SOLAR
ENERGY
Solar energy involves capturing and harnessing
the sun energy. There are three main ways of doing this:
Energy
from sunlight in the form of heat can be captured by devices that
circulate a fluid for delivery elsewhere. Solar water heaters range
from systems supplying a single house or swimming pool to those supplying
multiple dwellings or commercial/industrial premises. Solar energy
can also be used to provide process heat for industrial/agricultural
processes; solar cooling technologies have also been developed. Through
the use of climate-sensitive building design, solar energy can be
used for space heating, natural daylighting and even ventilation.
Buildings that exploit these range from individual dwellings to large
commercial/industrial ones.
When
certain materials are subjected to sunlight they develop an electric
potential that can be used to generate electricity. These photovoltaic
(or PV) systems can be used for large scale centralised power generation,
for decentralised grid-connected power supply and as a remote power
source when there is no grid-supplied electricity available. The energy
in sunlight can also be concentrated sufficiently to achieve temperatures
suitable for thermal power generation. A variety of designs have been
used in areas of high incident sunshine.
- This involves the application of design
principles (such as south-facing windows) to make sure that excess
heat loss is avoided and solar radiation is captured, in order to
minimise the need for heating and lighting. The reverse is also
true, so that minimising the capture of solar radiation, coupled
with the use of natural ventilation, helps to reduce dependency
on mechanical systems such as air conditioning.
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HYDROPOWER / HYDROELECTRIC
This is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of renewable
energy. It exploits the mechanical energy of falling water to drive
a turbine, of which there are a wide variety of designs. Hydroelectric
systems can be connected to the main electricity grid, or can be
part of a stand-alone power system. In a grid-connected system,
any electricity generated in excess of consumption on site can be
‘sold’ to electricity companies. In an off-grid hydroelectric
system, electricity can be supplied directly to the user or via
a battery bank.
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WINDPOWER
Modern wind turbines generate electricity through the action
of the wind on aerofoil blades. Most of these are land-based and
can either be connected to an electricity grid or be non-grid connected,
with some form of back up or storage. More recently the potential
to site turbines offshore is being investigated and developed.
Wind energy can also be used to generate heat and mechanical power.
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BIOMASS
Biomass, also known as biofuels or bioenergy, is obtained from organic
matter, either directly from plants or indirectly from industrial,
commercial, domestic, forestry or agricultural products. The use
of biomass is generally classed as a ‘carbon-neutral’
process because the carbon dioxide released during the generation
of energy is balanced by that absorbed by plants during their growth.
However, it is important to account for any other energy inputs
that may affect this carbon-neutral balance on a case-by-case basis,
for example any use of fertiliser, or energy consumed in vehicles
when harvesting or transporting the biomass to its point of use.
Wood can be used as a fuel both as a by-product from forestry operations
and as a crop grown in its own right. Other crops can also be grown
for energy purposes (e.g. Oil seeds, sweet sorghum, etc). Combustion
is the most common technology used to extract the energy but there
are also a range of other technologies that can be used depending
on the end use energy requirement (gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic
digestion, fermentation, etc).
Organic wastes are produced as a result of a wide range
of agricultural activities, and include crop residues, animal manure,
poultry litter, etc. These can be converted to energy by a range
of technologies, including direct combustion, gasification, anaerobic
digestion (to produce biogas), etc.
These are produced by a wide range of commercial and industrial
processes for example industrial wood processing, hospital, tyre
production, chemical manufacture, food processing, etc. These can
be converted into useful energy by a range of technologies such
as combustion, gasification, anaerobic digestion, etc.
This is produced as a result of organic wastes decomposing
in landfill sites. It can be recovered for direct use as a boiler
fuel, converted into electricity or upgraded to a higher value fuel
gas.
This contains a significant amount of organic matter that can be
used for energy purposes. MSW can be combusted untreated, processed
into a higher-value “refuse derived fuel” or converted
using other technologies (e.g. gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation,
etc). Sewage sludge also can be digested to produce biogas.
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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Geothermal energy is the name given to energy extracted
from the Earth, either near the surface or by drilling to higher
temperatures at greater depth. At lower temperatures the energy
is usually extracted as heat, sometimes with the aid of a mechanical
heat pump. At higher temperatures the heat can be used for power
generation.
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WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY
Energy in the oceans and seas can be extracted in a number of ways.
Tidal barrages capture water at high tide, and tidal-stream devices
used tide-induced currents to generate power. Devices to capture
the energy in waves can be located on the shoreline or some distance
offshore. It is also possible to generate power from the thermal
gradients in seawater at appropriate locations – this technology
is known as OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion).
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HYDROGEN
Hydrogen is emerging as a major component of clean, sustainable
energy systems, which is relevant to all energy sectors (transportation,
buildings, utilities and industry). Hydrogen is an ‘energy
carrier’ rather than a fuel source because it can only be
produced using energy. It can be produced from fossil fuels such
as natural gas or coal by the application of heat, but it can also
be produced using renewable energy. Ultimately it is hoped to produce
hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Producing this would allow
the whole of the energy chain to produce only low or even zero greenhouse
gas emissions.The accelerating contribution from renewables
in recent years has been made possible by the development and maturation
of certain technologies and markets. RTD co-operation between industry,
research institutions and academia, stimulated by EU and national
funding, has played a major role in this. National, regional and
local market initiation programmes have also proved highly influential
in delivering more widespread deployment, allowing technologies
to be commercialised to the point where reliability has increased
and costs have reduced.
Technology status:
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