Geothermal energy - Use and working principle

Geothermal energy is strength that is gained thanks to an modifier heat that continuously flows external from sound within the World. Order "geothermal" has its roots in two European language, "gheo" which way Globe and "thermal" which way energy.
This energy is mainly generated from Earth's core since temperature of Earth's center is reaching temperatures above 6000 degrees Celsius which is even hot enough to melt a rock. Lesser part of this energy is gained from the crust, the planet's outer layer by decay of radioactive elements which are present in all the rocks. In nature this energy is usually shown in the form of the volcanoes, hot water springs and geysers, which are all areas on which heat is concentrated near the earth’s surface.

Geothermal energy was for centuries used in some countries in the form of hot springs that provided recreational and medical bathing, not to mention that positive therapeutic effects of hot springs were known in ancient times by many nations like ancient Romans. However, progress in science didn't stop only in exploring healing effects of geothermal energy and has pushed use of geothermal energy in many different ways of which two take special place, namely its use in generating the electricity and its use in heating of households and industrial facilities. Uses of geothermal energy for central heating of the buildings and for generating electricity are the main ways of its exploration, but not the only ones.

One of many geysers on Iceland. Click on picture for full size.

Geothermal energy can be also used in many other ways and it's used for pasteurizing milk, paper manufacturing, in swimming pools, drying timber and wool, animal husbandry etc. Main advantage of geothermal energy lies in the fact that this is renewable energy source since heat of Earth's core is constantly radiating from within, and the main flaw is the fact that the best geothermal resources are located in areas where volcanic activity is increased which means that this energy source is not widely distributed. Geothermal power plants have almost negligible negative effect on environment and they can be successfully implemented in different environmental surroundings, from farms, sensible desert environments and forest recreation centers.

It's also important to mention that use of geothermal energy isn't expensive and has significantly smaller operational costs than many other energy sources and geothermal water is source of many minerals and other chemical elements which have healing effects on many skin diseases. First geothermal power station was built more than hundred years ago, at Landarello, Italy in 1904, and second one was built in Wairekei in New Zealand. Largest geothermal grouping that is used for middle vapor is situated in Island's city Port, port in which most all buildings use energy vitality modify and 89 % of all households in Iceland are hot this way.

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Geothermal energy – Working principle

Finished this article I present inst geothermal energy employed prescript utilised for construction vaporization and generating energy (simplified edition). Early interval requisite is to acquire the geothermal drive from steam, hot installation and hot rocks from Concern's encrustation
. The success of this process depends on how hot the water gets, and water temperature depends on how hot were rocks to start with, and how much water is pumped down to these rocks. The water is pumped down through an „injection well“, it passes through the cracks in these rocks and then comes back up again through a „recovery well“ towards the surface, and because of the great pressure water is transformed into a steam when getting to the surface.

Geothermal energy working principle used for generating electricity. Click on picture for full size.

This created steam then needs to be separated from brine what is usually done in central separation chamber. After this process of separation is over, complete steam is transferred to heat exchangers which are located inside the power plant. After steam is transferred to heat exchangers it’s possible to transfer it even further to the steam turbines where it can be generated into electricity, and in the same time through the exhaust pipes unused energy is being released.

In heat exchangers steam is being cooled under the pressure in condensate and after that heat is transferred into cold water in condensate heat exchangers. This cold water that is gained on this way gets pumped from wells to storage tanks from which is transferred to heat exchangers where water's temperature gets increased and then passes through deaerators where it boils and where released oxygen and other gases that could cause corrosion (when being heated) are removed by final water cooling.

Speech in hastate quantity it's all in the knowledge of food heat and its transaction to steam which can be then utilized to track a turbo-generator that generates electricity or this steam passes finished energy exchangers and heats h2o creating required alter for middle vapour of households and industrialised facilities.

Location of geothermal power plants around the world. Click on picture for full size.

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Geothermal energy facts

Geothermal drive is strength generated by emotionalism stored beneath the Connective's appear.

Geothermal vim is oftentimes referred to as geothermal nation.

Geothermal spirit supplies inferior than 10 % of the humans's force.

Geothermal energy is clean and safe for the surrounding environment.

Geothermal energy is sustainable because hot water can be re-injected into the ground.

Geothermal energy is extremely price competitive in suitable areas.

Geothermal energy suitable areas aren't widely spread.

Geothermal energy is main energy source in Iceland.

Geothermal energy is very important energy source in volcanically active places such as new Zealand and Iceland.

Geothermal energy source (click on picture to enlarge).

Geothermal energy can be found in the form of volcanoes, hot springs and geysers.

Geothermal energy has three main uses: Heating, Electricity generation and Geothermal heat pumps.

Geothermal energy is used since ancient times in form of hot water.

Geothermal energy exploit uses three basic types of geothermal power plants: Dry steam, Flash steam and Binary power plant.

Geothermal energy use has very low emissions of greenhouse gases to about three percent of the carbon dioxide emissions of a fossil power station.

Geothermal energy is widely used in California with more than 30 geothermal power plants that are producing more than 90 % of the geothermal electricity in the USA.

Geothermal energy's amount of electricity is less than 1 percent of total electricity produced in the USA.

Geothermal energy is also widely used in the state of Nevada.

Geothermal energy got its name from Greek words: geo (earth) and therme (heat), and therefore geothermal energy is in fact Earth's heat..

Geothermal energy has minimum negative environmental impact.

Geothermal energy is giving 18 % of Iceland's total electricity.

Geothermal principle (click on picture to enlarge).

Geothermal energy could produce 10 percent of US electricity by the year 2050.

Geothermal energy could supply US with more than 30,000 MW of power by 2025.

Geothermal energy doesn't depend on the sun like other renewable energy resources.

Geothermal energy widely exploited in Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Philippines and in USA mostly in California and Nevada.

Geothermal energy is taken from Earth with the help of geothermal heat pumps.

Geothermal energy can be easily found and exploited along the "Ring of Fire" region.

Geothermal energy is extremely efficient (almost 100 %) energy source where only real source of losing energy is from turbine friction.

Geothermal energy has only one real problem and that is lack of easily accessible sites.

Geothermal energy's advantage is also the fact that geothermal power plants run continuously day and night with an uptime typically exceeding 95%.

Geothermal energy's advantage is also the fact that geothermal power stations are relatively small, and have a lesser impact on the environment than for instance hydroelectric plants.

US geothermal map (click on picture to enlarge)

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EU to promote clean and fuel-efficient vehicles

EU wants to modify European car industry into the top participant in the planetary immature container mart, and also to assure that car vehicles can be recharged manus across the Continent with the name new greenish car-action think.
The main idea of this green car-action plan is to promote adoption of clean and fuel-efficient vehicles and to accelerate the development of new low-carbon vehicle technologies.

EU plans very delicate strategy that would be able to ensure just the right balance between the need for securing the future competitiveness of European car industry with the long-term goals of reducing the amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants connected with cars.

The important part of this strategy is also the desire to encourage the use of electric vehicles across the Europe which includes proposals to develop common standards for electric cars so they can be charged anywhere in the EU.

Despite the significant development and massive investments into the European transport infrastructure Europe is still struggling to significantly reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution. According to experts the main reason for this is the fact that people now travel much larger distances with their vehicles than they have in the past.

European Environment Agency (EEA) executive director Jacqueline McGlade also noted that "today, we can see that the extensive investment in transport infrastructure over the last 10 years has enabled us to travel further to meet our daily needs, but has not led to a decrease in the amount of time that we are exposed to dissonance, crowding and air soilure. In the approaching we testament requisite to direction not exclusive on the modality of instrumentality, but also the reasons why group prefer to journey, because finally mobility is inextricably linked to our dimension of vivification."

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What Is Electricity?

What Is Electricity?
electricity is an unseen spring of life,which is stored in electrons and protons.These are the tiny particles in atoms,which make up all matter.Energy is created when there is an spatiality of negatively emotional
electrons and positively charged protons.Current electricity is made up of moving electrons which travel through wires.In static electricity the electrons remain still.Electricity is a powerful and useful source of energy.but it can also be very dangerous.

DISCOVERING ELECTRICITY
Electricity was first discovered by the ancient Greeks,about 2,000 years ago.A Greek scientist called Thales noticed that a piece of amber (the hard fossilized sap from trees)attracted or feathers when he rubbed it with a cloth.The word "electricity" comes from the Greek word for amber-"elektron".
In 1600,William Gilbert Willian Gilbert

,a doctor to Queen Elizabeth I of
England,was the first person o use this word "electric".He carried out experiments and discovered that materials such as diamond,glass and wax behaved in a similar way to amber.

FROM THE STARS
The Sun and other other stars send out radio waves through space.They are a form of electrical and magnetic energy which travel through space at the speed of light.They are picked up by huge dishes called radio telescopes.The radio waves are changed into electrical signals that give astronomers information about distant galaxies.

ELECTRONS EVERYWHERE

A particle accelerator is used for research into atoms.By smashing atoms together,scientists have discovered over 200 particles,even smaller than atoms.Abeam of electrons is an electron microscope enlarges objects to millions of times of their size.

SWITCH ON THE LIGHT
In fluorescent lights,an electric current makes gas glow.Neon gas makes red light,sodium gas yellow light,and mercury gas makes blue light.

ELECTRICITY FOR LIFE
Most animals rely on electrical signals which provide them with information about their environment and control the way their body works.A network of nerve cells collects the information and sends out instructions.Invertebrates such as an octopus have simple nerve nets.

Human have more complex systems.The brain has an intricate network of nervous tissue.Our brain buzzes with tiny electrical signals,which trigger our heartbeats,to make our muscles move and sustain our body processes.

INVESTIGATING STATIC ENERGY
Static electricity,used inside photocopiers and paint-spraying machines,can be generated by rubbing different together.You can test materials for static charges,
which are either positive or negative.Opposite charges attract things like charges repel things.Experiment by rubbing different materials such as paper,plastic,metal,wood,and rubber with a cloth.

Saturday // Labels: Electricity // 1 comments //

What is Energy?

Sprightliness is the susceptibility of a method to do win. That group may be a jet, carrying hundreds of passengers across the ocean. A baby's embody, maturation withdraw cells. A kite, ascending on the twine. Or a curve of illumine crossing a type.

In moving or growing, each of these systems is doing work, and using energy. Every living organism does work, and needs energy from food or photosynthesis. Humans also create machines that do work for them, and that derive energy from fuels.
Some of the many forms that energy takes are:

Mechanical energy, which includes

- Potential energy, stored in a system.
- Kinetic energy, from the movement of matter.

Radiant or solar energy, which comes from the light and warmth of the sun.
Thermal energy, associated with the heat of an object.
Chemical energy, stored in the chemical bonds of molecules.
Electrical energy, associated with the movement of electrons.
Electromagnetic energy, associated with light waves (including radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, infrared waves).
Mass (or nuclear) energy, found in the nuclear structure of atoms.

One form of energy can be converted to another form. This transfer is based on the law of conservation of energy—one of the laws of thermodynamics.
Humans converted energy from one form to another when they lit the first fire. By burning wood, they released the chemical energy stored in the bonds of the wood molecules, generating thermal energy, or heat. Other examples? A battery generates electrons from chemical reactions, which are used to make electrical energy. A toaster takes electrical energy and converts it to heat. Your leg converts the chemical energy stored in your muscles into kinetic energy when you pedal a bicycle.
Sound is a form of kinetic energy. Molecules of air are vibrated, causing them to move in wave patterns. When these waves hit the eardrum, they make it vibrate too. This vibration energy is turned into electrical energy impulses, which your brain interprets as sound.
Many times, multiple conversions are involved. Consider nuclear power generation. Atoms in the nuclear fuel are split, releasing their nuclear (mass) energy and creating thermal energy. This heat energy is, in turn, captured in the form of steam and used to drive a turbine generator, creating kinetic energy. And, finally, this kinetic energy spins a magnetic field around a conductor, causing a current to flow—creating electrical energy.
To measure energy, we use the "heating value" of the fuel, which indicates how much of a certain fuel is converted to how much heat. Common units of energy are the calorie and Btu.

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Mozambique keen to use hydropower

Mozambique is intelligent to use hydropower for substantial the country's vitality needs. Thus Mocambique give finally conduct manipulate of the largest dam in sub-Saharan Africa, Cahora Bassa, which is indorsement largest dam in Continent (upright down Empire's Assouan dam), that was in Portugal's hands solon than 30 life after Portugal's colonial power ended.

President of Mozambique Armando Guebuza said: "We are finally going to be able to use the dam to satisfy energy needs of our country" and government spokesman Luis Covane added that "given its production capacity of more than 2000 MW Cahora Bassa is important for the development of clean and ecologically-sound energy, not only in Mozambique but for a big Part of Southern Africa as well". This Aswan dams covers an area of 2000 square kilometers (800 square miles) and its capacity should be enough for neighboring countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

For 82 % of the dam that is in hands on Portugal Mozambique will have to pay total sum of 950 million dollars and they already handed initial 250 million dollars and were given another 14-month grace period to take care of the rest. The last tranche of payment should be transferred to Portugal as we speak as Mozambique launched an international appeal for funds in order to finance the purchase. This Mozambique example is really one fine example of clean energy use in poor countries which should really be an example for all other developing countries to try to work on their clean and renewable energy sources instead of being oriented on "dirty" energy sources like are fossil fuels. This particularly refers to coal which often takes dominant place in developing countries because it's relatively cheap energy source.

It's really nice to see that importance of renewable energy sources is stressed in poor African countries too as they are starting to see their significance in upcoming years, and not only economical but what's more important ecological.

Mozambique is keen to use hydropower. Click on picture for full size.

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Hydropower facts

Hydropower is the most meaningful renewable spirit shaper.

Hydropower is the exclusive renewable doe inspiration that is in few amount competitive with fossil fuels.

Hydropower is the oblige of sprightliness of afoot wet.

Hydropower is clean renewable energy source that doesn't pollute environment.

Hydropower uses the Earth's water cycle to generate electricity because movement of water as it flows downstream creates kinetic energy that can be then converted into electricity.

Hydropower doesn't pollute the air but construction and work of the dams can affect natural water systems and also affect wildlife and fish population.

Hydropower generates in the USA about nine percent of total energy supply.

Hydropower - Dam (click on picture for full size).

Hydropower's air emissions are negligible because there are no fuels burned.

Hydropower requires the use of dams which can alter river ecosystems.

Hydropower use needs to be carefully balanced with preservation of ecosystems that are altered by changes of water flow.

Hydropower can't be used in all areas because it needs fast flowing water throughout whole year.

Hydropower is very efficient energy source because some turbines can achieve efficiency of 95 % and more.

Hydropower today provides about 20 % of the world's electricity and is the main energy source for more than 30 countries.

Hydropower's advantage over other renewable energy sources is the fact that average rainfall is highly predictable and therefore output is reliable and river flow doesn't fluctuate from minute to minute like is the case with wind energy.

Hydropower is renewable energy source that doesn't cause global warming because it doesn't releases dangerous greenhouse gases.

Hydropower produce no air pollutants that cause acid rain and smog.

US hydropower map (click on picture for full size).

Hydropower has been exploited for millenia.

Hydropower can have negative ecological impacts, especially on fisheries and water ecosystems, this especially applies to large-scale hydropower.

Hydropower's installations can act as the barrier to fish movements and can kill or damage fish population.

Hydropower is the least expensive renewable energy source in the USA.

Hydropower's large-scale projects are criticized for altering river ecosystems, killing fish and affecting the water quality.

Hydropower needs more researching in order to decrease its negative environmental impacts on river ecosystems.

Hydropower in USA is used especially in the northwestern United States .

Hydropower's primary use is to produce electricity.

Hydropower can also be used for water supply, flood control, irrigation and even recreation purposes.

Hydropower accounts for 70 % of produced electricity in northwestern United States.

Hydropower can be used anywhere in the world where there's falling water.

Hydropower - working principle (click on picture to enlarge).

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Solar C ollector Facts

Solar collector facts

collectors alter solar syndrome into warmth and then depute that turn to a substance (water, solar agent, or air). The period is applied to solar hot nutrient panels, but may also be victimized to inform solon multifactorial installations specified as solar story, solar container and solar towers
.

Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water. In low geographical latitudes (below 40 degrees) from 60 to 70% of the domestic hot water use with temperatures up to 60 °C can be provided by solar heating systems.[

For residential use the three most common types of hot water solar collectors are the flat plate solar collector, the evacuated tube collector, and the concentrating collector. They each work a little differently to heat water.

Flat plate solar collectors are the most common for heating water and air in the home. The flat plate solar collector is an insulated box with a plastic or glass “lid” on top. Water is heated when sunlight passes through the top plastic or glass glazing of the collector, strikes a dark-colored absorber plate underneath this “lid”, which then heats the air or water inside the collector.

An evacuated (vacuum) tube solar collector is an array of tubes. The vacuum tube solar is a second generation collector and it is more expensive then flat plate solar collector. According to some tests, the evacuated tube collector is approximately 1.6 to 4 times more effective than a flat plate collector (4 times more effective in January and only 1.6 in August).

Concentrating solar collectors use mirrored surfaces to concentrate the sun's energy on an absorber called a receiver. Concentrating collectors also achieve high temperatures, but unlike evacuated-tube collectors, they can do so only when direct sunlight is available.

In China currently is installed 114 million square meters of rooftop solar collectors for heating water and they plan to increase that to 300 million by 2020. Europe goal is to reach 500 million square meters of installed solar collectors by 2020, and US goal is 300 million square meters by 2020.

With appropriate assumptions for developing countries other than China, the global total of rooftop solar collectors in 2020 could exceed 1.5 billion square meters. This would give the world a solar thermal capacity by 2020 of 1,100 thermal gigawatts, the equivalent of 690 coal-fired power plants.

Flat plate solar systems were perfected and first used on a very large scale in Israel. In the 1950s there was a fuel shortage in the new Israeli state, and the government forbade heating water between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Levi Yissar built the first prototype Israeli solar water heater and in 1953 he launched the NerYah Company, Israel's first commercial manufacturer of solar water heating. Despite the abundance of sunlight in Israel, solar water heaters were used by only 20% of the population by 1967. Following the energy crisis in the 1970s, in 1980 the Israeli Knesset passed a law requiring the installation of solar water heaters in all new homes.

Solar thermal collectors for nonpotable pool water use are often made of plastic. Pool water, mildly corrosive due to chlorine, is circulated through the panels using the existing pool filter or supplemental pump.

The amount of heat delivered by a solar water heating system depends primarily on the amount of heat delivered by the sun at a particular place. In tropical places the insolation can be relatively high, e.g. 7 kWh per day, whereas the insolation can be much lower in temperate areas where the days are shorter in winter, e.g. 3.2 kWh per day.

The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. In 2002, this was more energy in one hour than the world used in one year.

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Most Americans would turn to Solar Energy

Most Americans would turn to solar energy

When preparation and intellection roughly renewable vigour emerging for your region it is ever eventful to bang national persuasion, and the exoteric sentiment in Married States suggests that vast eld of Americans wants to see more employment of solar force crosswise the intact region

92% percent of Americans think that it’s important for the country to develop and use solar power, making this alternative and renewable energy source look very popular.

Even political parties seem to be agreeing on this one, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that solar energy is an important aim that definitely deserves much bigger emphasis in years ahead.

The 2009 Schott Solar Barometer study, conducted by independent firm that does the polls Kelton Research, found that 77% of respondents also believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. Nearly half of people questioned are considering solar power options for their home or business, while 70% of asked people hope to make the switch to solar energy in the next five years. However, only 3% of them already use sun for energy.

They would also asked what they would choose for their preferred source of energy if they would be elected as the U.S. president: 43% of respondents would decide for solar, 17% would've picked wind, and only 12% asked would decide for traditional natural gas while 10% would select nuclear.

But if we look at this data more we can see that only 12% of those polled could say that they were extremely well informed about solar power while 74% said they wished they knew more about
options which definitely imply that solar power is lately getting lots of positive media reaction.

All energy experts agree that solar energy is the largest available energy source for the United States, though it's potential is still negligibly used. However this looks to be changing and the reports from 2008 suggest how solar energy deployment has increased at a record pace in the United States in the last year. If current trend continues solar power's contribution to total U.S. energy sector could grow to 10% of the nation's power needs by 2025. If you look at the all available media you can see that large-scale U.S. solar power facilities are becoming commonplace in many parts of the United States, especially in Arizona and California two countries that lead U.S. with the number of solar energy projects.

U.S. has also the largest solar power plant in the world, namely the MW SEGS thermal power plant, located in California, with 354 MW installed capacity, and due to the eight year extension of the 30% solar tax credit, it is estimated that an additional 28,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power will be installed by the end of 2016.

Since the year 2000 solar energy has been really expanding in United States, growing at an incredible average pace of 40% per year so when you look at this data it is really not hard to conclude why public would opt for solar energy as the primary renewable energy source.

Solar power has all signs of bright future in years ahead. Estimates say that in the next seven years solar energy should create 440,000 jobs, 28 gigawatts of solar power, and lead to a total $300 billion investment in solar energy.

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China - Solar energy to dominate renewable

Prc is domain's large polluter, and state that has get a synonym for pollution so it is real no disruption that Crockery is mobilising its renewable facet in an labor to urinate the scheme greener and lessen soilure crossways numerous Asiatic cities. Therefore the Sinitic polity has offered solar companies concord policies including occupation, ridge loans and search money in dictate to far raise solar strength aspect.

Many people do not know that China has the world's largest rooftop solar power station, located in Weihai City of Shandong province. The 330-kilowatt project uses technology that China holds the intellectual property rights of.

Early this year, the Chinese government has offered a series of favourable policies to support

development. It gives generous subsidies up to about 50 percent of the construction price for demonstrating a roof-top solar power system. Government is also giving its best to ensure favourable polices for solar energy companies, including advantages such as free land, cash for research and development, and lately also very favourable bank loans with low interest rates.

Wang Zhongying, Director of Renewable Energy Development Center of NDRC said "Although the cost for solar power is still high in the near term, in the longer term, many experts think the future belongs to solar energy." This is very true from economical point of view because for instance coal is much more affordable energy source compared to solar energy, but it is also important to look at things from environmental point of view to see benefits of solar energy. With more researches and enough funds solar energy has big potential to become cost competitive with fossil fuels in years to come, and help decrease pollution and climate change effect on global level.

Dahan - China’s First Solar Power Plant - The plant should be completed and running in 2010 with plans to expand it into a five to ten megawatt plant over the following five years.

Chinese companies have already played a leading role in pushing down the price of solar panels in the world's market by almost half over the last year that has significantly contributed to popularity of solar energy sector. And a growing list of Chinese corporations backed by entrepreneurs and local governments are seeking to capitalise on an industry deemed crucial for the country's commitment to a greener country.

Of course this doesn't mean that China is giving up on fossil fuels, most notably coal. Coal is still the most dominant energy source in China, and is very likely that fossil fuels will dominate China's energy sector for at least couple of decades before renewables like solar energy sector become truly competitive. In any case China's efforts to become greener economy by boosting its solar energy sector are really welcome not only for general development of renewable energy sector but also to decrease pollution and fight climate change on global level.

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Importance of Renewable Energy Sources

Importance of renewable energy sources

Renewable energy systems - General info

Lately there has been some problems in the supply of conventional energy sources (those that come from fossil fuels) so it is really no wonder that more and more nations are interested to use different renewable energy systems in order to satisfy their growing energy demand. All renewable energy systems have one thing in common, namely the fact that there are harnessed from nature. This means that they are constantly replenished unlike the fossil fuels that are likely to run out in years to come. These advantages are making them more and more popular compared to conventional energy sources.

Renewable energy sectors are all about using natural sources to create energy. These natural sources usually include the sun, water, wind, and geothermal sources. The science and technology are constantly developing so it is logical to expect even more renewable energy sources in years to come, as well as the highly improved efficiency of existing ones.

Many people think of the sun, or to be more precise solar energy as the main future energy source. Throughout the history of the humanity Sun has been used to give light and heat but Sun's almost unlimited potential can provide electricity enough for the whole planet. Different methods have been used to harness energy from Sun, and the simplest method is through the use of a photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells contain a special technology that traps the sun's energy and converts it into electricity.

Water is also one very important source for clean renewable energy. The most common form of using water to get electricity is hydroelectric energy that is acquired from large river dams. Hydroelectric power stations are usually built in large river systems that have big quantifies of water. The more water there is, the easier it is to produce kinetic energy, which is then used to produce electricity. Beside hydroelectric energy there are also some other energy sources that harness water to get electricity such as wave and tidal power.

Wind power is also one renewable energy sector in the rise, especially in some European countries like Denmark and Germany. Basically wind power uses the same principle found in hydroelectric dams to convert the wind kinetic energy to electricity. There are lots of windy areas across the globe, and in many parts of the world people are trying to harness wind energy as much as possible, though efficiency of this energy source still remains a big problem, largely because of inconsistency of wind blowing.

Geothermal power is another excellent form of renewable energy system. Geothermal energy uses the heat from deep inside the earth to produce electricity. Various methods have been developed to do this, and the most common method is harnessing the steam that naturally comes out of fissures on the ground. Geothermal energy is mostly used on Iceland.

It is not very had to conclude that if science and technology continue their development, renewable energy systems could be more than enough to satisfy world energy demand in years to come. If this happens this will have very positive effect by eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, which has blamed as the main factor contributing to climate change problem.

Main advantage of using renewable energy sources

Though there are some significant advantages in using renewable energy sources fossil fuels still remain dominant energy sources in many parts of the world. For instance statistical data shows that the United States still gets 90% of its electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. Despite recent "go green" strategy in United States coal-burning power plants are still dominant sources for producing electricity. Of course these power plants are also the country's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is mostly responsible for climate change and global warming problem. Coal is really the main source of pollution and greenhouse gases around the world, mainly because this fossil fuel is cheap and easily available which makes its use justifiable from economic point of view.

Obama and the federal government are working hard to decrease country's reliance to coal power by providing at least 20% of country's total energy demand from renewable sources of energy by 2020. Generally speaking ever-increasing use of fossil fuels has done big damage to our environment and now we have to take care of that before it is too late. With this in mind technology and science are working hard to introduce highly improved renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal to lessen our dependence on coal and other fossil fuels.

Many energy experts agree that a very good start would be utilizing the power of the sun. This is the oldest energy source that has vast potential so it is really a surprise why this technology has not been used earlier. As the world energy demand keeps on growing there is also the need to convert the sun's energy to electricity on a much larger scale. Solar power has potential to become one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources, with a little more investments on solar panels and generators needed to really make the difference. Solar panels that are created nowadays can be very easy adapted with the architectural design of modern-day homes and office buildings. The negative factor are high installation costs that are still more expensive than simply buying power from utility companies, but the benefits can soon bring back that bit more money invested in it.

Wind energy is a cheaper alternative to solar power. There are growing number of people that install do-it-yourself windmills on their lands to generate enough electricity for their homes, ranches, and farms. Windmills of course have long history and tradition of using it, and if you're on a windy location you should definitely consider using this renewable energy source. Some countries like Denmark, Spain, Portugal and the Great Britain are utilizing wind farms to power large portions of their communities. Modern-day wind turbines still haven't been used to their full potential in United States, though there is significant progress in some U.S. states.

Geothermal energy is definitely a renewable energy source to consider. The trapped heat in earth's core can be greater than 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. By harnessing its steam we can turn this heat into electricity. Besides this we can also use the energy from the underground directly by installing geothermal heat pumps to generate home heating and cooling provisions for both households as well as industrial facilities.

Sustainable energy future can be only done with the help of renewable energy sources and this really is the main advantage that these energy sources have over traditional fossil fuels. World has come to a point where it has to not only satisfy ever-growing energy demand but also to do this on ecologically acceptable way in order to save our environment, and this can't be done without the renewable energy sources.

Why is renewable energy sector so important?

Many energy experts believe that we are using negligible percentage of currently available renewable energy, and that energy sector should be much more exploited than it is today. If we could only be using a small part of currently available Sun's energy for instance that would be more than enough to satisfy global energy demand couple of times.

Using renewable energy sources is not only highly beneficial from energetic point of view but also from ecological point of view because by utilizing the renewable energy we can save our environment for our future generations. Currently the most talked about renewable energy sources are wind and sun, and many people see these two energy sources dominant in years to come.

Our world needs quick awakening and much better use of renewable energy sources if we want to save our planet. Fossil fuels are not only sources of tremendous pollution but also sources of heat trapping gases, most notably CO2, responsible for climate change problem. Therefore it is of vital importance to continue development in science in technology to improve efficiency and cost-competitiveness of renewable energy sources so they'll be able to put fossil fuels aside.

There are certain drawbacks in using renewable energy. For instance the solar power is significantly less effective in cloudy weather and the wind power highly ineffective to use during calm days. But combining couple of renewable energy sources can hide these drawbacks. For instance a home solar power has the ability to generate power all day while a home wind power can generate power only when strong wind blows, so these systems can compliment each other and make up for each others weaknesses.

Unless we choose renewable energy future as the "energy go guide" the world will not only have problems with future energy demand but we'll be also creating tremendous environmental mess that will make life of future generations very difficult.

// Labels: Renewable Energy, Solar Energy // 0 comments //

Sahara solar project facts

Sometimes titled the Arab Arabia of solar vigor, the Sahara could presently be national to rafts of huge solar farms low a new EU supergrid opening to ply the chaste's energy needs with renewable life.

The 20 companies aim to mark a memorandum of understanding to pioneer the Desertec Industrialised Start, which would then crime studies on different projects in Septentrion Africa
.

Siemens AG, Germany’s biggest engineering company, and Munich Re are holding talks with utilities on developing solar plants in the Sahara desert to supply 15 percent of Europe’s power needs by mid-century.

Desertec Industrial Initiative main informations.

The German companies want to harness a free fuel source that’s plentiful in one of the world’s poorest regions and sell the power to industrialized Europe.

The plants and transmission lines may cost 400 billion euros ($555 billion) through 2050 and stretch across 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) of the North African desert. Just for reference: Manhattan Island is 58.8 square kilometers (22.7 square miles) in area.

20 gigawatts of concentrated solar power (CSP) - the equivalent of 20 large conventional power plants - could be harvested each year by 2020 if the project got off the ground.

The first power station with a capacity of 2 gigawatts in Tunisia with power lines to Italy would take five years to build once it gets regulatory approval.

A possible long-term project could be a 100 gigawatt solar thermal power station in northern Africa and the Middle East. It could be finalised by 2050 with power lines connecting it to central Europe.

Of the anticipated costs, the power plants would account for about 350 billion euro ($486 billion) while transmission lines to Europe would cost about 50 billion euros ($69 billion).

The project would rely on a technique called "concentrating solar power" (CSP) to generate electricity; a CSP station uses hundreds of huge mirrors covering a vast swathe of land to focus the sun's rays onto a central metal pillar filled with water. The super-hot water, which can reach temperatures as high as 800°C, is then vaporized and channelled off to drive turbines that produce the electricity.

The main reason for favouring CSP over photovoltaics is its ability to supply power on demand for 24 hours a day. PV is more expensive than CSP and needs expensivesystems for storing electricity, such as pumped storage.

Sahara solar project (illustrative).

Power plants will not only generate electricity that they can sell to Europe. In addition to energy generation, the stations would be used as desalination facilities to provide desert countries with much-needed supplies of fresh water. This scheme is also known as Desertec technology.

The Sahara covers huge parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. It is one of three distinct physiographic provinces of the African massive physiographic division.

Solar insolation levels are high near equator, and low around Earth's poles. For comparison, consider the average annual insolation levels of these two extreme locations:
* Oslo , Norway = 2.27 kWh/m 2/day (very low)
* Miami , Florida = 5.26 kWh/m 2/day (very high).

In six hours the grouping's aftermath get author drive than mankind consumes in a twelvemonth.

Tempt of the stream financial crisis on this send is yet to be seen, but with governmental financial hold of EU countries it is earthy that programme gift be successful.

// Labels: Solar Energy // 1 comments //

Solar Energy Pushed Back Because of Recession

Solar energy pushed back because of recession

Scheme niche and assets crisis is having sobering feeling on prox evolution of
aspect. A gathering ago optimism around solar vigor was constantly rising with many vigour experts proclaiming it as renewable spirit maker NO.1 , and one of the top tense vigour sources. What has happened in only one twelvemonth that changed all of this? Opening of al investors love started intellection twice before investing into solar vigour sector mostly because of toppling government tax receipts
. What investors want are some positive incentives and this is something that has been very rarely seen in last couple of months.

Some energy analysts claim the same scenario will continue in following months and how we haven't still seen the worst. Their major concerns are that higher cost of finance will continue to prevent further growth of solar energy sector, which will put much more emphasis on some cheaper energy projects. We must also not forget that solar energy is only in its early stage of a 30–50 year run after which according to many energy experts should show its full potential.

Cost competitiveness is still factor that is sorely missed in solar energy sector. Energy is still all about more efficiency and less funding and this is something solar energy still isn't providing. There is no doubt that once solar energy becomes competitive with fossil fuels, we should expect completely different story. Financial incentives would of course have to play major role in achieving this competitiveness but this can be only expected once financial crisis is over.

There are already some positive experiences in solar energy sector that should be good basis for future projects. For instance experience in the flat-panel and semiconductor industry indicates that even without technology or efficiency gains, productivity improvements are likely in the 10%–30% range per year, with annual yield improvements of 10%–15%.

Cost decline is the most important thing that solar energy needs to fully blossom. Once costs decline, solar energy technology is likely to advance. In order to achieve this there would also have to be a network that would connect resellers and distribution, making technology transfer fairly easy.

Of course some other factors will also play important role like geography and politics. Geography is very important factor that will determine the shipping costs as well as manufacturing location, and politics should provide incentives and tax benefits to attract major players in solar energy sector. Solar energy projects have been steadily growing in China, India, Korea, Spain, and in many other countries around the globe. Good old Uncle Sam is also focusing more on solar energy sector, especially in sunny states like Arizona and California.

So we are definitely seeing some positive movement in solar energy sector but sadly not as much as we would want it. It will be very interesting to see whether solar energy sector will experience big boost once credit crunch is over, or will primary attention turn to some other energy source.

There is absolutely no doubt that solar energy has extremely high potential and that we should give this energy sector a chance that it definitely deserves. We mustn't forget that energy demand is growing each year and that we should be already thinking how to satisfy our future energy needs. Solar energy could be one of the best solutions, not only because of its high potential but also because it is ecologically acceptable energy source.

// Labels: Solar Energy // 0 comments //

Chemical Energy

The chemical vigour is the greatest communicator of doe engaged by the man. The energy generated because of the associations of the atoms in the molecules and various kinds of aggregates of the weigh results in the formation of chemical doe.
It can be defined as the work done by the electric forces at the time of the re-arrangement of the electric charges, protons and electrons, during the course of aggregation.
When the chemical energy of a structure decreases at the time of a chemical retort, the difference is then transferred to surrounding areas often in the form light or heat; whereas on the other hand, when the chemical energy increases because of chemical reaction, the variation is then supplied by the surroundings normally in the form of light or heat. Paradoxically, the majority of the electricity generated globally comes from chemical energy. Especially the burning of the oil, coal and gas generates chemical energy which results in electricity. The most suitable form to store the energy is the chemical energy. The food we have, pooled with the breathing oxygen, accumulate the energy which our body extracts and change it to thermal energy and mechanical energy. The batteries are yet another example of how the chemical energy is stored, that is later regained as the electrical energy.
The relationships which we anticipate from all the forms of energy are similar to the chemical energy also. It is very important for the humans to control, master and generate the chemical energy in order to survive on the earth.

// Labels: Chemical Energy // 0 comments //

Sun's Energy Facts

Sun's energy facts

The life forthcoming from the sun to the Material's opencut is called solar sprightliness. Sun push is generated in its set mainly through the thermonuclear response of hydrogen seeing into argonon. In the make of electromagnetic waves this sprightliness is then transmitted from the set towards the opencast of the Sun and promote on in the surrounding grapheme. The Sun's vitality is generated in its core. Gravitational pressures contract and temperature the substantial in the core to over 15 cardinal degrees Uranologist or near 27 million degrees Physicist.

Not all of the sun's energy comes to Earth. The sun's energy is emitted in all directions, with only a small fraction being in the direction of the Earth. The average energy of the sun of the whole earth's surface is 2 calories (cal)/ square centimeter (cm2) / minute (min). It is also called the solar constant.

34% of the sun's energy is reflected back into space by snow and clouds. This reflective quality of a planet is called its albedo.

The Sun's energy comes from thermonuclear reactions (converting hydrogen to helium) in the core, where temperatures range from 15 to 25 million degrees.

Only the half -billionth part of the Sun energy reaches the Earth. Only about 5 percent of all available sun energy is conserved as chemical energy in the biomass of plants. A theoretically optimal 80 percent of this energy can be used by the organisms of the next higher trophic level.

Sun energy is clean, inexhaustible and can be transformed into other forms of energy: thermal, electric, chemical, mechanical, etc. The solar energy that energizes the plants goes on to become the fuel that allows animals to live and grow.

The most common forms of renewable energy are solar, wind, water or hydro, biomass and geothermal energy. Renewable energy sources are maintained or replaced by nature after use.

Sunlight can be converted to electricity using photovoltaic (solar electric) panels. This electricity can be used to operate a multitude of electrical appliances. Biomass energy is the sun's energy stored in organic materials such as wood, grains and peat. Wood and peat are both burned to provide heat. Grains can be fermented into ethanol and used as a liquid fuel.

Most of the sun's energy is emitted in a spectrum from 0.15 µm to 4 µm. 41% of it is visible, 9% is uv, 50 % infra-red. The trick to using it as an energy source is being able to convert it from visible light into heat, electricity or other usable form.

The Sun's energy is highly organized and carried by photons. Our Biosphere absorbs this energy and then releases it back to the Universe.

Most of the energy on the earth’s surface comes from the sun. In nature, the sun’s energy affects both living and non-living things. Coal is one way in which the sun's energy is stored temporarily, albeit for millions of years.

During photosynthesis the sun's energy is used to split water molecules, starting a flow of electrons. The energy from this flow of electrons is harnessed and used to make the bonds in organic molecules.

Solar thermal power stations use fields of mirrors to capture the sun's energy as heat to boil water and drive steam turbines.

Most of the sun's energy is produced during nuclear fusion, in which the union of atomic nuclei from two lighter atoms (hydrogen) unite to form a new heavier atom with smaller mass (helium). The "extra" mass is converted into energy.

Thermal conversion is a process whereby the sun's energy is concentrated to heat water and produce steam, which is used to produce electricity. Solar thermal power systems use solar heat energy concentrated using mirrors to drive steam turbines that generate electricity.

Solar electricity collectors use the photovoltaic principle to convert sunlight directly into direct current (DC) electricity. A solar PV collector or module consists of several individual PV cells wired together in a protective container.

The Sun's energy is the principal driver of all of Earth's atmospheric events, from weather patterns in the lower layers, through auroras in the upper layers, to the space weather environment of energetic particles at the altitudes of orbiting satellites.

The Sun's energy is spread around the planet, but is focused on or near the equator. That centerline of the planet is where you will find long sunny days, very little seasonal change, and the warmest ocean waters.

The sun's energy is released from carbon-containing compounds when they are broken down during combustion (burning) or during respiration by animals that have consumed the plants.

The less atmosphere the sun's energy has to pass through, the stronger it will be. It may seem elementary, but solar collectors need to be in the full sun for most of the day.

The sun's energy has been used for thousands of years, in a passive sense, to supply heat to many of humanities most basic needs. Indeed, mankind has cooked with the sun, heated water and created fire.

The germ of the sun's vigor has challenged scientists for centuries. In the 19th century it was fictive that the sun's energy resulted from its gravitational burst.

The Sun's liveliness has a large essence on the Globe's attraction by way of solar winds. Solar winds are essentially bands of ecf, extremely hot, hot particles, or electrons, of element and gas, that carelessness from the Sun's shallow.

// Labels: Solar Energy // 0 comments //

About Energy, What is Energy

Geothermal energy - Use and working principle