1.0 The stereotypical 21st century individual depends heavily on electrical equipment and fuel guzzling motors which in the past have been considered a luxury or non existent. The resultant of this has been an overwhelming demand for energy which at present is majority created by extracting fossil fuels from the earth. This over exploitation of the earths resources are being depleted much faster than new ones are being forms, therefore there is a global movement toward the generation of renewable energy to help meet future energy needs and that is what this report focuses on, types of renewable energy why we are turning to these green energies.
1.1 Our dependency on electrical technology and transport is growing at an alarming rate which surges demand for electricity. Currently our method of creating electricity depends 86% on fossil fuels according to Wikipedia, which in the past was sufficient but in modern day we understand the impact that the use of these fuels entail. The fact that energy reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed leaves a worrying question of when are our resources going to run out, so we need a plan, the renewable energy sector is the future of our energy needs.
1.2 Renewable energies are energies generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tide, geothermal heat which are naturally replenished and have little impact on our environment. We are currently designing technologies to capture these energy forces in the most efficient way possible, which is going to be the main priority in this sector in the years to come. The race is on to build systems that will be used in the future by the sectors technology companies.
Methodology:
I researched these topics using the college library and the internet. I found most of my information on the web and in-depth information on issues brought up in this report may be found by following the references in my bibliography.
2. Energy Options
2.1 Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy such as electricity using wind turbines, it is a attractive power source alternative to fossil fuels because it is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean and produces no green house gas emissions.
2.2 Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower i.e. the production of electricity by the gravitational force of falling water. Most hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator.
2.3 Solar energy uses daylight to convert solar radiation into electricity. The daylight which shines on pv cells creates an electric field causing electricity to flow, the greater the power of the light the greater the flow of electricity.
2.4 Geothermal electricity is the power extracted from heat stored in the earth. Geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of mineral and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. Recent activity to capture this energy is heat pumps for home heating.
2.5 Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Although not yet widely used, due to lack of investment in the technologies, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power, tidal power is the only form of energy which derives directly from the relative motions of the earth â€"moon system. Tidal power is non exhaustant due to the earth’s movements
2.6 Bio fuels: plants use photosynthesis to grow and produce biomass, also known as bio matter; this can be used to create fuel directly. Agriculturally produced biomass fuels Biodiesel, ethanol and biogas can be burned in internal combustion engines or boilers. Bio fuel is burned to release its stored chemical energy.
3. Growth of renewable energy:
3.1 From the end of 2001 to the end of 2008 the use of solar energy increased six fold to more than 16 gigawatts. The use of wind power capacity increased 250 per cent to 121 G.W, and total power capacity from new renewable increased 75% to 280G.W. During the same year solar heating increased to 145 G.W which was double. Biodiesel production increased six fold to 12 billion litres per year and ethanol production doubled to 67 million litres per year those figures were gathered from www.wikipedia.com . Based on presently available technologies, the future of renewable energy is strong.
3.2 Renewable energy presents the only known possibility for Irish energy sustainability. It appears to have the potential to meet all of Ireland’s energy needs at reasonable cost.
4. Future of renewable energy:
4.1 We are at the beginning of the end of the fossil fuelled economy, our priority is to plan our way into a sustainable era. This planning will not be cheap and government backing is what is going to fuel our transition to a greener future. The current economy outlook is bleak and a question which Is currently asked is, can the economy cope with this kind of transition?, expenditure wise we cannot, but future investment would create jobs and shorting dole queues and in time bring in credit to bring our national grid to a 1st class standard.
5. Conclusion:
5.1 This report focuses on what will be an increasingly urgent debate on the future of energy. The reader is directed to the references for an in-depth discussion of the issues. It goes through the different options of renewable energy available to us and why we are looking towards these options and what has changed in the world since we considered fossil fuel as the desirable fuel for the future. A renewable energy future is desirable, possible and inevitable.
