Q 08: Part 2

Advantages of Renewable Energy

First, it's good to look at the advantages of using renewable energy sources
instead of burning fossil fuels. Here are several important benefits of using
renewable energy:

1. Renewable Energy Sources Will Not Run Out

As it comes from the name, a renewable energy source is sustainable, meaning

that it will not run out soon. For example, the sun is expected to shine every
morning for at least 4.5 - 5.5 billion years to come, so we can consider it a
renewable source of energy. This might be the most important difference
between renewables and fossil fuels.

2. Renewable Energy Is Reliable

Despite fossil fuels that are always subject to disputes and wars between
countries, we can easily and peacefully gain control of renewable energy sources.
In other words, trade laws, political instabilities, territorial claims, and
markets' turmoil cannot impact the use of renewable energy sources.

Although renewable energy sources are not distributed equally, with a smart and
widespread energy network, it's possible to use them as reliable means of
supplying energy.

3. Renewable Energy Is Environmentally Friendly

Renewable energy sources are natural ways of energy generation, and therefore,
can be considered clean. Although renewable energy technologies can cause
some emissions, overall, minimum carbon and GHG will be emitted to the
environment when using them.

When you compare them with fossil fuels, the difference is significant. Therefore,
catastrophic environmental issues like global warming, climate change, and low
air quality can be omitted if we go for renewable energy.

4. Renewable Energy Can Increase Public Health

By reducing greenhouse emissions and other polluting substances, we'll have
healthier air and soil. This will definitely improve public health, and subsequently,
people we'll have happier lives. Additionally, having a healthier population will
cause a significant reduction in the health budget people and governments should
set aside each year.

Scientists have tried to improve fossil fuel technologies to make them less
polluting without reducing the efficiency. However, renewable energy
technologies are still way healthier than traditional technologies.

5. Renewable Technologies Create Lots of Jobs

Apart from the environmental impact of using renewable technologies, they can
have some beneficial influence on the economy. This is especially important in
some unprivileged regions. In fact, this is a new and stable job market that has
recently emerged and can empower people in poor areas.

With a concerted effort and prudent investment, renewable jobs can reduce
poverty all over the globe. Also, it can prevent people from emigrating from the
countryside to urban areas. Governments can offer them a fair share for
generating renewable electricity in their farms. In advanced countries such as the
UK, numerous renewable jobs have already been created in the wake of
governmental grants.

6. Renewable Technologies Require Less Maintenance Cost

If you look at renewable energy technologies and compare them with fossil fuels'
power stations, you see less moving or combusting parts. Although you can see
turbines in wind farms or hydropower stations, solar energy systems don’t need
any rotating parts. This makes renewable energy technologies more durable, and
therefore, you will spend less money on maintenance and repair. Overall, the
operational cost of renewable energy stations is significantly less than what we
see in traditional power stations.

7. Renewable Energy Can Reduce Turmoil in Energy Prices

If you usually follow the news, you must have heard of daily ups and downs in the
oil prices. Renewable energy can be of great help in this regard and reduce these
turmoil and make the global energy market more stable. Because using
renewable energy only demands an initial investment, and you don't need any
fuels.

On the contrary, using traditional technologies demands a significant budget for

fossil fuels prices, which is subject to ever-existing inflations. When countries
reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, the prices in this market will change more
smoothly.

8. Renewable Energy Can Increase Countries' Economic Independence

With a distributed network of renewable energy technologies, countries with no

fossil fuel resources can reduce their energy dependence. In fact, local people can
generate electricity using renewable technologies and help governments reduce
oil imports. This will decrease the risk of energy crisis and has a beneficial
influence on the countries' sustainable development.

9. Leftovers Can Be Used in Renewable Technologies

Landfills are among the major crises in the world. It's good to know that some
sorts of renewable energy technologies can use leftovers and reduce the amount
of and waste materials that are piled in landfills.

Biomass energy, for instance biomass boilers, has this beneficial aspect that
can consume used organic products as fuel. This is a promising way that lets us kill
two birds with a single stone.
First, reducing the size of landfills, and second, generating energy without paying
for fossil fuels.

Challenges of Renewables resources:

Availability of Power
One of the biggest concerns in the field of renewable energy is power generation
depending on natural resources that are uncontrollable by humans. For example,
solar powered electricity is generated only when sunshine is available and turns
off at night; wind energy also depends on the availability of wind, so if the wind
speed is very low, the turbine will not turn, and this result in zero power flow to
the grid. On the other hand, too much wind can damage the generator and
therefore a delicate balance needs to be maintained in order to keep a consistent
generation of energy. The uncertainty in energy production in renewable energy
technologies is making integration more complex.

Power Quality Issues

Consistently high power quality is needed to ensure stability and high efficiency of
the network. The quality of the power supply allows the system to work well with
high reliability and lower costs. On the other hand, poor power quality can have
major adverse effects on the power grid as well as industrial processes. It can lead
to high costs and equipment failure. Power quality problems include frequency
disorder, voltage/current harmonics, low power factor, voltage variation and
transmission lines transits.

Most renewable energy plants that share their energy with the grid require large
areas of space. In most cases, renewable energy sources are dictated by location
which can be off-putting to users. Firstly, some renewable energy sources are
simply not available in different regions. Secondly, the distance between the
renewable energy source and the grid is a major aspect in term of cost and
efficiency. In addition to this, renewable energy sources depend on weather,
climate and geographical location, therefore meaning that one type of energy
generation is not appropriate for the region.

Information Barrier
While this area is improving, there is a lack of information and awareness about
the benefits and need of renewable energy. Investment and capital allowances
have been made available for the implementation of renewable energies. There is
a clear need for government agencies to assist and advice applicants and
potential recipients how to go about applying for renewable energy incentives.

Cost Issue
The high initial cost of installation is one of the major hurdles in the development
of renewable energy. Although the development of a coal plant requires about $6
per megawatt, it is known that wind and solar power plants also required high
investment. In addition to this, storage systems of the generated energy is
expensive and represents a real challenge in terms of megawatt production.

The Efficiency of Renewable Technologies Is Low

Each type of energy requires a specific technology so that we can convert it into
electricity. The efficiency of energy conversion devices is of great importance
when it comes to prioritizing energy sources. Unfortunately, the efficiency of
renewable technologies is not that high compared with traditional energy
conversion devices. 

For example, solar panel efficiency, that are available in the market, is between
15% and 20%. On the other hand, traditional technologies that use coal or natural
gas can respectively reach efficiency levels of up to 40% and 60%.

Renewable Energy Sites Require A Lot of Space

To harness nature's energies, we need a lot of space. This will cause many
problems for renewable energy sites. In comparison with traditional power
stations, we have to use more land for establishing renewable energy farms.

Renewable Energy Devices Need Recycling

Generating electricity from renewable energy sources produces way lower levels
of pollution. But renewable devices are subject to some concerns because
manufacturing them and also their disposal process might emit pollution.

For example, solar cells will fail to perform well after a while, so we need to throw
them away. But these devices might be toxic, and as a result, we need to think of
a recycling process for them.
Part 1 : Construction industry progress towards sustainability with
renewable materials
With an increasing number of government regulations encouraging net-zero
carbon future to limit global temperature rise, the construction industry is on a
way to design, construct and operate buildings that improve their environmental
sustainability along with the internal environment for users. The construction
sector is known to possess the huge untapped potential for improving
sustainability in every component of its value chain with digitalization, innovative
technologies and new techniques of construction. Construction companies are
leveraging advanced technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM),
smart building technologies and new building materials to attain a greater
maturity towards sustainability.

Government regulations encourage adoption of renewable materials

In the mission to transform the construction industry into a sustainable sector,
various renewable materials in the construction market have been identified,
which hold the potential to replace the existing construction materials. The major
objective here is to save energy, water, and various non-renewable resources to
reap long term benefits. Construction companies are particular about introducing
renewable materials in construction activities to avoid the imposition of any
regulations in the future. To propel such initiatives towards sustainability,
recognized organizations such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) are encouraging the construction companies by awarding green building
certification. The growing trend of such recognitions has been increasing the
supply of renewable material in construction.

Use of sustainable materials impart brand recognition to companies

Along with growing awareness and restrictions, consumer awareness holds a
major significance in promoting renewable materials in construction. Growing
consumer awareness regarding the environment is adversely affecting the
demand for conventional construction materials. In a way, consumer inclination
towards renewable materials is a major factor fueling their use in the construction
sector. The fact that sustainable buildings tap into this growing trend of eco-
friendliness, is making them a marker for brand recognition for companies striving
to make a difference in the correlation between construction and environment.
Wood creates profitable avenues in the market
Wood is one of the most sought after renewable resources that can contribute to
sustainability in the construction industry. Though deforestation makes it difficult
to think of wood as a sustainable material, it gets upper hand over man-made
construction materials like concrete and steel that leave a high carbon footprint.
Market players in the construction industry are using wood instead of steel or
concrete to substantially reduce the environmental impact of construction, as
well as its operating costs. Moreover, the manufactures in the construction sector
are embracing advances in building technology to extend the use of wood in a
wide range of non-residential, multi-story and long-span buildings. The
construction industry has been introducing construction accordingly, to
accommodate wood construction methods.

Manufacturers embrace technological advancements to create new materials

With the help of Green concrete technology, construction companies are utilizing
waste materials with recycled commodities such as mining wastes, glass wastes,
and burnt clay to develop renewable materials for construction. The output is a
low-maintenance and long-lasting renewable material for construction called
green concrete. Manufacturers are designing these concretes while keeping in
mind the entire construction life cycle, composed of structural design,
parameters, production techniques, and maintenance methodologies. This
concrete is highly demanded in the market as there are they release no harmful
emissions. Also, it ensures a reduction in the emission of CO2 into the
environment.

Plastic bricks are the other product of technology that are used as renewable
materials in construction activities. This product is unique in its way of spreading
eco-friendliness as it gives a viable solution to the ever-increasing challenge in the
disposal of plastic. It is an innovative concept where plastic is reused and mixed
with cement aggregates to crate shapes of bricks. This has proven to be a
spectacular solution for overcoming the long-standing issue of plastic waste. A
high ratio of tensile strength and weight of plastic material works in favor of these
bricks. Manufacturers are adopting increasingly adopting these bricks as a
construction material as they are lighter than conventional bricks. Moreover, they
have superb insulation properties for noise and heat, which is way more than
normal bricks.
Regenerative plants highly demanded as raw materials
Bamboo has been used as a renewable building material for decades in the
construction of buildings. However, its preference has increased recently owing to
the scarcity of the wood. Rapid regenerative properties along with low cost make
it a favorite for manufacturers in the market. Bamboo roofing sheets exhibit a
high tolerance to extreme weathering conditions, making them an apt
construction material for the geographical region with extreme climates. Sugar
cane is another naturally grown regenerative raw material used to create
Bagasse, renewable materials used in construction. Besides, being composted in a
short period without causing environmental harm, Bagasse is used as a biofuel for
producing energy and heat along with electricity. These multifaceted benefits pile
up its demand in the market.

Light-weight materials preferred for construction

A mixture of clay with other naturally occurring products such as rice ash husk
and sawdust gives Porotherm bricks, a highly durable renewable material that can
be used in construction. Construction companies are seeking these bricks as
construction materials for their light-weight. Other attributes such as low water
absorption, fire-proof and thermal insulation also enhance their applicability in
the construction industry. Fly Ash bricks, made of waste products that refrain
from releasing harmful toxins into the environment are giving new life to
renewable construction materials. Manufactures prefer theses bricks over clay
ones as this green building material is known to absorb less heat and water, which
increases the profitability aspect for the investors. Besides being light-weight, the
energy-efficient manufacturing of these bricks is garnering huge popularity for
them in the market.

Besides technical developments that are encouraging the sustainability and use of
renewable materials in the construction segment, the millennial population is
emerging as a major driver for sustainable buildings. The growing population of
individuals taking a tough stance to battle climate change, by protesting on the
streets and demanding systemic changes are the ones building paths of
sustainable future for upcoming generations.