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Electricity. We depend on it every day, but don't give it much thought
until we’re forced to do without it. Join us on a journey into
the energy system: we follow energy as it travels from a variety of
generation points, to the “grid,” across high voltage
transmission lines, and eventually into our homes. We learn about
the myriad problems associated with traditional energy sources —
and marvel at the clean, simple, renewable alternatives that are available
now. We visit people like Vince Cerniglia, whose township is powered
by wind; take a tour of Alice and John Weygandt’s home and vineyard
— and see how their lifestyle and livelihood revolves around
the ever-reliable sun.
After we’ve been electrified, we’ll leave the wires and
head for the roads. We take a ride in a first generation mass-produced
hybrid electric car; check out the student developed vehicles that
run on everything from solar powered batteries to reclaimed vegetable
oil; and journey into the future with GM’s Hy-Wire, a pollution-free
hydrogen fuel-cell powered automobile which emits water instead of
exhaust.
 Lights,
refrigeration, television sets, computers are all powered by electricity.
It’s hard to imagine existence without electricity because it’s
such a big part of everyday life, but how does it all work? From far-off
generating plants to the outlets in our homes, the system that provides
electricity is a mass of interconnected pieces, known as the grid.
Take a look inside the grid, and then follow a group of students from
Neshaminy High School as they learn about electricity: where it comes
from, how it gets around, and some of the problems associated with
traditional fossil fuel sources.
 More
than 60% of the electricity used throughout Radnor Township, PA comes
from the wind. Wind energy is clean, non-polluting—and it’s
the fastest growing source of electricity in the world. It’s
reliable. It comes at a known cost. And it’s available now to
people in many parts of the country, including Pennsylvania. Radnor
also uses power from the sun, as do the Weygants in Coatesville, PA.
Passive solar energy provides heat for their home, and they’re
in the process of converting their vineyard to Solar Power as well.
Watch the installation and learn how it works.
 Melrose
Park’s Andy Rudin makes a living as an energy consultant, and
he’s taken his knowledge into his home. His house is outfitted
with solar panels, and he’s got electricity meters all over
the place. He knows exactly how much energy everything in his home
uses—and he knows how much energy he produces from his solar
array. His utility bills are non-existent because he gets paid a premium
for the clean energy he sends back into the grid…
 Gasoline
powered automobiles are huge polluters, contributing to everything
from ground level ozone in urban areas to air pollution in national
parks to the global problem of climate change. Even big oil companies
acknowledge that the global supply of oil will be depleted in the
next half century, so alternatives are inevitable. Ellen Sherk takes
us for a ride in her gas-electric hybrid Toyota Prius, one of the
first cars of its kind on the market. It emits 90% less pollution
than a conventional car—and gets more than 50 miles per gallon
of gas.
 The
Tour de Sol visits Philadelphia every summer on its way to Washington,
DC for national Transportation Week. It showcases an amazing array
of low emission, high gas mileage vehicles, powered by everything
from the solar panels to reclaimed vegetable oil. Contrary to popular
wisdom, clean burning, sustainable fuels offer more choices rather
than fewer, and a look at some of the participants in the Tour de
Sol highlights this fact.
 Hydrogen
fuel cells are considered one of the most promising areas of alternative
energy, because they enable electricity to be stored for a wide range
of uses, including powering cars. General Motors’ Hy-Wire is
a $5 million prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell powered car. Not only
does it use no gasoline and run in near silence, its only emission
is water. Take a ride, and see how it works. Envision a future based
on a system of sustainable energy, a system that not only uses renewable
sources for its power, but which doesn’t pollute. And think
about all the steps people are taking towards that future by doing
their part today.
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Energized — Using fossil fuels to generate
energy worsens the health of our environment. Get information
on the issue and details about solar and wind power from this
exclusive information packed GreenWorks.tv website. |
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Energized
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Drive
Rough
Terrain: The Green Machine
Ready
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Energy
Efficiency
EAC
Video Presention: Radnor Township EAC Leads the Way in Clean and Efficient
Energy Use
(Real Player Video)
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