A solar panel is a device that collects and converts solar energy into electricity or heat which can be used by (for example) nearby buildings. Solar photovoltaic panels can be made so that the sun's energy excites the atoms in a silicon layer between two protector panels. Electrons from these excited atoms form an electric current, which can be used by external devices.

Learn about how Germany is leading the world when it comes to renewable energy.

Renewable energy accounted for 5.8 percent of primary energy consumption in Germany in 2006 and the share of renewable energy in total gross electricity consumption rose to 12 percent. In relation to total road traffic, the contribution of biofuels to fuel supply reached 6.6 percent and, in the heat market, renewables' share in total heat provision was 6 percent. Its proportion in the total final energy consumption rose to 8 percent. A turnover of 11.3 billion euros arose from the erection of plants and 10.3 billion euros from the operation of the plants. Some 214,000 people are now employed in the renewable energy sector and may have managed to prevent some 101 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere in 2006.

Have you identified your energy loss, or are you guessing?

Weak building codes and poor quality workmanship add up to millions of dollars in wasted energy every year, not to mention--pollution including green house gas emissions. Most homeowners have a pretty good idea where their homes are leaking energy--but how do you really know for sure? There are lots of obvious targets like doors and windows which may be huge contributors. However in most cases these culprits are hidden in plain site, silently leaking energy-- and money from your bank account. What if you could find all these leaks in a couple hours?

Here are a few examples of what can be found during a review:

This image shows the outside of a home built in 1989. The HVAC leak inside the floor joist is glowing through the rim joist. Instead of heating the living room, the duct is heating the brick on the back of the house.

A fossil fuel power plant is an energy conversion center that burns fossil fuels to produce electricity, designed on a large scale for continuous operation.

Basic Concepts

In a fossil fuel power plant the chemical energy stored in fossil fuels such as coal, fuel oil, natural gas or oil shale is converted successively into thermal energy, mechanical energy and, finally, electrical energy for continuous use and distribution across a wide geographic area. Almost all large fossil fuel power plants are steam-electric power plants, except for gas turbines and utility-sized generators that may run on natural gas or diesel.

All fossil fuels generate carbon dioxide when burned. Other products of incomplete combustion are sulfur dioxide (predominantly in coal) and oxides of nitrogen; since no fossil fuel power plant is able to burn the fuel perfectly as seen in complete combustion, such products are always produced in some quantity. Each fossil fuel power plant is a highly complex, custom-designed system. Present construction costs, as of 2004, run to US$1,300 per kilowatt, or $650 million for a 500 MW unit. Multiple generating units may be built at a single site for more efficient use of land, natural resources and labor.