Mariah Power, the manufacturer of the Windspire®, a residential and commercial wind power appliance, was recognized in “Best of What’s New” in the green tech category by Popular Science in its December 2008 issue.

Windspire turbine

The Windspire is a 30-foot tall, propeller-free, vertical-axis wind turbine designed for harnessing wind power in urban, suburban and rural locations for both residential and commercial use. Each year, Popular Science reviews thousands of new products and innovations and chooses the top 100 winners across 11 categories for inclusion in its annual “Best of What’s New” issue, the best-read issue of the year. To win, a product or technology must represent a significant step forward in its category.

This award comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of its first volume manufacturing facility in Michigan that will be up and running next year, and the first multi-unit commercial installation of six Windspires at Devon Bank the first “green bank” in the Chicago, Illinois area. (more…)

We Americans plug in, text, log on, tune in (tv) and tune out (music). We use
13 times the power than just 60 years ago. Electricity is truly the life blood
of the U.S. Economy. Back in 2003, New York and surrounding areas really realized
how important electricity is. 50 million folks lost their power in minutes.

Building a national grid may be on top of President Obama’s list of things to
do. One idea is a power network, modeled like the interstate road system
that was thought up by President Eisenhower. Some folks feel that moving
power the same way could help out in the long run. This system would supercede
the 200,000 miles of power lines and 500 different owners.

Wind farms that have been cropping up everywhere need to have transmission lines
to the surrounding cities, towns, and villages. The same is true for solar, (more…)

I have doing some research on how to get off the grid. After hurricane Ike’s
tremendous impact not only on the coast but also how far it went throughout
the U.S., I needed to find something that I could do rather cheaply.

I found that Off the Grid Living has all the information you will need to make
the change from being married to your utility company to financial and personal
freedom.

Their promise is that you can build a 1000 watt wind generator with no special
tools and no experience in about 2 weekends for under $100. So far there have
been hundreds of families who have duplicated their success. (more…)

Since before Hurricane Ike came to town, we lost electricity.  The generator
has been my close friend for about 6 days.

My generator is a 6500 watt 13 hp JEWEL.  It takes 5 gallons of regular
gas and burns at a rate of 12 – 13 hours at a pop.  If you time it right,
you do not have to run out in the middle of the night to re-fill the tank.

I have learned alot about generators these days due to the parents going
kaput on Sunday night.  Theirs just simple wore out from years of use.  It
blew out the muffler, starting blowing oil, and then found copper windings (more…)

Do you think Energy Star appliances are too expensive?  Well, think again.
Energy Star estimates that the average cost of a standard refridgerator is
$1070 and an Energy Star fridge is $1100 … just $30 more.

Dishwashers have no differences at all.  You will pay approximately $540.
You can always find dishwashers on sale and may be able to get one cheaper.
You will realise a savings on either appliance from 1 to 4 years, so going
green with Energy Star is a no brainer.

One myth that has lingered for years in regard to low-flow fixtures and (more…)

The U.S. Department of Energy says you are paying about $100.00 a year for nothing and the EPA estimates that this nothing consumes $4 billion worth of power each year. Equivalent to the power generated by 12 power plants.

This energy Black Hole is the total of all those appliances that still draw power even when the power buttons are switched “off”. The average house hold has between 20-25 of these appliances that have electronic controls or smart features that still pull energy while “playing possum.” (more…)

You’ve probably experienced the bouncing sensation when a car passes, as you
walk in a multistoried parking structure. Or the phenomenon of the floor
vibrating beneath your feet on the upper levels of a crowded mall during the
holidays. A mini earthquake from thousands of feet traversing the walkways.
Structures are designed to accommodate this motion, which structural engineers
call “dynamic load”. (more…)