Renewable Energy Technology

What Is Environmental Technology?

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Environmental technologies are systems of technology that can produce renewable energy from various natural sources.

Environmental, economic, social, and political factors all contribute to the development of various renewable technologies (Zobarro, vii)

Renewable energy technologies have the potential to strengthen our nation’s energy security, improve environmental quality, and contribute to a strong energy economy (www.energy.gov).

Renewable energy technologies produce sustainable, clean energy from sources such as *the sun*, *the wind*, *plants*, and *water* (www.energy.gov).

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Different Types of Renewable Technologies

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There are numerous examples of Renewable Energy Technologies and some are more popularized than others. But, the three important ones that I will be discussing in this presentation are Solar Power, Wind Power, Hydropower

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Solar Power

Solar power converts direct solar radiation and furnishes primary high temperature heat (Sabonnadière, 63).

The sun emits energy from electromagnetic waves, which is also referred to as radiation energy.

The earth’s rotation and variation of axis also causes the amount of sunlight collected to vary. (RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS By CHETAN SINGH SOLANKI

It can be stored temporarily or for several hours; this gives users the opportunity to use it at night (Sabonnadière, 63).

2 main types of Solar Power

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photovolactic (pv): most commonly seen with solar panels. Photons from sunlight are absorbed in the panels and creates an electric field across them.

Multiple cells are connected to form large panels to collect more energy from the sun

PV cells can also vary in size and their thickness is less than 4 human hairs.

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concentrating solar power (csp): Mostly seen in large power plants. Uses mirrors to reflect sunlight onto receivers to collect solar energy and convert it to heat, which is used to produce electricity.

Mirrors focus sunlight onto a receiver that heats a high temperature fluid, which can spin a turbine or power an engine to generate electricity

Since CSP systems convert solar energy to thermal energy to be stored in a generator, they can be used as a flexible provider of electricity or as a base load source of electricity like a nuclear or coal plant.

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Wind Power

Wind power uses energy in the wind to generate electricity, charge batteries, pump water, and grind grain (www.energy.gov).

Wind is the combined result of the sun’s uneven heating of the atmosphere, the earth’s irregular surfaces (mountains and valleys), and the planet’s revolution around the sun(www.energy.gov).

There are also Wind facilities in 40 states have created over 75,000 new  jobs for the public.

Most wind energy technologies can use stand-alone turbines, connected to a utility grid, or be combined with a photovolatic system.

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Hydropower

Most common and least expensive renewable energy technology in the United States.

Use flowing water to create energy that can be transferred to electricity.

Water is constantly using energy in the water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be used to produce electricity.

Turbines and generators convert the energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to be used in homes, businesses, and by industries (www.energy.gov).

There are 2 types of hydropower

Large Scale hydropower produce electricity for government or electric utility projects, which are more than 30 megawatts (MW) in size, and there is more than 80,000 MW of installed generation capacity in the United States today.

Microhydropower systems are small hydroelectric power systems of less than 100 kilowatts (kW) used to produce mechanical energy or electricity for farms, ranches, homes, and villages.

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Misconceptions about Renewable Energy Technologies

Greenpeace.org features an article that debunks 6 myths about Renewable Energy Technology. These myths are that

  1. Renewable Energy is too expensive
  2. Renewable Energy is nice to have, but not big enough
  3. Can’t supply electricity 24/7
  4. The electricity grid can’t handle renewable energy
  5. Bad for the environment
  6. Greenpeace wants to turn off all coal and nuclear power plants today

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Renewable Energy is too expensive

  1. Costs of wind and solar energy have declined substantially
  2. While Coal and nuclear energy plants have hidden costs
  3. These costs include water pollution, health impacts, and climate change. (www.energy.gov)
  4. No input costs for wind and solar energy
  5. while people need to buy coal for a coal-fired power plant to generate electricity solar and wind energy don’t have input costs like that – sunlight and wind are free. As a result, they replace more expensive production in the electricity market, lowering wholesale electricity prices. (www.energy.gov)

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Renewable Energy is nice to have, but not big enough

  1. Working successfully in countries around the world
  2. Greenpeace.org features statistics in their article about the impact of renewable energy technologies in countries around the world. Such as.
  3. Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, already gets 25% of it’s electricity from renewables, and is aiming for 80% by 2050.
  4. Wind power was Spain’s top source of electricity in 2013, ahead of nuclear, coal & gas
  5. In the US, nine states are getting 12% or more of their electricity from wind. Iowa & South Dakota exceed 25%
  6. By 2050 almost all of global energy needs can be met with renewables

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Can’t supply electricity 24/7

  1. Can meet all of our needs.
  2. Mix sources over one area
  3. These sources can include solar and wind power, biogass, biomass and geothermal sources
  4. Technologies can track and manage energy use patterns, provide flexible power that follows demand through the day, use better storage options and group producers together to form virtual power plants (www.greenpeace.org)

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The electricity grid can’t handle renewable energy

  1. An electricity grid CAN handle large amounts of renewable energy.
  2. We need a gradual transformation of the whole energy system to accommodate energy production and consumption (www.greenpeace.org)
  3. Smart grid can connect to a number of different energy sources, from varying locations and still produce energy.
  4. A smart grid is a system that can connect (and switch between) a number of energy sources (solar, wind, etc.), at many different sites, to provide a constant flow of electricity to users. It allows us to create a network of electricity production sites that spread over a wide area

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Bad for the environment

  1. Wind farms kill birds and bats: environmental impact assessments are done and migratory and local bird population patterns are assessed before construction.
  2. Noise complaints: noise complaints are not related to actual noise of renewable technologies. People mostly opposed aesthetic sounds, which would also be heard in a coal or nuclear power plant.
  3. Unable to use land: land used for projects, such as wind power, can still be used for livestock and farming.
  4. Carbon footprint for renewable resources: pays off carbon footprint fairly quickly.

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Greenpeace wants to turn off all coal and nuclear power plants today

  1. We need a gradual transition to renewable energy.
  2. Need to decrease our reliance on coal, oil, gas and nuclear energy over time, while investing increasingly in renewables.
  3. 3 steps to fully switching to renewable energy
  4. Increase energy efficiency
  5. Shift investments to renewable energy projects
  6. stop investing in fossil fuels and nuclear plants as they reach the end of their lifespan

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Benefits of Renewable Energy Technologies- Benefits of Renewable Energy Use Article

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Little to no global warming emissions

  1. Global warming emissions from nuclear and coal power plants can raise our planet’s temperature and impact our health, environment and climate. But studies done on global warming emissions from Renewable Energy Technologies have found little to no pollutant emissions.

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Improved public health and environmental quality

  1. While fossil fuels are known as a leading cause of health problems, Renewable Energy Technologies have no impact on public health and do not use up as many natural resources as fossil fuels. There is also little air pollutants being released from Renewable Energy Technologies compared to the amount of pollutants released from fossil fuels.

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Vast and inexhaustible energy supply

  1. There are various natural energy resources, such as the wind, the sun, heat, and water that can provide electricity through environmental technologies.

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Jobs and other economic benefits

  1. Fossil fuel technologies are typically mechanized and capital intensive, whereas Renewable Energy technologies can provide more jobs with installation, manufacturing, and maintenance services. These technologies can also provide new investments for our government to help with our economy.

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Stable energy prices

  1. Renewable facilities operate at a very low cost and since some of the fuels used for these technologies are usually free, the energy prices remain stable overtime. Costs of these technologies have also declined steadily and are projected to decline even further in the future.

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More reliable and resilient energy system

  1. Varying Renewable Energy technologies can be spread out over a large geographical area. If severe weather were to hit one region, other technologies will continue to operate and will not cut off power for the communities using those technologies. Renewable energy sources are also more resilient to weather events than power plants.

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Environmentally Safe and Economically Friendly

  1. With renewable energy technologies, there is Little to no global warming emissions
    1. Electricity production makes more than ⅓ of U.S. global warming emissions
      1. Coal-fired power plants produce 25% of global warming emissions
      2. And Natural gas-fired power plants produce 6%
  2. Renewable energy  technologies also Improve public health and environmental quality
    1. Air and water pollution from power plant emissions is linked to breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, and cancer
    2. Renewable energy technologies Reduce premature death and reduces healthcare costs
    3. Wind and solar energy do not pollute water or alter supply of water for agriculture, drinking water systems, or other needs.
  3. There are also more Jobs being created and other economic benefits with these technologies
    1. While fossil fuel technologies are primarily machines and capital intensive, renewable energy is more labor-intensive, thus enforcing the need to create new jobs.
      1. In 2011, Wind industry employed 75,000 full-time employees in manufacturing, projet development, constriction and installation, operations and maintenance, transportation and logistics, and financial, legal and consulting services.
      2. The same year, the solar industry employed 100,000 people on a part or full-time basis in solar installation, manufacturing, and sales
      3. In 2009, the hydroelectric power industry employed about 250,000 new employees.
    2. Union of Concerned Scientists conducted an analysis of economic benefits of a 25% renewable energy standard by 2025 in 2009. This policy would produce 3 times as many jobs, which is approximately 202,000 new jobs.
    3. An article from the Union of Concerned Scientists website states Local governments can collect income taxes and other payments from renewable energy project owners. The owners of the land also often receive lease payments ranging from $3,000-$6,000 or earn royalties based on the projects annual revenues.

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Now I have a few Facts and Statistics that I would like to present on renewable energy technologies.

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According to the Energy Information Administration, renewable sources of energy accounted for about 7% of total energy consumption and 9.4% of total electricity generation in the United States

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More than 6% of the country’s electricity was produced from hydropower resources in 2014,

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and about 48% of all renewable electricity generated in the United States came from hydropower resources.

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The average price of a solar panel has dropped almost 60% since 2011.

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The cost of generating electricity from wind power dropped more than 20% between 2010 and 2012 and more than 80% since 1980.

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Economic impact associated with fossil fuels is between $361.7 billion and $886.5 billion, or between 6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)

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UCS analysis found that a 25% national renewable electricity standard would stimulate a $263.4 billion new capital investment for renewable energy technologies

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$13.5 billion in new landowner income biomass production and/or wind land lease payments

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And $11.5 billion in new property tax revenue for local communities

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Now I have a video by Dane Bliss Design that includes some important concepts of renewable energy.

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Here is my list of References incase you inquire more information about Renewable Energy Technologies.

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That concludes my presentation thank you for watching!

References

Benefits of Renewable Energy Use. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15 2017, from          http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable-power#bf-toc-3

Renewable Energy Myths. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/energyrevolution/renewable-energy-myths/

Renewable Energy Technology Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.energy.gov/eere/energybasics/renewable-energy-technology-basics

Sabonnadiere, J. (2009). Renewable energy technologies. London, UK: Wiley-ISTE

Solanki, C. S. (n.d.). RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://books.google.com/books?id=I4IVfxtMR24C&printsec=frontcover&dq=what%2Bare%2Brenewable%2Benergy%2Btechnologies&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1yoLBrezXAhWCTN8KHbDYCIMQ6AEIKjAB#v=onepage&q=what%20are%20renewable%20energy%20technologies&f=false

Zobaa, A. F., & Bansal, R. C. (2011). Handbook of Renewable Energy Technology. Singapore: World Scientific

Images
Images courtesy of Pixabay.com
Concentrated Solar Power image from Wikimedia Commons
K. (2007, September 3). File:PS20andPS10.jpg [Concentrated Solar Energy from Andalusia, Spain]. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Koza1983

YouTube Video Credits Dane Bliss Design “Renewable Energy Explained in 2 1/2 Minutes”