Index

1) Sustainable energy ............................................................. 2

2) Energy Conservation: .......................................................... 3
3) Alternative Energy Sources:................................................ 4
4) Commonly known alternative energy sources are: ............ 5
5) BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................. 11
Sustainable energy

It can be defined as the provision of energy such that it meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.

Sustainable Energy has two key components:

1) Energy Conservation
2) Renewable Energy

Technology promotes sustainable energy including renewable energy sources,

such as , solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, wave
power, bio-energy, tidal power, liquid fuels, etc. Considerable progress is being
made in the energy transition from fossil fuels to ecologically sustainable systems

Costs have decreased immensely throughout the years, and continue to fall.
Increasingly, effective government policies support investor confidence and these
markets are expanding. Considerable progress is being made in the energy
transition from fossil fuels to ecologically sustainable systems, to the point where
many studies support 100% renewable energy.

In the 21stcentury, the clear goal for humanity needs to be that sustainable
energy is developed and utilized in order to provide the backbone of future global
energy supply.
Energy Conservation:

Energy conservation is an effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by

using less of energy. This can be achieved by reducing the amount of energy used.
Energy conservation reduces the need for energy services and can result in
increased environmental quality and higher savings. It also lowers energy costs by
preventing future resource depletion. Energy can be conserved by reducing
wastage and losses, improvement in efficiency by technological up gradation and
improved operation and maintenance.

Moving towards energy sustainability will require changes not only in the way
energy is supplied, but in the way it is used, and reducing the amount of energy
required to deliver various goods or services is essential. Opportunities for
improvement on the demand side of the energy equation are as rich and diverse
as those on the supply side, and often offer significant economic benefits

Renewable energy and energy efficiency are sometimes said to be the "twin
pillars" of sustainable energy policy. Both resources must be developed in order
to stabilize and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Efficiency slows down energy
demand growth so that rising clean energy supplies can make deep cuts in fossil
fuel use. If energy use grows too fast, renewable energy development will chase a
receding target. A recent historical analysis has demonstrated that the rate
of energy efficiency improvements has generally been outpaced by the rate of
growth in energy demand, which is due to continuing economic and population
growth. As a result, despite energy efficiency gains, total energy use and related
carbon emissions have continued to increase.

One of the technological advancement in Energy Conservation is distribution of

energy with reduction in transmission losses with Smart-grid technology.

Smart grid refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility
electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote
control and automation. These systems are made possible by two-way
communication technology and computer processing that has been used for
decades in other industries. They are beginning to be used on electricity
networks, from the power plants and wind farms all the way to the consumers of
electricity in homes and businesses. They offer many benefits to utilities and
consumersmostly seen in big improvements in energy efficiency on the
electricity grid and in the energy users homes and offices.

Alternative Energy Sources:

The first generation of energy source was thermal power and hydroelectric plants.
They have the advantages of being long-livedmany existing plants have
operated for more than 100 years. Also, hydroelectric plants are clean and have
few emissions. Criticisms directed at large-scale hydroelectric plants include:
dislocation of people living where the reservoirs are planned, and release
of significant amounts of carbon dioxide during construction and flooding of the
reservoir.
Renewable energy technologies are essential contributors to sustainable energy
as they generally contribute to world energy security, reducing dependence
on fossil fuel resources, and providing opportunities for mitigating greenhouse
gases. The International Energy Agency states that:
Conceptually, one can define three generations of renewables technologies,
reaching back more than 100 years

First-generation technologies emerged from the industrial revolution at the

end of the 19th century and include hydropower, biomass combustion
and geothermal power and heat. Some of these technologies are still in
widespread use.
Second-generation technologies include solar heating and cooling, wind
power, modern forms of bioenergy and solar photovoltaics. These are now
 entering markets as a result of research, development and demonstration
(RD&D) investments since the 1980s. The initial investment was prompted
by energy security concerns linked to the oil crises of the 1970s but the
continuing appeal of these renewables is due, at least in part, to
environmental benefits. Many of the technologies reflect significant
advancements in materials.
Third-generation technologies are still under development and include
advanced biomass gasification, bio-refinery technologies, concentrating solar
thermal power, hot dry rock geothermal energy and ocean energy. Advances
in nanotechnology may also play a major role.

Human civilization has started realizing how much harm they have already caused
to the environment and when it comes to take a stand against these
environmental problems, the focus shifts to the use of Alternative Energy
Sources. Alternative sources of energy are the ones which do not cause any
undesirable consequences to the environment, are renewable and are available at
a comparatively lower cost.

Commonly known alternative energy sources are:

Solar Energy.
Wind Energy.
Hydroelectric Energy.
Geothermal Energy.
Biomass Energy.
Why use Alternative Sustainable Energy Sources? :

Power generation through alternative sources of energy is clean and green.

Alternative energy sources comes from natural sources such as sunlight, wind,
rain, tides, plants, geothermal heat and are available free of cost.
These energy resources are renewable.
The carbon dioxide emission will be greatly reduced, and it will not hae any
adverse effect on environment i.e. we can slow down the effect / problem of
global warming.
Air pollution, soil pollution and water pollution can also be controlled
reasonably.

Solar energy:

This is the energy which the earth receives from the Sun. This is one of the most
promising alternative energy sources, which will be available to the mankind for
centuries to come. The only challenge remains to tap the solar energy in the most
efficient way. The solar power generation is done by using a series of photovoltaic
cells where the solar rays are converted into electricity. Apart from electricity
production solar energy is also being used for heating water, cooking food etc.

Advantages of solar energy:

The source of energy is absolutely free.

Solar power generators can be used to generate power in rural and remote
areas where there is no reach of the conventional form of energy.
Solar power which is generated in the day time can be stored to be made
available in the night time as well.
Solar energy is a renewable form of energy which will not deplete until
thousands of years.
 Solar power generation is quite and absolutely clean.
Wind power:
Wind power is the use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically
power generators for electric power. The power of the wind is harnessed to
propel the blades of wind turbine attached to an electric generator to generate
wind energy. Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines which are
connected to the electric power transmission network. Wind energy is an
effective alternative source of energy in areas where the velocity of wind flow is
high.

Wind power gives variable power which is very consistent from year to year but
has significant variation over shorter time scales. It is thus used in conjunction
with other electric power sources to give a reliable supply.

Advantages of wind energy:

The source of power generation i.e., wind is free of cost. Wind energy is a
renewable source of energy.
Wind energy is a clean form of energy, consumes no water, and uses little
land.

Hydroelectricity:

Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from water - hydropower. In 2016

hydropower generated more than 18.0% of the world's total electricity and was
expected to increase about 3.0% each year for the next 25 years. It is a renewable
source of energy. Hydropower is produced in 150 countries. China is the largest
hydroelectricity producer.
Advantages of hydroelectricity:

The hydro station consumes no water, unlike coal or gas plants.

The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of
renewable electricity.
Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct
waste.
With a dam and reservoir it is also a flexible source of electricity since the
amount produced by the station can be changed up or down very quickly to
adapt to changing energy demands.

Geothermal power:

Geothermal power is power generated by geothermal energy. This is the energy

tapped from the heat inside the earth. Hot rocks residing in the core of earth heat
water which emits the surface of the earth with pressure and as steam. This
pressurized steam can be used to run steam turbines to generate electricity.

Geothermal electricity generation is currently used in 24 countries. Geologists

have estimated that heat continually flow from Earths interior into space.
Geothermal power is considered to be a sustainable, renewable source of energy
because the heat extraction is small compared with the Earth's heat content.
The greenhouse gas emissions of geothermal electric stations are less than 5
percent of that of conventional coal-fired plants.
Advantages of geothermal energy:

With a technological advancement & proper power generation system in

place, no harmful by-products are produced.
Similar to other alternative energy sources, geothermal energy source is free
of cost.

Biomass:

Biomass is an industry term for getting energy by burning wood, and

other organic matter. This is the energy developed from the wastes of various
human and animal activities like the by-products and wastes from timber
industry, agricultural yields, municipal solid waste etc. Out of the many
alternative sources of energy this is the one which takes into account the
utilization of waste material to develop energy thereby disposing them off in a
profitable and effective way.

It has become popular among coal power stations, which switch from coal to
biomass in order to convert to renewable energy generation without wasting
existing generating plant and infrastructure.

Advantages of biomass energy:

The biomass will keep generating & decomposing as part of the natural
biological cycle. Therefore, biomass energy is considered as a renewable
source of energy.
It is an environmental friendly way of energy production in which biological
mass is recycled and re-used.
Liquid Biofuels:

A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes,

such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion. Biofuels like ethanol, butanol and
biodiesel are made from agricultural crops.
Biofuels can be derived directly from plants, or indirectly from agricultural,
commercial, domestic, and industrial wastes. This biomass when converted can
result in fuel in solid, liquid, or gas form. This new biomass can also be used
directly for biofuels.
Methanol is an alternative fuel and may be made from hydrocarbon or renewable
resources, in particular natural gas and biomass respectively. It can also be
synthesized from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Bio-Ethanol is an alcohol made by fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates

produced in sugar or starch crops such as corn or sugarcane. Ethanol can be used
as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a gasoline.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) (methane stored at high pressure) is a fuel which
can be used in place of gasoline (petrol). CNG may be found above oil deposits, or
may be collected from landfills or wastewater treatment plants where it is known
as biogas.
Hydrogen: Thermo-conversion of biomass is one of the leading near-term options
for renewable production of hydrogen and has the potential to provide a
significant fraction of transportation fuel required in the future.
A process of this nature has the potential to be cost competitive with
conventional means of producing hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel is a zero-
emission fuel when burned with oxygen.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

References: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Justin Clovacco, Young Discoverer Series Vol. III an initiative by Discovery

Channel Science Collections, Discovery Communications Inc., 2009.

Russell Ash, Every Subject on Earth Vol. I, - Whitakers World of Facts, Penguin
Books, 2007.