http://ecoskimple.org/de/?q=Rolf-Albern-Biomass-Energy - Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, like alcohol fuels, waste, and wood. It is a renewable energy source because the energy it contains comes from the sun. Biomass is the oldest source of renewable energy known to humans and supplies almost 15 times as much energy in the United States as wind and solar power combined. Biomass energy has been used since people began burning wood to cook food and keep warm.

China may have been the birthplace of the windmill. The earliest actual documentation of a Chinese windmill was in 1219 A.D. by the Chinese statesman Yehlu Chhu-Tshai. It is assumed to have been used primarily for grain grinding and water pumping.

A vertical axis system called panemone device was developed in Persia about 500-900 A.D. It was apparently used for water pumping. The first document design features vertical sails made of bundles of reeds or wood which were attached to the central vertical shaft by horizontal struts.

Grain grinding windmills consisted of a grinding stone affixed to a vertical shaft driven by a horizontally mounted wind rotor. The mill machinery was commonly enclosed in a building. Wooden cog-and-ring gears were utilized for the vertical axis rotor to drive the horizontal axis grindstone.

Rotor designs have their roots in sailboat design from which early knowledge of wind forces was learned by experimentation. On the island of Crete sail-rotor windmills are still used to pump water. Steel bladed versions of these pumps were used through out the American heartland in the late 1800's. By 1970 over six million small windmills were installed in the U.S. primarily for pumping water. Raised water towers were a common storage method that provided on demand water pressure delivery. By the mid-1920's Parris-Dunn and Jacobs were major suppliers for wind-electric to the mid-west and Great Plains area. The early success of the Midwest wind turbines actually set the stage for the possibility of more extensive wind energy development in the future.

The development of bulk-power, utility-scale wind energy conversion systems was first undertaken in Russia in 1931 and operated for two years on the Caspian Sea. Experimental wind plants were tried in US and Europe from 1935 until 1970 but failed to be practical.

http://energysourcefacts.org/

Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy and it is different from photovoltaics, which convert solar energy directly into electricity. There are many applications of solar thermal energy such as drying, heating and water distillation.

Many solar thermal technologies have existed for centuries and have established manufacturing bases in many sun-rich countries. Manufacturing can be done on a small scale without using expensive equipment. In 2008 solar thermal energy industry in Europe has grown over 60%.

Solar distillation is necessary in areas that clean water is not common. Its main aim is to provide people with purified water. Basic solar stills can be used to remove fluoride and salts to produce drinking water. http://energysourcefacts.org/solar_energy_solar_thermal_energy.html

The term silicone was coined by Frederick Kipping, who pioneered the study of the organic compounds of silicon. Silicones are nonstick, rubber-like and heat-resistant compounds commonly used in lubricants, adhesives, cookware, insulation, sealants, medical applications, and breast implants. They are very stable and resist the effects of heat, water and oxidizing agents. Silicones are any of a diverse class of elastomers, fluids or resins based on polymerized siloxanes, substances whose molecules consist of chains made of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms. Silicone rubber, silicone resin, silicone oil and silicone grease are some common forms of silicone. Silicone rubbers are used as caulking material and gaskets; in specialized tubing; as electrical insulators in coatings, varnishes and encapsulations; as automobile engine components; as flexible windows in air locks and face masks; as surgical membranes and implants; and for laminating glass cloth. Silicone fluids are used in emulsion-breaking compositions, breast implants and hydraulic fluids, and as lubricants, adhesives, protective coatings, and water repellents. Silicones, due to the low water solubility and good spreading properties, are used as active compound in defoamers. Silicone is becoming an important product in the cookware industry and can be used where contact with food is required. Silicone has the potential of replacing plastic in creating toys. The gel form of silicone is used in breast implants, dressings, bandages and a variety of other medical uses. Silicone grease in the automotive field is used as a lubricant for brake components because it is not water-soluble and it is stable at high temperatures. Silicones are ingredients in many shampoo, hair conditioner and hair gel products. Silicone rubber is widely acknowledged in the construction industry because of its strength and reliability.

The most useful properties of silicone are:

1. Low chemical reactivity.

The earth is a watery planet. Two thirds of the earth surface is ocean. The land is covered with lakes, rivers, and streams. The earth is like a sponge soaking up rain. Water collects in aquifers deep below and flows downward to join lakes and oceans. Human bodies range from about 60 to 80 percent water content. Water is the fluid that carries nourishment to living cells of organisms that depend upon it to sustain life.

Rain falls daily on the planet surface and is vaporized off the surfaces of the earth and its water bodies. Vapor is cooled in the atmosphere and collects in the clouds in tiny droplets. These clouds eventually become laden and release their droplets and rain that falls to the earth’s surface. The heating and cooling cycles of the earth function as a global distiller wherein the sun’s rays vaporize water later to be condensed and fall to earth as rain. Rain is distilled water, water that has been purified by vaporization and condensation. As rain drops, it picks up tiny particles and pathogens that hang in the air. On the earth rain water mingles with bacteria, chemicals, minerals, and pathogens in the earth’s oceans and land. This wonderfully pure distilled rain drop is progressively sullied on its return cycle to earth. The development of the industrial revolution has introduced many new toxins into the environment that end up in the earth’s soil and water bodies. That is why that despite the fact that water is ubiquitous many humans do not have access to safe and health drinking water.