Archive for the ‘Alternative Energy Companies’ Category

How to use solar energy

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

The sun is one of the renewable energy sources that continuously produce a large amount of energy that is called solar energy. The process of atomic fusion takes place inside the sun and releases a lot of energy. The solar energy so produced can be used for different purposes that can be either commercial or domestic.

Renewable solar energy is used in a variety of devices that absorb solar energy and then convert it to a useful form for various purposes. There are several ways in which solar energy can be used. In a solar oven, solar energy is used to cook food. In this oven a concave mirror is used to concentrate the sun’s energy onto the food that has to be cooked. Water can be heated in devices called solar collectors. The solar collectors are mounted on roof tops. It is ensured that they are installed at places where there is sufficient sunlight so that they can absorb solar energy and use it to heat up the water.

Solar batteries are the equipments that use solar energy to produce power. These devices use photocells to produce solar power. In a solar furnace, a number of mirrors are used on sides to form one large concave mirror that can reflect sunlight and use it for heating purposes.

Solar energy can also be used to meet the electricity needs of industries and also for the purpose of heating, lighting and water pumping.

Solar energy is so widely used because it is a renewable alternative energy source that is readily available and reliable.

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Alternative Energy Companies Provide Wind Power

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

In August of 2008, there were 125 companies that were squarely focused on alternative energy production globally. Of those, 41 were based in the United States – roughly a third. At the time, the value of those alternative energy companies was approximately only 25%, a figure that has waxed and waned with the turbulent global economy. However, alternative energy companies have still followed a general pattern of growth despite economic downturns.

For example, First Wind, a Massachusetts company formerly known as UPC Wind which has constructed facilities in both New England and Hawaii,, hopes to raise $450 million in an offering underwritten by Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan. The 130-employee company has wind farms operating or in development in six states and one Canadian province. The company will be listed on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol “WNDY.”

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of alternative energy in the United States and is expected to account for 1.8 percent of electricity production by the year 2012. The Department of Energy is examining the possibility of raising that output to 20 percent by 2030, which would require the construction of more than 300,000 megawatts of generating capacity.

However, alternative energy companies have farms that are large and unwieldy, and sometimes make for difficult negotiations with those who have interests in real estate development. Thousands of new turbines generally generate countless permitting processes and regulatory reviews. Some companies, however, such as First Wind, pride themselves as possessing the skills to both engineer the technology and handle the ensuing bureaucracy.

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