Renewable Energy Sources Today: A Review
The emergence of modern-day developed economies depended heavily on the availability of cheap and abundant energy, but the planet's oil reserves, which supplies over 35% of the world's energy needs, are projected to be depleted within a hundred years (Balat 19). As this resource is depleted, demand will increase and drive prices to unheard of levels, thereby threatening the stability of economies in some of the most powerful nations the world. To avoid a catastrophic meltdown of what is now a global economic engine; governments worldwide have begun to invest in developing and promoting the use of renewable forms of energy. Although reducing fossil fuel use to lower green house gas emissions is a more laudable goal, it seems likely that economic incentives will be the primary driving force behind renewable energy development and implementation. This article reviews the various types of renewable energy in use today that will likely help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Solar Energy
Sources of solar energy can be divided into direct or indirect. Direct solar energy converts photons produced by the sun directly into either electricity or heat. The primary indirect forms of solar energy (energy carriers) are created by the power of the sun and include biomass, wind, ocean currents, and hydropower.
Direct Solar Energy
Passive Solar Heating
Passive solar heating captures the energy contained in direct sunlight to heat water, cook food, dry clothing or agricultural products, heat the interiors of buildings, provide air-conditioning, power desalination and water purification projects, and generate electricity. Given that building structures consume 35.3% of energy worldwide (Chan, Riffat, and Zhu 781), the development and use of passive solar technology will become critical to relieving our dependence on fossil fuels.
Photovoltaic Cells
Photovoltaic cells are able to directly convert solar photons into electricity, because the photons are have enough energy to free electrons on one side of a light-absorbing material, thereby creating...
Notwithstanding these disadvantages, some regions of the European Union, though, are particularly well suited to the installation of wind farms. For example, a 5-megawatt wind farm featuring 10 wind turbines with 500 kW capacity each, has already been constructed in Crete (Greece: Renewable Energy Fact Sheet, 2007, p. 3). Although this wind farm facility is generating electricity, it is also serving as an experimental operation that uses two kinds of
China' s Investment in Green Companies Introduction Climate change is one of the major issues facing the world today – arguably the most important one of them all. At issue is the reality that, of the present path of development during the entire industrialized era, much of it has come as the result of using machines to perform tasks that otherwise were performed by humans, animals, or not at all. This is
renewable energy development from the 1970s to present. Historical changes in energy misuses (i.e. pollution) and consumption (oil reserves) have resulted in increased concern regarding the search and use for alternate and/or renewable energy worldwide. The world faces a critical shortage of non-renewable energy sources in the next decades, and something must be done now to combat the rising disappearance of these energy sources that will eventually cripple transportation
Who is Leading the International Clean Energy Race? The race for clean energy is already underway, but some countries are in vanguard while others remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Unfortunately, even the winners of the clean energy race fail to realize the full range of benefits that can accrue to renewable energy sources as long as other countries continue to rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs. To determine
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Role of Renewable Energy in Mitigating Climate Change: This essay could explore how renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydroelectric power contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It could consider the relationship between renewable energy uptake and the goals of international agreements such as the Paris Agreement, and the potential for renewables to help stabilize global temperatures. 2. Economic Impacts of Renewable
Bibliography Ecological Preservation at the Hart of Dynamic Boca de Iguanas Development (2008) St. Michael Strategies (SMS) Press Release. PR.com online available at http://www.pr.com/press-release/35513 Jeffrey Chow, Raymond J. Kopp, Paul R. Portney. (2003). Energy resources and global development. Science, 302(5650), 1528-31. Retrieved September 5, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 490116241). Mattson, K.M., and Angermeier, P.L. (2007) Integrating Human Impacts and Ecological Integrity into a Risk-Based Protocol for Conservation Planning Journal of
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