Clean Energy for Green Earth – Power Generation & Energy Sources » Greenhouse Effect

Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:19:42 +0000

There are many sources today that are extremely limited in supply. Some of these sources include oil, natural gas and coal. It is a matter of time before they will be exhausted.

Estimates are that they can only satisfy our energy demands for another 50-70 years. So in an attempt to find alternative forms of energy, the world has turned to renewable energy as the solution. There are many pros and cons to this.

Renewable energy sources consist of solar, water, wind, geothermal, ocean and biomass. The most common advantage of each is that they are renewable and can not be exhausted. They are a clean energy because they do not pollute the air, and they do not contribute to global warming or greenhouse effect. Since their sources are natural operating costs are reduced and they also require less maintenance on their facilities. A common drawback of them all is that it is difficult to produce large quantities of electricity their counterpart the fossil fuels are capable of. Since they are also new technologies, the cost of initiating them is high.

Solar energy makes use of solar energy. It is an advantage because the systems can fit into existing buildings, and it does not affect land use. But since the area of the collectors is large, is more necessary materials. Sun radiation is also controlled by geography. And it is limited to daytime and non-overcast days.

Wind power uses wind to produce electricity. Although it is the greatest job producer, it is dependent on strong winds. Wind turbines are large, and although you can use the area under them for farming, many consider them unattractive looking. They are also very noisy to operate. Also threaten the wild bird population.

Hydro electric energy uses water to generate electricity. This is the most reliable of all renewable energy sources. On the negative side affects ecology and causes downstream problems. Decay of vegetation along the riverbed can cause the accumulation of methane. Methane is a contributing gas to greenhouse effect. Dams can also alter the natural river flow and affect wildlife. Colder, oxygen poor water can be released into the river, killing fish. And release of water from the dam can cause flooding.

Geothermal energy uses steam from the earth’s land to generate power. It uses less land than other plants. They can run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The disadvantages are that it is very site specific and, together with heat from the earth, it can also bring up toxic chemicals when obtaining steam. Drilling geothermal reservoirs and finding them can be an expensive task.

Biomass electricity is produced using energy from wood, agricultural and municipal wastes. It helps save on landfill waste but transportation can be expensive and ecological diversity of land may be affected. Moreover, the process must be simplified.

Ocean energy is a clean and abundant energy form. It does however have high costs. Ocean thermal energy also requires close to one forty degree Fahrenheit difference in water temperature year round. In addition, construction and pipe damage the ecosystem.

There are many advantages to the use of renewable energy sources. There are also some disadvantages. The fact is energy demands will continue to rise. Through research and development and new technologies, hopes many of the disadvantages of renewable energy can be eliminated and we can successfully incorporate it into our power supplies.

More Renewable Energy Benefits Articles on http://www. RenewableEnergy-day. com. Learn to operate a successful Niche Website Network with eWebCreator, profitable Adsense Software

Renewable Energy – Sources That Never Get Exhausted

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:17:22 +0000

fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal used worldwide as primary sources. Because they are used up much faster than they can be renewed, they are known as non-renewable sources.

Non Renewable energy sources account for about 90% of the energy used today. These sources are being depleted. Since they are known to have an impact on air quality, causing human and environmental health problems, greater emphasis is placed on renewable energy as a new challenge for energy. Renewable energy sources consist of solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal and ocean. These energy sources will never be exhausted, and is environmentally friendly because they do not contribute to the greenhouse effect or global warming.

Solar energy is the most available renewable energy source. We have used solar energy for billions of years. Prehistoric men enlarged his powers to start fires. Today, solar panels absorb energy from the sun to generate heat for cooking and heating, as well as electrical needs. This heat absorption is saved for later use, and is an indirect conversion of energy. Currently, utilities are trying to use photovoltaic technology to convert solar energy directly into electricity.

Hydro Energy draws on the energy produced by flowing water. Waves are a result of the wind interacting with the surface of the sea. This interaction allows a transfer of energy that can be extracted to generate electricity using wind turbine generators. Although hydropower is non-polluting, it can do harm to the environment. Hydro electric power plants can alter the flow of the sea and thus harm plants and animals.

Wind energy, or kinetic energy derived from movement of air. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain and irrigation. Today, wind turbines convert energy from wind into mechanical energy or to charge the batteries. The wind machines, or wind turbines collect the kinetic energy by catching the wind in the leaves. The blades then turn an electric generator to produce energy. Unfortunately, wind energy collection is available on windless days. Although it is a clean form of energy, it has had a negative effect on wild bird populations and some believe giant wind machines are not attractive looking.

Biomass energy comes from wood, waste, food crops, manure, grass and plants, agricultural and forestry wastes and residues. Basic comes from waste. This renewable energy is not new. It was used over 100 years ago in the form of stoves, which supplied 90% of energy needs at the time. When biomass is burned, it produces heat or electricity. It can also be converted to methane gas, which is the main ingredient in natural gas. It represents 3% of the energy in the U.S.. Although biomass can pollute the air and releases a greenhouse gas, it is not as polluting as fossil fuels.

Geothermal energy is basically the Earth’s heat. It comes from hot dry rocks, magma, hot water springs and hot geysers. These are inside the Earth’s subsurface. Some are found deep within the Earth’s surface, and others are closer to the surface. Today this type of energy used to heat water in swimming pools and spas, and to heat buildings like greenhouses. It can also be used to produce electricity using a geothermal power plant. In these plants the hot water travels through turbines connected to a generator.

Ocean Energy is produced from ocean waves or temperature differences in water. Wave energy is the kinetic energy from moving water. Tidal energy involves trapping tidal waves in reservoirs behind dams. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion uses differences in water temperatures from surface to deeper depths of water as an energy source. For this to work there must be a temperature difference of 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

As you can see, there are various renewable energy sources available to us as an alternative to fossil fuels. There are many benefits for them among the most popular is that they will not deplete the supply, which means that they will be around forever. Renewable energy is not new. They have been used in one way or another for many years. Unfortunately, low fossil fuel prices stunted renewable energy’s popularity and growth in the U.S.. But a growing awareness of human and environmental concerns, and that a need to find non-exhaustible energy, will keep it as a cornerstone for the future.