Alternative Energy and Alternative Energy Sources
03/12/2011 21:57
The term different Energy is mostly used to point non-traditional energy systems that
do not use fossil fuels and have low environmental impact. There are several non-fossil fuel primarily based energy systems either already in use or being evolved and developed to counter the harmful effects of skyrocketing use of fossil fuels.
We shall briefly check up on the main different energy systems.
Solar energy
Wind energy
Tidal (Wave) Power
Biomass
Geothermal
Nuclear
Solar Power as different Energy supply
Solar radiations cowl a awfully wide spectrum of frequencies - from infrared through the visible to ultraviolet frequencies. The visible radiations provide us lightweight and therefore the infrared radiations provide us heat.
From times of yore individuals are using the solar radiation for heating - heating water and warming homes in winter. In recent years several developments have taken place; currently except for domestic hot water offer or house heating of huge buildings, solar energy is getting used to produce hot water and steam for industrial processes and even to supplement power generation in massive thermal power stations.
Photovoltaic generation of electricity as another energy supply could be a fashionable development. A photovoltaic (PV) cell is created of Silicon metal; it exhibits robust photovoltaic properties changing visible solar radiation into electricity.
Individual solar cells are little and provides solely alittle quantity of power. currently PV cells are assembled in several configurations as arrays and panels; these solar arrays and panels is used for generating sufficient electricity for sensible applications. Arrays or panels of solar cells are getting used in remote and inaccessible communities to get clean power; they're getting used to run cars, to produce power on satellites and house stations and even to supplement power generation in massive power stations of many MW.
Since the year 2000 solar electrical production has grown at a mean rate of four-hundredth per year and by 2007, the put in capability is concerning ten.6 GW.
Wind Power as different Energy supply
Wind energy for pumping water and grinding grains has been used since the medieval times. Wind energy is currently mainly used for generation of electricity; wind mills drive turbines for generation of electricity that is connected into the grid of the native utility. owing to variability of wind speeds from time to time, usually wind energy provides solely alittle proportion of the entire utility load.
By the tip of the last year, the entire wind-powered generator-capacity worldwide was ninety four.1 GW contributing one|just one|only one} of world-wide electricity use. Wind power generation has increased by over five hundredth since 2000 and is predicted to spiral upward.
Tidal Power as different Energy supply
Tidal power utilizes the increase and fall in ocean levels owing to the tides. This different energy supply had been realized by man earlier and in Europe tide mills had been in use for grinding grains over a thousand years ago. it's attainable to utilize this energy for generating of electricity and efforts are on in several countries round the world to harness this energy.
Tidal energy, being derived directly from the interaction of the sun and therefore the moon and therefore the earth's rotation, is an inexhaustible different energy supply. {the solely|the sole} limitation is that it is place to use only in choose places round the world.
The two ways by that energy of the tides is harnessed are:
The tidal stream system which is able to create use of moving water in a lot of a similar manner as wind energy getting used by windmills; and
The barrage system which is able to use the distinction within the height between the low and therefore the high tide in an estuary.
Both these ways are being actively tried out in numerous places. specialists feel that tidal energy contains a nice potential as another energy supply. .
Biomass Power as different Energy supply
Biomass refers to biological materials as well as trees, grass, agricultural and concrete waste matter, etc. Biomass contains energy received from the sun. Chlorophyll in plants uses solar energy to convert carbon dioxide (from air) and water (from ground) into carbohydrates. When these carbohydrates are burnt they unleash carbon dioxide and water, and energy that had been trapped in it's released. this can be as if the carbohydrates act as storage battery for solar energy - they hold the energy and unleash it at a later time when burnt as an efficient different energy supply in place of fossil fuels.
From time immemorial biomass has been burnt to recover sun's energy as heat. By using fashionable technology we will turn out heat, steam and electricity from biomass additional efficiently and cleanly; we will conjointly convert it into liquid fuels or turn out flamable gases from it.
In US alone, concerning fifty billion kWh of electricity (about one.2% of total consumption), concerning four billion gallons of ethanol (about two hundredth of the liquid fuel utilized in vehicles) are made from biomass. DOE believes that by 2030 concerning two hundredth of transportation fuel may be made from biomass. there's clearly a huge potential to be used of biomass the globe over.
Geothermal Power as different Energy supply
The most recent (1994) estimate of temperature at the core of earth is concerning 7500 deg. C. Energy obtained by tapping into the new interior of the world is termed the geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is another energy supply for generation of electricity; it's conjointly used for heating homes in cold countries, and for supplying method heat necessities.
Building a geothermal power station is dear however the low operating prices and absence of carbon emission into atmosphere are 2 major edges of this method.
Power plants primarily based on geothermal energy fall into 3 sorts relying upon the tactic used:
Those plants that take steam directly from fractures/holes within the ground and drive turbines directly from this steam are referred to as Dry steam plants.
In a Flash plant hot water, typically at quite two hundred deg C, , is taken out of the bottom and allowed to boil because it rises to the surface; steam is separated from it and run through turbines.
In binary plants, hot water taken from ground flows through heat exchangers, where it imparts heat to an organic fluid to boil it; this organic fluid runs through turbines driving them.
In all the 3 sorts, the remaining geothermal fluid and condensed steam are injected back to the new rock crust to recycle.
A 1999 study shows that the worldwide geothermal electrical generation capability using existing technologies is between thirty five,000 to 70,000 MW; using the new technologies it may be twice the maximum amount.
Nuclear Power as different Energy supply
Popularly nuclear reaction is equated with atom bombs. However, controlled nuclear reaction is employed as another energy supply for generation of electricity for the last fifty years. Nuclear reaction releases monumental energy that is employed to lift steam as is completed by burning oil or coal in standard thermal power stations and this in flip is employed to come up with electricity. nowadays quite fifty countries are generating over 370 000 MW of electricity by using nuclear power reactors.
Constructing and maintaining nuclear power plants is dear. Moreover they turn out nuclear waste that is hazardous, and there's the potential for huge nuclear disasters. The nuclear waste is very toxic and may not be destroyed or recycled. Unless properly stored in a very secure location it will produce hazardous surroundings.