Importance of renewable energy sources

Renewable energy systems - General info

Lately there has been some problems in the supply of conventional energy sources (those that come from fossil fuels) so it is really no wonder that more and more nations are interested to use different renewable energy systems in order to satisfy their growing energy demand. All renewable energy systems have one thing in common, namely the fact that there are harnessed from nature. This means that they are constantly replenished unlike the fossil fuels that are likely to run out in years to come. These advantages are making them more and more popular compared to conventional energy sources.

Renewable energy sectors are all about using natural sources to create energy. These natural sources usually include the sun, water, wind, and geothermal sources. The science and technology are constantly developing so it is logical to expect even more renewable energy sources in years to come, as well as the highly improved efficiency of existing ones.

Many people think of the sun, or to be more precise solar energy as the main future energy source. Throughout the history of the humanity Sun has been used to give light and heat but Sun's almost unlimited potential can provide electricity enough for the whole planet. Different methods have been used to harness energy from Sun, and the simplest method is through the use of a photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells contain a special technology that traps the sun's energy and converts it into electricity.

Water is also one very important source for clean renewable energy. The most common form of using water to get electricity is hydroelectric energy that is acquired from large river dams. Hydroelectric power stations are usually built in large river systems that have big quantifies of water. The more water there is, the easier it is to produce kinetic energy, which is then used to produce electricity. Beside hydroelectric energy there are also some other energy sources that harness water to get electricity such as wave and tidal power.

Wind power is also one renewable energy sector in the rise, especially in some European countries like Denmark and Germany. Basically wind power uses the same principle found in hydroelectric dams to convert the wind kinetic energy to electricity. There are lots of windy areas across the globe, and in many parts of the world people are trying to harness wind energy as much as possible, though efficiency of this energy source still remains a big problem, largely because of inconsistency of wind blowing.

Geothermal power is another excellent form of renewable energy system. Geothermal energy uses the heat from deep inside the earth to produce electricity. Various methods have been developed to do this, and the most common method is harnessing the steam that naturally comes out of fissures on the ground. Geothermal energy is mostly used on Iceland.

It is not very had to conclude that if science and technology continue their development, renewable energy systems could be more than enough to satisfy world energy demand in years to come. If this happens this will have very positive effect by eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, which has blamed as the main factor contributing to climate change problem.

Main advantage of using renewable energy sources

Though there are some significant advantages in using renewable energy sources fossil fuels still remain dominant energy sources in many parts of the world. For instance statistical data shows that the United States still gets 90% of its electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. Despite recent "go green" strategy in United States coal-burning power plants are still dominant sources for producing electricity. Of course these power plants are also the country's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is mostly responsible for climate change and global warming problem. Coal is really the main source of pollution and greenhouse gases around the world, mainly because this fossil fuel is cheap and easily available which makes its use justifiable from economic point of view.

Obama and the federal government are working hard to decrease country's reliance to coal power by providing at least 20% of country's total energy demand from renewable sources of energy by 2020. Generally speaking ever-increasing use of fossil fuels has done big damage to our environment and now we have to take care of that before it is too late. With this in mind technology and science are working hard to introduce highly improved renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal to lessen our dependence on coal and other fossil fuels.

Many energy experts agree that a very good start would be utilizing the power of the sun. This is the oldest energy source that has vast potential so it is really a surprise why this technology has not been used earlier. As the world energy demand keeps on growing there is also the need to convert the sun's energy to electricity on a much larger scale. Solar power has potential to become one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources, with a little more investments on solar panels and generators needed to really make the difference. Solar panels that are created nowadays can be very easy adapted with the architectural design of modern-day homes and office buildings. The negative factor are high installation costs that are still more expensive than simply buying power from utility companies, but the benefits can soon bring back that bit more money invested in it.

Wind energy is a cheaper alternative to solar power. There are growing number of people that install do-it-yourself windmills on their lands to generate enough electricity for their homes, ranches, and farms. Windmills of course have long history and tradition of using it, and if you're on a windy location you should definitely consider using this renewable energy source. Some countries like Denmark, Spain, Portugal and the Great Britain are utilizing wind farms to power large portions of their communities. Modern-day wind turbines still haven't been used to their full potential in United States, though there is significant progress in some U.S. states.

Geothermal energy is definitely a renewable energy source to consider. The trapped heat in earth's core can be greater than 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. By harnessing its steam we can turn this heat into electricity. Besides this we can also use the energy from the underground directly by installing geothermal heat pumps to generate home heating and cooling provisions for both households as well as industrial facilities.

Sustainable energy future can be only done with the help of renewable energy sources and this really is the main advantage that these energy sources have over traditional fossil fuels. World has come to a point where it has to not only satisfy ever-growing energy demand but also to do this on ecologically acceptable way in order to save our environment, and this can't be done without the renewable energy sources.

Why is renewable energy sector so important?

Many energy experts believe that we are using negligible percentage of currently available renewable energy, and that energy sector should be much more exploited than it is today. If we could only be using a small part of currently available Sun's energy for instance that would be more than enough to satisfy global energy demand couple of times.

Using renewable energy sources is not only highly beneficial from energetic point of view but also from ecological point of view because by utilizing the renewable energy we can save our environment for our future generations. Currently the most talked about renewable energy sources are wind and sun, and many people see these two energy sources dominant in years to come.

Our world needs quick awakening and much better use of renewable energy sources if we want to save our planet. Fossil fuels are not only sources of tremendous pollution but also sources of heat trapping gases, most notably CO2, responsible for climate change problem. Therefore it is of vital importance to continue development in science in technology to improve efficiency and cost-competitiveness of renewable energy sources so they'll be able to put fossil fuels aside.

There are certain drawbacks in using renewable energy. For instance the solar power is significantly less effective in cloudy weather and the wind power highly ineffective to use during calm days. But combining couple of renewable energy sources can hide these drawbacks. For instance a home solar power has the ability to generate power all day while a home wind power can generate power only when strong wind blows, so these systems can compliment each other and make up for each others weaknesses.

Unless we choose renewable energy future as the "energy go guide" the world will not only have problems with future energy demand but we'll be also creating tremendous environmental mess that will make life of future generations very difficult.

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LNG - Advantages and Disadvantages

Energy prices are going up all the time together with energy demand. The sharp rise in energy prices and fears about yet another episode of risky gas imports from Russia that were happening for the last couple of years have raised concerns about the security, diversity, reliability and affordability of the Em’s gas supply. Many energy experts see LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as the solution to this problem which is really no surprise since over the last decade LNG has become one of the world’s fastest-growing energy sectors. So let’s take a look at main LNG advantages and disadvantages.

Currently LNG represents 15% of the EU’s gas imports, which is not only good for securing ever-growing energy demand but also to ensure diversity of supply. Some energy experts believe that this is already optimal percentage and that increased use of LNG would likely negate positive effect primarily because supply is heavily concentrated in the hands of a small number of countries that control more than 85 % of total LNG supply.

Grain Liquefied Natural Gas terminal (near Rochester, Kent, UK). The terminal has facilities for unloading liquefied natural gas (LNG) from specially constructed ships. The LNG is stored in purpose-built tanks and is vaporised to form natural gas which is supplied to consumers via the high pressure transmission system.

One thing that LNG still misses is cost-competitiveness. LNG energy projects are among the most expensive in all energy sectors, and not only that they are also technically very challenging. Considering these two factors it is rational to expect that EU would face higher energy prices if LNG shipments would turn out to be far greater in years to come. Off course scientific discoveries and technology development could drastically improve technical as well as financial perspective of LNG projects.

Regarding the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions LNG supply chain emits more greenhouse gases than for instance the supply chain for pipeline gas, primarily because of the extra processing steps needed for LNG shipment. This difference tends to be much narrower when LNG is compared to remote pipeline deliveries. In most cases the greenhouse gas performance gap is smaller than the energy efficiency gap, largely due to the unavoidable methane leaks from pipelines. Generally speaking LNG isn't exactly something you would refer to as the ecologically acceptable fuel.

One thing that LNG is definitely superior to pipeline gas is its quality. This is because LNG is purer, has more methane as well as other energy content, and also because of its chemical structure since it has more stable composition than pipeline gas. It has to be also said that this superior quality of LNG has its price in higher costs in not only terms of energy but also in total amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ships that are transporting LNG can be even longer than 300 meters. When being full, minimum water depth must be 12 meters for normal sail.

Of all the LNG advantages its shipping costs look to be the most favorable cost component in the overall LNG supply chain without which LNG supply would totally lack competitiveness. LNG is unlikely to cause significantly bigger shipping costs, even if more ships are needed to meet greater demand, unless stricter safety rules or some security rules for handling LNG carriers are introduced. The only real challenge to LNG ships is the fact that there are too little skilled crew available. With this on mind if LNG becomes more important energy source ships will need more maintenance and more crew which could result in more employment opportunities to many EU workers, especially in South Europe.

As you can see LNG has certain disadvantages that prevent its current usability, most notably high costs and large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions but on the other hand LNG still offers solid alternative to consider, and diversity is something that is always welcomed in energy world, especially now when both energy demand as well as energy prices are constantly going up.

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