Most people think solar power is expensive, and it’s easy to see why. How much solar power actually costs depends on who you ask. Experts, industry leaders, and politicians each come up with compelling arguments as to why solar power is or isn’t cost prohibitive. The frank answer is it that the cost of solar power depends on where you live and how you measure the cost or “price” of power.

Some US states will buy back extra electricity generated from solar panels. Add this to the savings on your electricity bill and solar power is a cost effective investment. The cost of solar power is steadily decreasing. Many countries in Europe already get a significant portion of their energy from solar power.

Price can be figured in more ways than dollars. Solar power is clean and renewable. The price of continued use of fossil fuels is polluted air, polluted water, and global warming.

Myth #2 Solar Power Only Works in Sunny Areas

Where there’s light, there’s solar power. Solar power is possible throughout the globe. You don’t need desert weather for solar power. Germany is not the place that comes to mind when you think of bright and sunny; however, Germany gets over 10% of its power from solar energy. Solar power is possible even on cloudy or snowy days.

Myth #3 Solar Power Requires Lots of Large Unsightly Batteries

Not true. While solar power can be stored in batteries, most solar systems are now tied to the conventional electricity grid. The extra energy from your panels will flow back into the grid, and the utility company will credit you as this occurs.

Myth #4 Solar Power Requires Complicated Installation and Maintenance

Solar panels have no moving part, and therefore, require no more maintenance than your windows or rain gutters. If you live in a dry, windy environment, you may need to rinse the dust off of the panels occasionally.

When homeowners want to add a pool or need to re-shingle their roofs, rarely do they do it themselves. They call professionals. The same goes for solar power. Solar power professionals can install the system for you. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, there are some small scale self-installation kits currently on the market at reasonable prices.

Myth #5 Solar Power Doesn’t Create Jobs for Americans

Don’t let the recent news fool you into thinking solar power is dead in America because of one company’s bankruptcy. That news is more about politics than solar power. A recent study, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, showed that over the past twelve months, jobs in the solar industry grew 6.8%. Overall U.S. job growth for that same period was 1%. True, the recent flooding of the market with cheap, foreign solar panels has caused problems for some players in the solar industry. But the industry as a whole is growing and analyst say the growth will continue well into the future.

Fact: The world is using almost 100% solar power right now. Wait, what about coal, oil, and natural gas you ask? Think about it; everything used for energy is in some way created with the help of the sun. Fossil fuels are created from decomposing plant and animal matter. Plants can only grow with the aid of the sun. People and animals eat plants for fuel. So if you really think about it, solar power is already fueling the world. With advancing technology, solar power can be used directly, cleanly and inexpensively to provide energy around the globe.

When considering solar power, it’s essential to do your homework. Solar Market is dedicated to providing unbiased information to help you make the decision to switch to solar energy. And they can get you 3 free solar power quotes as well!

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The Day is Over when the Sun Goes Down

For many people, the day doesn’t really begin until the sun has set. For example, those who enjoy going out on the town tend to wait until it’s quite late before doing so. Without electricity, such adventures would be a lot more difficult to enjoy. In fact, most business would grind to a halt when the sun dipped below the horizon. This would not only make life a lot less exciting, but it would wreak havoc on the economy of the world. Many companies do a lot of business at night, and a lack of electricity would cause major problems.

No More Internet

Without electricity, today’s best modern conveniences would be rendered obsolete. If you’re reading this post, you obviously enjoy going online. The Internet isn’t possible without electricity, so it would cease to exist. These days, a vast amount of entertainment, education, commerce and other important things take place over the Internet. It would all be washed away if electricity no longer existed. Progress would slow to a crawl, and society as a whole would probably regress a great deal. After a while, a return to somewhat medieval times could easily occur.

Healthcare would Suffer

Major advances in medicine have taken place since electricity came into widespread use. Without electricity, the equipment that makes healthcare so efficient and effective would no longer work. Human skill would still exist, of course, but it would be severely limited due to a lack of useful tools. Things like X-rays, which we currently take for granted, would no longer be possible. If you became ill or needed surgery, your options would be severely limited. The quality of life for people around the globe would dip precipitously.

As you can see, large things and small things alike would be radically altered in a world without electricity. As annoying as it may be to pay your electricity bill every month, you should keep in mind that it’s a small price to pay for the conveniences and life-sustaining things that electricity makes possible. Instead of wishing for the demise of electricity, you could compare electricity prices in your area. This is a proactive way to get better deals. Make sure to ask about discounts and special offers as well. For instance, special offers are sometimes available to customers who opt to pay their bills online, which wouldn’t be possible without electricity.

My name is Valentina DeCicco, I love to write about money saving tips, food and home making tips and have written blogs covering all sorts of industries.

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A Symphony of Lights
Attribution due to nadnerb33 under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 License
Currently, 44 buildings are participating in this tourist attracting show.

In modern times it is easy to forget the everyday modern benefits which we take all too much for granted.

Take for example, light. In a world where we have light with a flick of a switch, it is understandable that we don’t appreciate this amazing invention and the seemingly endless supply of it.Our productivity would certainly decrease during the winter months when at 4pm the sun vanishes and we are dipped into dark, inky sky.

Light Shows

Since its invention, we have become so reliant and dependent upon light, that it has become second nature to us to assume it will always be there.
However, another way of viewing light is not just as a source and a replacement of the sun but also as an art form.
Instead of having firework displays, zoos often opt for light shows so as not to scare the animals with loud noises. Those light shows are a very popular attraction in many countries, one of which holds the Guinness World Records for the largest permanent light show in the world.

At 8pm every day in central Hong Kong, tourists and anyone interested can watch this amazing lightshow which is accompanied by music. It is themed around the glorious rise of Hong Kong as a nation and is called a

Another great example of how light is used as art, or even for marketing purposes, was the light show that the makers of the film Tron Legacy put together in Oslo, Norway. Here is a video of the Tron Legacy lightshow where many Lights and LED were used to create a fantastic display.

Every Day Light Spectacles

But even in smaller capacities, we enjoy light shows and the effects lights have on a space.

Take for example a night club. With music pumping, it would be an odd scene if there were just bright, steady lights. Instead we usually get a mixture of flashing lights and sometimes even laser shows to fit with the music and to get the crowd moving.

Light effects are nothing new. The disco ball, a symbol of the funky  70’s will throw prisms all around, a cheap way of creating  a festive atmosphere and injecting energy through moving lights.

It is a sensory experience. Lights, silent though they are, can move people, their moods and physical state.  It is noticeable how much we rely on light for our mood when we get blind folded or if we experience a sudden blackout.

The same goes for the end of a club night.  The lights go on and suddenly, the very attractive dance partner becomes much less so and it is time to go home.

Mood Lights

What is alluring is sometimes the lack of light as well as the strategic placement of certain lights.

While we might not want complete darkness when we interact with others, there is definitely a threshold for the level of brightness we can tolerate. Hospitals are naturally kept brightly lit, with usually white walls to make the place even brighter. Not only does this enable doctors and nurses to see what they are doing, but it also gives the impression of hygiene.

In summary, what we experience as an everyday “object” or state, brightness, in different situations can be seen as either an art form or a tool to influence people’s moods. Mood lighting though is dependent on the cultural circumstances. In any case, this sensory experience is definitely not something to completely dismiss.
Lia Schopmeyer is an enthusiastic blogger for Litecraft, who specialises in home lighting, selling fantastic lamps as well as ceiling lights.

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Perhaps you have heard of or seen the Van de Graaff generator that can make your hair stand on its end. While seeing someone with their hair standing on its ends can look outrageous and hilarious, there is actually a scientific principle behind this device, and here we break down the how and why of the Van de Graaff generator.

Harnessing the Power of Static Electricity

What makes your hair stand on its end is called static electricity, and it is found everywhere. You can feel it when you shuffle across a carpet on an arid winter day. Static electricity can easily build up on our body, and oftentimes it can cause us to experience jolts of electricity. It has also been the subject of many science experiments, such as rubbing silk cotton on a glass rod to see how its static electricity can draw in bits of plastic and paper.

The principle behind static electricity is encapsulated by the principles of atoms. As you have learned in science class, all matter is made up of atoms, which are electrically charged particles. Generally, atoms have an equal number of protons and electrons, but when more electrons are present, it becomes negatively charged. When this charge imbalance occurs between the protons and electrons, static electricity is generated.

The Shock Effect

Other than protons and electrons, humidity also comes into play when it comes to electrostatics. This is why we experience more electrical shocks when the weather is very dry. This is also the reason why you feel electricity run through your body on dry winter days, as static can easily cling to your body, especially if you are wearing materials that can easily build electricity.

The Van de Graaff  Generator

Now that we’ve discussed the basics of static electricity and electrostatics, now we can begin to explore the mechanics of the Van de Graaff generator itself. It was conceptualized and designed by Robert Jemison Van de Graafff in 1931, and has ability to harness up to 20 million volts. This generator is specifically designed to create static electricity to supply the amount of energy necessary to power what are known as particle accelerators.

These accelerators are also referred to as atom smashers because they can speed up sub-atomic particles to very high velocities, and then bring them to a collision with target atoms. This principle is the very foundation of today’s particle and nuclear physics.

But to answer the all important question of why the Van de Graaff generator can make your hair stand on its end, we go back to how this machine works. The large sphere of this generator is imbedded with a multitude of negative electric charges that are transferred onto your body when you come in contact with it. And as your hair is made up of negative electrons, they then repel from each other, causing your hair to flip out and stand on its end.

We admit to our electricity addiction at Electrician Oklahoma Org. We love to understand how to harness its power, and help connect you to Tulsa and Oklahoma City electricians who can solve your electrical problems.

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 When you are working on a windmill science fair project you need to be familiar with two types of energy, mechanical and electrical energy. Each type of energy is produced by different processes. While each energy type is unique, they are also connected.

Mechanical Energy

 The first type of energy that is produced by a windmill is mechanical energy. Mechanical energy can be defined as energy in motion or stored energy. Energy in motion is referred to as kinetic energy and stored energy is referred to as potential energy. A windmill generates mechanical energy by using wind energy to turn blades on the windmill. This motion can be used to do work such as turn a grinding wheel or to draw water up from a well. This simple way to produce free mechanical energy has been used by humans for centuries.

Electrical Energy

Electrical energy is produced by creating a moving electric charge. This moving electrical charge is created by using the mechanical energy produced by the windmill to move a magnet around a coil of wires. The windmill turbine is where the electrical energy is produced.

Using Windmill Energy

In order to use windmill energy a transformer is needed to collect and to convert the electrical current into something usable. This enables wind energy to be transformed into the right type of electrical current to power homes and cities. Students can also use this energy to power their science fair projects.

Windmill Science Fair Projects

 In order to utilize a windmill in a science fair project students need to understand how to manipulate the energy that is produced by the windmill. This manipulation can be accomplished through the modification of the design of the windmill or through the exposure of the wind turbine to different wind velocities. It can also be manipulated through the introduction of resistors and insulators.

A lot of fun science fair projects can be created using windmill generators. Students can focus their projects on the efficiency of windmill designs, on the design of the turbine or it can even focus on the use of wind turbines to power specific things, i.e. television, computer, house or city. To improve your chances of winning with a windmill science fair project it will be essential to make the project unique or socially valuable. This means that students will need to come up with a unique or advanced project concept.

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How do you make a small windmill for a science fair project?

Windmills have been used for centuries to harness the power of the wind to do work. In the past they have been used to power grain and wood mills, as well as to draw water up from wells. Today the application of windmills is being applied to the generation of electricity. This is why they are also a very popular subject for science fair projects.

To create a small windmill for a science fair project a number of steps need to be taken. The first step is to conduct background research on electricity, turbines and windmills. Students need to understand how electricity is created, what impacts its voltage and amps and how it is manipulated. Students also need to understand what a turbine is, how it is built and how it operated. Finally students need to research what parts make up a windmill and how they operate. All of this information will help the student to design, build and experiment with a windmill.

The next step is to determine what you are going to experiment with in regards to your windmill project. This will help you to identify what items you will need to build your windmill. For example, you may want to focus on the blade design, the turbine design or the support structure of the windmill.

Step three is to identify the “ingredients” that you will need for your windmill project. Usually students will purchase a vertical or horizontal turbine and then use their creativity to engineer their own blades and supportive structure. Windmill turbine kits and windmill project kits can also be purchased to provide you with everything that you need to design and build a windmill for your science fair project.

Once you have all of the parts that you need your next step will be to figure out the design modifications that are necessary to test your hypothesis. For example, you may need to create a number of different blade designs to test with your turbine to see which one produces the most electricity. You can draft out these design modifications on graph paper or tracing paper using drafting tools like a protractor and stencils.

The final step is to construct your small windmill. The construction process will usually involve the connection of your wooden pieces, i.e. blades and support structure, to the prefabricated turbine. As you test your windmill’s design you will then make adjustments to make it work better.

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Answer:

IF THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHTS INDICATES THE AMOUNT OF CURRENT

Which wire has the most current?

Brightness of Lights – Snap Circuits Mini Kit $13.75

We suggest using the Snap Circuits parts because they are very inexpensive and a safe way for your daughter to demonstrate her science fair project without using live electrical wires. This makes the project all wireless.

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This year has produced some amazing discoveries. Scientists have looked to nature for design inspirations, such as in the Venus fly trap experiment, as well as to space for imaging technology inspirations and resources. Because you are a scientists as well as a teacher you need to be just as innovative and resourceful if you want to prepare your students for their futures.

There are a lot of resources that you can turn to for inspiration for in-class experiments. There are websites, books, plants, animals and traditional tools. You can also find a lot of great sources of science project inspiration by reading headlines.

A great project you can implement in the New Year is a science headline journaling project. Have your students write in their science journals each week about a science headline. Then discuss a few of these headlines in class. These journal entries can be used to supplement materials being covered in class, or they can be used to inspire science fair projects or classroom projects.

Science fair project ideas can come from a variety of sources including science magazines, past energy science fair projects and they can also be inspired by nature’s designs.

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As I researched alternative wind energy plans for high school science fair projects I noticed that many provided basically the same schematics. The similarity between schematics is an issue that science teachers and students need to think about when planning their science fair project. If you simply use a schematic, or wind power plan, that you buy or download from the Internet, then chances are your project is not going to fair as well as it would if you modify the plan and make it your own.

Science fair judges are looking for originality and innovation. Don’t be afraid to take chances, to try something new or to think outside of the box. These risky moves are going to be what will make you stand out from the other entries.

What I like to do is to first think about the conventional way to solve the problem. In this case it would be to look at the generic plans found online. After I understand the basic mechanics of what works, I like to them ask myself, “how else can the problem be solved?” This question and mindset is going to help you find unique solutions that may, or may not, be more effective or energy efficient than the generic solution. Now I am not trying to downplay the importance of the generic solution. This can be used as your baseline, or experiment control. You can them evaluate your plan’s results based on how it compares to the results obtained by the control.

If you are looking for renewable energy science fair project ideas, then you need to go to Super Science Fair Projects now!

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