Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Bill Platt
Syndicated articles can be a very powerful promotion tool in the hands of the person who knows how to use them...
This is the reason why article marketing is generally a hot topic of conversation... Unfortunately, not all of the conversation is positive, because the vast majority of people who attempt to utilize article marketing for the promotion of their online business are absolutely clueless as to how to use article marketing to its fullest potential...
As online marketers begin to explore the mechanics of the article marketing, most are confronted with a diverse set of opinions about what will work and what will not...
People will read about the merits of article syndication and the merits of article spinning... People will also read the opinions of those who tend to believe that the whole industry is a sham...
Your Potential Should Not Be Defined By The Failure Of Others
More than anyone else, I think my grandmother had the most influence on my life...
"Ahhhh... That is so sweet..." Ha... You are not going to be thinking that in just a moment...
Since I have been old enough to walk, my dream has always been to own and operate my own business...
My grandmother in her infinite wisdom would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and when I would tell her, she would always respond, "People like us do not own our own businesses... We will always work for other people..."
My grandmother attempted to steal my dreams and to steal my thunder for more than two decades...
But, every time she attempted to diminish my potential, I became more determined to bring my goals to fruition and to prove her wrong...
I actually do have a purpose in sharing this story with you today...
Please do not allow the opinions of the other people keep you from reaching for the stars... Just because other people have failed with article marketing does not mean that you will also fail with article marketing...
As I said at the beginning of this article, syndicated articles can be a very powerful promotion tool in the hands of the person who knows how to use them...
If I had let my grandmother convince me that her version of reality was the only one to believe, then I would not be where I am today...
More so, if I had listened to all the people who had told me that article syndication is just too difficult to be consistently effective, then my online business may have gone the way of the dodo bird, fulfilling my grandmothers dying promise to me...
Since early 2000, people have been telling me that article marketing will never work... I ignored their opinions and pressed on knowing that I was right and they were wrong...
After five years with my wife, she finally acknowledged that I was right about article syndication... For the first time and the last time during my marriage, my wife told me I was right about something... LOL... That was when she sat down and reviewed my books for the previous two years... Only after having done that, my wife looked at me and said, "I guess we can afford for you to quit your job."
Since March of 2005, my online business has taken good care of my family, without me having a job outside my business... All thanks to my belief in myself, my belief in article syndication, and my unwillingness to let other people define my potential for me...
Article marketing, when done well, has a very real potential of bringing a steady stream of revenue to your online business... But, if you listen to the naysayers and let them influence you away from article marketing or article syndication, then you will never realize its true potential...
Getting Your Articles Opened, Read And Published
If you have decided that article spinning is the only way to go, then you can afford to stop reading now... Online marketers who use article spinners are doing so, because they have convinced themselves that article syndication is too difficult or just plain worthless...
If you are only chasing back links, then articles spinning may work out for you... But if you are chasing customers, then maybe you should keep reading...
If you're still with me, then you are keeping an open mind to the possibilities of article syndication...
With article syndication, we are attempting to get our articles in front of large audiences of people, who are likely to buy what we are selling...
We intend for our articles to be read by a lot of people, because we want the click-through traffic that is possible through a well-written article...
If the story that we tell is strong, we will find the audience... And if we can find large audiences, we can anticipate actual buyers landing on our websites, looking to buy what we are selling...
Here are the nine essential keys to getting your articles opened, read and published...
1. The only difference between online publishers and readers is that if the publisher enjoys the article, then he or she will share it with 10,000 or one-half million of his or her closest online friends in his or her newsletter or website... The reader (consumer) will have fewer friends with whom to share your article...
2. Publishers and readers make the same decisions about whether an article will be worth the time that he or she sacrifices to read it...
3. The Article Title is the most important element of any article... The title lets people know what they should expect when they open the article... This decision is usually made in 10 seconds or less... If the article title does not hit the ball out of the park, then the article will flop regardless of how good the article...
4. Once in article is opened, the publisher/reader will scan the first paragraph to see if they are still interested in reading the article...
5. If the first paragraph of the article catches that spark of interest for the publisher/reader, then the article will be read...
6. The Article Body must keep the attention of the reader... If at any point, the reader loses focus on the story being told, the reader will leave the article unfinished...
7. The last paragraph of the article should wrap up the story that was told in a way that satisfies the reader and builds a bridge to the Authors' Resource Box...
8. Your Resource Box, also known as About The Author Information, should focus on its two primary purposes:
i. Convincing the reader to go to your website to learn more about your offer. Your authors resource box is not large enough to actually sell your offer, so you should strive to take your reader to your website, where you can appropriately present your offer;
ii. Provide a link to your website, and if possible, attach your target keywords to your link.
9. Once your article has been written and crafted to perfection, then your focus should be on distributing your article to the most appropriate publishers, hopefully publishers with a large audience of people in your target market...
For article syndication to work, you must write an article that people will want to read, and you must get your article in front of the publishers who will be willing to give your article an audience...
If you can accomplish these two primary goals and successfully bridge your reader from your article to your website, sales will surely follow...
If you play your cards right, article syndication will smoke article spinning any day of the week, in terms of dollars and cents earned from the process....
About the Author:
We do not utilize a cookie-cutter approach for our article distribution service. Instead, we strive to deliver the articles we distribute directly to the publishers who are most likely to publish them... Let us distribute your good-quality articles to our publishers, who already have access to the audiences you want to reach... Get started today at: http://thePhantomWriters.com/ Written by Bill Platt. Also get Bill's free article marketing ebook.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Why a Home Solar Panel Will Save You Money and How You Can Get One for Free
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 M.S. Rochell
What is a home solar panel how can it save you money? In short, solar panels are a viable and eco-friendly option for homeowners who want to heat and cool their home efficiently using the sun's rays. Homeowners may even desire to power solar appliances using the energy captured and stored with solar panels.
A more detailed description of a home solar panel would also include the following facts. A solar panel is constructed from several solar cells or photovoltaic cells arranged in several arrays to create a panel. These solar cells soak up sunlight, which is then converted into energy via an electrically connected grid, which provides power and heat for your home. Many homeowners utilizing solar panels are enjoying the benefit of receiving funds from their local power company instead of the other way around.
Solar panels are best positioned on flat roofs and angled to the south. However, it's possible to make efficient use of the sun's energy with a home solar panel system that is within roughly 1,000 feet of your humble (or not so humble) abode.
Types of Home Solar Panels
If you're looking to invest in a home solar panel system for your home, you currently have at least three from which to choose. Who knows what the market will produce as the research on renewable energy moves forward.
Homeowners can choose from a 12-volt solar panel system, a do-it-yourself solar panel system or a thin film solar panel system. Each of these options features something different for the homeowner, so be sure to conduct research on each solar panel system prior to making an investment.
What Are the Benefits of a Home Solar Panel System for a Homeowner?
The first thing every homeowner wants to hear is how a solar panel system is going to save money. Saving money on energy costs is definitely one of the most attractive benefits of installing solar panels into your home.
How much will you save? Of course, the amount will vary depending on the geographic location of your home and consistent weather conditions, but some homeowners estimate they are saving around 50% on their energy bills each month.
Yes, the initial outlay of funds to install solar panels on your home may seem daunting, but you'll quickly see your investment pay off.
Where to Find Affordable or Free Solar Home Panels
One way to save money on solar panels is to build one yourself. "Do it yourself", or DIY solar panels are becoming more popular as more people are now looking to save money on energy costs AND save money. This can be a fun project that is not as difficult as it sounds, if you have some patience and willingness to follow instructions. You can even find used components to build a solar panel for free or a very low investment.
Speaking of financial benefits, there are some significant financial incentives available through your local and federal government for homeowners looking to 'go green' with home solar energy systems. Solar power grants are often available for homeowners too, some of which can help you to fund the entire cost of your system.
Another attractive benefit of a solar panel system is that you would likely have some power in the event of a power outage in your area due to severe weather conditions or a power grid failure. Full power isn't likely, but there is a good chance you'd have enough solar power stored up to provide some light and heat for your home.
And of course, one of the great benefits of using solar energy is that instead of paying your electric company, they will pay you! Yes, with a solar power system you may produce more than enough energy for your own use, and so your utility company will pay you for the surplus power.
Solar energy is clean and pure. There are no negative side effects associated with using solar power inside or outside the home. Solar power allows us to enjoy a smaller "footprint" on the environment as well, which means a cleaner and healthier world for future generations (perhaps even your own grandchildren!)
Some homeowners are opting to go completely off the grid and sustain their every energy need via solar energy. However, most homeowners simply desire to have a method of supplementing their energy needs and that's where solar panels can save you money AND help the environment!
About the Author:
M.S. Rochell is the editor of http://www.Go-Green-Solar-Energy.com/ which offers education and inspiration on the benefits of going green with solar energy, DIY solar power, and affordable solar energy solutions. Visit our growing library of home solar panel articles and for our free Solar Panels eBooks.
Read more of M.S. Rochell's articles.
Copyright © 2010 M.S. Rochell
What is a home solar panel how can it save you money? In short, solar panels are a viable and eco-friendly option for homeowners who want to heat and cool their home efficiently using the sun's rays. Homeowners may even desire to power solar appliances using the energy captured and stored with solar panels.
A more detailed description of a home solar panel would also include the following facts. A solar panel is constructed from several solar cells or photovoltaic cells arranged in several arrays to create a panel. These solar cells soak up sunlight, which is then converted into energy via an electrically connected grid, which provides power and heat for your home. Many homeowners utilizing solar panels are enjoying the benefit of receiving funds from their local power company instead of the other way around.
Solar panels are best positioned on flat roofs and angled to the south. However, it's possible to make efficient use of the sun's energy with a home solar panel system that is within roughly 1,000 feet of your humble (or not so humble) abode.
Types of Home Solar Panels
If you're looking to invest in a home solar panel system for your home, you currently have at least three from which to choose. Who knows what the market will produce as the research on renewable energy moves forward.
Homeowners can choose from a 12-volt solar panel system, a do-it-yourself solar panel system or a thin film solar panel system. Each of these options features something different for the homeowner, so be sure to conduct research on each solar panel system prior to making an investment.
What Are the Benefits of a Home Solar Panel System for a Homeowner?
The first thing every homeowner wants to hear is how a solar panel system is going to save money. Saving money on energy costs is definitely one of the most attractive benefits of installing solar panels into your home.
How much will you save? Of course, the amount will vary depending on the geographic location of your home and consistent weather conditions, but some homeowners estimate they are saving around 50% on their energy bills each month.
Yes, the initial outlay of funds to install solar panels on your home may seem daunting, but you'll quickly see your investment pay off.
Where to Find Affordable or Free Solar Home Panels
One way to save money on solar panels is to build one yourself. "Do it yourself", or DIY solar panels are becoming more popular as more people are now looking to save money on energy costs AND save money. This can be a fun project that is not as difficult as it sounds, if you have some patience and willingness to follow instructions. You can even find used components to build a solar panel for free or a very low investment.
Speaking of financial benefits, there are some significant financial incentives available through your local and federal government for homeowners looking to 'go green' with home solar energy systems. Solar power grants are often available for homeowners too, some of which can help you to fund the entire cost of your system.
Another attractive benefit of a solar panel system is that you would likely have some power in the event of a power outage in your area due to severe weather conditions or a power grid failure. Full power isn't likely, but there is a good chance you'd have enough solar power stored up to provide some light and heat for your home.
And of course, one of the great benefits of using solar energy is that instead of paying your electric company, they will pay you! Yes, with a solar power system you may produce more than enough energy for your own use, and so your utility company will pay you for the surplus power.
Solar energy is clean and pure. There are no negative side effects associated with using solar power inside or outside the home. Solar power allows us to enjoy a smaller "footprint" on the environment as well, which means a cleaner and healthier world for future generations (perhaps even your own grandchildren!)
Some homeowners are opting to go completely off the grid and sustain their every energy need via solar energy. However, most homeowners simply desire to have a method of supplementing their energy needs and that's where solar panels can save you money AND help the environment!
About the Author:
M.S. Rochell is the editor of http://www.Go-Green-Solar-Energy.com/ which offers education and inspiration on the benefits of going green with solar energy, DIY solar power, and affordable solar energy solutions. Visit our growing library of home solar panel articles and for our free Solar Panels eBooks.
Read more of M.S. Rochell's articles.
The Photocopier,The Firewall and Google
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Jennifer Robinson
China, following on from its censorship of the Internet, has identified photocopiers in Tibet as a potential threat to the state. Fearing what BEIJING may class as demagogic machinations, a new law has been introduced that requires the owners of printing and photocopying shops to obtain a permit. They will be required to catalogue their clients and all material being copied or printed.
The Lhasa Evening News reports that the new rules are being implemented right now. Tibetan protesters claim the new rules are part of a wider aim to quell Tibetan intellectuals after a March 2008 uprising and subsequent casualties.
The Government Authorities in Tibet view printers and photocopiers for shops as potential channels through which Tibetan writers, artists and other intellectuals can spread dissident information.
Chinese Officials claim that their goal is to bring stability, ethnic unity and improved living standards to the region. Internationally, China has been much berated for its censorship policies. This has meant that writers and songwriters have been detained and people arrested for sending what are deemed to be anti-government email.
The Golden Shield Project operates on the Internet and is a censorship program installed by the state of China. Often referred to as the Great Firewall of China, the Golden Shield Project has drawn intense criticism from Internet Activists and Search Engines alike.
Google have had a turbulent time with Chinese censorship claiming that Government Censorship is inconsistent with its corporate ethics. Google shut down its search Web site in China on March 22 because it said it disagreed with the Chinese government Internet censorship policies. However, Google are now set to renew its web services according to latest reports. Google had been redirecting its China users to their Hong Kong site where the censorship is not applied.
Chinese proxy servers regularly appear online in an attempt to get round blocked internet content. Using a proxy IP address to surf the Internet has become a common thing among China's cyber community.
The economy of the People's Republic of China is the 3rd largest in the world and despite disagreements over censorship many companies see that the benefits of competing in China outweigh the problems with the Golden Shield Project.
With a rumoured cost of over $900 million the Golden Shield Project of China remains one of the most sophisticated firewalls in the world. Blocking IP Addresses of non-government approved websites and controlling DNS. This latest rule in Tibet extends the controlled distribution of information to the low-tech world of photocopiers.
About the Author:
Jennifer Robinson writes for OnlineConnect.co.uk an office equipment and document management solution provider that specialises in the sale and rental of photocopiers for business. Visit their website http://www.onlineconnect.co.uk/
Visit Jennifer Robinson's website.
Copyright © 2010 Jennifer Robinson
China, following on from its censorship of the Internet, has identified photocopiers in Tibet as a potential threat to the state. Fearing what BEIJING may class as demagogic machinations, a new law has been introduced that requires the owners of printing and photocopying shops to obtain a permit. They will be required to catalogue their clients and all material being copied or printed.
The Lhasa Evening News reports that the new rules are being implemented right now. Tibetan protesters claim the new rules are part of a wider aim to quell Tibetan intellectuals after a March 2008 uprising and subsequent casualties.
The Government Authorities in Tibet view printers and photocopiers for shops as potential channels through which Tibetan writers, artists and other intellectuals can spread dissident information.
Chinese Officials claim that their goal is to bring stability, ethnic unity and improved living standards to the region. Internationally, China has been much berated for its censorship policies. This has meant that writers and songwriters have been detained and people arrested for sending what are deemed to be anti-government email.
The Golden Shield Project operates on the Internet and is a censorship program installed by the state of China. Often referred to as the Great Firewall of China, the Golden Shield Project has drawn intense criticism from Internet Activists and Search Engines alike.
Google have had a turbulent time with Chinese censorship claiming that Government Censorship is inconsistent with its corporate ethics. Google shut down its search Web site in China on March 22 because it said it disagreed with the Chinese government Internet censorship policies. However, Google are now set to renew its web services according to latest reports. Google had been redirecting its China users to their Hong Kong site where the censorship is not applied.
Chinese proxy servers regularly appear online in an attempt to get round blocked internet content. Using a proxy IP address to surf the Internet has become a common thing among China's cyber community.
The economy of the People's Republic of China is the 3rd largest in the world and despite disagreements over censorship many companies see that the benefits of competing in China outweigh the problems with the Golden Shield Project.
With a rumoured cost of over $900 million the Golden Shield Project of China remains one of the most sophisticated firewalls in the world. Blocking IP Addresses of non-government approved websites and controlling DNS. This latest rule in Tibet extends the controlled distribution of information to the low-tech world of photocopiers.
About the Author:
Jennifer Robinson writes for OnlineConnect.co.uk an office equipment and document management solution provider that specialises in the sale and rental of photocopiers for business. Visit their website http://www.onlineconnect.co.uk/
Visit Jennifer Robinson's website.
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Most Commonly Overlooked Consideration That Impacts the Cost of Faxing Services
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 David R. Meister
World-wide commerce continues to rely heavily on the use of facsimile transmissions. To be certain, the use of email has substantially reduced the use of fax machines and fax servers, but the use of fax continues to be widespread. And faxing technology continues to evolve to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of organizations today. At the same time, however, many companies are under mounting pressure to cut capital investments - including new technology spending. So as organizations assess the efficiency and effectiveness of their fax solutions, it is more critical than ever that the evaluation be comprehensive. The most obvious consideration is cost. But the advertised price of a faxing product or service tells only part of the story.
The true value of a faxing solution, whether handled in house or by an outsourced fax provider, lies in its flexibility; its ability to scale to an organization's changing needs. Today, you may not need all the advanced faxing features available on the market. But what about tomorrow? Flexibility is often the most overlooked consideration when evaluating the merits of a faxing solution. Yet, it can have a tremendous impact on cost because flexible, full-featured solutions enhance productivity - now and in the future. Just imagine how your company can benefit from the breadth of features available today from top-tier providers:
Web Administration: View and manage fax traffic in real time.
Custom Fax Cover Pages: Develop cover pages with your company logo or other personalized information or design.
Custom Reporting for Business Messaging: Generate reports automatically to include information such as fax volume, delivery status and cancellations, sorted by individual, department or company.
Integrated Broadcast Faxing: Send a single message to multiple recipients in various formats, including fax, email, telex and SMS text message.
Color Faxing: Send and receive medical reports, photographs, engineering reports, and other documents in color.
Bar Code Tracking: Track responses with a barcode; particularly helpful when issuing a blast or broadcast fax which requires a fax-back response.
Automated Forms Overlay: Populate forms with variable data and forward the completed form as a fax to recipients.
Receive Stamping: Imprint the actual date and time of receipt on the bottom of each page.
Fax Identification Tags: Identify the actual originator of a fax by name or designation, rather than just by fax number.
OCR Optical Character Recognition (OCR Fax Services): Convert an electronic fax to plain text, allowing you to edit, copy or cut text from that fax message and import it to another file format.
ICR Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR): Pick up handwritten characters and numerals and incorporate the data into your documents, data files and forms.
Fax Number Options: Provide your customers or personnel with toll-free numbers or numbers which have local area codes.
Application Faxing: Interface with and migrate data from any of your applications, including legacy systems.
Message Archiving: Have your outbound and/or inbound messages automatically archived.
Vacation Routing: Route faxes to one or more alternate email addresses during a vacation or period of absence.
Customer Associated Data: Attach fillable fields to a fax record so a particular fax could, for example, be associated with a particular patient, file number, clinic location, doctor, and any other information that is relevant to the customer's work process.
You probably don't need all of these features immediately. But when evaluating solutions, look for providers who offer not only what your organization needs today, but what it might need tomorrow - as your company grows and business practices change. Flexibility enhances productivity, yet it is the most overlooked consideration that impacts the cost of faxing services. Don't be caught without it.
About the Author:
David R. Meister is president of ISC International Ltd ( http://www.iscinternational.com/ ) a privately-held company that provides global messaging services such as OCR fax services, telex services and SMS broadcast services to businesses around the world including five of the top 10 businesses in the Fortune 500.
Read more of David R. Meister's articles.
Copyright © 2010 David R. Meister
World-wide commerce continues to rely heavily on the use of facsimile transmissions. To be certain, the use of email has substantially reduced the use of fax machines and fax servers, but the use of fax continues to be widespread. And faxing technology continues to evolve to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of organizations today. At the same time, however, many companies are under mounting pressure to cut capital investments - including new technology spending. So as organizations assess the efficiency and effectiveness of their fax solutions, it is more critical than ever that the evaluation be comprehensive. The most obvious consideration is cost. But the advertised price of a faxing product or service tells only part of the story.
The true value of a faxing solution, whether handled in house or by an outsourced fax provider, lies in its flexibility; its ability to scale to an organization's changing needs. Today, you may not need all the advanced faxing features available on the market. But what about tomorrow? Flexibility is often the most overlooked consideration when evaluating the merits of a faxing solution. Yet, it can have a tremendous impact on cost because flexible, full-featured solutions enhance productivity - now and in the future. Just imagine how your company can benefit from the breadth of features available today from top-tier providers:
Web Administration: View and manage fax traffic in real time.
Custom Fax Cover Pages: Develop cover pages with your company logo or other personalized information or design.
Custom Reporting for Business Messaging: Generate reports automatically to include information such as fax volume, delivery status and cancellations, sorted by individual, department or company.
Integrated Broadcast Faxing: Send a single message to multiple recipients in various formats, including fax, email, telex and SMS text message.
Color Faxing: Send and receive medical reports, photographs, engineering reports, and other documents in color.
Bar Code Tracking: Track responses with a barcode; particularly helpful when issuing a blast or broadcast fax which requires a fax-back response.
Automated Forms Overlay: Populate forms with variable data and forward the completed form as a fax to recipients.
Receive Stamping: Imprint the actual date and time of receipt on the bottom of each page.
Fax Identification Tags: Identify the actual originator of a fax by name or designation, rather than just by fax number.
OCR Optical Character Recognition (OCR Fax Services): Convert an electronic fax to plain text, allowing you to edit, copy or cut text from that fax message and import it to another file format.
ICR Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR): Pick up handwritten characters and numerals and incorporate the data into your documents, data files and forms.
Fax Number Options: Provide your customers or personnel with toll-free numbers or numbers which have local area codes.
Application Faxing: Interface with and migrate data from any of your applications, including legacy systems.
Message Archiving: Have your outbound and/or inbound messages automatically archived.
Vacation Routing: Route faxes to one or more alternate email addresses during a vacation or period of absence.
Customer Associated Data: Attach fillable fields to a fax record so a particular fax could, for example, be associated with a particular patient, file number, clinic location, doctor, and any other information that is relevant to the customer's work process.
You probably don't need all of these features immediately. But when evaluating solutions, look for providers who offer not only what your organization needs today, but what it might need tomorrow - as your company grows and business practices change. Flexibility enhances productivity, yet it is the most overlooked consideration that impacts the cost of faxing services. Don't be caught without it.
About the Author:
David R. Meister is president of ISC International Ltd ( http://www.iscinternational.com/ ) a privately-held company that provides global messaging services such as OCR fax services, telex services and SMS broadcast services to businesses around the world including five of the top 10 businesses in the Fortune 500.
Read more of David R. Meister's articles.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Fastest Way To Reducing Residential Energy Demand
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 V Rory Jones and Stephen Malloy
How do you get a consumer to take action? Of course, you make it in their overwhelming interest to act, and you enable them with guidance and a few tools. Clearly, if you have an outcome in mind, it is critical to understand what is actually in the consumer's best interest, and to arrange motivators to deliver the desired action.
Such thinking - seeing things from the consumer's viewpoint - needs to be applied to the way policy-makers are approaching the California residential energy market, where much effort is going into initiatives that curtail energy demand from utilities like PG&E and SoCalEd. While good progress has been made in the quest to unlock wide-scale residential energy demand reductions, California is still a few of steps short of its goals. The game-plan for these last steps can be borrowed from the private sector, where they have been tested in countless markets.
Get To Know What Will Drive Action In Each Customer Group
Of course, electricity and gas price increases over the last 6 years has received the attention of many consumers, particularly the heaviest energy consuming ones, with bills doubling in many cases since 2004. However, others have seen little change, and to get the most of our consumption reduction investments and efforts we need to distinguish between consumers.
( Related Image #1: http://bit.ly/bdvcVU )
First, it is key to recognize that the top 20% of residential energy consumers (in Sonoma county, these folks have monthly bills exceeding $300) consume about 40% of all energy and, conversely, the lowest 50% of energy consumers (with monthly bills under $100 in Sonoma) consume barely 30% of energy; see the chart to the right. This presents an amazing opportunity; pursuing relatively few consumers is likely to deliver disproportionate results. A prioritized return-on-effort approach is warranted. The good news is that it's actually easier to get heavy energy consumers to undertake demand reduction measures:
i. Efficiency matters more to heavy energy consumers - as they use a lot of fuel. If one spends $1,000 on home heating fuel annually, a 30% efficiency improvement is worth $300 per year. A $3,000 replacement high-efficiency heater will be paid-off over its 20 year life. But, if you spend only $100 in heating annually, $30 in savings will not support any efficiency investment.
ii. Heavy energy consumers pay much higher energy prices (especially for electricity, where the marginal price is four times that for low energy consumers; $0.40/kWh versus $0.11/kWh). The result is even mid-energy consumers are thrust into the high bill amounts of (i.) above.
iii. Heavy energy consumers have a clear economic motivation to undertake efficiency investments, as they are usually homeowners. Low energy consumers tend to be renters, and rely on landlords to upgrade energy system efficiencies (alas, landlords rarely pay utility bills).
Money Is What Really Motivates Action
Nothing motivates consumers as much as their pocketbooks. Most citizens want to operate environmentally responsibly, but if action requires a net cash outflow there is always hesitation - almost always resulting in inaction (especially true when investment needs are in thousands of dollars; the case for most non-trivial demand reduction measures).
( Related Image #2: http://bit.ly/clFKdo )
The chart to the left summarizes a study of nearly 200 households in Sonoma County. It shows the average 20-year benefit of undertaking only economically positive measures for the three segments of households; low consumers with monthly bills under $100, mid consumers paying between $100 and $300, and heavy consumers paying over $300. An economically positive demand reduction measure is any retrofit, behavior change or energy generation that will pay for itself after all costs (equipment, installation and 7% financing, and assuming fuel prices increase at historic rates). This detailed study has a clear message; low energy consumers have little to gain investing to reduce demand, while heavy energy consumers have much to gain; more than enough to drive action - enough to pay for a college education!
So, what magnitude of reductions in energy demand is associated with such enormous economic benefits? The potential is staggering. With the proper guidance, using combinations of efficiency retrofits, minor behavioral changes and solar generation, heavy consumers would profitably reduce electricity consumption over 60%, and gas nearly 30% (see discussion below).
On the other hand, the opportunity to profitably reduce demand among the low energy consumers is very limited, owing to the lower prices enjoyed today by this customer segment, and their lower fuel throughput.
( Related Graph #1: http://bit.ly/agzX3Q )
So what does California have to gain by embarking on a program to get consumers to act in their own economic interest? Again, the opportunity is staggering. Projecting this study's Sonoma County figures to the rest of the state (notably, Sonoma's potential is likely lower than other counties in California, owing to its mild coastal climate), the back-of-the-envelope calculations in the table above shows 35 billion kWhs are at stake, along with 1.5 billion therms, every year!
Want Success? Attack Each Customer Type Differently - Use What Works!
The nature of the demand reduction opportunity is very different between consumer segments, as illustrated in the charts below for typical electricity and gas customers in each segment.
( Related Image #3: http://bit.ly/cj00Ir )
( Related Image #4: http://bit.ly/9aTnzo )
The huge differences in the nature of these opportunities demand a different approach, tailored to the needs of each customer segment:
( Related Graph #2: http://bit.ly/b8RF8P )
Low / mid energy consumers: The economic viability of demand reduction investments by low / mid energy customers is limited. Professionally installed solar electricity generation is never worthwhile, and much the same is true for most other measures. The majority of the opportunity in electricity demand is, by far, only achievable by light bulb replacement and a few behavior changes. With this in mind, the most efficient approach for the state to drive demand reduction in this segment is, unquestionably, a broad-based educational media campaign focused on 3 or 4 simple messages; the positive economics of light bulb replacement and behavioral tips.
Heavy energy consumers: These 2.8 million California households offer an opportunity to reduce the state's utility-supplied energy by 23 billion kWh and 720 million therms annually -and each will receive a huge economic gain in the process. The state just needs to tip the cart slightly and allow self-interest to take over.
The Sonoma county study found that homeowners rarely take action because they have no idea what investments will pay-off, and are most afraid of losing money in erroneous investments.
They need help figuring out what to do, but cannot find anyone able give them an action plan that is assured to reduce their energy-related spending. The only potential source of help is the energy audit industry, but they are currently going down a path focused on calculating HERS scores for homes - not in delivering optimized plans for homeowner action. Moreover, even if they started to come up with such plans, homeowners would still not take action as they are so risk-averse they refuse to spend anything on energy audits in the first place.
There Is An Ultra-Low Cost Solution...
The solution is quite simple, and was successfully used in the Sonoma county study. There are two parts to it: First, software is needed to automate the highly complex energy-economics optimization calculations needed for each unique home; only with such automation can several person-months of analysis be whittled down to a millisecond. Second, California's energy-audit system, currently oriented around giving structures a "HERS" energy score (a number seemingly dreamed up by engineers), needs to be re-focused on the consumer's viewpoint of home energy-economics1, and simplified to actions that drive down spending.
Both the software and structure energy-economics diagnostic were developed and used in the Sonoma county study (see yoUtilBill.com), such that after 1 person-hour of effort, each home in the study received a custom action-plan that delivered up gains for the homeowners concerned up to $650,000 in 20-year savings (again, net of all costs, including capital/financing costs)!
If all the heavy energy consuming households in California undertook such a diagnostic, paid for by the state to ensure widespread coverage, the cost to the state would be $250 million. Now, if only 50% of those households undertook the prescribed action plans, the savings would be 11.5 billion kWh and 360 million therms each year. That's 2 cents per kWh saved and 80 cents per therm saved annually - a cost far lower than any initiative the State of California is currently paying for, and one that is likely to deliver wide-scale results very quickly, since consumers act in their own interest.
About the Author:
New Energy Investment Partners is on the web at: http://www.neipartners.com/
V Rory Jones: Partner, New Energy Investment Partners LLC
Rory has operated as an advisor to leaders in large- and mid-cap businesses for over 20 years, and has helped create billions in cash flow and business value. Rory was Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy Consulting, where he led the US Shareholder Value advisory practice. Rory co-founded Business Value Associates; consultants specializing in value growth, and has served leaders in today's most successful businesses; Diageo, Encyclopedia Britannica, HP, Liberty, IBM and others. Rory earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, and his BSc from London's City University. He is widely published and speaks regularly, and is quoted regularly in the media. Rory also sits on several boards, including the Association for Strategic Planning. His book, Boosting Cash Flow and Shareholder Value is published by John Wiley and Sons.
Steve Malloy: Partner, New Energy Investment Partners LLC
Steve's 20 year career spans strategy consulting and leadership at technology companies. Immediately prior to NEIP Steve was a serial entrepreneur, founding and leading several technology-driven ventures (including Cachet Solutions, a Financial Services software play, and several renewable energy investments). Steve was a Principal in PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy Consulting, where he advised leaders at Ameritech, Motorola, Samsung and elsewhere. Steve earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, and his BA from Carleton College. Steve serves on several boards, and speaks and writes on renewable energy market issues.
Visit V Rory Jones and Stephen Malloy's website.
Copyright © 2010 V Rory Jones and Stephen Malloy
How do you get a consumer to take action? Of course, you make it in their overwhelming interest to act, and you enable them with guidance and a few tools. Clearly, if you have an outcome in mind, it is critical to understand what is actually in the consumer's best interest, and to arrange motivators to deliver the desired action.
Such thinking - seeing things from the consumer's viewpoint - needs to be applied to the way policy-makers are approaching the California residential energy market, where much effort is going into initiatives that curtail energy demand from utilities like PG&E and SoCalEd. While good progress has been made in the quest to unlock wide-scale residential energy demand reductions, California is still a few of steps short of its goals. The game-plan for these last steps can be borrowed from the private sector, where they have been tested in countless markets.
Get To Know What Will Drive Action In Each Customer Group
Of course, electricity and gas price increases over the last 6 years has received the attention of many consumers, particularly the heaviest energy consuming ones, with bills doubling in many cases since 2004. However, others have seen little change, and to get the most of our consumption reduction investments and efforts we need to distinguish between consumers.
( Related Image #1: http://bit.ly/bdvcVU )
First, it is key to recognize that the top 20% of residential energy consumers (in Sonoma county, these folks have monthly bills exceeding $300) consume about 40% of all energy and, conversely, the lowest 50% of energy consumers (with monthly bills under $100 in Sonoma) consume barely 30% of energy; see the chart to the right. This presents an amazing opportunity; pursuing relatively few consumers is likely to deliver disproportionate results. A prioritized return-on-effort approach is warranted. The good news is that it's actually easier to get heavy energy consumers to undertake demand reduction measures:
i. Efficiency matters more to heavy energy consumers - as they use a lot of fuel. If one spends $1,000 on home heating fuel annually, a 30% efficiency improvement is worth $300 per year. A $3,000 replacement high-efficiency heater will be paid-off over its 20 year life. But, if you spend only $100 in heating annually, $30 in savings will not support any efficiency investment.
ii. Heavy energy consumers pay much higher energy prices (especially for electricity, where the marginal price is four times that for low energy consumers; $0.40/kWh versus $0.11/kWh). The result is even mid-energy consumers are thrust into the high bill amounts of (i.) above.
iii. Heavy energy consumers have a clear economic motivation to undertake efficiency investments, as they are usually homeowners. Low energy consumers tend to be renters, and rely on landlords to upgrade energy system efficiencies (alas, landlords rarely pay utility bills).
Money Is What Really Motivates Action
Nothing motivates consumers as much as their pocketbooks. Most citizens want to operate environmentally responsibly, but if action requires a net cash outflow there is always hesitation - almost always resulting in inaction (especially true when investment needs are in thousands of dollars; the case for most non-trivial demand reduction measures).
( Related Image #2: http://bit.ly/clFKdo )
The chart to the left summarizes a study of nearly 200 households in Sonoma County. It shows the average 20-year benefit of undertaking only economically positive measures for the three segments of households; low consumers with monthly bills under $100, mid consumers paying between $100 and $300, and heavy consumers paying over $300. An economically positive demand reduction measure is any retrofit, behavior change or energy generation that will pay for itself after all costs (equipment, installation and 7% financing, and assuming fuel prices increase at historic rates). This detailed study has a clear message; low energy consumers have little to gain investing to reduce demand, while heavy energy consumers have much to gain; more than enough to drive action - enough to pay for a college education!
So, what magnitude of reductions in energy demand is associated with such enormous economic benefits? The potential is staggering. With the proper guidance, using combinations of efficiency retrofits, minor behavioral changes and solar generation, heavy consumers would profitably reduce electricity consumption over 60%, and gas nearly 30% (see discussion below).
On the other hand, the opportunity to profitably reduce demand among the low energy consumers is very limited, owing to the lower prices enjoyed today by this customer segment, and their lower fuel throughput.
( Related Graph #1: http://bit.ly/agzX3Q )
So what does California have to gain by embarking on a program to get consumers to act in their own economic interest? Again, the opportunity is staggering. Projecting this study's Sonoma County figures to the rest of the state (notably, Sonoma's potential is likely lower than other counties in California, owing to its mild coastal climate), the back-of-the-envelope calculations in the table above shows 35 billion kWhs are at stake, along with 1.5 billion therms, every year!
Want Success? Attack Each Customer Type Differently - Use What Works!
The nature of the demand reduction opportunity is very different between consumer segments, as illustrated in the charts below for typical electricity and gas customers in each segment.
( Related Image #3: http://bit.ly/cj00Ir )
( Related Image #4: http://bit.ly/9aTnzo )
The huge differences in the nature of these opportunities demand a different approach, tailored to the needs of each customer segment:
( Related Graph #2: http://bit.ly/b8RF8P )
Low / mid energy consumers: The economic viability of demand reduction investments by low / mid energy customers is limited. Professionally installed solar electricity generation is never worthwhile, and much the same is true for most other measures. The majority of the opportunity in electricity demand is, by far, only achievable by light bulb replacement and a few behavior changes. With this in mind, the most efficient approach for the state to drive demand reduction in this segment is, unquestionably, a broad-based educational media campaign focused on 3 or 4 simple messages; the positive economics of light bulb replacement and behavioral tips.
Heavy energy consumers: These 2.8 million California households offer an opportunity to reduce the state's utility-supplied energy by 23 billion kWh and 720 million therms annually -and each will receive a huge economic gain in the process. The state just needs to tip the cart slightly and allow self-interest to take over.
The Sonoma county study found that homeowners rarely take action because they have no idea what investments will pay-off, and are most afraid of losing money in erroneous investments.
They need help figuring out what to do, but cannot find anyone able give them an action plan that is assured to reduce their energy-related spending. The only potential source of help is the energy audit industry, but they are currently going down a path focused on calculating HERS scores for homes - not in delivering optimized plans for homeowner action. Moreover, even if they started to come up with such plans, homeowners would still not take action as they are so risk-averse they refuse to spend anything on energy audits in the first place.
There Is An Ultra-Low Cost Solution...
The solution is quite simple, and was successfully used in the Sonoma county study. There are two parts to it: First, software is needed to automate the highly complex energy-economics optimization calculations needed for each unique home; only with such automation can several person-months of analysis be whittled down to a millisecond. Second, California's energy-audit system, currently oriented around giving structures a "HERS" energy score (a number seemingly dreamed up by engineers), needs to be re-focused on the consumer's viewpoint of home energy-economics1, and simplified to actions that drive down spending.
Both the software and structure energy-economics diagnostic were developed and used in the Sonoma county study (see yoUtilBill.com), such that after 1 person-hour of effort, each home in the study received a custom action-plan that delivered up gains for the homeowners concerned up to $650,000 in 20-year savings (again, net of all costs, including capital/financing costs)!
If all the heavy energy consuming households in California undertook such a diagnostic, paid for by the state to ensure widespread coverage, the cost to the state would be $250 million. Now, if only 50% of those households undertook the prescribed action plans, the savings would be 11.5 billion kWh and 360 million therms each year. That's 2 cents per kWh saved and 80 cents per therm saved annually - a cost far lower than any initiative the State of California is currently paying for, and one that is likely to deliver wide-scale results very quickly, since consumers act in their own interest.
About the Author:
New Energy Investment Partners is on the web at: http://www.neipartners.com/
V Rory Jones: Partner, New Energy Investment Partners LLC
Rory has operated as an advisor to leaders in large- and mid-cap businesses for over 20 years, and has helped create billions in cash flow and business value. Rory was Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy Consulting, where he led the US Shareholder Value advisory practice. Rory co-founded Business Value Associates; consultants specializing in value growth, and has served leaders in today's most successful businesses; Diageo, Encyclopedia Britannica, HP, Liberty, IBM and others. Rory earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, and his BSc from London's City University. He is widely published and speaks regularly, and is quoted regularly in the media. Rory also sits on several boards, including the Association for Strategic Planning. His book, Boosting Cash Flow and Shareholder Value is published by John Wiley and Sons.
Steve Malloy: Partner, New Energy Investment Partners LLC
Steve's 20 year career spans strategy consulting and leadership at technology companies. Immediately prior to NEIP Steve was a serial entrepreneur, founding and leading several technology-driven ventures (including Cachet Solutions, a Financial Services software play, and several renewable energy investments). Steve was a Principal in PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy Consulting, where he advised leaders at Ameritech, Motorola, Samsung and elsewhere. Steve earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, and his BA from Carleton College. Steve serves on several boards, and speaks and writes on renewable energy market issues.
Visit V Rory Jones and Stephen Malloy's website.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Understanding Your 401(k), IRA and Other Pre-Tax Investments
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Irene A. Majchrzak
Yes, the values of various stock are falling every day and the media can not make up its collective mind if we are coming out of the recession or if there is still a long road ahead. What does all of this mean to you, the average investor. Well, if you are still working and contributing to your pre-tax 401(k)'s, 403(b)'s, or IRA savings your strategies for salvaging your retirement will include reviewing all of the investment options found in your 401(k), etc.
Many of the pitfalls within an employer based pre-tax plan begin with the investment choices placed in the plan. The lack of experience in setting up 401(k)'s, etc. caused the corporations to rely upon their need to develop "something" for their employees to invest in on a pre-tax basis.
Pensions were being dissolved, rolled into other pre-tax accounts for the employees and eventually led to the current investment decisions you still may have in your 401(k); either too few or too many mutual fund choices, little differentiation between the funds of any one category and often very little real diversification of the portfolio.
The pre-tax mutual funds did not offer a mix of large, mid/small or international funds in either a growth, value or blend style. Often one mutual fund may contain the same stock corporation found in two or three other mutual funds within the same pre-tax plan. As your plan grew it was not an issue because all of the mutual funds were growing because of the same stock, but in a bear market the same stock flowing throughout all of your mutual funds could cause a major decrease in fund values.
Your responsibility begins by reading the descriptions of the asset choices within your particular plan. Besides a company stock purchase plan your options may include 5-10 mutual funds. You may have one or two of all of the following options; cash options, bond choices and asset classes in large, mid or small capitalization companies in either value, growth, or international stock companies.
Look for the diversification within your employer plan.
Basically, a mutual fund consists of a small percentage of multiple corporations within one asset class chosen by a fund manager to balance and support the companies inside the mutual fund. For example, if the fund manager purchases large capitalization companies like Coca cola, he might balance it with Pepsi products; purchase Mac Donald's and support the fund with a Burger King purchase. The fund may own a variety of different segmented companies as well, and may include purchases of health care corporations, oil companies and/or financial institutions.
Next, ask your investment company to send you a fact sheet which describes the mutual fund, explains how the companies are chosen inside the fund and the names of the top ten companies owned by the mutual fund. You will be interested to know how your mutual fund is constructed. Is the fund heavily invested in oil companies, banks, mortgage companies?
In the current economic situation you may want to discuss this mutual fund with your advisor.
Asset classes are cyclical and move from value to growth, and back. They also favor small cap, international, large cap or bonds at various times in the market environment. Risk and reward are the two major factors an investor needs to look at when considering his asset choices.
In the market failures of 2000 to 2003, value funds were often discounted as unfavorable to investors. The world was invested in Blue chip Growth. But value became the place to be for the next 4-5 years. Cash was also belittled as most investors felt that cash wasn't working if it was in the bank. Yet cash was seen to be an important commodity during that bear market as it is in today's.
The most important ideas to recognize is that the stock market has never been more global than it is today. Factors affecting our economy are having an effect on the whole world. So new strategies are important and understanding the economy and its effect on your investments is essential to the renewal of your savings. You need to be able to speak to your advisor and help him to realize that you are an active participant not a bystander in your account. You will want answers from him/her. So know your questions. Remember that you can change your investments in 6 months or a year from now as the stocks weather the storm.
Today, your risk may be less aggressive, you may want to put more money into cash, you may want your advisor to actively discuss dollar cost averaging your money into the market slower than your monthly contribution. Ask for suggestions and strategies. Ask your advisor to describe the market economy for growth or value investments. Ask him to show you fact sheets that describe the construction of a recommended mutual fund. Feel comfortable with the ideas.
Stock market issues affect investors differently. You will want to recognize that there are some issues that will not affect you at the same level that it may disrupt the savings of your friends over 65. What to do if you are over 65 and you are no longer saving into your investments? Preservation of your cost basis is key.
This market may start to come back soon but based on what happened in 2000, I would suggest that you may have 3-5 years of leveling and fluctuating markets. I would suggest talking with you advisor and moving into cash or bonds. Have him discuss the bond funds that he is recommending and find out how it is being affected specifically, in this market. Do your own research as well. Move into cash and dollar cost average your money back into the market as slowly, or quickly as you feel comfortable.
If you are invested in annuities you may still want to move into a cash fund within your annuity and then reinvest your cash slowly back into the investments within the annuity.
About the Author:
Irene A. Majchrzak helps people retire debt-free with a sense of well-being and the freedom to have the things they want. Get her free ebook, Debt Free to Retire, by going to http://debtfreetoretire.com/
Copyright © 2010 Irene A. Majchrzak
Yes, the values of various stock are falling every day and the media can not make up its collective mind if we are coming out of the recession or if there is still a long road ahead. What does all of this mean to you, the average investor. Well, if you are still working and contributing to your pre-tax 401(k)'s, 403(b)'s, or IRA savings your strategies for salvaging your retirement will include reviewing all of the investment options found in your 401(k), etc.
Many of the pitfalls within an employer based pre-tax plan begin with the investment choices placed in the plan. The lack of experience in setting up 401(k)'s, etc. caused the corporations to rely upon their need to develop "something" for their employees to invest in on a pre-tax basis.
Pensions were being dissolved, rolled into other pre-tax accounts for the employees and eventually led to the current investment decisions you still may have in your 401(k); either too few or too many mutual fund choices, little differentiation between the funds of any one category and often very little real diversification of the portfolio.
The pre-tax mutual funds did not offer a mix of large, mid/small or international funds in either a growth, value or blend style. Often one mutual fund may contain the same stock corporation found in two or three other mutual funds within the same pre-tax plan. As your plan grew it was not an issue because all of the mutual funds were growing because of the same stock, but in a bear market the same stock flowing throughout all of your mutual funds could cause a major decrease in fund values.
Your responsibility begins by reading the descriptions of the asset choices within your particular plan. Besides a company stock purchase plan your options may include 5-10 mutual funds. You may have one or two of all of the following options; cash options, bond choices and asset classes in large, mid or small capitalization companies in either value, growth, or international stock companies.
Look for the diversification within your employer plan.
Basically, a mutual fund consists of a small percentage of multiple corporations within one asset class chosen by a fund manager to balance and support the companies inside the mutual fund. For example, if the fund manager purchases large capitalization companies like Coca cola, he might balance it with Pepsi products; purchase Mac Donald's and support the fund with a Burger King purchase. The fund may own a variety of different segmented companies as well, and may include purchases of health care corporations, oil companies and/or financial institutions.
Next, ask your investment company to send you a fact sheet which describes the mutual fund, explains how the companies are chosen inside the fund and the names of the top ten companies owned by the mutual fund. You will be interested to know how your mutual fund is constructed. Is the fund heavily invested in oil companies, banks, mortgage companies?
In the current economic situation you may want to discuss this mutual fund with your advisor.
Asset classes are cyclical and move from value to growth, and back. They also favor small cap, international, large cap or bonds at various times in the market environment. Risk and reward are the two major factors an investor needs to look at when considering his asset choices.
In the market failures of 2000 to 2003, value funds were often discounted as unfavorable to investors. The world was invested in Blue chip Growth. But value became the place to be for the next 4-5 years. Cash was also belittled as most investors felt that cash wasn't working if it was in the bank. Yet cash was seen to be an important commodity during that bear market as it is in today's.
The most important ideas to recognize is that the stock market has never been more global than it is today. Factors affecting our economy are having an effect on the whole world. So new strategies are important and understanding the economy and its effect on your investments is essential to the renewal of your savings. You need to be able to speak to your advisor and help him to realize that you are an active participant not a bystander in your account. You will want answers from him/her. So know your questions. Remember that you can change your investments in 6 months or a year from now as the stocks weather the storm.
Today, your risk may be less aggressive, you may want to put more money into cash, you may want your advisor to actively discuss dollar cost averaging your money into the market slower than your monthly contribution. Ask for suggestions and strategies. Ask your advisor to describe the market economy for growth or value investments. Ask him to show you fact sheets that describe the construction of a recommended mutual fund. Feel comfortable with the ideas.
Stock market issues affect investors differently. You will want to recognize that there are some issues that will not affect you at the same level that it may disrupt the savings of your friends over 65. What to do if you are over 65 and you are no longer saving into your investments? Preservation of your cost basis is key.
This market may start to come back soon but based on what happened in 2000, I would suggest that you may have 3-5 years of leveling and fluctuating markets. I would suggest talking with you advisor and moving into cash or bonds. Have him discuss the bond funds that he is recommending and find out how it is being affected specifically, in this market. Do your own research as well. Move into cash and dollar cost average your money back into the market as slowly, or quickly as you feel comfortable.
If you are invested in annuities you may still want to move into a cash fund within your annuity and then reinvest your cash slowly back into the investments within the annuity.
About the Author:
Irene A. Majchrzak helps people retire debt-free with a sense of well-being and the freedom to have the things they want. Get her free ebook, Debt Free to Retire, by going to http://debtfreetoretire.com/
The Definition of Renewable Energy - Present and Future Outlooks
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 M.S. Rochell
The definition of renewable energy is dependent on the term renewable. An energy source that naturally replenishes is considered renewable. Unlike fossil fuels which take millions of years to form, wind, rain, water and sunlight are self contained and naturally replenishing, thus renewable.
Many people think solar energy, the most popular form of renewable energy, is a new concept. The truth is solar panels were used as far back as the 1920s to heat water in lieu of more expensive electrical heating systems.
Renewable Energy Past to Present
When fossil fuels were unearthed, much of the previous solar energy use was abandoned for the cheaper, more reliable fossil fuels. As these fuels began to have an impact on the environment and their levels diminished, a resurgence of the renewable energy sources occurred.
Today, wind farms, solar electrical plants and solar thermal plants are used to power entire towns and cities.
Alternative energy communities are also popping up throughout the world with Canada being the first country to boast of an entire community based on solar energy. Technology is constantly changing and the future definition of renewable energy is also changing.
The Future of Renewable Energy
Everything that moves creates energy. This fact applies to wind, water and sunlight which are the most commonly used renewable energy sources. However, the movement of man is also being viewed as a source of renewable energy.
Speed bumps that harvest kinetic energy are one concept currently being tested by New Energy Technologies. The "bumps" are actually an inversion of the typical motion inhibitors. These flat panels sink slightly into the ground when a car passes over. The bump is created by the difference in height between the road and the lowered panel.
Under the panel, 2000 watts of instant energy is created for every passing car. With 1000 cars passing over the speed bump every day, 2,000,000 watts or 2000 kilowatts are produced every day.
Over the course of a month, that number jumps to 60,000 kilowatts. That is enough electricity to power 60 average homes for an entire month!
This type of kinetic energy harvesting is not limited to speed bumps. In Israel, roadways are being tested that collect small amounts of energy as cars pass over the special roadway surface.
The amount of energy is small, at an average of 400 kilowatts per kilometer (0.6 miles). While this does not seem like a lot of energy, if the entire United States interstate system were converted to kinetic energy harvesting material, the 75,000 km would produce 30,000,000 kilowatts of power. That is one very new and innovative definition of renewable energy!
The world is just beginning to see the potential kinetic energy has as a renewable source of electricity. Tokyo is installing flooring that harvests energy from daily subway visitors. Dance clubs are utilizing the energy created from movement on the floor to harvest energy.
Even asphalt is being considered as a prime material for harvesting thermal energy in desert climates where roadways can reach temperatures hot enough to fry an egg.
There are an abundant supply of new and innovative renewable energy solutions available to help us to transition our world to more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Even today there are many new technologies that can help us to heat our homes, recharge our batteries and light our yards using clean, green energy sources.
About the Author:
M.S. Rochell is the editor of http://www.Go-Green-Solar-Energy.com/ which offers education and inspiration on the benefits of going green with solar energy, DIY solar power, and affordable solar energy solutions. Visit for more on the definition of renewable energy, and to receive our free Affordable Solar eBooks.
Read more of M.S. Rochell's articles.
Copyright © 2010 M.S. Rochell
The definition of renewable energy is dependent on the term renewable. An energy source that naturally replenishes is considered renewable. Unlike fossil fuels which take millions of years to form, wind, rain, water and sunlight are self contained and naturally replenishing, thus renewable.
Many people think solar energy, the most popular form of renewable energy, is a new concept. The truth is solar panels were used as far back as the 1920s to heat water in lieu of more expensive electrical heating systems.
Renewable Energy Past to Present
When fossil fuels were unearthed, much of the previous solar energy use was abandoned for the cheaper, more reliable fossil fuels. As these fuels began to have an impact on the environment and their levels diminished, a resurgence of the renewable energy sources occurred.
Today, wind farms, solar electrical plants and solar thermal plants are used to power entire towns and cities.
Alternative energy communities are also popping up throughout the world with Canada being the first country to boast of an entire community based on solar energy. Technology is constantly changing and the future definition of renewable energy is also changing.
The Future of Renewable Energy
Everything that moves creates energy. This fact applies to wind, water and sunlight which are the most commonly used renewable energy sources. However, the movement of man is also being viewed as a source of renewable energy.
Speed bumps that harvest kinetic energy are one concept currently being tested by New Energy Technologies. The "bumps" are actually an inversion of the typical motion inhibitors. These flat panels sink slightly into the ground when a car passes over. The bump is created by the difference in height between the road and the lowered panel.
Under the panel, 2000 watts of instant energy is created for every passing car. With 1000 cars passing over the speed bump every day, 2,000,000 watts or 2000 kilowatts are produced every day.
Over the course of a month, that number jumps to 60,000 kilowatts. That is enough electricity to power 60 average homes for an entire month!
This type of kinetic energy harvesting is not limited to speed bumps. In Israel, roadways are being tested that collect small amounts of energy as cars pass over the special roadway surface.
The amount of energy is small, at an average of 400 kilowatts per kilometer (0.6 miles). While this does not seem like a lot of energy, if the entire United States interstate system were converted to kinetic energy harvesting material, the 75,000 km would produce 30,000,000 kilowatts of power. That is one very new and innovative definition of renewable energy!
The world is just beginning to see the potential kinetic energy has as a renewable source of electricity. Tokyo is installing flooring that harvests energy from daily subway visitors. Dance clubs are utilizing the energy created from movement on the floor to harvest energy.
Even asphalt is being considered as a prime material for harvesting thermal energy in desert climates where roadways can reach temperatures hot enough to fry an egg.
There are an abundant supply of new and innovative renewable energy solutions available to help us to transition our world to more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Even today there are many new technologies that can help us to heat our homes, recharge our batteries and light our yards using clean, green energy sources.
About the Author:
M.S. Rochell is the editor of http://www.Go-Green-Solar-Energy.com/ which offers education and inspiration on the benefits of going green with solar energy, DIY solar power, and affordable solar energy solutions. Visit for more on the definition of renewable energy, and to receive our free Affordable Solar eBooks.
Read more of M.S. Rochell's articles.
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