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Lots of “green” money is being thrown out from President Obama’s economic stimulus package (ARRA) and other sources, with everyone talking about alternative fuels and renewable energy, such as electric cars, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), wind power, and more. I am talking. , solar power, hydropower. It seems like a lot of carrots are being dangled in front of us — solutions that are coming, but haven’t quite arrived yet. So what can we do about it? What solutions are available today? (Well, besides the Prius).
Renewable energy is not just a topic for politicians, government programs and feel-good organizations. Did you know that there are things you can do today to help save the environment? And they’re cheaper than you think! While you’re at it, you’ll be helping our country become more self-reliant, thereby boosting our national security. Here are some things you can do now:
1. Convert your car to Electric Vehicle (EV).
Here are some options you have: (1) You can take your car to a shop that does this and have it professionally done for $15,000-$25,000; (2) You can buy a kit for $5000-$15,000 and do it yourself; Or (3) you can do it yourself from scratch for $500-$5000. It’s not as far away as you might think. Even if you’re not mechanically inclined, you probably know someone who is and would be happy to help (just trade for piano lessons or something). All you need is a good instruction guide, some basic shop tools, and a little help from time to time. Chances are, there are people in your neighborhood who have already done this or are in the process. Check around. A good source of information is your local chapter of the Electric Auto Association. Keep in mind that the range of your electric vehicle will be much less than before. You can get up to 100 miles of range on recharging the batteries. For most of us that covers 90% of our driving in a given day, but there are times we want to go further. My advice is to keep your current car for long trips and find a vehicle that has a blown engine but is otherwise in good condition and the seller is willing to pay a few hundred dollars. Convert it and you now have something better than a hybrid!
2. Build your own solar (photovoltaic) panels.
Most of the people want to reduce their electricity bill. Don’t trust the power company to reduce the rates. Instead, do something to capture the infinite source of energy… the Sun. Most people are put off by the high price of state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels. Let’s face it, most of us don’t have $70,000 or so sitting around doing something better. But did you know that you can make your own panels for only a couple hundred pieces? OK, so they’re not going to be the super-efficient, high-tech gadgets you pay thousands for, but hey! You are not paying thousands. The best part is that you can start with one at a time and get better at it as you go along. Before you know it, you’ll have a complete system generating enough electricity during the day to run your lights at night. You may even have enough extra to sell back to the power company. Think about that!
3. Capture the power of the wind.
Do you live where the wind blows constantly? Well, even if you don’t, you can still benefit from making your own wind generator. Okay, so if it’s always been very quiet in your house, this might not work for you. But in most places even though it’s calm during the day, the wind typically picks up at night, enough to generate a fair amount of electricity – a perfect complement to solar panels that can only operate during the day. The best part is that you can build a wind generator yourself and avoid the huge upfront costs of a brand new wind generator. Get some plans, buy the materials and get to it!
4. Make your own Bio Diesel.
People have been doing this for years. You can power your truck, car, generator, fuel-oil furnace; Basically anything that takes standard diesel can take biodiesel. Right now you can buy biodiesel from some gas stations for about the same price as regular fuel. The only thing you get is that you can sit and breathe the emissions without worrying about health issues. So what if you want a cheaper alternative? Get a supply of oil from your local restaurant and put it to good use. It’s not easy, remember you’re working with fuel here, but it’s very easy. As long as you carefully filter, mix, and heat according to reliable detailed instructions, you’ll end up with a recycled, clean, multi-use fuel source. Don’t be intimidated by those who say biodiesel is bad for your engine. As long as you take precautions and follow a few simple maintenance procedures, your engine will run fine. If you live in a cold climate, you may need to mix standard diesel with biodiesel to keep it from gelling during the winter. Even at 50% mix, you’re still running a cheap, clean rig.
So what do renewable and alternative energy have to do with you? Everything! If we all do just one thing for our environment, we will find ourselves living in a cleaner world, breathing cleaner air and living better lives. I’ve only shared a few examples, but as you can see, there are things you can do today to improve and protect your living environment. You might not be able to do it all, but you just have to start somewhere. If you need help finding a good instructable, visit my web site. I think you will find that as you start taking initiative on some of these things and making them with your own hands, you will gain confidence, security and self-worth. Best of all, you’ll be putting money back in your pocket.
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