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Almost all of us have come across hybrid vehicles now and then. While many of us have owned a hybrid at some point of time, others have seen friends and relative driving cars that are hybrid. This brings us to the question—What are hybrid cars? Any car or vehicle that combines more than a single source of power can be called a hybrid. Most of the hybrids on the road today combine gas and electricity as sources of power to provide propulsion to the vehicle. While gasoline-electric hybrids are the most common kind of hybrid cars, you may also come across some diesel-electric hybrids very soon. Since you will most probably come across a gas-electric hybrid car, or buy the same if you have to, we will tell you how a gasoline-electric hybrid car works.

The basic principle behind the working of a hybrid car lies in the seamless integration of two sources of power—a gas engine and a high powered battery , both of which provide power for running the electric motor that runs the car. Unlike cars that run on electricity, batteries in hybrid cars do not need to be charged externally. This is because batteries used in hybrid cars charge themselves through energy that is generally lost when a vehicle decelerates or slows down. Instead of letting this energy go waste, hybrid car batteries recapture it to charge themselves.  Since hybrids combine battery power along with the power provided by the gas engine, they tend to save on fuel by giving more miles per gallon of fuel as opposed to cars that run only on fuel. While the main principle behind the working of hybrid cars is the combination of the gas engine with an electric battery, the way in which this combination works varies in different kinds of hybrids.

In some hybrid cars, the electric motor is only used to provide assistance to the propulsion created by the gas engine when extra power is required. However, the electric motor cannot work independently. In these cars, the battery can also not get charged and provide power to the electric motor at the same time, and the two functions have to take place separately. These kinds of hybrid cars are generally referred to as mild hybrids and examples are Honda Civic (2004 and 2005) hybrids and Honda Insight. On the other hand, there are other kinds of hybrid cars where the electric motor, run by the battery can work independent of the gas engine once certain conditions are achieved. In most cases, the electric motor takes over from the combustion engine when the vehicle is cruising at low speeds. The gas engine takes over when more power is required to run at higher speeds. In some cases, both the battery powered electric motor as well as the gas engine work together to provide the necessary propulsion to the vehicle, but this generally happens when the vehicle reaches very high speeds. As opposed to mild hybrids, the battery can both get charged and provide power to the motor simultaneously.  Some examples of full hybrids are the Ford Escape, Toyota Highlander and the Honda Civic (2006 and above) hybrids.

Solar energy is one of the most widely available and easily harvestable sources of alternative energy. Energy drawn from the sun can be used for different purposes ranging from producing electricity, running machines and appliances to heating and lighting. There are a large number of ways by which the sun’s power can be harnessed to cater to our energy needs and all of us should try to use solar energy as part of our total energy usage in order to save non renewable fossil fuels. As compared to fossil fuels, solar energy is totally clean, eco friendly and renewable and once you have the necessary installments in place; it is also quite economical to use.

You can install solar energy panels on the roof of your house and start using solar power to provide electricity for all your household needs, or if you cannot afford a total solar energy conversion, you can always go in for installing solar heat exchangers for taking care of your house’s heating requirements. Different types of solar heat exchangers are available in the market for different purposes, but the main purpose that all solar heat exchangers serve is to heat water for your daily needs. A solar heat exchanger works on the principle of trapping the sun’s heat and then transferring it to the liquid being heated.

Based on your requirement and budget you can go for either liquid to liquid or air to liquid type solar heat exchangers. Apart from being divided into these two broad categories, solar heat exchangers also vary in design and style. Your solar heat exchanger manufacturer or contractor will be able to suggest the best kind of solar heat exchanger for your house based on your needs, requirements and budget.

In case you are building a new house or renovating your old one, then you should try to make changes that let you avail maximum use of solar energy. In order to heat your house using solar energy, you can install heat attracting glasses in windows and doors facing the sun. Different types of glass panels are available that let the heat of the sun in without letting glare pass through. You can also go for glass panels that allow for only one way visibility to protect your privacy. Try to install as many sun facing glass windows and doors as possible so that the sun takes care of most of your heating needs and you do not have to resort to using too much electrical power. While making your house solar energy- friendly might cost you initially, you will end up saving thousands of dollars every year on heating bills.

Putting in sky lights is also a great idea since this will save you from using artificial sources of light during the day. Not only will this prove economical in the long run, but a little exposure to the sun is also good for overall health.

Solar pool heating systems are the most cost effective and environment friendly way of heating up your swimming pool. While a solar heater installed atop your roof can heat your pool’s water throughout the year and can totally replace the need for an electric or gas heater, the initial installation cost keeps many people from investing in such a mechanism. However, everyone can easily buy and use a solar pool blanket, which is definitely the cheapest way of keeping your pool warm.

Solar pool blankets are can be likened to large sheets of bubble wrap, but they are made out of a more durable and tougher material. The bubbles in a solar pool blanket trap the sun’s heat and transfer it to the pool. The bubble like structure of the sheet acts like hundreds of tiny magnifying glasses that help in magnifying the heat of the sun before transmitting it to the water. Solar pool blankets can easily increase the temperature of your pool water by ten to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit during the day. On the other hand, they also act as a protective barrier against the heat from your pool being lost to evaporation in the night. Once your pool is covered by a pool blanket, it will not lose the amount of heat that an uncovered pool would and save your heating costs if you have to reheat the pool in the morning.

So a solar pool blanket is a must for you if you live in a cold climate where you have to keep heating your pool before using it. A solar pool blanket will keep the temperature of your water up by 10 to 15 degrees F so your pool will get warm faster when you heat it. On the other hand, if you live in a warm climate, then you might not have to invest in a pool heating system at all since your pool blanket will effectively be able to keep the water in your pool warm and comfortable.

Solar pool blankets can be bought from pool supply stores, home stores or online stores for anything ranging from a hundred to two hundred dollars based on the size of your swimming pool. In order to maximize the efficiency of your solar pool blanket, buy a blanket that is black on the top and silver on the bottom. While black will absorb maximum heat from the sun, silver will keep maximum heat into the water. It is a good idea to buy a pool cover reel for your blanket. Putting your blanket on a reel makes it easier to manage and store. At the same time, reeling a blanket in is the best way to remove a blanket from your pool. You can go for either manual or electric reels based on your budget. These reels are movable and can be easily removed from the pool area when swimming is going on.

Apart from keeping your pool warm, a solar pool blanket will also prevent evaporation from your pool, saving both your water and chemical costs. A blanket also keeps debris out of the pool, so you will need to clean your pool less often.

The world is finally waking up to the fact that gasoline is a non renewable source of energy that we all are fast running out of. On the other hand, global warming caused as a result of the burning of fossil fuels is getting to be a major threat for life as we know it. As oil reserves all over the world keep getting depleted and fuel prices rise, everyone is turning towards alternative sources of energy for running their factories, houses and cars. As a result of this, hybrid cars are gaining in popularity, but because of their high costs, they are yet to become a prominent fixture on our roads. People are experimenting with different methods of saving gas, and the best part is that we they have come up with a highly successful method of reducing both gas consumption and pollution.

Cars can now be converted to run on water, and what is more is that these kinds of hybrid cars are much better than conventional battery hybrids since they increase fuel efficiency not just by 20 to 30 percent but by a full 100 per cent. This means that when you convert your car to run on water, it will provide you with a mileage that is just double of what you were getting earlier with a single gas engine. Some people who have converted their cars have reported an even greater increase in mileage. But the best part about converting your car to run on water is not the amount that you save on gas, but the amount of pollution that you reduce. Cars running on water emit lower amounts of harmful pollutants when compared to regular cars. At the same time, it is also known to increase the engine’s life span due to higher efficiency.

One of the most important reasons why cars running on water can provide higher mileages is because this technology makes the engine more efficient. Traditional car engines are able to convert only twenty per cent of total fuel consumed into energy for running the car while the rest is wasted as unburned fuel and heat. This means that the major part of your gas expenses goes towards polluting the environment rather than running your car. When you convert your car to run on water, it results in increasing the efficiency of your car’s engine in burning fuel for energy.

If you want to hybrid your car to run on water, you can easily find a number of companies on the internet who will undertake this task for you. Many web sites are also present that will provide you with free information about how you can hybrid your car yourself. While it is tough to believe that you will actually be able to run your car on water, a large number of people have already taken advantage of this technology and are saving loads of gas money. In most cases, converting your car to run on water will cost you somewhere around $200 or so. The technology or the addition will not affect your engine adversely in any way and if you are not satisfied with the arrangement, you can easily unplug the whole mechanism without harming your car at all.

Living in a modern economy in a modern world, we are all too used to using energy for doing almost everything in life. Our homes are heated up, our food cooked, our water drawn and our cars run on energy that has been obtained through burning fossil fuels. However, as most of us know, most of the fossil fuels that we use—coal, gas and oil are non renewable and limited. While this is the most important reason for people turning to other alternative sources of energy, there are a number of other reasons why we need alternative sources of energy.

For one, the burning of fossil fuels is turning out to be dangerous for the human race day by day. While it is impossible for the earth to sustain the presently high rate of extraction of fossil fuels, it can also not stand the consequences that result from using these fuels. The negative environmental and ecological effects of burning fossil fuels has today led to the development of a planet that is not at all safe either for plants and animals , let alone human beings.

Most of us who live in cities are regularly smothered in smog caused because of the extensive and uncontrolled use of cars and other personal vehicles running on diesel and petrol that keep on polluting the environment all the time.  This is turning out to be a major cause of asthma, allergies and many other respiratory diseases in city dwellers.

On the other hand, a large number of places in the world are experiencing acid rain, which is disastrous for crops and other produce. These rains are a result of excessive emissions of sulphur and nitrous oxide created due to burning of fossil fuels.

However, the worst consequence of using fossil fuels is global warming. The burning of too much fossil fuels , leading to the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has intensified the greenhouse effect to such an extent that the whole of planet earth and its living beings are in danger of becoming extinct very soon. The massive destabilization of the climate caused due to global warming has already led to melting snow caps and rising sea levels already resulting in natural disasters. If the warming continues at this pace, very soon, the whole world will be submerged by water. 

It is because of these reasons that it is high time for us to turn to alternative sources of energy that do not produce harmful emissions or by-products and are renewable- both in order to sustain life on earth as well as its energy needs. Most countries are turning to using renewable and non polluting sources of energy like solar, wind, water and geothermal power. At the same time, since most of the world’s energy is still coming from fossil fuels, it is important that we cut down on our usage of energy wherever possible in order to create a healthier planet.