RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

Here is some information about the different kinds of renewable energy: biomass, water, geothermal, wind, solar thermal & photovoltaic.

Biomass

Biomass energy is derived from three distinct energy sources: wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. Wood energy is derived both from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams.

The largest source of energy from wood is pulping liquor or "black liquor," a waste product from processes of the pulp, paper and paperboard industry. Waste energy is the second-largest source of biomass energy. The main contributors of waste energy are municipal solid waste (MSW), manufacturing waste, and landfill gas. Biomass alcohol fuel, or ethanol, is derived almost exclusively from corn. Its principal use is as an oxygenate in gasoline.[1]

Facts:

"Almost half the renewable energy produced in the United States comes from biomass sources, like wood and paper products." [2]
"In Iowa and Wisconsin, biomass energy from landfills and dairy farms is being used to make electricity." [2]
"About 81 percent of the wood and wood waste fuel used in the United States is consumed by the industry and commercial businesses." [3]
"Biomass fuels provide about 3 percent of the energy used in the United States." [3]
"Biodiesel actually has the highest "energy balance" of any transportation fuel. The DOE/USDA lifecycle analysis shows for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.2 units of energy are gained. This takes into account the planting, harvesting, fuel production and fuel transportation to the end user." [4]
"Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments." [5]
"According from statistics from the International Energy Agency, 11% of the world derives its energy from biomass. Developing countries use about 35%, while the poorest ones use roughly 90%." [6]

Citations:

Resources on Biomass Energy:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.biodiesel.org/

http://www.eere.energy.gov/

http://www.nrel.gov/

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.powerhousetv.com/

http://edugreen.teri.res.in/

Water

Water is currently the leading renewable energy source used by electric utilities to generate electric power. Hydroelectric plants operate where suitable waterways are available; many of the best of these sites have already been developed. Generating electricity using water has several advantages. The major advantage is that water is a source of cheap power. In addition, because there is no fuel combustion, there is little air pollution in comparison with fossil fuel plants and limited thermal pollution compared with nuclear plants. Like other energy sources, the use of water for generation has limitations, including environmental impacts caused by damming rivers and streams, which affects the habitats of the local plant, fish, and animal life.[1]

Facts:

World-wide, about 20% of all electricity is generated by hydropower. [2]
Hydropower provides about 10% of the electricity in the United States. [2]
The United States is the second largest producer of hydropower in the world. Canada is number one. [2]
In the U.S., hydropower produces enough electricity to serve the needs of 28 million residential customers. This is equal to all the homes in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North and South Dakota, Kentucky, and Tennessee. [2]
Hydropower is clean. It prevents the burning of 22 billion gallons of oil or 120 million tons of coal each year. [2]
Hydropower is the leading source of renewable energy. It provides more than 97% of all electricity generated by renewable sources. Other sources including solar, geothermal, wind, and biomass account for less than 3% of renewable electricity production. [2]
Hydro operators provide many recreation facilities at their hydropower projects including boat landings, swimming beaches, restrooms, picnic areas, fishing piers, hiking and nature trails, canoe portages, and parking facilities. [2]

Citations:

Resources on Hydropower:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.lenntech.com/

http://home.clara.net/

http://www.fwee.org/

http://www.iags.org/

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.energy.ca.gov/

http://www.gdrc.org/

http://www.irn.org/

http://www.nrdc.org/

Geothermal

Geothermal energy is contained in underground reservoirs of steam, hot water, and hot dry rocks. As used at electric generating facilities, hot water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs in the Earth's crust is supplied to steam turbines at electric utilities that drive generators to produce electricity. Moderate-to-low temperature geothermal resources are used for direct-use applications such as district and space heating. Lower temperature, shallow ground, geothermal resources are used by geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool buildings.[1]

Facts:

The first geothermal power plant was built in 1904 in Tuscany, Italy at a place where natural steam was erupting from the earth. [2]
At the end of 2004, there were 43 power plants producing electricity from geothermal energy in the USA. [3]
Archaeological evidence shows that the first human use of geothermal resources in North America occurred more than 10,000 years ago with the settlement of Paleo-Indians at hot springs. [3]
About 2850 megawatts of geothermal generation capacity is available from power plants in the western United States. Geothermal energy generates about 2% of the electricity in Utah, 6% of the electricity in California and almost 10% of the electricity in northern Nevada. The electrical energy generated in the U.S. from geothermal resources is more than twice that from solar and wind combined. [4]

Citations:

Resources Geothermal Energy:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://geothermal.marin.org/

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/

http://www.ucsusa.org/

http://www.energy.ca.gov/

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/

Wind

Winds are created by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, irregularities of the Earth's surface, and the rotation of the Earth. As a result, winds are strongly influenced and modified by local terrain, bodies of water, weather patterns, vegetative cover, and other factors. The wind flow, or motion of energy when harvested by wind turbines, can be used to generate electricity. Wind-based electricity generating capacity has increased markedly in the United States since 1970, although it remains a small faction of total electric capacity.[1]

Facts:

"In 2005, wind machines in the United States generated a total of 17.8 billion kWh per year of electricity, enough to serve more than 1.6 million households. This is enough electricity to power a city the size of Chicago, but it is only a small fraction of the nation's total electricity production, about 0.4 percent." [2]
"Wind is simple air in motion. It is caused by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Since the earth's surface is made of very different types of land and water, it absorbs the sun's heat at different rates." [2]
"Over 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians used wind to sail ships on the Nile River. Later, people built windmills to grind wheat and other grains. The earliest known windmills were in Persia (Iran). These early windmills looked like large paddle wheels. Centuries later, the people of Holland improved the basic design of the windmill. They gave it propeller-type blades, still made with sails." [2]
"1985 - Many wind turbines were installed in California in the early 1980s to help meet growing electricity needs and take advantage of incentives. By 1985, California wind capacity exceeded1,000 megawatt, enough power to supply 250,000 homes. These wind turbines were very inefficient." [3]

Citations:

Resources on Wind Energy:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.energy.iastate.edu/

http://www.awea.org/

http://windeis.anl.gov/

Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic

Solar thermal devices use direct heat from the sun, concentrating it in some manner to produce heat at useful temperatures. The modern solar industry began with the oil embargo of 1973-1974 and was strengthened with the second embargo in 1979. The growth of the solar industry during this period of fuel shortages and high prices (1974-1984) soared from 45 solar collector manufacturing firms to 225 firms. The solar market was helped during this period by government assistance, both Federal and State. Currently, solar thermal devices do everything from heating swimming pools to creating steam for electricity generation. [1]

Photovoltaic devices use semiconducting materials to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar radiation, which is nearly constant outside the Earth's atmosphere, varies with changing atmospheric conditions (clouds and dust) and the changing position of the Earth relative to the sun. Nevertheless, almost all U.S. regions have useful solar resources that can be accessed.[2]

Facts:

"There is enough solar radiation striking the surface of the earth to provide all of our energy needs." [3]
"Da Vinci predicted a solar industrialization as far back as 1447." [4]
"In one hour more sunlight falls on the earth than what is used by the entire population in one year." [4]
"It takes 8 minutes 17 seconds for light to travel from the sun's surface to earth." [5]
"Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his experiments with solar energy and photovoltaics." [5]
"Enough sunlight falls on the earth every minute to meet the world's energy demands for an entire year." [5]
"Solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light." [6]

Citations:

Resources Solar and Photovoltaic Energy:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.solarenergy.org/

http://www.sustainableenergy.qld.edu.au/

http://www.facts-about-solar-energy.com/

http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/

http://www.powerhousetv.com/

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/