Forms of Renewable Energy

Forms of Renewable Energy

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Abstract

Energy is a critical component in human existence. People derive energy from varied sources through burning of fossil fuels-coal as well as use of utilization of radioactive elements. The former is widely employed in a number of nations globally and is almost the dominant form of energy. It is easily accessible with no complex use of technologies in harnessing. However, it is a high degree of pollution. It releases a high percentage of unwanted gases to the atmosphere hence contributing to global warming. Furthermore, there is only a small percentage of useful energy extracted from them. It is established that not more than fifty percent of energy get utilized properly. The later despite its high efficiency, it is prone to leakage of radioactive substance to the atmosphere. As a result, greener forms of energy prove to be the only answer to the problems encountered. The paper looks at the five forms of energy that when employed will provide plenty of energy with no harm to the environment.

1.0 Solar

Sun is in plenty and the planet gets enough exposure except in the northern and southern regions where sun exposure is only in hours or not at all. Scientists describe the sun as a star that react through fusion and has been burning for many years. Additionally, a day exposure of this form of energy is enough to supply the present population for a period of twenty seven years. The radiation heating the planet in three days can be equated to the fossil fuels present in the planet. It implies that the sun has enough and adequate energy (Cothran, & Helen, 2002).

The procedure of harnessing the sun is a new idea not fully exploited. Clarence Kemp acquired a US patent for novel invention in 1891 for creation of the thermal solar collector. Its utilization was in the cooking food as well as heating water. In 1839, the use of photo voltaic effect got unveiled by Edmund Becquerrel. Since then, many improvements on the technology went on growing.The evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar thermal electricity, solar architecture, solar photovoltaic, and artificial photosynthesis gets employed in harnessing this form of energy. They get categorized as passive as well as active technologies. Active form of harnessing is widely employed where solar panels get utilized so as to harness thermal power and convert it to the need form for use (Glassley, & William, 2010).

The International Energy Agency in 2011 asserted that the growth of inexpensive, vast and spotless solar-energy technologies is going to have big longer-term advantages. It is going to augment nations’ energy safety via dependence on a native, in-exhaustible and typically import-independent resource, increase sustainability, lessen pollution, decrease the price of mitigating climate change, and hold fossil fuel charges down. These benefits are comprehensive and encompass clean pollution free, high efficiency, reliable, and abundant. Therefore the extra costs of the encouragements for placement have to be taken into account and advocacy on the adoption of this type of energy is mandatory as it is in plenty especially in arid and semi-arid areas where it does not allow any viable activity undertaken (Cothran, & Helen, 2002).

2.0 Wind energy

Wind is a wave that carries with it enormous amount of energy and its discovery started long time with the use of wind mills to drive windmills. A windmill derives energy from wind and gets employed for pumping water, grinding serials etc. Wind in major places comes as a catastrophe causing havoc to the environment. Tapping it can be an alternative way of harnessing its potential. The technology employed heavy plates but technology revolutionized everything until now when lighter plates are possible. Beside the uses stated above, electricity is as well generated from wind turbines. It is possible through letting the plates rotate a turbine that in return generate electricity. The turbines act like propellers that propel a shaft of a turbine which in turn generate electricity (Fthenakis, & Kim, 2009).

Currently, there are numerous turbine globally with a capacity estimated as 282,482 MW of electricity as at the end of the year 2012. The figure quadrupled since 2000 and 2006 implying that it adoption is spreading and people are embracing wind as alternate source of energy. By 2013, the nameplate capacity was 318 GW in approximation. Decentralization of electricity is the major concern for every nation. Due to its fastest growing familiarity of the use of wind as an alternative source of energy, the dramatic step calls for major developments. Europe and North America are some of the countries setting the pace for wind energy adoption. There has been increase in capacity and the estimation is 1000 MW in a global scale. According to the America Energy association, it amount to sixteen billion kilowatt hours of electricity. It is the energy that can supply five cities like Miami. In the US, wind energy supply roughly 20% of electricity to the main grid in the national level (Glassley, & William, 2010).

The reduction on the reliance of oil is essential the health of all human beings as well as the ecosystem. Wind energy is a viable option that can ameliorate the predicament. Studies indicate that the three billion in kilowatts produced in America yearly is enough to displace approximately 6.4 million of oils in terms of barrels. It eliminates an estimated amount of 1.67 tons of the carbon emission comprising of nitrogen oxide as well as sulfur known for causing acid rain and smog. Therefore, as a large number of people adopt wind energy, carbon emission gets drastically reduced. The figures is a sure way that global warming can get eradicated completely if people go for alternative sources of energy making the planet a good place for the present as well as future generation (Fthenakis, & Kim, 2009).

3.0 Hydropower

Water that is not stationary presents a strong entity responsible for creating electricity for cities as well as big cities. The early invention began in Greece where water wheel s gets employed as a way of rotating a wheel. The mechanism converted the kinetic energy into potential energy. The resultant energy gets utilized in grinding serials as well as pumping water. It later went as far as utilizing in power machines for cutting timber in factories. In 1879, the first water powered electric plant was in Niagara-falls. Water falling down from a fall gets directed to turn a turbine linking a generator. Water can get tapped in waterfalls or in man-made waterfalls-dams. When water gets collected in a reservoir it has the potential of producing huge amount of electricity. The principal behind the working is that a generator has permanent magnets. When a rotating magnetic field is under a stationary core, electricity gets induced. It is the induced electro-motive force that electricity gets generated. Once realized, it passes through transmission lines to the customer. Stepping up and stepping down is a way of making generated electricity reach to the end user sufficiently (Smith et al, 2008). 

Hydropower is cheap, clean, reliable, and convenient. It is cheap in the sense that it does not involve a lot of complex methods in generation hence the cost present to the client per consumed power is affordable. In terms of cleanliness, it does not produce any carbon to the environment, and as long as water is enough, it always available. The convenience comes with regulation of generation. The amount of power gets generated depending on the number of customers subscribed on the line. As a result of the benefits accrued, the form of energy occupies approximately 97% of all the alternative renewable sources of energy. It implies that its adoption and utilization is widespread turning out to be a leading renewable source of energy. The utilization of this form of energy eliminates the burning of approximately 120 million of coal as well as 22 billion of oil. Conversely, the major drawback is that the construction of a dam calls for a high place. Topography is a challenge. Also, it requires displacement of the population so as to have enough ground for dam construction. In case of flooding, people living around the dam have to relocate to safe sites. Despite the challenges experienced, hydropower is still the most favored form of greener energy globally (Ravindranath, & Hall, 1995). 

4.0 Biomass

Biomass in biological terms refers to organic material containing stored energy via photosynthesis process. The forms that exist are in pants and can undergo various chains in the bodies of animals together with their wastes. It can undergo conversion for use in daily processes as combustion liberating carbon dioxide in living matter. The biomass fuels utilized presently are in form of dried vegetation, wood, aquatic plants, and even crop remains. Over the last decade the use of biomass has come to be the dominant form of energy employed in many homes. The form of energy is in plenty and a number of people are ignorant of its presents not realizing its affordability, cleanliness, efficiency, and cheap in terms of cost of setting up as well as operation. The compounds of photosynthesis in plants are in mass amounts. People dispose the residues of plants and animals with on knowledge that its transformation can generate vast amount of clean energy (Smith et al, 2008). 

Even though the definition of sustainable generation of electricity proves to be a difficult task, biomass definition can broadly span through to forest timber, solid waste from municipal, and landfill among many. For it to be green environmental form of energy, biomass must get burned without emission of pollution gases. There is need for caution in the process of burning methane gas produced by landfills. It is due to the fact that methane if not harnessed well is not environmentally friendly gas (Fthenakis, & Kim, 2009).

The use of biomass causes drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels by a greater percentage. Despite the disruptive nature of vegetation in quest for biomass, caution has to be put into consideration not to destroy nature for biomass. Residues must only come from wasted by-products. There is need to apply technological means so as to harness this form of energy. The new methods are going to permit energy tapping that is not polluting the environment, efficient, and very economical in the current financial turmoil (Kreis, & Steven, 2001). 

5.0 Geothermal

Geologist assert that the internal core of the earth contain immense heat. When the earth encounters some tectonic movement, the intense heat will find escape roots and come out as jets of steam. It is the steam that can get exploited as a form of energy. Along the rift valley and areas where Fold Mountains occurred experiences steam release inform of jets such as the lake Bogoria, and Olkaria in Kenya. The Kenyan government is now investing heavily (Ravindranath, & Hall, 1995). 

The occurrence of geothermal can be in two forms. First is that the intense heat as a result of molten magma near the surface can heat water in that level forcing jets of steam to be produced such as geysers. Secondly is that there can be a natural occurrence of water that can be easily tapped for generation of energy. Once the steam is tapped, it gets channel to run turbines that in turn move turbines just as in hydropower (Fthenakis, & Kim, 2009).

The geothermal power is very clean, cheap, efficient, and reliable. However, it is prone to decline. For instance, the geothermal facility at North California that was the first to geothermal plant established in 1905s, but it decline in 1980. It is proves that there is a time when the heating of the magma will reduce. Therefore the form of energy cannot be sustainable in the long run. It depends on the geographical location and the processes taking place in the earth’s crust. Irrespective of the disadvantage, it is still a viable source of energy needing a lot of exploitation (Cothran, & Helen, 2002).

Conclusion

The global warming attributed to the release of carbon constituents to the ozone layer can get eliminated and the earth rescued from the predicament. One of the promising methods is to adopt alternative renewable sources of energy that are sustainable in the long term. The five forms of renewable sources of power enumerated are the options that nations of the world must advocate for through policy aligning and support. Hydropower and solar energy are the most viable forms of energy with a lot of benefits with fewer disadvantages followed by wind energy, geothermal and lastly biomass form of energy. The ranking depend on the most adopted with minimal challenges.

References

Cothran, Helen (2002), Energy Alternatives, Greenhaven Press

Fthenakis, V.; Kim, H. C. (2009). “Land use and electricity generation: A life-cycle

analysis”. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13 (6–7): 1465.

Glassley, William E. (2010). Geothermal Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment, CRC

Press

Smith, Zachary Alden; Taylor, Katrina D. (2008). Renewable And Alternative Energy Resources:

A Reference Handbook

Ravindranath, N. H., & Hall, D. O. (1995). Biomass, energy and environment: a developing

country perspective from India. Oxford University Press.

Kreis, Steven (2001). “The Origins of the Industrial Revolution in England”. The history guide.

Retrieved 19 June 2010