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RENEWABLE ENERGY

 Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that do not

deplete or can be replenished within a human’s life time.
 The most common examples include wind, solar, geothermal, biomass,
and hydropower. This is in contrast to non-renewable sources such as
fossil fuels.
 Most renewable energy is derived directly or indirectly from the sun.
 Sunlight can be captured directly using solar technologies.
 The sun's heat drives winds, whose energy is captured with turbines.
Plants also rely on the sun to grow and their stored energy can be
utilized for bioenergy.
 Not all renewable energy sources rely on the sun. For
example, geothermal energy utilizes the Earth’s internal heat, tidal
energy relies on the gravitational pull of the moon,
and hydropower relies on the flow of water.

MERITS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

1. Environmental Benefits
Renewable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that
have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy
technologies.
2. Energy for Our Children's Children (Sustainability)
Renewable energy will not run out. Ever, other sources of energy are
finite and will be depleted one day.
3. Jobs and the Economy
Most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and
workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly
energy imports. Renewable energy investments are usually spent within
the United States, frequently in the same state, and often in the same
town. This means your energy dollars stay home to create jobs and fuel
local economies, rather than going overseas.
4. Energy Security
After the oil supply disruptions of the early 1970s, our nation has
increased its dependence on foreign oil supplies instead of decreasing
it. This increased dependence impacts more than just our national
energy policy.

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AVAILABILITY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable Energy sources are not depleted, and it is distributed over a wide
geographical area, these resources are quickly renewed through natural
process. It won’t create any environmental pollution problems. The main
advantage of using renewable resource is it is available throughout the year.
By a onetime investment we can drew energy for many decades without
affecting the environment.

Fig. 2. Solar energy at small unıt

SOLAR ENERGY

Solar Energy has the greatest potential for providing clean, safe, and reliable
power. The solar energy falling on the Earths continents is more than 200 times
the total annual commercial energy currently being used by humans.

Solar Energy can be classified as two types

1. Passive solar
Passive solar energy is making direct and indirect use of thermal
energies from the sun. Indirect use of Energy is possible only in building
(or) structures (as shown in Fig. 1).
A southern exposure of a building guarantees the maximum exposure
of the sun’s rays. Special metal leaf covering over windows and roofs
can block out the sun during the summer months. Special thermal solar
collectors can circulate water through the collection unit that collect
the sun’s thermal energy for the purpose of heating the water for use

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Active Solar Energy is the use of the sun’s Electro-magnetic radiation in

generating Electrical Energy. Generally semiconductor silicon Boron
solar chips are used for this.

Fig. 2. Solar energy mechanism at the unıt

2. Active solar.

Wind Energy

Wind, ultimately driven by atmospheric air, is just another way of collecting

Energy. Sun also heats the atmosphere, which produces wind. It works on
cloudy days and Rainy season also.

The location of wind turbines is a very important factor, which influences

the performance of the machine. The windmills are generally located at
the top of a tower to heights approximately 30 m. To avoid turbulence
from one turbine affecting the wind flow at others it is located at 5-15
times blades diameter. Windmills are working both in horizontal axis and
vertical axis.

The basic mechanics of the two systems are similar.

Wind passing over the blades is converted in to mechanical power, which

is fed through transmission to an electrical generator. Wind turbines will not
work in winds below 13 km an hour. They work best where the wind speed
averages 22 km an hour. The majority of wind turbines produced at the
present time are horizontal axis turbine with three blades,15-30 m
diameter, producing 50-350 Kw of Electricity.

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Wind energy produces no air or water pollution, involves no toxic or

hazardous substances, and poses no threat to public safety.

Biomass Energy

Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is
a renewable source of energy.

Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's
energy in a process called photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the
chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. Biomass can be burned
directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can be burned as
fuels.

Examples of biomass and their uses for energy:

Wood and wood processing wastes—burned to heat buildings, to

produce process heat in industry, and to generate electricity

Agricultural crops and waste materials—burned as a fuel or converted to

liquid biofuels

Food, yard, and wood waste in garbage—burned to generate electricity

in power plants or converted to biogas in landfills

Animal manure and human sewage—converted to biogas, which can be

burned as a fuel

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Converting biomass to energy

Solid biomass, such as wood and garbage, can be burned directly to

produce heat. Biomass can also be converted into a gas called biogas or
into liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. These fuels can then be
burned for energy.

Biogas forms when paper, food scraps, and yard waste decompose in
landfills, and it can be produced by processing sewage and animal
manure in special vessels called digesters.

Ethanol is made from crops such as corn and sugar cane that are
fermented to produce fuel ethanol for use in vehicles. Biodiesel is
produced from vegetable oils and animal fats and can be used in
vehicles and as heating oil.

How much biomass is used for fuel?

Biomass fuels provided about 5% of total primary energy use in the United
States in 2017. Of that 5%, about 47% was from biofuels (mainly ethanol),
44% was from wood and wood-derived biomass, and 10% was from the
biomass in municipal waste. (Sum of percentages is greater than 100%
because of independent rounding) Researchers are trying to develop
ways to use more biomass for fuel.

Tidal Power

Oceans cover Two Thirds of the Earth’s surface. This water is vast reservoir
of renewable energy. India is naturally located in seashore side and
covered 3 sides by sea.

The movement of the water at the coastal front in kinetic energy that can
be converted into Electrical energy. The energy spread out along the
thousands of km of coasts, in favourable locations, the energy density can
average 65MW/mile of coastline an amount which can lead to
economical wave generated Electricity.

The cheapest method to draw tidal power is that the oscillating water
columns use the force of waves entering a fixed device to generate
Electricity. The waves entering the anchored compress air in a vertical
pipe. This compressed air can be used to simply derive a turbine
generator producing Electricity. The main problem of wave power plants is
cyclone and severe storms.

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Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable.
Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot
water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and
down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock
called magma.

Almost everywhere, the shallow ground or upper 10 feet of the Earth's

surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between 50° and 60°F
(10° and 16°C).

Geothermal heat pumps can tap into this resource to heat and cool
buildings. A geothermal heat pump system consists of a heat pump, an air
delivery system (ductwork), and a heat exchanger-a system of pipes
buried in the shallow ground near the building. In the winter, the heat
pump removes heat from the heat exchanger and pumps it into theindoor
air delivery system

In the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pump moves heat
from the indoor air into the heat exchanger. The heat removed from the
indoor air during the summer can also be used to provide a freesource of
hot water

FOSSIL FUELS

Fossil fuels are fuels that come from old life forms that decomposed over a
long period of time. The three most important fossil fuels are coal,
petroleum, and natural gas.

Oil and gas are hydrocarbons (molecules that have only hydrogen and
carbon in them). Coal is mostly carbon. These fuels are called fossil fuels
because they are dug up from underground. Coal mining digs up solid
fuel; gas and oil wells bring up liquid fuel

USES

Most of the fuels people burn are fossil fuels. A big use is to make
electricity. In power plants fossil fuels, usually coal, are burned to heat
water into steam, which pushes a fan-like object called a turbine. When
the turbine spins around, magnets inside the turbine make electricity.

Crude oil can be separated to make various fuels such as LPG, gasoline,
kerosene, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. These substances are made by

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fractional distillation in an oil refinery. They are the main fuels in

transportation. That means that they are burned in order to move cars,
trucks, ships, airplanes, trains and even spacecraft. Without them, there
wouldn't be much transport.

People also burn fossil fuels to heat their homes. They use coal less for this
than they did long ago, because it makes things dirty. In many homes,
people burn natural gas in a stove for cooking.

Fossil fuels are widely used in construction

DISADVANTAGES

Most air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels. This can be reduced by
making the combustion process more efficient, and by using various
techniques to reduce the escape of harmful gases. This pollution is
responsible for causing the earth to get warmer, called global warming.
They are also non-renewable resources, there is only a limited amount of
coal, gas, and oil, and it is not possible to make more. Eventually all the
fossil fuels will be used. Some scientists think that coal will have run out by
2200 and oil by 2040.

Renewable energy sources like biomass energy such as firewood are

being used. Countries are also increasing the use of wind power, tidal
energy, and solar energy to generate electricity. Some governments are
helping automobile makers to develop electric cars and hybrid cars that
will use less oil.

One major advantage of renewable energy is that it is sustainable and will

never run out. They provide clean energy because they are non-pollutant
and non-contributor to greenhouse effects and global warming.

Renewable energy facilities generally require less maintenance than

traditional generators. Their fuel being derived from natural and available
resources reduces the costs of operation.

Disadvantages

It is easy to recognise the environmental advantages of utilising the

alternative and renewable forms of energy but we must also be aware of
the disadvantages.

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 It can be difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as

large as those produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. This
may mean that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use
or simply build more energy facilities. It also indicates that the best
solution to our energy problems may be to have a balance of many
different power sources.
 Renewable energy often relies on the weather for its source of
power and this can impact the reliability of a consistent energy
supply. Hydro generators need rain to fill dams to supply flowing
water. Wind turbines need wind to turn the blades, and solar
collectors require clear skies and sunshine to collect heat and make
electricity. When these resources are unavailable so is the capacity
to make energy from them. This can be unpredictable and
inconsistent.
 Renewable energy produces little or no waste products such as
carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so have a minimal
impact on the environment. Unlike coal, renewable energy pays off
its carbon footprint and does so relatively quickly. Depending on
where they are made, solar panels offset their carbon footprint in
about four years.
 Renewable energy projects can also bring economic benefits to
many regional areas, as most projects are located away from large
urban centres and suburbs of the capital cities. These economic
benefits may be from the increased use of local services.

WOOD HEATING

Wood Heating and Environmental Sustainability

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Sustainability is usually defined as ensuring that our actions today do not

limit the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The use of
renewable energy sources is considered to be sustainable because they
can be used forever without being depleted.

Wood is also considered to be a renewable energy resource, but on the

question of sustainability, the picture is not quite as simple.

Wood is a renewable energy source in the sense that a tree cut for fuel will
naturally be replaced by a young tree that springs up in its place. This is
certainly true, but there are conditions attached.

The use of wood as a fuel is not sustainable if the trees are harvested in a
way that damages the site.

For example, if a stand of mature hardwood trees were clear cut the site
could be damaged by erosion and the elimination of shade to such an
extent that high value hardwoods would not re-grow there for many
generations, if ever.

Sustainable forest management usually means that the site is maintained

with a variety of tree species of various ages and that harvesting practices
select only those trees that can be removed without damaging the forest
ecosystem.

The use of wood fuel is also sustainable on the condition that it is

converted to heat with reasonable efficiency. Wood that is burned in
fireplaces at very low efficiency is wasted for just the brief pleasure of
watching the flames.

On the other hand, if wood is burned in a modern EPA certified stove or

fireplace, its use can immediately reduce the consumption of one of the
other heating fuels like oil, natural gas or propane. This type of
displacement is important because it is one of the ways we can reduce
the carbon dioxide emissions that are linked to the problem of global
climate change.

As trees grow, their leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air in a process
called photosynthesis. This carbon dioxide is converted to the carbon that
is used in the tree to build its structure. Chemically, about half the dry
weight of wood is carbon. The ability of trees to absorb carbon dioxide is
the reason environmentalists promote tree-planting as a way to reduce
net greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. In one sense it could

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be argued that burning wood for heating is a problem because it means

fewer live trees are available to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
However that argument does not take account of the second part of the
natural carbon cycle.

After a tree reaches maturity it dies because of disease, rot and insect
infestation and falls to the forest floor. There, it decomposes, a process of
slow oxidation which emits CO2. In fact, whether a tree is processed into
firewood and burned, or whether it dies and decomposes on the forest
floor, the same amount of CO2 is emitted. In either case, the space the
tree had occupied in the forest is now opened up to sunlight that spurs the
growth of young trees on that site, increasing their absorption of CO2 from
the atmosphere.

The process of CO2 absorption by trees and its emission back to the
atmosphere during decomposition or burning of wood is the natural,
renewable carbon cycle. The carbon cycle of the forest and the use of
wood as fuel is sustainable provided the trees are harvested so the site is
not damaged and the fuel is converted efficiently to heat energy.

Your family can encourage and participate in the sustainable use of

wood energy in three important ways.

1. Let your firewood supplier know you care about the source of the wood
being offered for sale. Does it come from sustainably managed forests? If
more customers asked their suppliers this question, all of the participants in
the firewood business would know that the public is watching and
interested in the way they conduct their business.

2. Processed firewood made up of perfectly regular wedges of straight

grain wood is less likely to be from a sustainable source than rougher
looking firewood that has crooked pieces, various sizes including unsplit
small diameter pieces, and some pieces with sections of rot. Firewood that
looks a little rough is more likely to come from over-mature trees of the
kind that can be removed without affecting the health of the forest and
are not of much use for other purposes like lumber, furniture production, or
even CO2 absorption. Also, rougher looking firewood results when more of
the tree is processed, meaning there is less waste.

3. Use an efficient appliance so the maximum heat energy is extracted

from each piece of firewood. This objective is best achieved by using an

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EPA certified advanced combustion wood stove or fireplace. These units

are around 70 per cent efficient, which is up to 30 per cent more efficient
than older airtight stoves. These stoves and fireplaces also have the
advantage of burning much cleaner – producing less air pollution – than
conventional equipment.

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