Residentail Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is of great abundance and should be captured to increase our own energy efficiency. If you are sick and tired of paying high utility bills while contributing to foreign markets, then take matters into your own hands and install a geothermal heating and cooling system at your home. Installing a geothermal system to your home can cut your utility bills in half. Geothermal energy systems use the earths core to create not only warm and cold air but also water. A system of pipes can be placed under ground or in ponds in various ways to capture the earths core energy. These loop fields will run water through the pipes generating warmth where it will return to a base unit in the home where warm and cool air is created then dispersed through out the home. Maryland is currently encouraging home owner to install these systems at their residents with grants. According to Southern Maryland Online, Governor Martin O'Malley's new legislature will provide a $3,000 grant for those who install geothermal systems. Although the installation process can be messy, the rewards are much greater. Also the stimulus package is calling for 30% tax credit for residential installation and a 10% tax credit for commercial installation. This kind of legislation will not only increase our energy efficiency but also help pull us out of the recession.

Landfill's: New energy Opportunity

Landfills are becoming the new hot topic in clean renewable energy. After a landfill is cover and the garbage begins to decompose, gases are formed. One gas in particular that has some individuals foaming at the mouth is methane. Researchers have discovered that methane gas created from decomposing garbage can be used to generate energy. Companies such as Curtis Engine and William Campbell of GSF Energy are seeing dollars signs in landfills. These people are capturing the methane gas to create a new energy source. Landfills must release the methane build up into the environment to prevent an explosion. By releasing the methane into the environment they are killing vegetation, creating smog and are contributing to ozone depletion. So companies like Curtis Engine and GSF Energy are killing two birds with one stone. They are reducing the amount of methane released into the environment and creating clean energy. According to the New York Times Article "What a Dump!; Landfills Yield Riches as Fields of Natural Gas" California has the most landfill sites with methane generating plants followed by New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. More states need to follow this new clean energy source in order to make our country a cleaner place.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE1DB1238F936A35756C0A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

Blue Water Wind

On Wednesday night I went to see a presentation given by Maryland's Blue Water Wind project director. At this lecture, he spoke about the many benefit that off shore wind power could offer to Maryland. This project would entail the construction of a wind park 12 miles off the coast of Ocean City Maryland. It would contribute to the four major issues that have been swarming the news: Environment, Efficiency, Energy, and Economics. Blue water states that Maryland will begin to see brown outs by the year 2012 due to an efficient transition line. They are proposing the off shore wind park to fix Maryland's inefficient energy issue. Although I knew a good amount about the wind park proposal in Delaware, I had not heard of Maryland's potential to be involved in capturing the environmentally friendly renewable sources. Maryland could act as a role model for neighboring states in the advancement of this new technology. I support this project and encourage other Maryland residents to increase awareness of Maryland potential to lead the way in off shore wind energy.