What is solar energy?

Solar energy comes from the light of the sun, which means it is a renewable source of energy. We can use its light to create pollution free electricity.

How does solar energy work?

When the sun shines on “solar cells,” they absorb its energy causing a chemical reaction that generates electricity.

The electricity generated by these solar cells – or photovoltaic system – can be used at homes and factories or it can be stored in a battery. This stored energy then can be used at night.

How can solar energy be used?

The simplest photovoltaic systems power many of the small calculators and wristwatches used everyday. More complicated systems provide electricity to pump water, power communications equipment, and even provide electricity to our homes.

For example, solar energy is commonly used for domestic lighting, street lighting, water pumping and railway signals just to mention a few.

What is Hydropower?

Hydropower is energy from water sources such as the ocean, rivers and waterfalls.

Because the source of hydropower is water, hydroelectric power plants must be located on a water source. Electricity is produced by directing or channeling moving water to power electric generators. The flow or fall of the moving water determines the amount of energy available. There is a new technology on the horizon called Microhydro. It uses smaller water flows such as water flowing out of abandoned mines to run small generators. These small generators can then power equipment on remote sites to help treat the pollution in the abandoned mine water flow.

What is wind power?

Wind power, in its most basic form, is taking the breezes and winds that you feel on your face or that cause a flag to flap and converting it into energy. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain, and for irrigation.

What is a wind turbine?

A wind turbine turns wind into electricity. It consists of a nacelle, rotor, tower, foundation and transformer. The wind turns the rotor of the wind turbine. The rotor turns a generator (a dynamo), which makes electricity

(Wind power in Pennsylvania

Did you know that Pennsylvania is the leader on the east coast of the United States in wind energy production?

Wind power represents an economic opportunity for Pennsylvania’s farms. It can provide stable income to farmers, reduce air pollution and help reduce electricity supply disruptions.)

Geothermal

The Earth’s heat is called geothermal energy.

Geothermal direct use dates back thousands of years, when people began using hot springs for bathing, cooking food, and loosening feathers and skin from game. Today, hot springs are still used as spas. But there are now more sophisticated ways of using this geothermal resource. In modern direct-use systems, a well is drilled into a geothermal reservoir to provide a steady stream of hot water. The water is brought up through the well, and a mechanical system delivers the heat directly for its intended use.

Geothermal hot water can be used for many applications that require heat. Its current uses include heating, raising plants in greenhouses, drying crops, heating water at fish farms, and several industrial processes, such as pasteurizing milk.

What is Biomass?

Biomass is a renewable energy source from wood, manure, garbage and agricultural waste.

Biomass has been used for hundreds of years to produce heat. People have used wood – a form of biomass – to heat their homes for centuries.  Now, with new technology available, biomass can be used to generate electricity and cleaner fuels. When biomass is burned, energy is released as heat that can be transformed into electricity or fuel.

Garbage as a source of energy

Garbage or municipal solid waste can be a source of energy by burning it in special power plants or by capturing the gases it releases. When trash is burned at special waste power plants, it produces steam that can be used either to heat buildings or to generate electricity.

We can also obtain energy from garbage by letting it rot in landfills. When biodegradable garbage rots, it releases methane gas – also called biogas – that can be collected and used as a fuel source.

Manure as a source of energy

Manure can also be turned into electricity. Farmers can use the manure of cows, pigs or chickens to produce electricity for their farms. When manure is collected and put into a large digester, methane gas is separated from the liquid and solid waste. The methane gas can then be used to generate electricity and the remains can be used to produce fertilizer!

(Did you know that the waste from Pennsylvania’s hogs and dairy cows can power 86,000 homes or reduce the need for 384,459 barrels of oil, which would fill up more than a half-million average-sized cars with gasoline.)

Soybeans as a source of energy

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel engines – cars, buses and trucks – derived from natural oils– like soybean oil or animal fats. Biodiesel is usually blended with petroleum diesel to create cleaner fuels.

Vehicles that use biodiesel emit less pollution. It also helps us lessen our dependence on foreign oil because we can grow soybeans on our farms!

Other crops as a source of energy

Other crops, such as corn and sugar cane, can be used to produce ethanol.

Ethanol is a colorless liquid that is distilled from agricultural crops – usually corn. It is a renewable alcohol based fuel that can be mixed with gasoline.

A blend of 10 percent ethanol with gasoline is considered an oxygenated fuel. Using ethanol in gasoline means we don’t burn quite as much fossil fuel in our cars.  It is cleaner than traditional gasoline and, since we grow our own corn, it reduces our dependence on fuels from other countries. DEP has several fleet vehicles that are designed to run on 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline to further reduce our dependence on oil.

Recycling

What is recycling?

Recycling means taking materials from products you have finished using and making brand new products with them. For example, most of the aluminum cans in the United States are made with recycled aluminum. So if you drink juice or soda from a can, recycle that can instead of throwing it in the trash. That can will stay in the Recycling Loop and out of the landfill.

Making new things from recycled ones takes less money, less energy, and less of the Earth’s resources. Because less energy is used, factories don’t release as much pollution either.

Everyone can recycle. You can recycle at home and at school. Your parents and other adults can recycle at work, and so can the companies they work for.

Aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, glass, newspapers and plastic bottles are all recyclable. These items can be made into new products including cans that hold food and drinks, the steel used to build skyscrapers and school buses, cardboard boxes, glass jars and bottles, newspaper and office paper, plastic laundry detergent bottles and even playground equipment!

Composting
Also, food scraps from home or cafeterias at school can be separated rather than put in the trash. The scraps can then be turned back into nutrients that help plants grow through a process called composting, which accelerates the natural decay process. Yard waste, such as grass clippings, leaves and small tree limbs, can be converted through composting into mulch to help gardens grow.

Reduse trash output
* Buy products in bulk or larger containers rather than multiple small containers.
* Use a sponge rather than disposable towels.
* Buy concentrates.
* Buy fresh fruits and vegetables without packaging.
* Avoid products with excessive packaging.
* Repair, rather than replace, broken items.
* Donate unwanted materials to charity.

Reuse
Reuse means just what it sounds like: using something again rather than throwing it out. That usually means finding a new use, such as making a jelly jar into a drinking glass.

Reuse conserves the energy and raw materials needed to make new products, and doing so saves energy and reduces the amount of pollution factories release into the air and water. By recycling or reusing plastic, metal, or glass items, you can reduce the need to mine, transport, and manufacture natural resources to make new products.

What is a landfill?

A landfill isn’t just a pile of trash buried in the ground. Landfills are carefully designed to prevent waste from mixing with groundwater and to reduce odors. Most landfills have a thick plastic liner between the ground and the trash, and a layer of soil is added every day to cover up the trash on top. Materials deposited in a landfill do not decompose quickly.

Some trash is burned in a controlled process called waste-to-energy incineration. Incinerators, when properly equipped, can convert water into steam to fuel heating systems or generate electricity. Methane gas generated by decomposing garbage at landfills can also be captured and used to generate electricity.

What is Energy?

Energy is the ability to do work. Oil, coal, natural gas, wind, water – just to name a few – provide us the energy we need in our daily lives. For example, we use oil to produce gasoline for our cars. We use natural gas, coal, solar and wind power to generate electricity that makes the computer you are using work!

There are two forms of energy: renewable energy and non-renewable energy.

Energy comes from different sources such as oil, coal, wind, the sun, water, natural gas and even manure.

Why do we need energy?

Energy is very important in today’s world. For example, we use different energy sources to generate the electricity we need for our homes, schools, businesses and factories. Electricity “powers” our TVs, computers, air conditioners, cell phones and washing machines – just to mention a few.  We also use energy to run cars, planes, trains, buses and motorcycles.

What is non-renewable energy?

Non-renewable energy comes from sources that can’t be replenished in a short period of time. We get most of our energy from nonrenewable energy sources, which include fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal and from nuclear energy.  Fossil fuels are thought to have been formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.

Why is it important to conserve energy?

All of us use energy every day – for entertainment, cooking, transportation, lighting, heating and cooling homes, manufacturing, etc. We consume a lot of energy. The United States consumes about one fourth of the world’s energy resources.

When energy is produced from non-renewable fuels, to heat our homes or power our cars for example, pollutants are released into the air contaminating the air we breathe and water too. The more energy we use or miles we drive in our cars, the more energy power plants must produce or gasoline our cars burn, releasing more pollutants into the air.

By conserving energy we can lower the amount of pollutants we release into the air and water and thereby help to keep our environment clean. Additionally, if we use less energy we can save money on our electric bill or reduce the amount of money we spend on gasoline. So you can help the environment and save money at the same time!

Additionally, we can use energy sources that are clean and efficient. For example, wind and solar energy generate electricity without polluting the air. Another example is soybeans, which we can use to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel can be blended with regular diesel fuel or used all by itself to fuel tractors, buses and trucks. These types of energy are friendly to our environment and help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and coal, which cannot be replenished.

When you enter a room and turn on the light,
To help you see in the dark of night,
Do you ever stop to think and ponder,
What will happen if we continue to squander?

Not all our energy is the renewable kind,
So ways to save it, you must keep in mind,
For if we don’t, one day there will be,
No energy left for you or for me!

What can we do? What must we change?
What habits should we rearrange?
There’s lots to be done, changes big and small,
And most take almost no effort at all!

When you leave a room, turn off the light,
There’s no need to leave it burning all night,
The same goes for radios and the TV,
That’s pretty simple, don’t you agree?

But you can do more in your quest to preserve,
Compact florescent bulbs will help you conserve,
They’re more efficient than the regular kind,
They last longer, too, keep that in mind!

If your oven is on the fritz,
And the dishwasher is giving your family fits,
If it can’t be fixed and you need one that’s new,
Nothing but an EnergyStar® label will do!

Of course energy is more than just lights,
More than toasters and outlets and things that glow bright,
It’s oil, too, and gas and coal,
So conserving it all should be our goal.

You can save energy by taking the bus,
Riding a bike, or walking with us,
Cut down on the amount of gas that you use,
Riding alone just has no excuse.

Recycling has its benefits, too,
So recycle your bottles when you are through,
Don’t forget paper, cans and bags,
“I’m a recycler!” you can then brag!

If lasting energy we want to ensure,
Then make some changes that will endure,
To your friends and family say,
“Let’s save energy every day!”

Energy in Pennsylvania

America’s energy past is grounded right here in Pennsylvania.

Coal WagonBeginning in the mid-1700’s, coal mining in Pennsylvania fueled the Industrial Revolution in the United States. It began to support the Colonial iron industry, then Andrew Carnegie’s steel mills in the 1800’s and finally electric power plants of more modern times.

In 1859, Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the first commercial oil well in the United States in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

In 1957, the first commercial nuclear power plant in the nation came on line in Shippingport, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is the leader on the east cost of the United States in wind energy production. Wind farms in the state produce 129 megawatts of electricity — enough to power about 45,000 homes — with another 49 megawatts scheduled to come on line within the next year.