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Renewable Energy: Brief General Introduction

Renewable energy comes under different headings and can cover a wide area of
various types of natural energy sources, examples: biomass, geothermal,
hydropower (waves, underwater current, and flowing water from higher ground),
solar (sunlight & sun heat) and wind.

By utilising a range of technologies, renewable energy is produced from renewable


sources mainly for the purpose of replacing the present limited resources
associated with fossil fuels, as well as in finding economical, sustainable sources
of energy. However, there is an urgent reason to search for an alternative source
of energy, besides this. This urgency is connected to the issue of ‘global
warming’, and the protection of the environment. By using certain types of
renewable sources of energy, it is possible to balance the emission of known
gaseous associated with fossil fuels, such as CO2, which, among other gases,
reportedly is one of the main causes of global warming.

Some of the costs associated with renewable energy are in decline and may
continue to decline in the foreseeable future (NREL, 2002).

In regard to the current prospect of ‘renewable energy’, presently there is fast


growth and development taking place in this field. This is mainly due to the
recently increased level of investments in a number of countries across the world,
i.e. around $71 billion has been invested worldwide during the year 2007, in
comparison to $55 billion in 2006 and $40 billion in 2005 (REN21, 2009).

BIOMASS
Various types of biomass materials such as agricultural crops, wood, animal
waste, different species of grasses and fast growing bushes, can be used in one
way or another, to produce heat and electricity, as well as fuel for transportation.
In comparison with fossil fuel usage, the biomass industry is still small. Recently,
however, the development in this field has been reported to be growing fast
(REN21, 2009).

One of the reasons attributed to this kind of growth is related to the price increase
of limited energy sources, such as crude oil.

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The forest products industry is one of the biggest users of biomass, using it to
generate heat and electricity. Cost for biomass is steadily decreasing in the shape
of a downward straight line.

Biomass materials are part of the bio-cycle of the environment, i.e. natural raw
materials, and therefore not as toxic as, for example, crude oil. This means it can
break down relatively quickly into its natural elements.

Some of the biomass materials are widely available, and, on occasions, can be free
or at a very low cost to purchase. In comparison to the other sources of
renewable energy, biomass can decrease the CO2 in the atmosphere, if energy
crops are used in rotational cycle, i.e. the amount (number) of crops burnt equal
the same number of individual crops being planted, at the same time.

However, biomass fuels are still relatively expensive to produce on a large


commercial scale (U.S. Department of Energy, 2009).

One aspect of using biomass as a source of energy is that to produce biomass


materials (e.g. energy crops) there is a need for land and regular supply of water.

In the process of obtaining energy from biomass, various by-products will be


produced, which may harm the environment if not dealt with, accordingly.

GEOTHERMAL
High temperature emitted from the earth’s core heats the water deep inside the
ground. This kind of hot water can be used to heat (or cool) homes and
commercial buildings as well as to generate electricity. This type of natural
energy is usually referred to as the ‘geothermal energy system’.

A number of variations of geothermal energy use can be found across the world.
For example, ocean thermal energy is currently being researched and used in
some countries.

Three main classes of geothermal energy sources (Ostridge, 1998) are as


follows:

1. Direct usage. Water heated by magma beneath the ground

2. Steam that comes from superheated water (when there is pressure, this can be
used to turn a turbine)

3. Dry steam. An external water source is pumped to fracture very hot rock and
the steam resulting from this process will be used to turn turbines

A positive aspect of geothermal is that it has a very high efficiency, while on the
negative side; it may not be considered as being a renewable energy source, since
more energy is taken out than nature can put in.

Heating in this method can be more costly than conventional systems. Another
negative aspect remain in that geothermal is a local resource only. As the
technology improves, the cost gradually decreases. This predicted reduction
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should be more obvious by the year 2020.
HYDROPOWER
Water movement in general can be utilised to produce what has been termed as
‘hydropower’. This may range from ocean waves to falling water and underwater
currents. The hydropower system is used to produce electricity by spinning the
turbine generator or simply for mechanical purposes.

Currently, hydropower is the most common way to generate electricity worldwide,


in the form of renewable energy. Manmade hydropower can help in flood control
as well as in irrigation. Depending on the type of the hydro project and the state
of the land before the project, the lake produced can be a positive aspect of an
aquatic ecosystem.

The structures of a hydropower plant, such as canals, tunnels, dams, reservoirs,


access roads, and so on, are useful in relation to the area’s development. On the
other hand, negative aspects can be: siltation, soil erosion, soil and water salinity,
obstruction of the free passage between oceans and rivers, weed growth, floods
due to dam failures, as well as possible disease spread by organisms that live in
stagnant water, and the possibility of damage to natural resources, such as fish.

In many parts of the world, development within this sector of hydropower is still
expanding, mostly for generating electricity.

However, in some Western countries, such as USA, the hydropower has peaked
within the last two decades of the last century (ESA21).

SOLAR
Using sunlight and/or sun heat to generate energy in the form of electricity (or for
heating systems) is one of the growing ways in which solar energy is used and
applied. From the small calculator to the satellites orbiting the earth, solar cells
can provide the energy in different ways and in different processes.

The sunlight or heat can be used directly or indirectly, as in the following


examples:

Solar Cells

Solar Cells are usually referred to under the name photovoltaic or photoelectric
cells. These cells convert sunlight directly into electricity.

On a good sunny day, sunlight on one square meter of solar panel can produce
enough power to run a 100W light bulb (MNRE, 2008).

Solar Water Heating

In some domestic settings, by pumping water through a pipe painted black the
heat from the sun is used to heat water in glass panels placed on the house
roof. This heating system is mostly suitable in places where heat emanating from
regular sunshine takes place. 3
Solar Furnaces

By collecting sun rays (e.g. by the use of mirrors) and concentrating them in a
small space, a high temperature can be achieved in a specially designed furnace.
Using this design, it was reported that a temperature of 3,000o C was reached at
one of Odellio’s laboratories in France.

The above are very brief examples of how sunlight and sun heat are currently
being used as another type of renewable source of energy.

The positive aspect in using sunlight and sun heat is that there is no waste or
pollution. It can be used in sunny countries to get electricity in remote places
when connection from the main electricity grid is not possible. Also, it can be used
for small domestic appliance (e.g. heating water) as well as for charging
batteries.

However, it is costly to convert the solar energy to electricity for large power
stations. Also, it can be unreliable in an area where there is no regular sunlight.

WIND
By using the energy from moving air, large blades on windmills rotate to turn the
turbines in order to generate electrical, thermal or mechanical energy. Energy
(such as the production of electricity) from windmills requires large open spaces
with high occurrence of wind throughout the year, in order to make it
commercially viable.

The positive aspect of wind energy is that the source of energy is free. It
generates no air or water pollution (apart during the hardware manufacturing
process when fossil fuels used for this purpose).

The cost of electricity from windmills is declining. However, noise, shades, and
light fluctuation, if windmills constructed close to residential areas, can be
negative aspects. Also, the limited availability of space with regular wind pattern
can be a problem in some parts of the world, plus, the possibility that windmills
may harm wildlife, such as birds, is also a concern.

Najib Altawell

References
ESA21 (Environmental science activities for the 21st Century) (2009) Renewable energy: Hydropower.

MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) (2008) Solar photovoltaic programme. Government of India

NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) (2002) Renewable Energy Cost Trends.NREL energy analysis office

Ostridge R., Written for Physics 261 University of Prince Edward Island, 1998 REN21 (2008) Renewables 2007:
global status report. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century.
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U.S. Department of Energy (2009) Biomass program: information resources: ABC’s of biofuels.
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