Energy
66 Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy
Travis Reed; Apurva Mitta; and Kevin Dai
Introduction
Renewable energy is a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Renewable energy has started to step more into the spotlight in recent years because of the environmental impacts it will have. However, it is important to understand the societal effects renewable energy will have as well.
According to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), “Renewable energy, often referred to as clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. For example, sunlight or wind keep shining and blowing, even if their availability depends on time and weather” (Shinn, 2021). Renewable energy is becoming so important because people have started to become much more concerned with the environment and climate change. This chapter will discuss different types of renewable energy, as well as the effects they have.
Solar energy
According to S. Ashok with Britannica, solar energy is radiation or light from the sun that is used to make heat, cause a chemical reaction, or generate electricity (Ashok, 2021). People use the sun to make solar energy in a few ways. One way is through concentrated solar power. Concentrated solar power uses collectors to concentrate sunlight onto a black receiver. This receiver intensifies the light to a temperature of 2,000 °C, and mirrors are used to heat water into steam to turn a turbine. Thus, electricity is generated (Ashok, 2021). One of the most popular methods of capturing solar energy is through the technology of solar panels. Solar panels are so popular because they can be used privately, unlike most renewable energies.
Solar energy may have the most potential out of all of the renewable energies because the sun produces so much energy that is not being utilized. Ashok states, “The potential for solar energy is enormous since about 200,000 times the world’s total daily electric-generating capacity is received by Earth every day in the form of solar energy” (Ashok, 2021). If solar energy were to be harnessed, many of our energy needs and pollution problems could be solved.
The biggest problem facing solar energy is the cost of collection. Solar panels are very expensive and, with our current technology, not very efficient. According to Ashok, solar panels are only 15-20 percent efficient (Ashok, 2021). That is a high cost for a low efficiency.
Wind Power
Wind energy is created by wind, spinning a turbine that then converts the rotational energy of the turbine into electricity (Wind Energy Basics). According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, “Wind energy is actually a byproduct of the sun. The sun’s uneven heating of the atmosphere, the earth’s irregular surfaces (mountains and valleys), and the planet’s revolution around the sun all combine to create wind” (Wind Energy Basics). Since our sun and earth’s irregular terrain will continue to exist, the wind is in no short supply, making it an