Can you imagine powering everyday items like your water heater, furnace, and kitchen stove with the power of the wind? In light of the current fuel crisis, and growing environmental problems, Americans are increasingly catching the drift when it comes to green energy sources, and wind power is high on the list.

According to Wikipedia, wind power is responsible for just 1% of the world’s total energy, but it is readily utilized in some countries. For example, wind turbines are responsible for 19% of energy production in Denmark, where wind farms are used to generate green energy for power grids.

Although they are certainly a green living idea worth checking into, you should be aware that wind turbines require a significant investment on the part of the homeowner. The Southwest Windpower Skystream 3 grid-tie wind turbine system, pictured above, lists at $5,387 at Real Goods.

With all the recent publicity surrounding CFL light bulbs, it’s easy to forget about LED lighting as a green choice for environmentally friendly homes. Thanks to advancements in technology, LED lighting is becoming more affordable and used in more household light fixtures. Here are just a few of the benefits of LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes).

Longer-Lasting: LED lights blast the competition when it comes to longevity. According to some reports, LEDs last 10 times longer than CFLs, and last more than a hundred times longer than incandescent light bulbs. In addition, LED light fixtures can help you save money by conserving energy in your green home.

Cool to the Touch: LED lights, including LED flashlights and LED Christmas lights, operate on very little power, allowing them to burn cool and reduce the risks of children being burned and accidental fire.

Compatible with Solar Panels: If you’re making the green energy switch to a solar-powered home, you may want to consider LED lighting. Because they use such little electricity, LEDs are a great option for use with solar panels.

See more information about LED lighting.

One of the biggest energy guzzlers in many homes is the water heater. With an average family of four, daily showers and household chores can deplete the contents of a fifty gallon water heater in no time, resulting in high utility bills. If you’re looking for a greener, more energy efficient water heater, here’s a green alternative that may work for your household. AirGenerate’s AirTap™ water heater uses mostly air and a small amount of electricity to heat the water. The unit attaches atop any standard electric or gas water heater and acts as a heat pump to pull the heat from the surrounding air, compress it, and send it into your water heater to heat the water inside. According to AirGenerate, their AirTap™ heat pump water heater uses 2.5 times less energy than standard water heaters. Along with energy efficient water heaters and other household appliances, don’t forget one of the simplest steps in conserving energy and water—taking shorter showers!

A brand new solar-operated ferris wheel was introduced tonight to the Santa Monica Pier. According to the news, there were hundreds of people lining up for a free ride until midnight. All those that stood in line, but didn’t get to experience the 130 ft above ocean view before closing, got a rain check. What happened to the old wheel? It was sold on Ebay over a month ago for roughly $50,000 (+ $135,000 for the base sold separately + shipping). LA Times revealed that the winning bidder is a real estate developer and the son of a former Oklahoma City mayor, Humphreys. The auction attracted close to 10,000 watchers and 400,000 pageviews. Half of the proceeds were donated to California’s Special Olympics.

Yes, even Apple is going green. Last month Apple filed a patent to integrate solar cells into their portable devices. The new solar technology will prolong battery life significantly. According to Forbes, “information regarding the performance of a device’s solar cells could be displayed on the main screen next to info for battery power, text message alerts and time of day. Or this information could also appear on top of the solar cells themselves, which are likely to display some version of the Apple logo.” Either way, say goodbye to dropped calls and “you are now running on reserve battery power” pop-ups. I wonder how this will hold up to heat exposure since rule number one with electronics is to leave them out of sun’s harmful rays. MacRumors raises the question of whether the design will suffer as a result of solar implementation, but knowing Apple’s genius designers, I highly doubt that it will. I can’t wait for green laptops, green iPods and green iPhones to finally grace retail shelves. Until then there is always a portable solar charger.

* graphic design by GV

The Hot2O Solar Hot Water Heater Kit is an affordable (around $2,000) and very efficient solar product that retrofits your current gas hot water heater. There is a similar solar kit for electric hot water heaters. All retrofit kits include Solar Hot Water Collectors, Mounting Hardware, controller, drainback and more.

Details:

iSol Plus is an ideal solar solution for all of your portable devices. Buy iSol Plus and say goodbye to dead cell phone, iPod, PDA or PSP batteries. You can charge your gadgets wherever you are under the sun (10-20 hours). And if it rains, you can charge it with your laptop via a USB cable (2-4 hours).

Source: Silicon Solar - iSol Plus - $ 43.95

Specifications:
- Solar Panel: 5.5V 100mA
- Rechargeable Lithium Battery: 3.7V
- Dimensions: 4.5 in x 2.5 in x .6 in
- USB charging cable: 5V 500mA
- DC Outputs: 5.5V 500mA / 7.5V 350mA / 9.5V 300mA

Features:
- Charge using the Sun or USB connector
- Major brand mobile phone adaptors
- Comes with suction cups
- Charging and discharging indicators:
Charging in the sun
Charging with USB cable
Charging portable device

I’d like to dedicate this week to solar solutions for your home. Did you know that enough sunlight falls on the earth’s surface each minute to meet world energy demand for an entire year ? I didn’t either, but it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is that it’s not being used. The biggest obstacle is that solar power installation costs are not affordable by most. The other day I saw a white van parked on my street with a solar biz logo, so I went up to the driver and asked him how much it costs to solar power an apartment or a house. He quoted me a $30,000 starting price. Even with utility companies’ incentives and tax breaks, it’s still not a solution for everyone. In the meantime, there are some less expensive solar products for your home.

Second runner up to the Centennial Bulb is “The Eternal Light”, located in Fort Worth, Texas. First turned on in 1908 at the Byers Opera House where it spent most of its life. The opera house became a movie theater in 1920 until it was torn down in 1977. The bulb still burns to this day at Stockyards Museum in a glass case.

In third place is “The Bulb” from Mangum, Oklahoma. Turned on sometime between 1926 and 1929 and housed in a fire station built in 1912. “Mangum feels no need to measure itself against others, and has been content to keep its bulb to itself. There are no webcams here, no glass display cases. The bulb doesn’t even have a name. Locals refer to it simply as “the bulb“.

Source: Roadside America