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Renewable energy
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Renewable energy
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Renewable energy
isenergy generated fromnatural resources —such assunlight, wind,
rain,tides,andgeothermal heat —which are renewable(naturally replenished). In 2006,
about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% comingfrom traditional biomass, such aswood-burning.Hydroelectricitywas the next largest
renewable source, providing 3% of global energy consumption and 15% of globalelectricity generation.
Wind power is growing at the rate of 30 percent annually, with a worldwide installedcapacity of 121,000megawatts (MW) in 2008,
and photovoltaic (PV) power stationsare popular
inGermanyand Spain.
Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, andthe largest of these is the 354 MWSEGS power plant in theMojave Desert.
The world'slargestgeothermal power installation isThe Geysersin California, with a rated capacity
of 750 MW.
Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world,involving production of ethanol fuelfrom sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country's automotive fuel.
While most renewable energy projects and production is large-scale, renewabletechnologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote
areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.
Kenya has the world'shighest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.
Some renewable-energy technologies are criticized for beingintermittentor unsightly,yet the renewable-energy market continues to grow. Climate-changeconcerns, coupled
withhigh oil prices, peak oil,and increasing government support, are driving increasing
renewable-energy legislation, incentives andcommercialization.
New governmentspending, regulation and policies should help the industry weather the 2009 economiccrisis better than many other sectors.
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Main forms/sources of renewable energy
Three energy sources2008 worldwide renewable-energy sources.
Source: REN21
The majority of renewable energy technologies are powered by the sun. The Earth-Atmosphere system is in equilibrium such that heat radiation into space is equal toincoming solar radiation, the resulting level of energy within the Earth-Atmosphere
system can roughly be described as the Earth's "climate." The hydrosphere (water)absorbs a major fraction of the incoming radiation. Most radiation is absorbed at lowlatitudes around the equator, but this energy is dissipated around the globe in the form of winds and ocean currents. Wave motion may play a role in the process of transferringmechanical energy between the atmosphere and the ocean through wind stress.
Solar energy is also responsible for the distribution of precipitation which is tapped byhydroelectric projects, and for the growth of plants used to create biofuels.Renewable energy flows involve natural phenomena such assunlight,wind,tidesand
geothermal heat, as the International Energy Agencyexplains:
Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its variousforms, it derives directly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth. Included inthe definition is electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass,geothermal resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources.
Each of these sources has unique characteristics which influence how and where they areused.
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| Upload Date: | 10/21/2009 |
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