Alternate sources of Energy

SOLAR POWER

Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is
the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available. Sunlight is harnessed through solar
panels, which convert the sun’s heat into usable energy. Solar technologies can harness this energy for a
variety of uses, including generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment,
and heating water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use.

Solar Technologies

There are three main ways to harness solar energy: photovoltaics, solar heating & cooling,
and concentrating solar power. Photovoltaics generate electricity directly from sunlight via an electronic
process and can be used to power anything from small electronics such as calculators and road signs up
to homes and large commercial businesses. Solar heating & cooling (SHC) and concentrating solar power
(CSP) applications both use the heat generated by the sun to provide space or water heating in the case
of SHC systems, or to run traditional electricity-generating turbines in the case of CSP power plants.
Photovoltaic (PV) Glass

Glass incorporates transparent semiconductor-based photovoltaic cells, which are also known as solar
cells. The cells are sandwiched between two sheets of glass. Photovoltaic glass is not perfectly
transparent but allows some of the available light through.

Solar Roof

Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels designed to look like and function as
conventional roofing materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate, while also producing electricity. Solar
shingles are a type of solar energy solution known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
WIND POWER

Wind power/energy is the ability to make electricity using the air flows that occur naturally in the
earth’s atmosphere. Wind turbines convert the energy in wind to electricity by rotating propeller-like
blades around a rotor. The rotor turns the drive shaft, which turns an electric generator. Three key
factors affect the amount of energy a turbine can harness from the wind: wind speed, air density, and
swept area.

When wind blows past a turbine, the blades capture the kinetic energy and rotate, turning it into
mechanical energy. This rotation turns an internal shaft connected to a gearbox, which increases the
speed of rotation by a factor of 100. That spins a generator to produce the electricity.

Windmills vs. Wind Turbines

The terms “wind mill” and “wind turbine” are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are significant
differences. Windmills generate mechanical energy, but they do not generate electricity. People started
using windmills centuries ago to grind grain, pump water, and do other work.

Today's wind turbine is a highly evolved machine with more than 8,000 parts. Modern wind turbines
harness wind's kinetic energy and convert it into electricity.
HYDROELECTRIC POWER

Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned into electricity. This is called hydroelectric
power or hydropower.

The most common type of hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir.
Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a
generator to produce electricity. But hydroelectric power doesn't necessarily require a large dam. Some
hydroelectric power plants just use a small canal to channel the river water through a turbine.
Another type of hydroelectric power plant - called a pumped storage plant - can even store power. The
power is sent from a power grid into the electric generators. The generators then spin the turbines
backward, which causes the turbines to pump water from a river or lower reservoir to an upper
reservoir, where the power is stored. To use the power, the water is released from the upper reservoir
back down into the river or lower reservoir. This spins the turbines forward, activating the generators to
produce electricity.

A small or micro-hydroelectric power system can produce enough electricity for a home, farm, or ranch.

TIDAL POWER

Tidal energy is one of the oldest forms of energy generation. It is a renewable form of energy that
converts the natural rise and fall of the tides into electricity. Tides are caused by the combined effects of
gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, the Sun, and the rotation of the Earth.

Tidal energy presents an evolving technology with tremendous potential. However, it can only be
installed along coastlines. Coastlines often experience two high tides and two low tides on a daily basis.
The difference in water levels must be at least 5 meters high to produce electricity.
WAVE POWER

Wave Energy also known as Ocean Wave Energy, is another type of ocean based renewable energy
source that uses the power of the waves to generate electricity. Unlike tidal energy which uses the ebb
and flow of the tides, wave energy uses the vertical movement of the surface water that produce tidal
waves. Wave power converts the periodic up-and-down movement of the oceans waves into electricity
by placing equipment on the surface of the oceans that captures the energy produced by the wave
movement and converts this mechanical energy into electrical power.
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

This thermal energy is contained in the rock and fluids beneath Earth’s crust. It can be found from
shallow ground to several miles below the surface.

To produce geothermal-generated electricity, wells, sometimes a mile (1.6 kilometers) deep or more,
are drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that drive turbines linked to
electricity generators. Cooler water seeps into Earth's crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface.
Once this heated water is forced to the surface, it is a relatively simple matter to capture that steam and
use it to drive electric generators. Geothermal power plants drill their own holes into the rock to more
effectively capture the steam.

BIOMASS ENERGY

Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy.

Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called
photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. Biomass
can be burned directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can be burned as fuels.
Solid biomass, such as wood and garbage, can be burned directly to produce heat. Biomass can also be
converted into a gas called biogas or into liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. These fuels can
then be burned for energy.

Biogas forms when paper, food scraps, and yard waste decompose in landfills, and it can be produced by
processing sewage and animal manure in special vessels called digesters.

ADVANTAGES OF USING RENEWABLE ENERGY:

1. Less maintenance than traditional generators

2. Low operational costs
3. Cost-efficient
4. Low environmental impact
5. Sustainable and stable energy supply in the long term
6. Low or zero carbon emission
7. Increased energy security
REFERENCES:

SOLAR:

https://www.seia.org/initiatives/about-solar-energy

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/photovoltaic-glass-PV-glass

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_shingle

WIND:

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/

Wind energy (n.d.). Retrieved from https://openei.org/wiki/Wind_energy

Hydropower Technology and Types of Hydroelectric Power Plants (n.d.) by Renewable Energy World.
Retrieved from https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/hydropower/tech.html

Tidal Power (n.d.) by Annick Kabeya, retrieved from: https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/tidal-

power

Wave Energy (n.d) retrieved from: http://www.alternative-energy-tutorials.com/wave-energy/wave-

energy.html

Geothermal Energy (n.d.) by National Geographic, retrieved from:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-energy/

Biomass—renewable energy from plants and animals (June 21, 2018) by US Energy Information
Administration. Retrieved from: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/?page=biomass_home