First of all, I will be going back to school soon. Highschool starts for me on the 24th. With this in consideration, I want to warn you all that I may be changing the post dates to the weekend, possibly Saturday or Sunday. I will let you all know if any of this is going to happen when I get situated into my new schedule.
Secondly, also because of returning to school, there may be times where I just can't update in general. There may be weekends where I just have too much homework to update. With how hectic school can get, I may completely FORGET! This being said, if anyone comments on this site, it sends me an email, so I would be alerted if I forgot. If any of you are frequent readers, you can contact me through the new contact page I will be setting up, or through the comments. I would gladly take someone on board to be in charge of alerting me if I forget to post.
Now for some good news.
I managed to bring home a haul of alternative energy books and movies from our public library. Our main branch library is very good for these kinds of books, I was surprised to find.
I'll go over the videos first. (Note I haven't watched any of them yet)
The first video is called Solar Energy: Saved By The Sun. It is a NOVA video, so it is bound to be very good.
The description says, "In Saved By The Sun, NOVA poses the burning question: Can solar power help save the Earth from the ravages of global warming? In the face of steeply rising oil prices and political turmoil in the Middle East, there's new urgency and enthusiasm for finding ways to make solar power more efficent and affordable. From indivduals installing solar panels on their roofs to industrial-scale projects in the Mojave desert feature massive arrays of mirrors, solar power is gaining ground in the US. And in Germany, the world's leading developer of solar power is on track to produce 30 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology could make solar's future even brighter. NOVA presents a provocative mix of scientists, economics, and ordinary citizens who are all pushing the envelope of solar power's untappped potential."
This video does sound quite interesting, but note the out of date stats. It was made in 2007, after all. Still will be very interesting.
The second video is called Renewable Energy and it is from the History Channel. Now I'm more excited about this video for two reasons, wind turbines are on the cover, and the fact that I've never heard of the History channel doing anything on this kind of topic.
The description says: "With Oil prices rising and global warming a mounting crisis, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the technological revolution of the twenty-first century is renewable energy. In this in-depth documentary, MODERN MARVELS examines how today's advanced technologies are working to harness air, water, earth, and fire to produce clean and reliable sources of energy. On a visit to the FedEx hub in Oakland, California, discover how this global shipping giant has mandated to employ solar power to produce 80% of its peak electricity needs, and find out how ancient civilizations were utilizing renewable resources more than two millennia before our time. Featuring interviews with energy experts, authors, and engineers, this incisive program examines the benefits of some of the most reliable renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel, and tidal power. From the experimental to the tried-and-true, renewable energy sources are overflowing with potential. Now join HISTORY for this exciting look at these viable alternatives to fossil fuels."
The first book is called Renewable: The World-Changing Power of Alternative Energy. The author is Jeremy Shere.
The description says: " Where does the energy we use come from? It's absolutely vital to every single thing we do every day, but for most people, it is utterly invisible. Flick a switch and the lights go on. It might as well be magic.
Science writer Jeremy Shere shows us in Renewable: The World-Changing Power of Alternative Energy that energy is anything but magical. Producing it in fossil fuel form is a dirty, expensive--but also hugely profitable-- enterprise, with enormous but largely hidden costs to the entire planet. The cold, hard fact is that at some point we will have wrung the planet dry of easily accessible sources of fossil fuel. And when that time comes, humankind will have no choice but to turn--or, more accurately, return--to other, cleaner, renewable energy sources. What will those sources be? How far have we come to realizing the technologies that will make these sources available?
To find the answers, Shere began his journey with a tour of a traditional coal-fueled power plant in his home state of Indiana. He then continued on, traveling from coast to coast as he spoke to scientists, scholars and innovators. He immersed himself in the green energy world: visiting a solar farm at Denver's airport, attending the Wind Power Expo and a wind farm tour in Texas, investigating turbines deep in New York City's East River, and much more.
Arranged in five parts--Green Gas, Sun, Wind, Earth, and Water--Renewable tells the stories of the most interesting and promising types of renewable energy: namely, biofuel, solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower. But unlike many books about alternative energy, Renewable is not obsessed with megawatts and tips for building home solar panels. Instead, Shere digs into the rich, surprisingly long histories of these technologies, bringing to life the pioneering scientists, inventors, and visionaries who blazed the way for solar, wind, hydro, and other forms of renewable power, and unearthing the curious involvement of great thinkers like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Nicola Tesla.
We are at an important crossroads in the history of renewable technologies. The possibilities are endless and enticing, and it has become increasingly clear that renewable energy is the way of the future. In Renewable, Jeremy Shere's natural curiosity and serious research come together in an entertaining and informative guide to where renewable energy has been, where it is today, and where it's heading."
This is going to be a pretty lengthy chapter book compared to the others that I got. At least I will have something to keep me occupied for a while.
The description says: "About 2.3 million people worldwide are directly or indirectly employed in renewable energy-fields-and the greatest employment gains have occured in countries in which the government supports renewable energy,according to a recent Worldwatch institute study. * President Obama has emphasized that sustainability and clean energy are vital elements in sucessfully rebuilding the U.S. economy and securing more jobs. And because renewable energy sources are commonly more labor-intensive than fossil fuel sources, a transition to renewables promises job gains. Peterson's Green Careers in Energy pinpoints the best opportunities in the fast-growing and most promising renewable energy fields-solar, wind geothermal, hydroelectric and marine, biofuel, and hydrogen-with data on colleges,organizations, and institutions that offer courses,degrees,certification, and training/retraining."
This is a book that is only available to people who buy books for a library or for students, like at a school.
The description says: "About 2.3 million people worldwide are directly or indirectly employed in renewable energy-fields-and the greatest employment gains have occured in countries in which the government supports renewable energy,according to a recent Worldwatch institute study. * President Obama has emphasized that sustainability and clean energy are vital elements in sucessfully rebuilding the U.S. economy and securing more jobs. And because renewable energy sources are commonly more labor-intensive than fossil fuel sources, a transition to renewables promises job gains. Peterson's Green Careers in Energy pinpoints the best opportunities in the fast-growing and most promising renewable energy fields-solar, wind geothermal, hydroelectric and marine, biofuel, and hydrogen-with data on colleges,organizations, and institutions that offer courses,degrees,certification, and training/retraining."
I apologize for all the blabbering about my finds, but I hoped that you all might enjoy reading these, so I shared. Please tell me if any of you have seen or read these before!