Renewable energy is starting to play the game in the energy market. Different energy developers are starting to develop different renewable energy sources to generate power. Product manufacturers are also on the move of creating devices which makes use of renewable energy as its main power source. Soon, renewable energy will now take the spot fossil fuels other non-renewable energy sources are occupying for a long time.
You might as well wonder how we can utilize such renewable energy. Different energy experts developed different renewable energy systems. These systems make use of renewable energy to produce the so-called green power. In this article, you will learn more about renewable energy systems. Believe it or not, even young students can actually use these renewable energy systems for other purposes as well.
Want to know more? Read the preceding sections and understand how these systems works.
Solar Radiation Systems (SRS)
The development of solar energy paved the way for the development of solar radiation system (SRS) which are used both on numerous applications. SRS are not only used to generate alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electricity, but also for generating thermal energy for heating different structures and other things.
SRS are composed primarily of photovoltaic (PV) set of panels which are not only used for residential applications. It is now energizing global satellite communication facilities, navigation lighting buoys, and weather data logging instruments.
Aside from electricity generation, as mentioned earlier, SRS now also capable of providing heat for different applications. Solar water heaters are used for water heating. Solar thermal collectors are used to collect necessary sunlight to be converted into heat and supplying it to the thermal coils inside the house to provide warmth.
One of the latest emerging developments for SRS is the hybrid solar lighting which offers an effective way of routing daylight into a particular structure. Sunlight is concentrated through the use of parabolic reflectors on a small mirror and can be routed inside the structure to provide illumination. The extracted Infra-red component is utilized to generate electricity.
GlashusEtt Renewable Energy System
It is a building designed by ABB to use electricity generated from renewable energy sources. It has the following features:
1. There is a solar panel set-up with inverters, cabinet where the control system for the hybrid energy system is located, and hydrogen storage for the fuel cell system which are located on the roof of the building.
2. Most technical systems of the building can be found on its upper level. It includes the fuel cell system itself, electron converter, bio-gas boiler, hot water tank storage, and the control system for the building’s ventilation.
The energy concept of the building is simple. The hybrid energy system installed in the upper part of the building is the one responsible for the production of electricity. When electricity generated from the solar panels and the fuel cell is in excess of the total demand of the building, the excess is delivered to the local electric grid. It is stored within the system in the form of hydrogen that is produced using the electron converter. In case of increase in the demand of the electricity, the stored hydrogen can be used to the fuel cell system.
Renewable Energy Watering System
This watering system is developed by young science high school students. It is used to water plants, pots, and beds regularly throughout the year using recycled rainwater which is powered by wind and solar energy. The system works by energizing the gel batteries which is fed using wind and solar energy. These gel batteries run a pump that draws recycled rainwater from the storage tank. The water is then distributed through a network of irrigation pipes directly to the plants.
These are just few of renewable energy systems that are available for use. You can even design your own energy system based on the basic concepts of converting renewable energy to electricity.
Renewable energy development is now going on at full speed. The international energy community is drafting policies, creating different renewable energy systems, and improving its efficiency for massive use. Different regional and international forums are conducted to disseminate information about these new energy sources.
Just how important renewable energy is? Presently, different researches arrive at the same conclusion—Earth’s fossil fuel reserves are depleting in a rapid rate. In other words, we can face energy crisis if there are no other alternative energy sources available.
In addition, combustion of these fuel reserves is found out to be emitting harmful gases which contribute to the abnormal change in Earth’s climate. The global warming and ozone layer thinning is just some of the major effects of these gases in our atmosphere. Environmentalists want to take out fossil fuel combustion in the energy production scene as much as possible.
Different small economy is also drifting away from progress due to increasing fossil fuel prices such as crude oil. Most of these small economies depend on imported crude oil in their electricity production and transport operation. Once oil prices soar high, almost everything is also increasing—monthly electricity costs, transport costs, and even prices of basic commodities.
Many think that renewable energy can be a long-term solution to these aforementioned problems. Unlike fossil fuels which needed to be excavated and imported, renewable energy is abundant in the greater environment. Sunlight, flowing water, strong winds, and hot springs can be converted into energy. It can be acquired domestically, and does not emit harmful gases which could damage our atmosphere.
Want to learn more about the renewable energy sources? Read the preceding sections and learn how these sources can actually generate energy.
Wind Energy
Winds that we normally use in kite-flying and sailing purposes can generate energy. Wind propellers mounted to tall towers (such as those in The Netherlands) are attached to a wind turbine. This is connected to a shaft directly to the generator. Strong winds (an average of 5.5 meters per second or 20 kilometers per hour) make these wind propellers turn and subsequently run wind turbines, which later on will run the generator to produce energy.
Modern wind turbines are capable of producing 5 megawatts of power using the average wind speed mentioned earlier. Thousands of these turbines are presently operating in different parts of the world, with utility companies holding total capacity of 59,322 megawatts.
Water Power
There are different forms of water power. The basic is the hydropower energy, which uses hydroelectric dam facilities (composed of energy turbines and generators). These hydropower facilities can be normally found on extreme flowing river or high water falls.
Other forms include the following:
1. The tidal power which derives energy from ocean tides in horizontal direction. When tides enter the facilities, it raises the water level in the basin. It has a turbine which generates energy from the tides going out of the basin.
2. The wave power which captures energy through ocean waves.
3. The ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) which utilizes the difference of temperature between the ocean’s warmer surface and its cold lower recess.
Solar Energy
There are also different ways of using harnessed energy through solar radiation. These are the following:
1. When sunlight enters the photovoltaic (PV) cells, it initiates a chemical reaction which converts the sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity.
2. Generated electricity can be used as a thermal energy source to heat building either in a direct way or through the use of heat pumps.
3. Thermal energy harnessed from solar radiation can also be used to directly heat food and dishes through solar-powered ovens.
To maximize electricity or heat production, PV panels should be placed in a location which has a maximum exposure over direct sunlight.
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