General Information |
||
The Smithsonian Institute |
The Smithsonian Institute has a section documenting the restructuring of electrical power in North America |
|
U.S. Department of Energy |
Government agency whose purpose is to foster a secure and reliable energy system that is environmentally and economically sustainable |
|
Information & Resources |
||
American Solar Energy Society (ASES) |
A comprehensive site dealing with solar energy. Several publications, and an online guide to solar power. |
|
American Wind Energy Association |
AWEA, the trade association of the wind energy industry, produces both technical and popular information about using wind for electricity. |
|
Electric Power Research Institute |
Institute researching the improvement of electric power generation and delivery |
|
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network |
This website, produced by the Department of Energy?s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has the most comprehensive collection of background information about clean energy on the internet. It features 80,000 documents divided into a wide ran |
|
Home Power |
A magazine about alternate energy sources. Has detailed maps of solar and wind for the United States. |
|
Lord's Place |
A solar house in Maine owned by William and Deborah Lord. This site includes the process they went through to get their house ?off the grid?. They also have other ideas for using alternate fuel sources. |
|
Power Technology News |
Power Technology News |
|
Yahoo! Alternate Energy Group |
A newsgroup for all those interested in alternate energy. Covers wind, hydro, and solar power. |
|
Professional Associations |
||
Electrical Generating Systems Association |
Trade association made up of nearly 600 companies in the USA and around the world that make, sell, distribute, specify, service, and use on-site power equipment |
|
Institute of Clean Air Companies |
Nonprofit national association of companies which supply air pollution monitoring and control systems, equipment, and services for stationary sources |
|
International District Energy Association |
A non-profit organization dedicated to help the environment through more efficient energy services. |
|
Recent Posts
Why Should You Buy A Power Generator?
The image on the bottom was taken during a San Diego power outage. All of the lights seen on in the bottom picture are from back up power generators.
A power generator is an item that you typically don’t realize you need until you’re in the middle of a situation where you would need it most: A power outage. Many of us have been spoiled with non-stop electricity for most of our lives; we don’t usually think about times without it on a regular basis.
Recently there have been two big outages: One in the USA and one in India.
Near the end of June 2012 a massive storm swept across Eastern regions of the US leaving nearly 4 million without power across seven states and the District of Columbia in the middle of a heat wave. Those without power (and without power generators) resorted to using cooling stations set up by local churches, schools, and county centers.
A month later came a much bigger power outage, this time in India, where 670 million people were left without power when three major power grids collapsed. 670 million people is about 10% of the world’s population.
Whether we think about them or not, power outages happen and many of us aren’t prepared. Part of being prepared is having flashlights, extra batteries, a supply of clean water, etc., but having a power generator can help keep your food fresh or your fan running. Here are just a few ways a power generator could help you get through a power outage:
- Keep food fresh
- Keep fan or small AC unit running
- Keep a small heater running
- Provide light at night
- Provide power for an emergency situation
- Help keep well water running to the house
How much does a power generator cost?
You can get a small generator for just a few hundred dollars; it would be enough to help keep you cool in the heat or run a small heater in the winter. Some hand crank generators are less than $100, but only produce enough electricity for something with the wattage of a flashlight.
Large power generators are a much bigger investment. Unless you know you’ll need a lot of power when the grid fails (for example, if you’re a hospital or clinic), spending a few hundred on one should suffice; in many cases you can get a power generator for about the same as a new flat screen TV!
Learn more about buying a generator.
Image: Justin in SD