Genevieve Joy

You have solar panels on your roof and it’s raining outside.  Will you still have electricity?  How will you dry your clothes?

If your home is “off the grid”, it generates its own power and has its own water source independent of public utilities.  If you don’t have batteries to store the electricity you produce, you’ll be in the dark without Netflix.  Most likely, though, if you are self-reliant you have batteries for storage; so while you are still completely dependent on your own energy production, you can also use it when none is being generated.

If, like most of us, you are in fact on the grid, you will have electricity whether your solar panels are being radiated or not.  When it’s night and no electricity is produced,  you simply draw power from the grid.  During the day the panels will produce energy and feed into the grid, offsetting your usage through something called Net Metering.

Net metering measures the difference between the electricity you buy from the utility and the amount you produce.  If you produce more than you use, the meter spins back to reflect the electricity you’ve put into the grid and in some states the utility purchases surplus at retail price.

Not all of us have access or the capacity to generate our own renewable energies.  A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a way to draw on renewable power from any location.  One REC is created for each megawatt-hour of electricity that is put into the grid by a renewable generator.

Once the energy enters the grid it is impossible to know its source.  As a result, purchasing a REC offsets emissions within the entire system since the actual electricity powering your home is probably a mixture of oil, coal and nuclear.  If you’re on the east coast the REC will support wind and hydropower; although growing, solar plays a larger role on the west coast.

The main way to get RECs is through green energy service companies, called ESCOs, that allow you to choose your energy supplier.  For a little more money, you can choose to use renewable sources.  Sometimes your provider will deliver the electricity for you from the supplier, as is the case with Con Edison, and sometimes you must go straight to the source.  The US Department of Energy has a list of REC marketers on its website.

Whether you produce your own renewable energy or purchase RECs that provide it, there are possibilities for everyone to access clean electricity.

Photos: California Solar Installation, Precision Power Inc.

by Genevieve Joy

You know about solar energy.  It’s the future, it’s clean, it will free us from dependence on oil and coal and end military conflict forever.  You may have seen them on office buildings and rooftops but do you know what solar panels are and how they work?

At its base, solar energy is the conversion of sunlight to electricity.  Photons are what we perceive as sunlight.  “Photovoltaic” is an adjective used to describe solar energy: photo, from the Greek for “light”, and volt, referring to electricity.

The photovoltaic cell, or PV cell, is made from a semi-conductor, which uses electrons to conduct an electrical current.  Semi-conductors are often made from silicon, hence “Silicon Valley”—the material most used in electronics.   When the PV cell is exposed to light, electrons on the semi-conductor absorb the light and separate from their atoms.  The energy created when the electrons separate is captured as an electric current.

A single cell usually produces a measly one or two watts of power.   To put this in persepective, your laptop uses 50 watts and your hair dryer uses 1200–1875.  More power is generated when they are connected.  A module, or panel, is made of many cells; and an array is made of many panels.  These create direct current energy, which can then be stored in chemical batteries for later use or go through an inverter to change the direct current to alternate so it can power your laptop and hair dryer.

From here it gets more complicated.  Solar One , NASA and the Department of Energy are great resources for the scientifically-inclined or curious.  If you’re a convert, check out this resource sheet and get ready to install your solar panels.

Photos: U.S. DOE and Nasa Science

by Genevieve Joy

Are you in favor of windmills, solar panels and electric cars?  How about rare earths?

Many of us have pinned our hopes for an oil-free future on alternative energies and the electric car.  But we may be transferring one dependency to another.

Rare earth elements, of which there are seventeen on the periodic table, and lithium are integral in the construction of LEDs, solar panels, wind turbines, and hybrid and electric cars.

In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that 90 percent of U.S. imports of these metals came from China; while this year, the number rose to 97 percent.  The majority of the world’s lithium supply can be found in China and South America.  In China, half of these mines operate illegally and Chinese gangs are in majority control of the mining industry.

One fear is dependence on other countries for these metals.  Another fear is that the world will run out.  Not to be overlooked is the negative environmental impact of mining.

The good news is that solar cells and wind turbines may not require the metals, although the metals do increase efficiency.  Is there a compromise?  Looks like scientists have more work cut out for them.  In the meantime, this is yet one more dwindling resource to keep in mind.

Photo: Mining Journal Online

By Genevieve Joy

I was in Iowa when the eggs were recalled.  And yes, I ate recalled eggs.  I wish I could say my organic eating habits saved me from exposure; but I was in a pinch and went conventional.

But does “organic” mean you’re safe from salmonella?

A recent Mother Jones article exposed flaws in the organic egg industry.  Organic hens must be cage free but the type of outdoor access and the length of time allowed outside is undefined, which means they can be cramped up like conventional hens with only occasional access to a small yard.

The salmonella bacteria has been found on the dusty floors of henhouses and many conventional hens never get the pleasure of touching the ground; so in an ironic twist of fate, it follows that cage free hens potentially have more contact with the bacteria.

Furthermore, the USDA recently published a study showing that the eggs from cage free hens have a higher chance of chemical contamination from the soil where they roam.

But there are also numerous conflicting studies that show otherwise.

So what do we do?

This egg epidemic can help us all be educated consumers (and, we hope, compel farms to clean up their act).  Start with this organic egg scorecard from the Cornucopia Institute that grades based on a number of criteria.  The base of the salmonella problem is cleanliness, whether the farm is organic or not.  The FDA recommends only buying refrigerated eggs. Also (obviously, I hope) avoid eggs that are cracked or have fecal matter on them.  Because we wouldn’t want to ask you to give up your raw cookie dough.

By Genevieve Joy

Sports have never been “green”. The equipment, the facilities, the water bottles and the crowds all add up to huge amounts of waste. Recently, however, the pressure to green up its act has caused major changes in the sports world.

It started with basketball: four NBA teams have earned LEED certification on their arenas since April 2009. And this year, NBA players will be sporting “eco-friendly” jerseys made from 60% recycled materials.

In the MLB, the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals have both earned LEED certification. This fall, the Pittsburgh Penguins successfully completed their quest to have the first LEED Gold stadium in the NHL. Not to be outdone, Los Angeles is following the “If you build it, they will come” example by constructing an NFL stadium that follows LEED standards before there is a team to play there. And this week, the New York Jets finished the installation of over 3,000 solar panels on their training facility in New Jersey.

Sports require energy. Sports create waste. But sports are here to stay; and luckily, it looks like the green trend is too.

Photo: Sports Desktop Wallpaper