Climate change is happening faster than scientific models predicted. Artic sea ice is swiftly melting. Rising sea levels are rapidly swallowing South Pacific Islands. Severe storms are ravaging India, Burma, and other parts of Asia. Dire droughts have hit Kenya, Darfur, and the Andean villages of South America.

The head of the international panel on climate change (IPCC) recently stated that if there is no drastic re-assessment of international energy policy that ensures that global greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to at least 25% of 1990 levels before 2020, then it will be “too late” to mitigate the effect of climate change. If temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels - with current emissions, the temperature is already slated to rise 2.3 degrees pre industrial levels - human civilization and life on earth will be severely threatened.

All of these facts …read more of Climate Change: Crisis or Boon? here

What do George W. Bush, Jay Leno, and New York Mayor Bloomberg have in common? They’ve all installed small-scale wind turbines on their properties. Small-scale turbines, those that are less than 10 m in height and deliver less than 100kW at maximum power, are the new rage in independent-energy generation. The 9,000 small turbines sold in the U.S. last year are generating enough energy to power 7,000 American homes.

Does this mean that “the answer is blowing in the wind”. Not necessarily, there are a slew of concerns with small-scale wind turbines not to mention several publicized wind-farm blunders such as broken blades and killing bats. …read more of Turbines – A Viable Alternative? here