This is the last post in our renewable energy sources. This time we take a look at Solar energy. Solar energy has long been an intriguing idea for man, seeing as how the Sun is the center of our galaxy, and is a source of immense, and seemingly inexhaustible power.

The term “solar energy” means energy from the Sun that is stored in usable form by a process called photovoltaics. The application of Solar energy is already widespread, because the Sun has been considered in architectural and construction issues since the very beginning. Since the Sun has always been essential to mankind’s survival, it’s one resource that has undergone much research.

The Advantages of Solar Energy

1) Solar technology is noiseless. Unlike other renewable energy sources we’ve looked at, solar energy panels don’t make noise.
2) Solar energy is sustainable. You can store Solar energy, without hurting the Sun in anyway. When you wake up the next day, the Sun will still be there.
3) Solar energy is clean energy, producing no greenhouse gas emissions. Solar energy does not have a negative impact on global warming.
4) Solar energy is free. Yes, you’ll have to spend money to purchase equipment to store the energy, but the cost of the energy itself is totally free.
5) Solar energy reduces the dependence on foreign oil

The Disadvantages of Solar Energy

1) Solar energy tends to be expensive, due to the initial investment in equipment.
2) Solar energy doesn’t work at night.
3) Some areas are not well suited to Solar energy due to being cloudy or overcast.
4) Solar panels tend to take up a lot of room, and installations are ineffective in many cases.

Solar energy has been gaining in popularity. However, some homeowner’s groups won’t even allow solar energy panels to be installed, so it’s up to cities and local governments to implement many changes to their bureaucracy.

The growth of solar takes careful planning, like that currently happening in Ontario. A number of Canadian companies have been studying the feasability of using exclusive solar power in Ontario, despite that province having many gray days. They’ve determined that the size of the solar installation is the key component to their success.

“Considering our sun, the minimum size where solar can break even is one megawatt,” says Sidhu. “The cost to produce energy per kilowatt hour is almost half as efficient as in a place like California.”

One thing the folks in Ontario are working on is a way for homeowners with solar panels to pump excess energy back into a central grid. This energy could theoretically be stored, or sold to others to help reduce the cost of equipment. With enough success, this type of plan could be replicated in many less sunny places, ensuring the growth of solar energy.

Solar energy is quickly becoming ready for prime time. There’s a growing interest in the technology from both the private and public sectors, and the underlying technology is quickly improving. Depending on how fast certain centralized grids can be developed, the growth of solar energy could achieve a boom period. In Germany and other countries, solar power has become increasingly important.

Continued from Renewable Energy Sources – Part 4 – Wind. Or you can start at the beginning: Renewable Energy Sources – Part One – Biomass

Now we’ve reached Part Three of our series on renewable energy sources. It’s time to take a look at Geothermal energy production.

Geothermal energy is a strong alternative renewable energy source for a number of reasons.

1) Geothermal is clean energy. There is no mining or burning to extract energy and there is no nasty leftover by product.
2) Geothermal energy does not cause greenhouse emissions and doesn’t contribute significantly to global warming.
3) Geothermal plants have high availability and generally low costs.
4) Geothermal energy is renewable, since the Earth can continue to produce heat indefinitely

Geothermal energy costs a good bit of money for the initial investment, but then the costs to produce electric tend to stay low.

Basic geothermal energy production can be broken into three distinct technology categories.

The types of geothermal energy production:

1) Heat Pumps
2) Direct-Use Applications
3) Power Plants

An example of geothermal energy that has been present for centuries is the hot spring. But such geothermal energy is not effective for mass consumption, so man has had to innovate to make geothermal energy more useful. In the United States, the country’s first commercial geothermal plant was built in 1960.

“The country’s first large-scale geothermal electricity-generating plant begins operation. Pacific Gas and Electric operates the plant, located at The Geysers. The first turbine produces 11 megawatts (MW) of net power and operates successfully for more than 30 years. Today, 69 generating facilities are in operation at 18 resource sites around the country.”

Geothermal energy production has been gaining in interest in the last few years as the global warming discussion continues to magnify in intensity.

The main disadvantage of Geothermal energy is that it’s difficult to find adequate sites for construction. In order to build a geothermal plant, a contractor must find hot spots in the Earth’s surface which will support the high heat necessary for the plant to produce energy. These hot spots do not occur in all areas, so geothermal plants are not always appropriate. Without heat, there’s no steam. Without steam, no energy.

All in all, Geothermal energy is an extremely viable vein of research, especially when it comes to finding an alternative to coal or nuclear based power plants. For Western states in the U.S., the addition of Geothermal energy power plants would most certainly be beneficial.

Continued from Renewable Energy Sources – Part Two – Hydropower

Next in series: Renewable Energy Sources – Part 4 – Wind

As fossil fuels become more scarce, the spotlight shifts for many people to renewable energy sources. In this article we’ll take a look at the major renewable energy sources, and examine any drawbacks they might have.

There are five renewable energy sources:

• Biomass
• Hydropower
• Geothermal
• Wind
• Solar

Biomass is getting a lot of press lately

The idea of using biomass as a renewable energy source, especially as an alternative fuel for cars, has been getting a lot of attention in the press lately. Simply, biomass is organic material that originates from plants or animals. Biomass will always contain stored energy from the Sun, which was obtained via photosynthesis.

Biomass is considered to be a renewable energy source because plants can be easily grown again, plus the waste decomposes easily.

Releasing the energy in Biomass

There are several ways to release the energy in biomass. Common methods including burning the biomass or converting the energy into another more usable form.

Bacteria feeds on dead plants and animals as a part of nature. This bacterial decay produces methane, which is often used to fuel automobiles.

Fermentation is another method used to release the energy in biomass, as is conversion. Fermentation and conversion are in less popular use than the other methods, but experimentation is happening on all fronts.

The area in which biomass excels is when the biomass is a waste product that is easily converted into usable energy.

Currently biomass represents only 3% of the fuel used in the United States, indicating a lot of room for improvement.

Continue to: Renewable Energy Sources – Part Two – Hydropower