Eco20/20

The smart power grid takes advantage of not one, but several energy sources which are linked together for optimal efficiency. For instance, a wind, solar, and coal combination limits the amount of coal that is used, relying on it only as a last resort.

Make sure that you are looking for sustainable furniture materials like bamboo, rather than traditional hardwoods like cherry and oak. Keep in mind that material and finish choices should be green as well.

Restaurants and fish markets will be very interested in your farmed fish, especially if they can get them at prices lower than what they have been paying for wild caught fish.

Using an exterminator that will practice the safest and most natural techniques for pest control can be reassuring and may be the only consideration for those who are determined to live green in every way.

Hiring a maid service can help you keep a tidy house, without having to stay up to the wee hours to get it done. Taking it one step further and hiring a green maid service is very important for many people for different reasons.

How about a power station in your basement? In a bid to create a decentralized electricity grid, German carmaker Volkswagen is launching thousands of mini power plants that could be installed in the basements of any residential home. Together with clean energy provider Lichtblick, Volkswagen plans to install up to 100,000 small power plants -- able to generate heat and electricity -- in people's homes to generate enough energy to offset two nuclear power plants. Taken together, all mini plants would have a capacity of 2 GW. The project could lure many Germans away from traditional utilities toward decentralized energy generation, which experts say will be the buzzword of tomorrow's energy mix.

The system has been designed in such a way that it can support up to two OutBack FX series inverter or chargers or up to two MX60 charge controllers and all necessary AC and DC components.

The Midnite solar power panel is a compact panel which is used for mounting a single inverter. As a result, it saves a lot of money, time and space. It can also be used for mounting multiple inverters.

Compact Fluorescent lamps are becoming very popular for household use and is fast replacing the typical screw based incandescent lamps. The main reason of their popularity is that they use one third of the energy of incandescent lamps and deliver the same amount of light.

If you use Compact Fluorescent (DC) bulbs in your home or office, you can save a lot of money as they produce very high illumination by consuming less amount of energy. They are available in 6V, 12V and 24V and can be used in solar powered systems or in any DC set up.

A city uses a lot of energy for its businesses and offices and for all of the residents that live there. With a smart grid in place the cost of that energy usage would be far less expensive both economically and environmentally.

Many families are investigating ways to reduce their soaring home energy costs. Of the alternative energy sources, two are most viable: solar and wind, but both have drawbacks. Relying on a hybrid of the two is a better option in the long run.

In the world of dry cleaning, there are two types of people: those who stand by the traditional, potentially harmful processes and those who are embracing the future and the environment by utilizing new chemicals and new, greener techniques for cleaning and caring for clothing.

Car sharing has become an increasingly common concept today. What is it? Car sharing is the concept of sharing a vehicle rather than owning it outright. It is similar to carpooling, only you do not ride with other people in every case.

For some people, eco-tourism means going to the areas where the environment is still fairly untouched and pristine. To others it has a much broader scope than that, and means that you do everything you can, to make the trip you are taking eco-conscious, including how you get there and what you do once you arrive.

Having virtual business meetings for offices saves all three: time, money and natural resources by eliminating some of the travel, a lot of the scheduling details and such and the need to have large meeting rooms as well.

This dual integrated panel makes the installation of Solectria PVI 1800 much easier and faster. They are also applicable to invertors having a grid voltage of 240VAC.

A smart grid allows for resources which are renewable but not unlimited to be used more efficiently. The common misconception that people have about wind, water, and solar energy is that because they come from nature the supply is never ending.

The bonuses of the smart grid to the environment are obvious. If the usage numbers are broken down to before and after smart grid, the benefits to consumers are just as obvious.

Not everyone can own a bicycle- having a place to rent a bike and parking station nearby to them would help in the process.