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Renewable Energy Technologies

This article provides with useful information about: Renewable Energy Technologies
Renewable energy technologies involve simple techniques that generate huge amount of power. More importantly, they cause lesser environmental damage compared to conventional power generators. Renewable energy technologies are also very effective against global warming as they cause extremely low carbon emission. Each of them has its own unique technology that is effective in energy production.

Wind Turbines

Wind Turbines are generally powered by energy from air flow (wind) producing about 600KW to 5MW of power. Normally, wind is a result of different rates of heating on the earth surface causing pressure gradients. The difference in pressure causes air molecules to move from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure leading to air flow. Wind turbines are placed in areas with very high and constant air flow, such as near sea shores or on mountaintops, to convert their kinetic energy to electrical energy.

Hydropower

Considering that water is 800 times denser than air, it is obvious why hydropower is widely adopted as a form of renewable energy technologies. Hydropower includes Hydroelectric energy (large-scale hydroelectric dams), Micro hydro systems (which typically produce up to 100 kW of power), Damless hydro systems (energy from rivers and oceans without using a dam) and Ocean energy. They function by converting Kinetic energy from moving water to electrical energy.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is tapped from the earth’s crust using power plants like dry steam (which taps steam from fractures in the ground and uses it to drive turbines), flash plants (which takes hot water, usually at over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface and then separates the steam phase to run through a turbine), and binary plants (which makes hot water to flow through heat exchangers and boils an organic fluid that spins the turbine). Very little carbon emissions are produced and used water can be re-injected into the earth to be reused—making it fully sustainable.

Solar Power

Solar technologies use direct energy from the sun to generate electrical energy and can be either passive or active. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels (solar cells) made of thin wafers of two slightly different types of silicon which when put together produce a junction that cause a movement of electrons when exposed to light , constituting an electric current. Thus, they convert light energy into electrical energy. Passive solar techniques involve orienting a building to the Sun and using materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties to absorb heat and ensuring heat circulation.

Bio-energy

Bio-energy makes use of plant matter. Freshly grown plants or plant residues (wastes) are burned to release energy which is used to generate power. Plants absorb this energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Biomass (plants) absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its growth. This is emitted when it is processed to generate electricity. Thus it recycles atmospheric carbon and may reduce global warming impacts.
Renewable energy technologies are very environmentally friendly, making them the energy source of choice for the 21st century, and beyond, for humans who care about their environment. As renewable energy technologies progress, we will be seeing ever increasing sources of cleaner, more eco-friendly energy.