Alternative Energy Resources on the Rise

Alternative Energy Resources on the Rise

By Shayla Warner

Rose Brown

 

     City Utilities researches alternative energy choices for the city of Springfield by being a part of a Renewable Energy Project  that started back in 2003 to make the the energy choices better and cheaper. 

       

     City Utilities started the Renewable Energy Research project in 2003 by tracking and collecting data for research and education. The purpose for this project is to provide actual data for renewable energy generation locally. There was no credible data found for generating wind or solar energy in the city of Springfield. “In 2003, solar panels and windmills net metering, any customer has solar panels at their house they would buy that energy and pay them back”, said Cara Sheafer.

 

       Energy that is produced from the wind turbineand solar panels passes through an inverter to combine it to CU’s (City Utilities) existing power supply. After the energy from the turbines solar panels goes through a meter that measures the energy collected. The collected energy only powers enough electricity for the use of the a building. “No batteries are used for City Utilities systems, wind and solar panels power small portions of this building”, said Sheafer, the energy management and conservation.

        

     The wind turbine at the CU’s TecHOUSE is on a 90 foot pole and each blade is 11.5 feet in length. The diameter of the wind turbine is 23 feet. In order to generate energy, the wind has to be blowing at least 8 mph. For the turbine blades to spine constantly the wind must be above 8 mph, then spins a shaft connected to the generator which makes the electricity. An external anemometer measures the winds speed and transmits this data to the controller. CU is trying out the wind turbines for Springfield area to see how they will do in these conditions. Until then, CU purchases big amounts of wind from the Kansas wind farms. Sheafer said “The wind mills in Kansas are on about 300 foot poles.”

 

    The solar panels at CU’s TecHOUSE are 13 feet by 15 feet racks that hold the photovoltaic solar panels arrays. One array is stationary. The second dynamically tracts the sun, meaning it follows the sun through out the day so it can get the maximum amount of solar energy. Each arrays is capable of producing 2.2 kilowatts.While solar panels are very expensive right now. Yet people are spending the money on them just to have other energy choices. Sheafer says,”The solar side has to continue to grow and it gets cheaper and cheaper.” Sheafer also says, “I think people are working on their own solar panels in their garages.”    

     The Renewable Energy Research project consists of  the wind turbines which cost $88,000; the tracking solar array which cost $22,000; and the fixed solar array which cost $18,000. Leaving the grand total of $124,000 spent on the project alone. Based on the data from the wind turbine and the solar panels, it will take over 350 years for the payback on the wind turbine and approximately 95 years on the payback of the solar panels.

 

        It is important to understand the difference between energy and power, as both are used in describing electric generation. power is the rate at which electricity is produced or consumed. Is usually measured in kilowatts (kW). Energy is the amount of electricity produced or consumed. This is usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). You can think of this like a speedometer and odometer on a car. The speedometer tells you how fast you are going (Power). The odometer tells you how far yo have traveled (Energy). Sheafer says,”It would be exciting to see where the solar panels and wind turbines goes in five to ten years.”

    

The iPad

    On April 30, 2013 the new Apple iPad was released. Some people doubted that its sales would do good, but it came out strong and sold over 300,000 the first day. ” The iPad sold very well from the start,” said Travis, an employee of Best Buy. Stores like Best Buy couldn’t wait to get their hands on selling the new product. “We were excited to finally get our hands on it,” Travis said. But when the general people are asked about the iPad, the answers were not very promising. Many said that it was too much like the iPhone and wasn’t worth the money. Chip Gann, elementary teacher at Willard East, purchased an iPad at Best But and when asked if he liked it said,”YES! I struggled with why I would spend the money for one, but i have not regretted the decision.”
     The iPad has several new features compared to the iTouch or iPhone. It can use any of the applications from the iPhone and has new ones. It was mostly supposed to be focused on ibooks but it has many other things such as games, Wi-Fi and iTunes. Plus, the screen is 3 times larger without too much weight added.

     The iPad makes it easier to check your mail. It has a split screen view and a keyboard that pops up so you can type with ease. The back-lit IPS display makes viewing photos on the iPad extraordinary. You can open albums with a touch, and view each picture at a time or have a slide show. It has an 9.7 inch screen making it perfect to watch movies, which it has in HD. The iPad also has a YouTube app. Using all google services, you can search the world with a world map, viewing satellite or terrain view. It also has an application store so you can buy and download new applications at any time. When asked about the iPad’s efficiency, Gann said that “Very convenient and accesses the web and applications extremely quickly because it doesn’t have multi-tasking capabilities.”
     The iPad has come out with many different apps. Such as the Element. It shows the whole periodic table with the elements close up and tells all the facts about it. You can learn its origins, who discovered it, and its significance in the universe. iPad also has a magazine app where you can view a magazine and turn the pages with the touch of your finger. Epicurious is and application where you can search any recipe of any type that you want.

    Some of the pros about the iPad are it has a LED-Back-lit IPS Display makes all the pictures and videos on the iPad crisp and vivid and easy to see. You can hold it any way you want and still get the same brilliant picture. It has a multi touch so that when you touch it, it does what you want it to. Its thin and light, so it can fit where you want, and it isn’t too heavy to carry around with you. It has a ten hour batter, its wireless, its 3G, and much, much more.

    Some of the cons are it doesn’t have a camera, so all the pictures on it have to be uploaded. You cannot multi-task, so you can only have one application running at a time, including music. The minimum you pay for and iPad is $500 dollars and it only has 16 GB of storage. The battery is built in, so if it pops out, you have to take it in to get fixed. Last, it doesn’t have a flash system, so some of the Internet will be blocked to iPad users. You can also not make phone calls like the iPhone, or text without using an application.

    So Depending on the type of person you are, the iPad could be good, or bad for you. If you are a person who like the iPhone and thinks its too small and wants more cool apps, then it would be good for you. If you like to take pictures, surf the whole net, and multi-task a lot, then you should probably stick to what you have now, or get something else.

    

    

    

By: Jessie Stoll and Hailey Farrar

Will the Healthcare refom bill effect abortions?

    With the new health care reform bill that Obama has signed and Congress has passed with a 219-212 vote. Abortion is legal but can not be paid for by using tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered). So women who decide to have an abortion will have to come up with their own money to pay for it. Some people voted for Obama because he would pass a bill to make abortion illegal but like any bill there is a loop hole. Obama said in the executive order, “I hereby direct the Secretary of [Health and Human Services] to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on [Community Health Centers] by existing law.”

 

     The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of certain federal funds to pay for abortions, it is not a permanent law, rather it is a rider, that, in various forms, has been routinely attached to annual appropriations bills since 1976. It was made legal throughout the United States in 1973 by a Supreme Court decision known as Roe v Wade. This decision is based on a womans right to privacy regarding medical matters including family planning.

Many Republicans and conservatives are still not convinced Obama’s executive order holds any weight. House Minority Leader John Boehner said, “Make no mistake, a yes vote on the Democrats’ health care bill is a vote for taxpayer-funded abortions.” Rep. Bart Stupak disagreed, saying to Boehner, “It’s not true.”

    

 Once you have an abortion you can’t take it back. A mother should always talk to a professional or some one who has had an abortion before they have one. That way they wont make a decision that they will later regret. Planned Parenthood is a facility that you can go to talk to a professional about an abortion or even have one performed.

 

    Planned Parenthood has been around for more than 90 years. They can tell you everything you need to know about abortions, the after effect and what could go wrong. Planned Parenthood accepts most insurance companies, but not all of them. The first time you go to have an abortion it cost anywhere from $350–$900, the first trimester. The second trimester usually costs more, depending on how far along you are. Planned Parenthood is a very safe place and performs about 250 abortions a year. Check out this website to find anwsers about Planed Parenthood and the abortion services they provide– http://www.plannedparenthood.org/stlouis/?gclid=CKr-g86FwKECFUNJ5wodEmWXAQ 

    

    Abortion is not the only option for a woman when they are pregnant and can’t keep the child. They can look at adoption centers and have friends and family to help support them. Adoption centers will care care of the child until the are of legal age or until adopted. Adoption might not be the right answer for you though, because there is a good possibility that you won’t see your child ever again.    

    

Solar Panels…Are They Worth It?

Solar Panels…Are They Worth It?

pictures
    The idea of using alternative energy sources, such as solar panels has been on the minds of people all over the country and around the world lately. Along with the idea of using solar panels comes a lot of different  questions and concerns. The main concern being are solar panels worth the cost and time. City Utilities

       Whitney Vinyard, 15 who has solar panels on the roof of her home says, “It’s natural, so its much better to use, but its also more expensive to get.” The prize for solar panels have a lagre varity depending on the brand, how many, and how strong they are. If you want to get Solarsheat 1500G/S Two-Pack Solar Collectors, will cost you around $2499.99 and thats with the Solarsheat brand. Another opition that you could choose from is Sunforce 50 Watt Amorphous Solar Panel, and that goes for about $350.00 for each panel. Neither of these prices include what it would cost for them to be installed, or what it would cost to repair if any damages were done to the solar panels.

    According to Buzzle.com “ Depending on how many panels you choose to install, as well as many other variables, installing a residential solar panel array for your home can be a real money saver over the long run. The thing that people need to get over is the price tag associated with the initial cost. Yes, the cost of buying and installing solar panels is expensive, at first, but there are several ways you can help pay off initial high cost.”

    Choosing solar panels is very expensive to begin with, but will save you a great deal of money in the long run. Over time the benifits will outweigh the intial cost you paid for to begin with.

    Another reason people choose to use solar panels is to help the environment. Cara Shaefer, Director of Energy Management and Conservation of the City Utilities of Springfield M.O says “If improvements in the technology are made to increase the efficiency of the solar panels, and the cost reduces substantially, then wide spread solar installations could offset electric energy generated by fossil fuels, which would result in the reduction of greenhouse gases. ”  So solar panels will not only have a great effect on the money in your pocket, but also on the environment.

    According to HealthArticles.com, “One person or one family can save 20,000 tons of greenhouse gas from polluting the environment just by using solar energy to heat your hot water and heat your home.”

    As of today their aren’t very many places or people nationwide that are using solar energy. “As far as large scale photovoltaic projects in the United States, they would be located in areas that receive much more solar radiation than here in Springfield – mostly in the southwest part of the nation (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, southern Nevada)” , according to Cara Shaefer.

Animal Abuse in Greene County: Education is Key to Prevention

 

    The defintion of animal abuse is to treat any such living thing other than a human being in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way.  “There are many types of animal abuse,” says Springfield Humane Society worker Lesly Thurman. “But the most common form in Missouri is neglect.”  The second most common form is abandonment (according to http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database/statistics/classifications.php?showstate=MO), followed by shooting and hoarding. 

 

    Thurman says that 100-200 pets are dropped off at her shelter per week, but only 10-50 of those pets are adopted or transferred in the same week.  “There is no way to know how many of the pets abandoned at our shelter have been abused,” she says. 

 

    One of the things that may come to mind when thinking about animal abuse is a “puppy mill”, or a place where dog breeding takes place.  Stereotypically, in a “puppy mill”, female dogs of many breeds are being constantly impregnated from early ages until they are worn out and unable to produce any more puppies.  The puppies are sold for profit to people, and stores such as Petland.

 

    While these legal “puppy mills” are thought of as places that treat dogs badly, not all of them are.  There are breeding facilities that do have good conditions and treat their dogs well.  However, it is common that they are accused of producing and selling dogs that have bad health conditions such as hip displaysia (loose fit in ball-and-socket hip joint, and continuously slide out of socket), ectropion (the lower eyelid sags, droops, and rolls out, exposing the interior of the eyeball), luxating patella (kneecap slips out of place), and more*.  But can breeding facilities really be blamed for these diseases?  All of the above listed diseases are both hereditary and common in specific breeds, and sometimes caused by nothing other than genetics.  

 

    Animal abuse can go on anywhere, including pet stores.  Petland, which is the only pet store in southwest Missouri that sells dogs and puppies, has been accused of buying their dogs from breeding facilities with improper living conditions.  This is an issue because not only are the dogs they are selling can be unhealthy, but Petland is supporting the breeding facilities.  However, there is no proof of this.

 

    While animal abuse is becoming more common, it is illegal.  According to http://ago.mo.gov/faqs/animal-welfare.htm, animal abuse is a class A misdemeanor.  If the suspect is proven guilty of animal abuse or the animal suffering through torture or mutilation, it is a class D felony.

 

    Animal abuse can be prevented.  Springfield resident Linda Creamer says, “I think there’s so much animal abuse, people could get their animals neutered so there wouldn’t be so many. Population control more than anything is an issue.  Kittens and pupies are cute, but they grow up and have more [kittens and puppies].”  Thurman says that education is vital in preventing animal abuse. Creamer says “. . .if you lived by someone with pets, you could report someone [for animal abuse/neglect] before things got too bad.”

    

    Animal abuse should be reported immediately.  Thurman says “Pets who are being neglected typically have a poor physical appearance and are often underweight.  Animals that are being physically abused often show signs of injury.”  While the Humane Society does not take cases of animal abuse, you should call the local law enforcement.  If you find an animal who has been abused or neglected, the Humane Society (3161 W. Norton Road) is open on Tuesday-Friday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, and on Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm.  They can be contacted at 417-833-2526 or online at http://www.swh.org/.

    

                                                                                                

 

* Diseases and descriptions from http://www.dog-breed-facts.com/articles/hereditary-diseases.html

Solar Panels…Are They Worth It?

    The idea of using alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, has been on the minds of people all over the country and around the world lately. Along with the idea of using solar panels comes a lot of different  questions and concerns. The main concern being are solar panels worth the cost and time. City Utilities

       Whitney Vinyard, 15 who has solar panels on the roof of her home says, “It’s natural, so its much better to use, but its also more expensive to get.” The prize for solar panels have a lagre varity depending on the brand, how many, and how strong they are. If you want to get Solarsheat 1500G/S Two-Pack Solar Collectors, will cost you around $2499.99 and thats with the Solarsheat brand. Another opition that you could choose from is Sunforce 50 Watt Amorphous Solar Panel, and that goes for about $350.00 for each panel. Neither of these prices include what it would cost for them to be installed, or what it would cost to repair if any damages were done to the solar panels.

    According to Buzzle.com “ Depending on how many panels you choose to install, as well as many other variables, installing a residential solar panel array for your home can be a real money saver over the long run. The thing that people need to get over is the price tag associated with the initial cost. Yes, the cost of buying and installing solar panels is expensive, at first, but there are several ways you can help pay off initial high cost.”

    Choosing solar panels is very expensive to begin with, but will save you a great deal of money in the long run. Over time the benifits will outweigh the intial cost you paid for to begin with.

    Another reason people choose to use solar panels is to help the environment. Cara Shaefer, Director of Energy Management and Conservation of the City Utilities of Springfield M.O says “If improvements in the technology are made to increase the efficiency of the solar panels, and the cost reduces substantially, then wide spread solar installations could offset electric energy generated by fossil fuels, which would result in the reduction of greenhouse gases. ”  So solar panels will not only have a great effect on the money in your pocket, but also on the environment.

    According to HealthArticles.com, “One person or one family can save 20,000 tons of greenhouse gas from polluting the environment just by using solar energy to heat your hot water and heat your home.”

    As of today their aren’t very many places or people nationwide that are using solar energy. “As far as large scale photovoltaic projects in the United States, they would be located in areas that receive much more solar radiation than here in Springfield – mostly in the southwest part of the nation (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, southern Nevada)” , according to Cara Shaefer.

    In conclusion,you may not think it is a great idea for you to get solar panels but, you will not only be saveing yourself money in the long run, but you will also  a great effect on the envitonment.

    

 

How the New Health Care Will Affecting Us

Students going to class

The new healthcare bill will affect all Americans but it has the biggest affects on our students.
    “Health insurers worry that if they’re forced to cover all children regardless of health condition, higher rates will result, because only the families of sick kids would apply. That problem, they say, could be largely avoided if the requirement went into effect in 2014, when most Americans will have to have coverage under the law. AHIP says higher rates resulted when New York and a handful of other states enacted “guarantee-issue” laws requiring insurers to offer coverage to all applicants.” Phil Galewitz and Andrew Villegas wrote in an article for MSNBC.com, meaning those families wtih children may not get care for 4 more years.

     Young people in their early 20’s and 30’s who are starting their careers during the highest unemployment rate in 26 years may find it difficult to pay the higher costs. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour ABC’s “This Week”, “I do not believe the United States government has a right, or the authority or power, to force us to purchase health insurance any more than, in the name of homeland security, they could force every American to have to buy a gun.”  Student Corey Charle’ agrees, saying “I think the government has such a hard time performing its most simple duties that there’s no way that it can maintain a system as large as the new health care bill. And just because it’s a government program it’ll eventually get too big and implode. They should just leave it lie, because it’s not their responsibility to take on something like this. It’s not their job.”

    Other people aren’t sure how it will affect them. When asked how he thinks the bill will affect our country long term, American History teacher Scott McGee said, “It’s difficult to say long term. It could hurt depending on the cost added to our debt,but if it’s done right it could help. It’s up in the air.” But he’s not too concerned either saying,” No I’m not worried.As usual, people overreact to what the government does,positive or negative.”

    Many people believe that students don’t really know what’s going on. When asked if he thinks students are informed, Charle’ said “NO!! All I’ve ever heard about is how this is going to affect adults.” McGee says,”I don’t think people are well informed about what the government does,people know what’s going on because of the people around them.” 

    Most students don’t know that they’re college career will be affected too. “The student loan overhaul fulfills a long-time goal of Democratic lawmakers to end the bankers’ role as middlemen and replace them with direct federal loans and aid to students.The new law strips banks of their ability to issue federal student loans in favor of direct government lending.” MSNBC.com posted in an article. Charle’ shared his thoughts on how he thinks the student loan section of the bill will work. “I think if the government has it’s hands on it(student loans) then it’ll complicate things, and  it’ll be more trouble than it’s worth and won’t do what it’s supposed to.”

    People are both anxious and nervous about how the health care bill will affect them, and many are uncertain about the what’s to come. Hopefully, students will get informed and learn about their future.

Students are the people who will be affected by the bill.

Healthcare changing for children and teens

 

  The president is making many changes to how healthcare is going to work. A lot of these changes are going to affect teens and children all over the country in many ways.  

 

The new healthcare bill cannot deny children coverage based on pre- existing conditions. Even though that is good for them, Dr. Lewis Krenn of Willard thinks that young people will likely pay the most for healthcare. He says “Young people will likely bear the brunt of the costs for this new legislation through both higher taxes and higher insurance premiums. In order for an insurance company to maintain their profit levels they must have an equal number of young, healthy patients who don’t cost them a lot balanced with an equal number of older, more costly patients. Since the new legislation mandates coverage and sets the difference an insurance company can charge a less healthy patient vs. a healthy, patient, the younger, healthier patient will have to pay more to maintain that difference. In the past, the insurance company was allowed to charge an older, unhealthy patient more to offset their costs; this is not the case now.” Starting in 2014 insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone.

 

Some people approve of the healthcare reform and some do not approve. The consensus was about 57% of people were pleased by the bill, but 43% were not pleased.http://www.issaquahpress.com/2010/04/27/teen-talk-how-do-you-think-the-health-care-law-will-affect-you/ Dalton Alexander, a high school student, says that  “I do not approve of the new healthcare bill that Barrack Obama approved of. I think it’s inadequate. Honestly, I believe it will not affect us youngsters. I have not read the whole 685 page long healthcare bill. I think it is the worst idea ever… “ One of the new laws is that children can stay on their parents health insurance until they are 26 years old. Previously the age limit was 22-25 years old.

 

Some people are worried that the quality of healthcare will go down once the bill is in effect. Dr. Krenn said he thinks,  “at this point I don’t think we know how the quality of healthcare will be effected. So much of the healthcare bill is left to the Health and Human Services Secrectary http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.pdf  to define and none of that has been done yet. The politicians who passed this bill did not even know the full extent of how the bill would affect persons, so it’s hard to know what will happen once everyone understands the actual language of the bill. Medicare enrollees certainly stand to be harmed from this healthcare bill if some services they currently receive or our eligible for are cut in order to pay for the bill.” One thing that people know is that the government will still have to have the wellness program. Six months after the bill becomes a law qualified health plans will have to provide with no cost-sharing, immunizations and other preventive health services for infants, children, and adolescents.http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0322/Health-care-reform-bill-101-What-does-it-mean-for-kids-and-families  

By: Amanda Bradley and Taylor Dorman

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