Renewable Energy: Mother Earth’s last hope

“ Our dependence on fossil fuels amounts to global pyromania, and the fire extinguisher we have at our disposal is Renewable Energy – Hermann Scheer”

The time is running out!! So are Earth’s resources! Energy resources exist in different forms - some exist as stocks and are exhaustible, others exist as flows and are in-exhaustible. Energy demand is increasing worldwide, day by day with ongoing population growth and industrialization. The effects of climate change, and the impact that greenhouse gas emissions have on the atmosphere, are ushering in a reassessment of where our energy supply comes from and, more importantly, how sustainable it is. The first form mentioned above is fossil fuels such as petroleum and carbon energy, the second form relates to resources based on constantly replenishing flows of energy such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal as well as quantities grown by nature in the form of biomass. All of the latter forms are (mostly) green, clean and renewable and therefore could provide an answer to the shortage in commodities and increasing energy demands. Rising consumption of fossil fuels is still set to drive up greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures, resulting in potentially catastrophic and irreversible climate change. Alternative energy sources can help to reduce emissions of CO2. But, why Renewables? Our reliance upon fossil fuels such as coal and oil is negatively affecting the planet. Burning these fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere, leading to a heightened greenhouse effect and warming of the earth. With governments trying to reduce CO2 emissions, renewable sources of energy (such as those derived from wind, the sun and waves) are presenting themselves as a viable, eco-friendly option to meet the world's energy needs. Rising energy prices, increased import dependence and rising greenhouse-gas emissions are environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable. Achieving more secure, low-carbon energy systems call for radical action by governments at national and local levels, and through participation in coordinated international mechanisms. Greater reliance on renewable energy sources offers enormous economic, social, and environmental benefits. As seen in many countries, developing and implementing alternative energy resources can provide a lot of jobs and social upliftment. The possibilities to use renewable energy are still developing as energy resources evolve dynamically as a function of human engineering ingenuity. There is still a lot to do with regards to installing and developing alternative energy production. The Earth’s renewable energy resources are vast and available to be tapped through visionary initiatives. Our civilization needs to embrace clean energy on a scale and at a pace we’ve never seen before.

 

We inherited our current fossil fuel-based energy economy from another era. The 19th century was the century of coal, and oil took the lead during the 20th century. Today, global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) — the principal climate-altering greenhouse gas — come largely from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Coal, mainly used for electricity generation, accounts for 44 percent of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Oil, used primarily for transportation, accounts for 36 percent. Natural gas for electricity and heating accounts for the remaining 20 percent. It is time to design a carbon- and pollution-free energy economy based on renewable energy for the 21st century. Reasons to embrace alternate sources of energy are obvious.

·       Coal Plants Are Being Phased Out- The burning of coal is declining in many countries. In the United States, the No. 2 coal consumer after China, coal use dropped 13 percent from 2007 to 2011 as dozens of coal plants were closed. This trend is expected to continue.

·       Oil Is Becoming a Relic of the Past. Oil is used to produce just 5 percent of the world’s electricity generation and is becoming ever more costly. Because oil is used mainly for transportation, we can phase it out by electrifying the transport system. Plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars can run largely on clean electricity. Electric motors are so much more efficient than gas engines that wind-generated electricity to operate cars could cost the equivalent of 80-cents-per-gallon gasoline.

·       Nuclear power is too Expensive. Although nuclear reactors supply 13 percent of the world’s electricity, nuclear power’s limited role in our future has been clear for some time. It is simply too expensive. Moreover, it also involves usage of non-renewable mineral resources of earth like uranium, plutonium etc.

·       Natural Gas Has Been Oversold. The scientific community is challenging the industry’s claim that natural gas is fairly climate-benign. Natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” (a much-touted key to expanding production), is even more climate-disruptive than coal because of methane gas leakage. (Methane is a potent contributor to climate change.)

 

What are the types of renewable sources of energy that are abundantly available and non-depleting?

 

Solar : In basic terms, solar power is created by converting sunlight into electricity. The most common ways this occurs is via the installation and use of photovoltaic panels in areas that catch a lot of rays or via concentrated solar power systems. One of the biggest benefits of solar energy is, it is  inexhaustive, ready availability of the source – the amount of sunlight the earth receives per year makes the sun the most abundant source of energy worldwide, trumping coal and other fossil fuels.

Wind : Wind power has been around in one form or another for centuries – think conventional sail boats and agricultural windmills that pump water. These days, the power of the wind is being harnessed to generate electricity, using massive, tri-bladed, horizontal-axis turbines that stand on towers as tall as a 20 storey building. The turbines – usually clustered together in so-called wind farms – are planted in areas with high winds and must face into the wind. These modern-day windmills convert kinetic energy into electricity: wind moves the turbine, which triggers and turns a shaft that's connected to a generator that produces electricity. Wind power is the fastest growing source of electricity in the world.

Hydroelectric Power: Hydroelectric power (sometimes known as hydro power) leverages the power of moving water, regardless of if the water is falling downwards, like a waterfall, or flowing like a stream. To make use of this power, large turbines are fitted with electrical generators. Water passing through the turbines causes them to spin, which sets of the generators that then convert the kinetic energy into electricity. The power of moving water (and therefore the amount of electricity derived from it) is influenced by both the volume and the height difference between the source and the water's outflow and energy is derived to make power by the force of water moving from a higher elevation to a lower elevation through a large tube otherwise known as a penstock. Norway has made great strides in adopting hydro power, with approximately 99 percent of the country's energy needs met via this type of electricity. Hydro power does have some drawbacks namely- the building of dams to accommodate turbines can have a negative impact on local flora and fauna; large water reservoirs endanger the natural habitat and lives of living beings when huge amount of water is released during rainy season causing inundation.

Ocean/Tidal Energy :  Another form of energy that humans have been making use of for a long time is ocean energy or tidal energy. Regardless, tidal energy represents a relatively small section of the current renewable energy market. There are three different ways to harness tidal energy: tidal streams (where turbines are placed in fast-flowing bodies of water), barrages (where turbines are placed in dams. The dam gates are open as the tide rises and close when the dam is full, capturing an excess of water that is then run through the turbines) and tidal lagoons (where turbines are placed in pools of sea water hemmed in by natural or man-made barriers). One of the big benefits of tidal energy is that, unlike other sources, tidal currents are reliably predictable. Depending on the type of generator being used, building and installing the necessary infrastructure can be expensive (barrages), can negatively impact the surrounding environment (tidal streams) or might not produce so much energy (tidal lagoons).

Geothermal Energy : According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, ''Below Earth's crust, there is a layer of hot and molten rock, called magma. Heat is continually produced in this layer, mostly from the decay of naturally radioactive materials such as uranium and potassium. The amount of heat within 10,000 meters (about 33,000 feet) of Earth's surface contains 50,000 times more energy than all the oil and natural gas resources in the world as of 2013 more than 11,700 megawatts (MW) of large, utility-scale geothermal capacity was in operation globally, with another 11,700 MW in planned capacity additions on the way. These geothermal facilities produced approximately 68 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 6 million typical U.S. households. Geothermal plants account for more than 25 percent of the electricity produced in both Iceland and El Salvador.''

Biomass: Derived from organic materials (such as plant and animal materials), biomass releases energy (as heat) when it is burned. Among the general sources for producing biomass power are: wood and forest residues (like bark and sawdust left over from the paper-making process); non-toxic waste (like biodegradable garbage); some crop residues; and manure. These can be burned in biomass power plants to produce steam which then triggers a turbine that produces electricity. On the downside, the process of burning biomass does release carbon into the atmosphere, meaning that the emissions resulting from biomass must be weighed against the number of emissions that would result from any of power source biomass was looking to replace.

However, going by the present trend and several breakthroughs during protracted quest for viable alternative, it is seen that in just a few years, solar and wind technologies have grown so competitive and widespread that they are gradually reshaping common perceptions of climate change mitigation. "Saving the climate is too difficult and too costly" is becoming "We can do this!" Even in purely economic terms, renewable energy (RE) is set to gradually out-compete fossil fuels. So, what does that mean in practice? Here are some quick facts:

1. There's now 15 times more solar power and three times more wind power in the world than in 2007.

2. The costs of solar and wind have declined profoundly. Renewables are increasingly the cheapest source of new electricity. In places as diverse as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, India and throughout the U.S., the cost of electricity production from onshore wind power now is on par with, or lower than, fossil fuels. For solar, the speed of cost decline has been even more dramatic. Solar photovoltaic (PV) prices have fallen by 80 percent since 2008 and are expected to keep dropping. Solar can now increasingly compete with conventional energy without subsidies. In 2013, commercial solar power reached grid parity (i.e. the point at which it is comparable or cheaper to produce electricity with solar than purchase it from the grid) in Italy, Germany and Spain and will do so soon in Mexico and France.

3. Individual countries are already reaching high shares of wind, solar and other renewable.

·        In Spain, wind power was the country's top source of electricity in 2013, ahead of nuclear, coal and gas. Renewables altogether supplied 42 percent of mainland Spain's electricity in 2013, and 50 percent in the first half of 2014.

·        In Denmark, wind provided for 41 percent of the country's electricity consumption in the first half of 2014.

·        In South Australia, wind farms produced enough electricity to meet a record 43 percent of the state's power needs during July 2014.

·        In the Philippines, renewable energy—mainly geothermal—provides 30 percent of the country's electricity.

·        In the U.S., the states of Iowa and South Dakota produced about 24 percent of their electricity with wind in 2012. Altogether nine US states were producing more than 10 percent of their electricity with wind.

·        In India, the state of Tamil Nadu already gets 13 percent of its electricity from wind.

4.  Any country can now reach high shares of wind, solar power cost-effectively, says the International Energy Agency.

5. Renewable energy now provides 22 percent of the world's electricity. By 2030, wind energy alone could produce a fifth of world's electricity.

6. Growth rates prove how fast renewables can be deployed and scaled up. In just two years, Japan has installed 11 GW of solar energy. In terms of electricity, that equals more than two nuclear reactors (building a nuclear plant typically takes a decade or more). Furthermore, Japan has approved 72 GW of renewable energy projects, most of which are solar. This compares to about 16 nuclear reactors, or about 20 coal fired power plant units. Last year, China installed as much new wind power as the rest of the world combined. This is as many solar panels as the US installed in the past decade. In four years, China aims to double its wind capacity and triple its solar capacity. In just three years, Germany has increased its share of renewable energy in power from 17 percent to 24 percent. Solar alone produced 30 TWhs of electricity last year, which is equal to the output of about four German nuclear reactors. Sub-Saharan Africa will add more wind, solar and geothermal energy in 2014 than in the past 14 years in total, while India aims to boost its solar PV capacity more than six-fold in less than five years, by adding 15 GW by early 2019.

7. Leading investment banks all over the world are advising investors to go renewable with wind and solar energy.

8. Renewable energy delivers for communities and builds resilience. Not having access to electricity means missing out on many opportunities in life. This is still reality for about 1.3 billion people in the world. But now, renewable energy is making energy access more achievable. Its technologies are by now significantly cheaper than diesel or kerosene- based systems, and cheaper than extending the grid in areas with low populations and per capita energy demand. Local, clean solutions, like micro-grids running on solar, give poorer smaller communities control over their own energy destiny. The systems are relatively cheap to maintain and the people living off of their own renewably sourced electricity are not beholden to volatile fossil fuel prices or the unsustainable demands of the massive energy conglomerates.

9. 100% renewable energy is the way to go. Renewable energy can meet all our energy needs. As the IPCC finds, the technical potential is much higher than all global energy demands.100% renewable energy is what communities, regions, cities—even mega-cities—and companies are already making a reality through courageous actions and targets. Sydney, the most populated city in Australia, is going to switch to 100 percent renewable energy in electricity, heating and cooling by 2030. The colder cities are on board too: three Nordic capitals (Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen) have all set goals for 100 % renewable energy, while Reykjavik, the Iceland capital, is meeting it already. Germany's windy state of Schleswig-Holstein will probably achieve 100% renewable electricity already this year, while Cape Verde, an Island country in Africa, aims to get there by 2020. In Denmark, the whole country aims to meet all its heat and power with 100% renewables in just 20 years and all energy, transport included, by 2050.

Renewable sustainable energy sources are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Every day there are more and more examples of it being used and improved upon across our fragile planet. Yet, clean energy hasn't won just yet. The powerful fossil fuel industries with their allies are fighting back hard, with the help of hundreds of billions of government subsidies they are still enjoying annually. This raises the question: where do you want to be? Stuck in the dark ages of fossil fuels, or basking in the sun and wind of a clean energy future? With energy costs on a constant climb and global warming an unequivocal fact, everyone is looking for a less expensive and more environmentally friendly way to get their energy. Solar power has become one of the more accessible and affordable ways for the average person to join the battle of sustaining earth’s atmosphere while wind power has picked up speed with businesses, especially with electricity and water companies. 

Wind Can Take the World by Storm!!!

Each alternative energy source — whether solar, geothermal or wind — has a major role to play, but wind is on its way to becoming the foundation of the new energy economy. Wind has opened a wide lead on both solar and geothermal energy. Wind farms, now generating power in about 80 countries, have a capacity of some 240,000 megawatts. China and the United States are the world leaders in wind energy. Over the past decade, world wind electric generating capacity grew at nearly 30 percent per year, an increase driven by its many attractive features and by public policies supporting its expansion. Wind is abundant, carbon-free and non-depletable. It uses no water, no fuel and little land. Wind is also locally available, scales up easily and can be brought online quickly. No other energy source can match this combination of features.

One reason wind power is so popular is that it has a small footprint. Although a wind farm can cover many square miles, turbines occupy only 1 percent of that area. Compared with other renewable sources of energy, wind yield per acre is off the charts. For example, a farmer in northern Iowa could plant an acre in corn that yields enough grain to produce roughly $1,000 worth of fuel-grade ethanol per year, or he or she could use that same acre to site a turbine producing $300,000 worth of electricity each year! Because turbines take up only 1 percent of the land covered by a wind farm, ranchers and farmers can, in effect, double-crop their land, simultaneously harvesting electricity while producing crops or livestock. With no investment on their part, farmers and ranchers can receive $3,000 to $10,000 a year in royalties for each wind turbine on their land. For thousands of ranchers on the Great Plains, wind royalties will one day dwarf their earnings from cattle sales. Wind is also abundant. Another of wind’s attractions is that it is not depletable. The amount of wind energy used today has no effect on the amount available tomorrow. Unlike coal, gas and nuclear power plants, wind farms do not require water for cooling. As wind replaces coal and natural gas in power generation, water will be freed up for irrigation and other needs. Perhaps wind’s strongest attraction is that there is no fuel cost. After the wind farm is completed, the electricity flows with no monthly fuel bill. Wind farms can also be built quickly. While it may take a decade to build a nuclear power plant, the construction time for the typical wind farm is one year. One of the obvious downsides of wind is its variability, but this becomes less of an issue as wind farms multiply. Because no two farms have identical wind profiles, each farm added to a grid reduces variability. A Stanford University research team has pointed out that with thousands of wind farms and a national grid in a country such as the United States, wind becomes a remarkably stable source of electricity. With these realities, it is time the Indian government too could seriously explore possibilities cover the vast farming lands in the country with wind mills which will go a long way in improving their lot.

 

Everything Has Two Sides

Renewable energy sources can be useful and cause damage at the same time. One must always look at the whole picture. The use of alternative energy resources has to be evaluated by its eco-balance. For example, heavy metals are used for the production of solar power cells which remain in the factory, though the finished solar module isn't toxic at all. In response to this, scientists are researching and developing more sustainable methods of making solar cells, such as recyclable cells made out of trees. Wind parks are not without their controversies due to the irritation they can cause to birds and bats. Offshore wind parks could be a problem for migratory birds. Diverse hydroelectric power plants can also cause changes in existing ecosystems. Burning biomass can produce nitrogen monoxide, sulphur dioxide and respirable dust. Using geothermal energy fluids drawn from the deep earth carry a toxic and explosive mixture of gases, notably carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia. Plant construction can adversely affect land stability.

What can we do? One of the questions I hear most frequently is, “What can I do?” Lifestyle changes are essential, but they are not a substitute for political action. Restructuring the global economy means we must become politically active and work for needed changes. We should communicate with our elected representatives to make it an election issue. Urge them to support increased government incentives for renewable energy and phase out current subsidies for coal, oil and nuclear. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution began, we have an opportunity to invest in alternative sources of energy that can last as long as the Earth itself. The choice is ours. We can stay with business as usual, or we can move the world onto a path of sustained progress. The choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on Earth for all generations to come.

“As yet, the wind is an untamed and unharnessed force; and quite possibly one of the greatest discoveries hereafter to be made, will be the taming, and harnessing of it- Abraham Lincoln”.

“I will put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until coal and oil run out before we tackle that. : Thomas Alva Edison