Rainwater Harvesting
It is now viable to harvest rainwater for your whole household. This includes rainwater harvesting, storing and pumping rainwater for bathing, showering, toilet flushing, pool, laundry and irrigation. Rainwater harvesting together with other Water Rhapsody products can save up to 90% of your water bill.
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Tag Archives: Yes Solar
What is Climate Change?
Outline of the potential problem of climate change and its cause as understood by the South African Weather Service The climate of the world varies from one decade to another, and a changing climate is natural and expected. However, there is a concern that the human industrial and development activities of the past two centuries have caused changes over and above natural variation… What is climate change? Climate change is the natural cycle through which the earth and its atmosphere are going to accommodate the change in the amount of energy received from the sun. The climate goes through warm and cold periods, taking hundreds of years to complete one cycle. Changes in temperature also influence the rainfall, but the biosphere is able to adapt to a changing climate if these changes take place over centuries. Unfortunately, human intervention is currently causing the climate to change too fast. (Climate models predict that the mean air temperature over South Africa will increase by an estimated 2°C over the next century.) Plants and animals may not be able to adapt as quickly to this rapid climate change as humans can, and therefore the whole ecosystem is in danger. What causes climate change? … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Dam Levels, Green, Grey Water Recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, Renewable Energy, safe water, Solar Energy, Water Conservation, Water Tanks
Tagged Climate Change, Dam Levels, Global Concern, Rainwater Harvesting, Saving water, Water Conservation, Water Rhapsody, Yes Solar
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Grahamstown: Limited Water
“Serious water shortage in Grahamstown causes some areas to have access to water only one hour per day. It is especially rural settlement Vukani that are being hit by this the worst. During a public meeting earlier this week held by The Movement for Unemployed People, it became clear that the only hour water would be available is during the middle of the night. Around 50 people, mostly woman, from the Vukani Location attended the meeting. Prof. Denis Hughes, the Director for Water Research at Rhodes University acted as chairperson for the meeting. Both the Makana Municipality’s municipal manager, Me. Ntombi Baart and Mr. Dabula Njilo, director of Technical and Infrastructural Services were expected to attend the meeting to explain to the public what the state of the situation is, but none showed up.” Die Burger, 26 Nov’10 – Anna-Karien Otto Let this not be said from your town one of these days. Try to start changing your lifestyle and think different about water and the usage thereof. Contact Water Rhapsody to give you a quote on greywater re-use, recycling your pool’s backwash water, saving the amount of toilet flushing-water, being prepared to harvest rainwater etc. Do what you can … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Green, Grey Water Recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, safe water, Solar Energy, Solar Geysers, Water Conservation, Water Tanks, Weather
Tagged drought disaster area, Grahamstown, Greywater re-use, Natural Resources, Rainwater Harvesting, Saving water, Solar geysers, Vukani Location, Water Conservation, Water Restrictions, water safe, Water Stress, Water tanks, Yes Solar
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Interesting Facts about Electricity
A spark of static electricity can measure up to three thousand (3,000) volts. A bolt of lightning can measure up to three million (3,000,000) volts – and it lasts less than one second! Electricity always tries to find the easiest path to the ground. Electricity can be made from wind, water, the sun and even animal manure. Burning coal is the most common way electricity is made in the United States. The first power plant – owned by Thomas Edison – opened in New York City in 1882. Thomas Edison invented more than 2,000 new products, including almost everything needed for us to use electricity in our homes: switches, fuses, sockets and meters. Benjamin Franklin didn’t discover electricity – but he did prove that lightning is a form of electrical energy. One power plant can produce enough electricity for 180,000 homes. Alternative Energy The bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation known. It uses five times less energy than walking. B.C.’s forest industry obtains 25% of its electricity from biomass — in this case, the waste material from their own industry. A system of distribution and transmission lines brings electricity to southern Manitoba through 70,000 km of lines. That’s … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Saving, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Geysers, Solar Power, Solar Water Heating, Water Conservation, Water Tanks
Tagged Alternative Energy, going green, Saving Electricity, Solar geysers, Solar panels, Solar power, Static Elecrisity Spark, Wind Tubine, Wind Tunnels, Yes Solar
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Fascinating Facts about Energy
Science Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converted from one form to another. Find an elastic band, and stretch it out. The stretched rubber band has potential energy. If you let it go, it moves and has kinetic energy. Have you ever wondered how you might get a hot air balloon to float up and down? How would you launch it? How would you get it back to earth? The balloon rises by warming up the air inside it. It descends by letting the air inside it cool down. It all works because of heat energy. Electricity travels at 300,000 km/sec. If you travelled that fast, you could travel around the world eight times in the time it takes to turn on a light switch. The energy produced by the atom-splitting of one kilogram of uranium is equivalent to the burning of 1.3 million kilograms of coal or 1.35 million litres of oil. People run on energy too, and food is our fuel. The unit we use to measure expended heat energy is the calorie. Calorie expenditures comparison: Lying at ease – 1.5 cal/min Tennis – 7 cal/min Playing drums – 4–6 cal/min Golfing – 6 … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Saving, Green, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar Water Heating, Water Tanks
Tagged Electricity, Energy, going green, Hot Air Balloon, Hydrogen Nuclei, Interesting Facts about Energy, Natural Resources, Saving Electricity, Saving water, Water tanks, Yes Solar
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Interesting Facts about Electricity
History The first windmills were developed in Persia in about 600 B.C. About 200 years ago, Alessandro Volta discovered that when two strips of different metals were put in a sulphuric acid solution and connected with a wire, electricity began to flow. Voila! The first electric battery was developed! Think of him the next time you pick up your battery-operated CD player or Game Boy. In 1879, just over 100 years ago, Thomas Edison invented the first light bulb. (Thomas Edison didn’t invent the first light bulb – but he did invent one that stayed lit for more than a few seconds. Think of the incredible changes it has brought to our current world! The first windmill to produce electricity was in Denmark in 1890. In the past, frightened sailors voyaging at night saw ghostly phantoms of bluish light dancing on the masts of ships. Called Saint Elmo’s fire, the light is actually a form of static electricity. In 1986, an accident at Chernobyl, USSR, sent radioactive material into the atmosphere and raised concerns about the production and storage of radioactive waste. What is a kilowatt hour? When we buy petrol, we’re charged per litre. When we buy electricity, we’re … Continue reading
Posted in Green, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Water Heating, Water Tanks
Tagged Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, Green Power, Interesting Facts about Electricity, Kilowatt Hour, Light bulbs, Natural Resources, Saving Electricity, Solar geysers, Solar power, Thomas Edison, Water Rhapsody, Yes Solar
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Metro faces severe restrictions – Car washes under the loop.
The necessity of saving water is still in our faces, just as we thought it might be the beginning of the end with the resent rains we had. But just the opposite is becoming a reality. At Water Rhapsody, we want to urge the public to start another thinking mode than what they were used to. Not just during or because of restrictions, but as a general way of thinking. Let us not be so narrow minded, that the availability of water are no concern to us at this stage of our lives, and we think we will be gone by the time it really becomes a problem. We have a system called the Poseidon Advantage, where the grey water from car washes are going through a cleaning process, and re-using the same used, but clean water to wash the cars again. Car washes are being targeted to invest in systems to conserve water, for their demand of washes might increase significantly during these droughts. Have a look at this article in the Port Elizabeth Express by Monique Vermeulen on the 3rd of Nov: Despite much need rain over the last three weeks, the region’s water crisis continue to worsen … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Saving, Green, Rainwater Harvesting, safe water, Water Conservation, Water Tanks
Tagged Car Wash, Car Washes, Dam Levels, Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, Eastern Cape, Natural Resources, Rainwater Harvesting, Saving water, Water Conservation, Water Restrictions, Water tanks, Yes Solar
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Water Tanks -6 Reasons Why You Should Have One
There was a time – not that long ago – when almost every house had its own water tank and harvesting rainwater was something that just happened during the course of life, not a big environmental event. But as more and more people moved into towns and cities, we started using fresh town water and the tanks began to disappear from view. But in this time of drought when green citizens are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, water tanks have once again become a household fixture – and for more than just environmental reasons. A water tank is good for the environment, yes, but is also good for your lifestyle and your hip pocket. Here are some good reasons to install a water tank at your home or business: 1. Save water Water shortages resulting from the drought have made it more important than ever to conserve the water we have. South Africa receives from the least rainfall of all inhabited continents and water is the most valuable resource we have – we need it to live! 2. Keep town drinking water for drinking Instead of wasting fresh drinkable water on the garden, to wash the car or flush … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Rainwater Harvesting, safe water, Water Conservation, Water Tanks, Weather
Tagged Dam Levels, drought disaster area, Eastern Cape, going green, Natural Resources, Rain fall, Rainwater Harvesting, safe water, Saving water, Water Conservation, Water tanks, Water tips, Yes Solar
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Water Rhapsody Ecopreneur talks to World Leaders
Werner Neuhoff, Ecopreneur from Water Rhapsody- South Africa, will be joining leaders from 70 nations in Montréal, Québec during 13-15 October for a World Leadership Conference that will draw women heads of state, corporations and enterprise, as well as members of the diplomatic community, women policy-makers, decision-takers and opinion-leaders on five continents. An anticipated 800 – 1,000 leaders for this global dialogue that will focus on Water, Wealth & Power for the Eco-Century. As we confront a growing scarcity of the world’s most indispensable resource, the International Women’s Forum (IWF) will convene in Canada (13-15 October 2010) to explore and better understand what’s at stake — drawing together from our global membership, leaders of influence from outside the traditional realm of the “water community”. Hearing from the world’s leading experts, advocates and catalysts for change who will address the World Conference, their global membership will be challenged to test the boundaries of possibility for a new era of improved access to and utilization of water resources. Werner Neuhoff, a South African born entrepreneur, would be presenting to this global audience on October 15, 2010 at 8:35 am in Montréal for the Plenary Program – Ecopreneurs: The Blue Gold Rush. The … Continue reading
South Africa Solar Challenge
The South African Solar Challenge 2010 is an ambitious, two-week race in solar-powered cars throughout South Africa from the 20th September to the 2nd October. Teams are to build their own cars, design their own engineering systems and race those same machines through the most demanding terrain that solar cars have ever seen. The South Africa Solar Challenge promotes renewable energy technologies (specifically photo voltaic or “solar cells”), educational excellence in science, engineering and mathematics and creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a wide-range of disciplines. The challenge is also a hands-on experience for students and engineers to develop and demonstrate their technical and creative abilities. Yes Solar were lucky to catch up with the Japanese team in Jeffrey’s Bay on the 29th of September. We were astonished by the speed of this little car and were told that it reached a top speed of 171km/h at one stage during the challenge. They however stay within the speed limit as this is one of the rules of the race. The race end in Pretoria at the Innovation HUB (Arriving from 10am to 5pm)
Posted in Solar Energy
Tagged Saving Electricity, Solar, Solar panels, Solar power, Yes Solar
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