the official site www.eontalkingenergy.com on a previous blog we wrote about Renewable Energy – Who Should Be In Control? The web link provided will provide a few good answers to this question. Please visit the site and get involved, remember everyone has an opinion on the subject and by talking out these views we can make big steps in solving the energy crisis and save the planet but if you dont talk about it your opinion is wasted.

When most people think of water it generally consists of the thought “you turn the tap and out it comes” however water is one of the most valuable resources on the planet, life as we know it couldn’t exist without it. Water keeps us from being thirsty, helps the plants grow and cleans the car and its uses are nearly endless so why do we waste so much of it. This simple guide is aimed at helping you save water and contribute to ensuring that it is always there when we need it the most this summer and as usually it will save you money (especially if you have a water meter fitted to your property).

1- Always ensure that if you see a water leak from a mains supply you report it to the local water authority straight away. You would be amazed to find out how many people see something like this and don’t report it thinking “it’s not my problem”. A mains leak can loose gallons of fresh water every minute it’s left to leak and your local water authority will provide a free phone number for you so it won’t even cost you to call. This number will be provided in your local yellow pages or emergency contact details n the nearest phone box.

2- Don’t leave taps running when brushing your teeth or cleaning. This is just a total waste of water; the water you paid for is literally going down the drain. If you turn the tap off when not in use you can save up to 10 litres a minute of perfectly good water. Dripping taps also offer another waste of water, always ensure you repair a leaking tap before the problem becomes too serious and this saves time, money and water.

3- Wash the car with a bucket of water and not the hose pipe. The bucket will contain enough water for you to make you car shine and the amount of water saved will be in the gallons. How many people do you see in the summer with a running hosepipe in one hand, sponge in the other just talking to the neighbor with the water hitting the ground being wasted?

4- Have a shower not a bath. This hint has been used in hundreds of guides but earns its place in this one because of pure practicality and common sense.

5- Collect rain water in a butt or container for use in the garden. Rain water is pure and readily available here in the UK so no excuses for not doing it really.

6- Have an empty pop bottle full of tap water in the fridge ready for when you need a drink. This save running the tap for a while till cold water arrives.

7- Use an old brick or something similar in your toilet system, this will save large amounts of water and still give the same result. Remember the toilet is one of the most used items in the house.

8- Use you washing machine or dishwasher when you have a full load instead of each occasion you want something cleaned. Not only does this save water but results in a lot less associated cleaning products being flushed down the drain.

9- Turn the temperature of you household boiler down. This saves money and water because of the following reason. Have you ever wondered why the water is the temperature it is? you have to pay to heat the water up then use more water and cost to cool it down to a usable temperature. For example the bath, you fill it with hot water then top up with cold to cool it down so you can get in it? Just reduce the boiler to a more user friendly temperature.

10- As with the carbon emitions guide, speak to as may people as possible about what they are doing to save water and you will find more great ideas and people willing to give it a go themselves. Individually we cannot do a great deal but everyone working together can make a huge impact on the water consumption in each country. Just remember that living in the UK the worst we need to consider is a water shortage and hose pipe ban. Some people in the world die of thirst.