Home Energy Alternatives – Is there anything Better Than Solar / Wind Energy for Power Generation?

4 Comments

1. Kyle T says:

   August 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   Geothermal is a common alternative but my own favorite is magnetic energy.

   It’s a fascinating area of power generation, its use so far seen only in high speed train travel. For power generation, magnetic energy extends the idea of renewablility and gives it a cooler, cleaner twist.

   It eliminates the need for expensive solar panels or large wind farms to generate electricity. Magnetic power can work in relatively compact spaces to power a home.
2. Badwolf R says:

   August 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   geothermal energy! hotter than coal super easy 100% Natural and all es thar.
3. dj says:

   August 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   Geothermal is the answer, but no one has explained why. The earth’s outer crust has a constant temperature, about 50 degrees. That means it will warm your home when the temperature outside is below freezing, and it will cool it when the weather is hot. It’s far more efficient for heating and cooling than electricity because it doesn’t require conversion of electricity into heat (or refrigeration for cooling). It just needs a system to transfer the heat.

   Typically home geothermal works by burying pipes (or drilling down fifty feet or more and installing pipes) so, like other forms of alternative energy it does have a significant upfront cost. But for operation it’s much cheaper– and combined with solar ir wind to provide the electricity for the heat exchange it can be totally self-sufficient.

   It is also worth mentioning that if you live in a rural area where trees grow naturally, wood is a reasonable source of heat as long as forests are harvested sustainably. Where I live, there are literally hundreds of square miles of standing dead trees that need to be taken down to make room for new trees. Wood is not suitable for urban areas because of the soot, but it is very nearly carbon neutral (it takes energy to cut and transport).

   Passive geothermal, such as a root cellar or cheese cellar, can also reduce the energy needed for refrigeration. We have a cheese cellar for aging our homemade cheese that requires no energy inputs to retain a constant temperature.

   And of course passive solar is a great source of heat as well. Passive technologies require no heat pumps– the sun (or earth) does the work.
4. andy says:

   August 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   Not currently. Wind and Solar are the two types used for people who live too far out to be attached to the grid.