1) Introduction
Coming to the 21st century there are a fairly large number of programs, as well as legal acts related to the use of renewable energy sources, including solar energy. The reason why our group has chosen this topic is to explain you main advantages of renewable energy resources.
As our group contains 4 members we decided to divide the topic into 4 sections:
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- Role of renewable energy in our life
- Disadvantages of nuclear energy on the environment
- Unusual type of renewable energy
- Superiority
Body.
1.1 Role of renewable energy in our life
Why is renewable energy so important to the world?
Fossil-based fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) currently account for about 85% of total energy consumption worldwide. Everyone knows that these resources are constantly being depleted and cannot be replaced. People often wonder how long can we extract and burn fuel.
The remaining part of a specific resource is often characterized by the so-called “Reserve to production”
In simple language, R / P shows the time during which the reserves will still be filled if their use continues at the current rate.
The global total R / P ratios for main conventional fuels are:
- oil is 46 years old
- natural gas - 58 years
- coal - 118 years.
Of course, the use is constantly changing, and from time to time new deposits appear. That is why these numbers are adjusted every year.
In addition to the final, irretrievable result, the production of energy from fossil fuels leads to combustion by-products or emissions. These emissions affect our environment and can cause climate change.
On the contrary, the resources of renewable energy (RES), as the name implies, are constantly replenished naturally and will never be exhausted. Their use, as a rule, has a much lower environmental impact than conventional fuel.
That is why the technologies that use them are often called 'green'.
Although most of the green technologies are large-scale projects, many of them are also suitable for private homes, especially in rural areas.
1.2. Ecological environmental defects.
Radioactive waste is harmful to the environment. Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is a serious problem and dangerous for the environment. The catastrophic impact of the Chornobyl disaster is still in the hearts of the people. According to the records, 30,000 people died as a result of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and more than 2.5 million Ukrainians still face health problems related to nuclear waste. Radioactive waste is created. This means any substance. This is a solid liquid or gas containing radionuclide materials, and NPP operators are sure that it is waste. This material is considered waste after more than three years spent in nuclear and thermal reactors. This waste comes from a nuclear reactor and must be removed or safely stored. Eutrophication - the threat of underwater marine life due to eutrophication consists mainly of enriching lakes and other water bodies with nutrients due to runoff from the mainland. This process ultimately leads to a dense development of plant life, which leads to the death of marine organisms due to lack of oxygen. Radioactive waste can cause this problem. According to scientists, it will take about 10,000 years to neutralize radioactive waste. Nuclear energy is certainly not a renewable energy source - it should be noted that the raw material needed is uranium. Uranium is extracted by too many deaths in many countries. Therefore, it is dangerous and not complementary. Nuclear weapons can destroy humanity. He gave the power to produce more weapons than to produce things that would make the world a better place to live.
1.3 Unusual type of renewable energy
In practice, harnessing solar wind is currently just a theory. However, if viable, we could potentially source one hundred billion times more power than humanity needs. While that sinks in, we’ll let you check out the exact science of it here.
In short, it’s all about using a satellite to capture streams of energized particles that flow from the sun, which would be transmitted back to Earth with an infrared laser. Futuristic stuff.
Perhaps the most beautiful of all these quirky ways to generate renewable energy are these Van Gogh ‘Starry Night’ inspired bike paths-cum-art pieces in the Netherlands.
- Rather than being lit by traditional street lighting, this bicycle path absorbs solar energy during the day which causes its luminescent rocks (coated with a photosensitive material) to glow at night. It’s part of the SMART HIGHWAY initiative from Dutch designer, Daan Superiority
Advantages of renewable energy
Using renewable energy over fossil fuels has several advantages. Here are some of the top benefits of going green:
1. Renewable energy won’t run out
Renewable energy technologies use resources straight from the environment to generate power. These energy sources include sunshine, wind, tides, and biomass, to name some of the more popular options. Renewable resources won’t run out, which cannot be said for many types of fossil fuels – as we use fossil fuel resources, they will be increasingly difficult to obtain, likely driving up both the cost and environmental impact of extraction.
2. Maintenance requirements are lower
In most cases, renewable energy technologies require less overall maintenance than generators that use traditional fuel sources. This is because generating technology like solar panels and wind turbines either have few or no moving parts and don’t rely on flammable, combustible fuel sources to operate. Fewer maintenance requirements translate to more time and money saved.
3. Renewables save money
Using renewable energy can help you save money long term. Not only will you save on maintenance costs, but on operating costs as well. When you’re using a technology that generates power from the sun, wind, steam, or natural processes, you don’t have to pay to refuel. The amount of money you will save using renewable energy can vary depending on several factors, including the technology itself. In most cases, transitioning to renewable energy means anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in savings.
4. Renewable energy has numerous health and environmental benefits
Renewable energy generation sources emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air. This means a smaller carbon footprint and an overall positive impact on the natural environment. During the combustion process, fossil fuels emit high amounts of greenhouse gases, which have been proven to exacerbate the rise of global temperatures and the frequency of extreme weather events.
The use of fossil fuels not only emits greenhouse gases but other harmful pollutants as well that lead to respiratory and cardiac health issues. With renewable energy, you’re helping decrease the prevalence of these pollutants and contributing to an overall healthier atmosphere.
Conclusion
Renewable energy is developing time by time with high speed and simplifies our needs.
Renewable energy is clean without any emissions to the ecology, quickly renewable, and convenient to use. There is a strong need to integrate more renewable energy sources into the grid of the future. This kind of energy source, when coupled with energy storage, can greatly benefit the grid by offering a variety of ancillary services and daily peak load reductions. Storage technologies will vary according to different renewable energy sources and a greater variety of sources will lead to more grid stability.
Resources :
- http://wikipedia.com
- http://last493energy.wordpress.com
- http://www.altenergy.org
- http://listverse.com
- https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org
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