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ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi February 2019

Primary energy sources

Solar energy;

Geothermal energy;

Wave power,

Tidal energy;

Nuclear energy.

ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi

February 2019

Introduction
Energy is used in its diversified forms to:
warm and cool buildings
grow food and cook food
extract naturally occurring ore deposits
process ores
manufacture products
power automobiles
for lighting etc
Various authors classify energy source in different ways that include:
renewable and non-renewable
primary and secondary
traditional and non-traditional
traditional and new energy sources
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Solar Energy
 Solar energy refers to energy from electromagnetic radiation from the sun
 It includes energy:
 stored asheat
 inair
 water and chemical energy stored in the biomass of plants

 The sun is the major source of such energy both directly and indirectly
 Solar radiation spectrum consists of:
 X-rays
 Gamma rays
 Ultraviolet rays
 Visible light
 Invisible light
ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
February 2019
 Heat rays

Solar Energy...
 Solar energy is transferred to the earth in four major ways:
 radiation
 conduction
 convection
 advection
 Only 47% of the energy reaches the earth’s surface
 Plants convert the energy into chemical energy which is later combined with
light to perform photosynthesis
 Directconversion is used in heating of domestic water supplies, boilers and
furnaces
 Large glass panes can be used to admit light in a similar way to the greenhouse
 Heat levels of up to 550 degree Celsius can be achieved through the use of
parabolic reflectors
 Such heat is utilised to produce steam required for conventional electricity
generation
ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
February 2019

Solar energy...
Solar cookers have been developed with great success in Zimbabwe and
other SADC countries
Photovoltaic cells convert solar into electricity directly
Environmental Considerations
What environmental considerations can one talk about regarding solar
energy?
Of all the energy sources that are available, solar provides the option for
the most environmentally acceptable way of utilising energy
However, it still remains under utilised, especially in the SADC region
Of late, solar street lighting has been introduced in the city of Harare and
this will directly save the scarce foreign currency which could be
redirected to other areas of critical need (eg., food imports as of 2002)
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February 2019

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Solar Energy...
Environmental Considerations ...
Utilisation of solar also leads to savings in biomass and fossil fuels
associated problems (to be discussed under these sections)
There, however, exists one major problem regarding the disposal of
solar panels after their life
Another problem relates to batteries
New technology that enable their reuse and recycling should be
found if a bigger drive to utilising solar is to be embarked upon

ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi

February 2019

Nuclear Energy
 The end of the second World War was marked by the awesome power of the atom
 Besides theUSA, other nuclear power producing countries include all the so-called super
powers, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Israel and South Africa
 Generation of nuclear energy involves the changing of atoms through:
 fission
 fusion

 In fission, a large atom of one element is split

 This results in 2 smaller atoms of different elements
 During fusion, 2 atoms combine to form a larger atom of different element
 The amount of energy released by such conversions is huge

ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi

February 2019

Nuclear Energy...
 Such energy is used to boil water and produce steam which is used to turn
turbines in the conventional electricity generation process
 A typical nuclear plant has 4 main components:
• reactor core: where fission occurs
• steam generation: where heat produced by fission is used to produce steam
• turbine: which uses the steam to generate electricity
• condenser: which cools the steam

Environmental considerations
 The benefits of a nuclear plant may be best realised if one compares it to an
equivalent of a coal-fired plant of the same capacity
 Lets assume 1000MW of electricity is required
 A coal plant
will consume about 3.5 million tonnes of coal yet only 1.5 tonnes of
uranium are needed for a nuclear plant ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
February 2019

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Nuclear Energy ...

Environmental considerations ...
Over 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be emitted from the coal
plant yet zero are emitted from the nuclear plant
The same applies to other gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides that may reach 40,0000 tonnes
Coal plant will produce solid wastes up to 100,000 tonnes and about 2
tonnes for the nuclear plant
The single, largest concern, however, is the production, storage, treatment,
transportation and disposal of the hazardous radioactive wastes
NB: These will be covered in detail in ESH 1204: Radiation and Pollution
Radioactive wastes are capable of breaking up molecules within cells
ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
February 2019

Nuclear energy...
Environmental considerations ...
This brings the idea of acute and chronic poisoning
In high concentrations, radiation may cause enough harm to prevent
cell divisions
Nuclear plants accidents may occur and these have critical negative
impacts that include deaths, birth defects
The commonly cited nuclear plant accident is that of Chernobyl of 26
April 1986 (Handout)
Nuclear energy has also been misused to further human selfish
motives of oppression (nuclear wars)
Nuclear bombs were used in Japan and the negative effects are still
ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
being felt today February 2019

Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal energy is energy from the earth’s interior (composed of red hot lava)
• At some points on the surface, usually in areas associated with volcanic and
earthquake activities, the immerse heat comes bubbling to the surface in the form
of water and steam
• Such water and steam may have temperatures as high as 300 degrees Celsius
• Such water is used for heating whilst the steam can be trapped for electricity
generation
• Environmental concerns
• The energy source presents a problem of disposing of hot water
• The water ejected has some significant amount of dissolved salts
• Compared to a same size nuclear plant, more water is required in the cooling
processes
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February 2019
• Not a very efficient way of producing electricity

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Wave Energy
 Wave energy is an indirect form of solar energy
 Waves are produced by the stress of wind blowing over the sea and ocean
surfaces
 Dams are constructed by the shores to capture the rising water from waves
 When waves recede, turbines are turned and in the process electricity generated
Environmental Considerations
 There is very limited pollution and it is renewable
 Once in operation, one may need to focus on maintenance costs only and
therefore becomes cheaper
 Initial capital costs are very high though
 Winds may not be strong enough to generate the waves, thus, rendering the plant
unreliable
ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi
 During heavy storms and earthquakes, waves may be destructive February 2019

Tidal Waves
 Tides are a result of gravitational pulls from the moon and to a lesser extend, on
big oceans, the sun
 As the earth rotates, a portion of water is lifted and held in position for a time by
these gravitational forces
 In the process, a high tide then reaches the land
 Tides rise and fall twice a day and can reach a height of about 13.5metres
 As the tide rises it passes through slice gates on the dam wall turning turbines in
the process and this is repeated when receding
Environmental considerations
 Also a form of renewable energy
 Larval stages of marine species may be killed as they pass through the turbines
 Erosion and deposition of sediments may be hastened by tidal projects

ESH 1206 by Nunu & Mudonhi

February 2019

Research work
Identify sources of energy that can be utilised in developing
countries and justify
Factors that should be considered when utilizing nuclear
energy, its advantages and disadvantages

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