Renewable energy

[Alessandro]

If we want to save the Earth, we must use more renewable energy.
From Wikipedia:

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight[, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies include solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels.

In 2006, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning. Hydropower was the next largest renewable source, providing 3%, followed by hot water/heating, which contributed 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption.The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.

Renewable energy technologies are sometimes criticised for being intermittent or unsightly, yet the market is growing for many forms of renewable energy. Wind power is growing at the rate of 30 percent annually, with a worldwide installed capacity of over 100 GW, and is widely used in several European countries and the United States.The manufacturing output of the photovoltaics industry reached more than 2,000 MW in 2006,and photovoltaic (PV) power stations are particularly popular in Germany.[8] Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert.. The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW. Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country's automotive fuel.Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA.

While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects and production, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.

Climate change concerns coupled with high oil prices, peak oil and increasing government support are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization. European Union leaders reached an agreement in principle in March 2007 that 20 percent of their nations' energy should be produced from renewable fuels by 2020, as part of its drive to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed in part for global warming. Investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006. This level of investment combined with continuing double digit percentage increases each year has moved what once was considered alternative energy to mainstream. Wind was the first to provide 1% of electricity, but solar is not far behind. Some very large corporations such as BP, General Electric, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell are investing in the renewable energy sector.

[Christopher Stewart]

Hi All !

I would like to direct your attention to my current project, which aims mainly to raise public awareness of the issues and impacts of the non-consensual development of oil sands in Alberta, and of the various organizations taking action against it. It also advocates the use of renewable energy.

The Lepufology Project consists in a short sci-fi story in four chapters with a rocking soundtrack lasting a little over thirty minutes. The story is that of Jack Babbitt, regarded as one of the world's most trustworthy investigators of the paranormal, whose unfaltering curiosity for the mysterious leads on an international chase seeking bizarre rabbits of extra-terrestrial origin that have been bio-engineered to eliminate the reserves of petroleum and bitumen on the planet. Over the course of the story, Jack investigates rabbits and crop circles, encounters aliens, is abducted, travels in spacecrafts, and uncovers the outerworlders' plan to save the Earth from earthlings. The story finds its resolution in the tar sands deposits of Alberta.

The idea is to call artists and artistically inclined people from around the world into action by asking them to create digital artwork inspired by the story, donate it to the project, publish it in their own networks, and direct their contacts to the project's website.

In that aim, I would appreciate if you could help spread the following blog post around :

http://lepufology.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/calling-all-artists/

Thank you in advance for your diligent collaboration !

Happy Holidays !

Take care,
Chris