Environment Awareness: Applications of Renewable Energy

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Environment Awareness: Applications of Renewable Energy

Introduction:
Energy is a basic requirement for economic development. Energy is needed
to cook, provide light and heat, drive vehicles and to drive machinery in
industries and many mores. Consumption of energy in all forms has been
steadily rising all over the country.

Law of conservation of energy says that energy can neither be created nor
destroyed. It can only be transformed to one from to another form.

Energy is available in nature within its different resources. We use those


energy resources to get the required energy. We also change the form of
energy by some processes to get the energy in required form.

For example, we burn coal to convert the chemical energy stored inside the
coal to convert it to heat. Then we may use that heat to cook.

The processes for energy conversion are having large impact on


environment. So, the study of the sources of energy and the processes for
conversion are of great importance and we must ensure that energy
conversion must have optimum environmental impact.

What Is Non-Renewable Energy :


Non Renewable energy is energy that is collected from non-renewable
resources.
Non-renewable energy resources are natural resources that will run out or
will not be replenished in our lifetimes—or even in many, many lifetimes.
Carbon is the main element in fossil fuels. For this reason, the time period
that fossil fuels formed (about 360-300 million years ago) is called the
Carboniferous Period.

Examples of non-renewable energy sources :


 Coal
 Petroleum,
 Natural gas.
 Nuclear energy
What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources.
A renewable resource is a natural resource which will replenish/restore
to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through
natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of
time in a human time scale.
Examples of Renewable Energy Resources:

 Sunlight
 Wind
 Rain
 Tides
 Waves
 Geothermal Heat
 Biomass

Pictorial View of Renewable and Non Renewable Energy

Use of Renewable Energy Resources And Their Impact On


Environment
Fossil fuels are a valuable source of energy. They are relatively inexpensive
to extract. They can also be stored, piped, or shipped anywhere in the
world. They are very efficient .They are used mainly for:

 For production of electricity


 For heating and cooking
 For different manufacturing process
 For transportation

However, burning fossil fuels is harmful for the environment. When


fossil fuels are combusted (heated), they release carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas that keeps heat in Earth’s
atmosphere, a process called the “greenhouse effect.” When coal and oil are
burned, they release particles that can

 Pollute The Air


 Pollute the Water
 Pollute the Land
 Damage To Public Health and Wildlife
 Create Habitat Loss
 Global Warming Emission

Why We Should Use Renewable Energy More:


The reasons are following:

 Less Global Warming: most renewable energy sources produce


little to no global warming emissions.
 Improved public health: The air and water pollution emitted by
coal and natural gas plants is linked with breathing problems,
neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, premature death, and a
host of other serious problems.
Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no
associated air pollution emissions.
 Inexhaustible energy : Strong winds, sunny skies, abundant plant
matter, heat from the earth, and fast-moving water can each provide
a vast and constantly replenished supply of energy.
 Jobs and other economic benefits: Compared with fossil fuel
technologies, which are typically mechanized and capital intensive,
the renewable energy industry is more labor intensive. Solar panels
need humans to install them; wind farms need technicians for
maintenance.
 Stable energy prices
 Reliability and resilience
Applications of Renewable Energy:
Solar Energy:
Solar energy is the most readily available and free source of energy. Solar
energy can be utilised through two different routes, as solar thermal route
and solar electric (solar photovoltaic) routes. Solar thermal route uses the
sun's heat to produce hot water or air, cook food, drying materials etc.
Solar photovoltaic uses sun's heat to produce electricity for lighting home
and building, running motors, pumps, electric appliances, and lighting.

Wind Energy:
Wind power is not a new development as this power, in the form of
traditional windmills -for grinding corn, pumping water, sailing ships -
have been used for centuries. Now wind power is harnessed to generate
electricity in a larger scale with better technology.

Bio Energy:
Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous
waste of various human and natural activities. It is derived from numerous
sources, including the by-products from the wood industry, agricultural
crops, raw material from the forest, household wastes etc. It can be used as

 Biogas Plants
 Biomass Briquetting
 Biomass Gasifiers

Bio Fuel
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly
into liquid fuels— biofuels— for our transportation needs (cars, trucks,
buses, airplanes, and trains). The two most common types of biofuels are
ethanol and biodiesel.

Hydro Energy
The potential energy of falling water, captured and converted to
mechanical energy by waterwheels, powered the start of the industrial
revolution

Micro Small and Medium Hydro Power is a reliable, mature and proven
technology. It is non-polluting, and does not involve setting up of large
dams or problems of deforestation, submergence and rehabilitation
Tidal and Ocean Energy

Tidal Energy Tidal electricity generation involves the construction of a


barrage across an estuary to block the incoming and outgoing tide. The
head of water is then used to drive turbines to generate electricity from the
elevated water in the basin as in hydroelectric dams. B

Ocean Energy Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth's surface, making
them the world's largest solar collectors. Ocean energy draws on the
energy of ocean waves, tides, or on the thermal energy (heat) stored in the
ocean. The sun warms the surface water a lot more than the deep ocean
water, and this temperature difference stores thermal energy.

Present scenario of renwable energy in india

Steps to Promote of Renewable Energy:


The above discussion clarifies that we need to promote renewable energy
for a meet the energy shortage and for a better environment. Some of the
steps are as follows
 Awareness Raising and Access to Information
 Developing Academic Curriculam for Renewable Energy
 Strategic Development of a Renewable Energy Industry and Markets

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